LA Education Weekly Update

12th May 2025

This email can also be viewed online here

Dear Colleagues,

This bulletin is for all settings that educate Hillingdon children; maintained, academies and independent.

Please forward this email to the leads in your settings or team members who might be interested in the content, so they can follow up the relevant offers. Thank you in advance.

Reminders:
Last day for schools to sign up to the AfA EEF Words into Action Programme here. A short video explainer of the 3 session course is available here.	By end of 14/05/25
Headteachers or deputies should attend Head Teachers' Termly. Agenda with link to join will be shared nearer the time.	On 10/06/25 10 am - 12 pm
Governors can sign up to attend the Governors Networking Event -An in-person event at the Civic Centre here	On 18/06/25 6pm
Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings	Ongoing
Education Services contacts can be found here	Ongoing
Schools' Forum meeting papers can be accessed here	Ongoing
Emergency closures of all schools must be reported to education@hillingdon.gov.uk	Ongoing
Notification of Critical Incident can be found here	Ongoing
HLP Course Booking	Ongoing

For All:
Recommendations from the Schools Strategic Partnership Board Following the summer term meeting last week, SSPB members recommend: All Headteachers access the Hillingdon Learning Partnership website here: HLP to look at what's on offer. Headteachers ensure their governors have completed statutory safeguarding training. Please share date of the LA's safeguarding training with your governors. This is being held online on 15 October 2025 at 6 pm and is free for all governors to attend. Sign up details will be shared with clerks soon to share with GBs.
EYES Data Sharing Agreement Schools are reminded to return the DSA asap. The DSA template can be found on EYES - Leap. Outstanding schools will be followed up directly by the Education Advisors.
Summer School Census Opening on 15/05/2025 Thank you for your effort and support with the Spring School Census. The Summer School Census opens on Thursday 15 May. It has a deadline for approved submissions of 11 June 2025 and the database will close for amendments from schools and local authorities on 2 July. In the past as the deadline neared, we made changes or added notes to some returns to ensure the school met their statutory commitment. From the Spring this had more of a negative impact than positive. Your return became stuck in the system, requiring it to be deleted and your school had to make the necessary changes to resolve data issues and then upload it to COLLECT again. This triggered the 3-day Reports query again further delaying approval by us and authorisation of your return by the DfE. Some schools came close to missing the DfE's deadline and becoming delinquent in the statutory obligation. In view of this Hillingdon will no longer amend your census return. All schools must log into COLLECT to run the validation reports and fix their own errors. We will only approve returns where data errors have been fully resolved, and queries have return level notes. Please frequently log into COLLECT to view the status of your return, identify any errors and queries, and resolve them. After your return has been authorised, we recommend your school downloads both the CSV and XML format copies of your return along with the Errors and Notes reports. Please safe store these files so they can be referenced in the Autumn. We will continue to provide support when asked by your school. Queries can be sent to schoolcensus@hillingdon.gov.uk. Business Intelligence Team
DfE Webinar on Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity: Transforming Attendance On Thursday 22 May 2025 from 10 am to 12 pm. Attendees will hear from keynote speakers, DfE Officials, attendance experts and trust and school leaders to bring together evidence-based practice on tackling and improving attendance. Register here
Tackling Extremism through Educate Against Hate The DfE remains committed to supporting schools to challenge harmful ideologies and has recently published a guide to support teachers in understanding the signs that a young person may be vulnerable to incel ideologies and what they should do if they are concerned. Educate Against Hate now also hosts a set of teaching resources provided by the Personal, Social, health and Economic (PSHE) Association on misogyny and how these issues can be covered through PHSE. We encourage you to access these resources.
Faith in School Programme Invitation for Teachers and School Volunteers Members of Hillingdon's Interfaith Community (HIC) (a network of local faith leaders from different faiths) would like to work closer with and support local schools and invite you all to a Faith in School session aimed at Teachers and School Volunteers. The program will be led by the Faith and Belief Forum in collaboration with HIC. Sign up here Faith in School (PDF, 337 KB)
Free Thrive Webinars for Mental Health Awareness Week Its Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme is 'community'. A strong sense of community - where children and young people feel safe, supported and valued - is key to mental wellbeing, healthy brain development and academic success. To mark the week, Thrive is offering two free webinars designed to help early years practitioners and school staff create learning environments where children and young people feel accepted, appreciated and free to be themselves. Plus, everyone who registers will receive a free e-guide with practical strategies and activities to help create a sense of belonging. How to create a sense of belonging in the early years on 12 May, 4 - 4.45 pm Every child needs to feel that they belong - to know they are safe, seen and significant. Join us as we explore how to create a genuine sense of belonging in early years settings and why this is crucial for mental wellbeing and healthy brain development. Register here How to create a sense of belonging in schools on 15 May, 4 - 4.45 pm Explore how to create a genuine sense of belonging in schools. We'll expand on previous conversations about the importance of belonging, sharing fresh strategies underpinned by neuroscience and Thrive's relational approach. Register here
Kooth Kooth's engagement campaign slides/resources for May and June are linked below: Kooth May campaign slides (PDF, 636 KB) Kooth June campaign slides (PDF, 637 KB)
Please share with staff, parents/carers Mayor's Picnic in the Park Event Lots of FREE family entertainment on Saturday 7 June - From 12pm to 5pm at Cowley Recreation Ground, UB8 4EA. Join us for an afternoon of live music and entertainment, bring a picnic, something to sit on and enjoy the occasion. The Mayor's Picnic in the Park - Discover Hillingdon Picnic in the Park A3 poster (PDF, 823 KB) Picnic in the Park Programme (PDF, 831 KB)

For All:

Recommendations from the Schools Strategic Partnership Board

Following the summer term meeting last week, SSPB members recommend:

All Headteachers access the Hillingdon Learning Partnership website here: HLP to look at what's on offer.
Headteachers ensure their governors have completed statutory safeguarding training. Please share date of the LA's safeguarding training with your governors. This is being held online on 15 October 2025 at 6 pm and is free for all governors to attend. Sign up details will be shared with clerks soon to share with GBs.

EYES Data Sharing Agreement

Schools are reminded to return the DSA asap. The DSA template can be found on EYES - Leap. Outstanding schools will be followed up directly by the Education Advisors.

Summer School Census Opening on 15/05/2025

Thank you for your effort and support with the Spring School Census. The Summer School Census opens on Thursday 15 May. It has a deadline for approved submissions of 11 June 2025 and the database will close for amendments from schools and local authorities on 2 July.

In the past as the deadline neared, we made changes or added notes to some returns to ensure the school met their statutory commitment. From the Spring this had more of a negative impact than positive. Your return became stuck in the system, requiring it to be deleted and your school had to make the necessary changes to resolve data issues and then upload it to COLLECT again. This triggered the 3-day Reports query again further delaying approval by us and authorisation of your return by the DfE. Some schools came close to missing the DfE's deadline and becoming delinquent in the statutory obligation. In view of this Hillingdon will no longer amend your census return. All schools must log into COLLECT to run the validation reports and fix their own errors. We will only approve returns where data errors have been fully resolved, and queries have return level notes.

Please frequently log into COLLECT to view the status of your return, identify any errors and queries, and resolve them.

After your return has been authorised, we recommend your school downloads both the CSV and XML format copies of your return along with the Errors and Notes reports. Please safe store these files so they can be referenced in the Autumn.

We will continue to provide support when asked by your school. Queries can be sent to schoolcensus@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Business Intelligence Team

DfE Webinar on Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity: Transforming Attendance

On Thursday 22 May 2025 from 10 am to 12 pm. Attendees will hear from keynote speakers, DfE Officials, attendance experts and trust and school leaders to bring together evidence-based practice on tackling and improving attendance.

Tackling Extremism through Educate Against Hate

The DfE remains committed to supporting schools to challenge harmful ideologies and has recently published a guide to support teachers in understanding the signs that a young person may be vulnerable to incel ideologies and what they should do if they are concerned.

Educate Against Hate now also hosts a set of teaching resources provided by the Personal, Social, health and Economic (PSHE) Association on misogyny and how these issues can be covered through PHSE. We encourage you to access these resources.

Faith in School Programme Invitation for Teachers and School Volunteers

Members of Hillingdon's Interfaith Community (HIC) (a network of local faith leaders from different faiths) would like to work closer with and support local schools and invite you all to a Faith in School session aimed at Teachers and School Volunteers. The program will be led by the Faith and Belief Forum in collaboration with HIC.

Faith in School (PDF, 337 KB)

Free Thrive Webinars for Mental Health Awareness Week

Its Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme is 'community'. A strong sense of community - where children and young people feel safe, supported and valued - is key to mental wellbeing, healthy brain development and academic success. To mark the week, Thrive is offering two free webinars designed to help early years practitioners and school staff create learning environments where children and young people feel accepted, appreciated and free to be themselves. Plus, everyone who registers will receive a free e-guide with practical strategies and activities to help create a sense of belonging.

How to create a sense of belonging in the early years on 12 May, 4 - 4.45 pm
Every child needs to feel that they belong - to know they are safe, seen and significant. Join us as we explore how to create a genuine sense of belonging in early years settings and why this is crucial for mental wellbeing and healthy brain development. Register here

How to create a sense of belonging in schools on 15 May, 4 - 4.45 pm
Explore how to create a genuine sense of belonging in schools. We'll expand on previous conversations about the importance of belonging, sharing fresh strategies underpinned by neuroscience and Thrive's relational approach. Register here

Kooth

Kooth's engagement campaign slides/resources for May and June are linked below:

Kooth May campaign slides (PDF, 636 KB)

Kooth June campaign slides (PDF, 637 KB)

Please share with staff, parents/carers

Mayor's Picnic in the Park Event

Lots of FREE family entertainment on Saturday 7 June - From 12pm to 5pm at Cowley Recreation Ground, UB8 4EA. Join us for an afternoon of live music and entertainment, bring a picnic, something to sit on and enjoy the occasion.

The Mayor's Picnic in the Park - Discover Hillingdon

Picnic in the Park A3 poster (PDF, 823 KB)

Picnic in the Park Programme (PDF, 831 KB)

For Secondary:
LGBTQIA + Group Sessions for Young People The Hillingdon Youth Offer (KISS Team) is pleased to share with you their ongoing opportunity for young people in Hillingdon, aged 13 to 19, who identify as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community to engage in our fortnightly group sessions. These sessions are open to any young person who is exploring their gender identity and/or sexuality and is an opportunity for young people to connect with others while engaging in cooking, crafts, and games. The sessions are split into two groups aged 13-16 and 16-19.  Please share this poster with young people who might be interested: add poster Referrals to the group can also be made through Targeted programmes for children and young people - Hillingdon Council LGBT Sign up Information (PDF, 317 KB)

For Secondary:

LGBTQIA + Group Sessions for Young People

The Hillingdon Youth Offer (KISS Team) is pleased to share with you their ongoing opportunity for young people in Hillingdon, aged 13 to 19, who identify as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community to engage in our fortnightly group sessions. These sessions are open to any young person who is exploring their gender identity and/or sexuality and is an opportunity for young people to connect with others while engaging in cooking, crafts, and games. The sessions are split into two groups aged 13-16 and 16-19. 

Please share this poster with young people who might be interested: add poster

Referrals to the group can also be made through Targeted programmes for children and young people - Hillingdon Council

LGBT Sign up Information (PDF, 317 KB)

Warm regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

Children's Services, London Borough of Hillingdon, Civic Centre, Uxbridge UB8 1UW

For previous LA Education Weekly Updates please click here