LA Education Weekly Update

5th January 2026

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.

We hope you had a restful Christmas break. We are looking forward to working with you this term.

Reminders:

Useful Links:

Please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk with any queries 

Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings 

Critical Incident Notification can be found here

Emergency closures of all schools must be reported to education@hillingdon.gov.uk 

Education Services Contacts can be found here 

Education & SEND Policies can be found here 

EYES/Establishment Portal information can be found here

Governors can access LA training here 

Hillingdon Learning Partnership 

Schools' Forum meeting papers can be accessed here. If anyone would like to attend meetings, they are welcome to do so.  

For All Schools/Settings:

DSL Cluster/Network Sessions

The next session is online on Thursday 22 January at 10 am - 12 pm. Please register to attend here.

Please note the sessions planned for March and June have had a time change to 2 - 4 pm, please see: Safeguarding / DSL Training & Events Calendar - Leap where you can register to attend all future sessions.

If you have any queries, please contact Nicole Diamond at ndiamond@hillingdon.gov.uk

Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter December 2025

This issue of the Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter covers a range of topics relevant to safeguarding adults and children:

• White Ribbon Day 25th November 2025
• Safeguarding Adults Week 17th - 21st November 2025
• Professional Curiosity Week - Webinars available to watch online
• Independent Scrutiny 2025 - thank you!
• Exploring Carers' Experiences briefing
• Substance Misuse and Safeguarding Adults and Children webinar
• Understanding Coercive Control webinar
• Mental Health - Webinars and resources
• Harlington Hospice

The purpose of the newsletter is to ensure that practitioners across the Safeguarding Partnership are kept informed and up to date with the work of the adult and child safeguarding boards, and to promote best practice. This and previous issues can also be accessed online.

SEND Social Care School Partnership Support

As the Designated Social Care Officer, I would like to offer my services within your school or virtually to discuss with you some key themes that come up around Social Care/SEND and signpost you to procedures and services.  We can also use this time to tackle any barriers you are facing.

I am therefore allocating Tuesdays and Thursdays for Schools to book a 45-minute slot. Please click here to book: Bookings with me - Michael Pearson - Outlook

Mike Pearson, Designated Social Care Officer

Please share with Parents/Carers

Education & SEND Parent Event

We are excited to announce the Education & SEND Parent Event taking place on Monday 26 January 2026 from 10 am - 2 pm at the Civic Centre, Uxbridge.

This event is a fantastic opportunity for parents and carers to:

·         Hear from key services including SEND Advisory Team, Children's Integrated Therapies, SENDIASS, Parent Carer Forum, Local Offer, Family Hubs, and more.

·         Access valuable information and support around SEND and education.

Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents can Register Here

Please find the event poster below. We kindly ask you to share this with your parent community via your usual communication channels (newsletter, email, noticeboard, etc.)

SEND & Education Parent Event (1) (PDF, 618 KB)

Family Hub Network Training

Please see the training sessions available from January to March. If you have any enquiries about the training or would like to see your training available on our Family Hub Network platform, please contact: familyhubtraining@Hillingdon.gov.uk 

Family hub network training - Jan to March 2026 (PDF, 63 KB)

Grants & Funding Opportunities

This LEAP page has recently been updated: Grants & Funding Opportunities for Schools which you may find useful.

School Census

The Spring School Census date is 15/01/2026 and closes on 11/02/2026.

The DfE Census Familiarisation blade is a temporary, "beta" version of the Department for Education (DfE) COLLECT portal used by UK schools to test their census data submission before the live collection, allowing them to upload files from their Management Information System (MIS) to check for errors and ensure data quality ahead of the official deadline. Schools use their usual DfE Sign-in to access it, strongly recommended for resolving validation issues early, preventing funding problems, and preparing for the full submission.

What it is:

• A testing environment for the School Census and School Workforce Census.
• A temporary release of the live COLLECT system.

Why schools use it:

• Test Data: Load test census XML files from their MIS (like SIMS, Arbor).
• Check for Errors: Identify and resolve validation errors and queries before the official deadline.
• Data Quality: Confirm data is being output correctly from their systems.
• Funding Checks: Run funding reports within COLLECT to ensure accuracy for funding allocations.

When it's available:

• A few weeks before the live census collection starts, typically until the Friday before census week.

How to access it:

• Log in to the COLLECT portal using your DfE Sign-in credentials.

Key Actions:

• Upload your MIS output file.
• Check for errors and queries in COLLECT.
• Add notes to explain any unresolvable errors.
• Use it as a trial run for the live submission.

If you have any queries please contact the Business Intelligence Team at schoolcensus@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Southlands Creative Writing Competition 2026

Run by the Southlands Arts Centre in West Drayton, the Southlands Creative Writing Competition opens for entry on 21 February 2026. They offer fiction and life-writing categories, with entries grouped into under 18s and over 18s.

Although the competition is national, they are keen to encourage more young people across Hillingdon to take part. It offers an opportunity to explore their voice and imagination and fosters confidence and pride when they see their work recognised and celebrated. Prizes are available for winners.

If your school or setting would like to take part, please contact Jayne Towndrow on Jayne@southlandsarts.co.uk.

For All Primary Schools:

Language Link

We are pleased to confirm the LA has secured funding for Infant and Junior Language Link subscriptions for all mainstream primary schools across the borough for the 2025-26 academic year. 

This investment supports early identification of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and ensures a consistent, equitable approach across Hillingdon, aligned with our funded provision in secondary settings. 

Why speech, language and communication matters - Strong language skills are fundamental to children's ability to learn, socialise, and thrive in school. Without structured screening Speech, Language and Communication needs can remain hidden. 

Key evidence highlights the importance of early identification: 

• Around 7% of children have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) 
• 50% of pupils in areas of social disadvantage have poor language 
• Language delay at age 3 is linked to poorer literacy outcomes at age 11 
• Children with poor language at age 5 are six times less likely to reach the expected standard in English at 11, and eleven times less likely to achieve the expected level in maths 
• 81% of children with SEMH needs have undiagnosed language difficulties 
• Only 20% of children with SLCN achieve 5 pass grade GCSEs, highlighting the long-term impact of unmet need 
• 70% of young offenders within Hillingdon have language difficulties 
• Children with SLCN are twice as likely to experience unemployment as adults 

To support early identification and consistent practice across the borough, we recommend that schools complete universal Language Link screening at the following points: 

• Reception: after the first half term, once children have settled into school 
• Key Stage 2: at the start of KS2, to identify emerging or previously hidden language needs. 

This supports early identification, targeted intervention, and effective transition planning. 

Schools are reminded that CNWL expects Language Link screening to be in place prior to referral for Speech and Language Therapy. 

Under the new CITS referral pathway: 

• Children and young people will be screened using Language Link 
• Interventions should be implemented for at least one term, following the APDR (Assess, Plan, Do, Review) cycle 
• A referral may then be considered after discussion at the Link Planning Meeting 
• Referrals are appropriate for children scoring on or below the 4th percentile 

This ensures referrals are timely, evidence-based, and supported by clear intervention data. 

What Language Link provides:

• Universal screening tools 
• Evidence-based intervention programmes 
• Practical guidance to support classroom practice 

Training and support:

• New training dates hosted by Language Link will be released in the New Year 

• Ongoing local implementation support is available, including guidance on: 
  • Running screening 
  • Interpreting results 
  • Embedding strategies into everyday classroom practice 

For support, please contact Heather Casey, Language Specialist Advisor and OAP Lead at hcasey@hillingdon.gov.uk 

Together, we can strengthen early identification, promote inclusive practice, and improve outcomes and life chances for children across Hillingdon. Thank you for your support.

Children's Books Safeguarding Concern

At the end of last term, we were alerted to a safeguarding concern with the children's book series 'World According to Humphrey' by Betty G Birney about a loveable pet hamster.  It has been reported that a website address printed on the book has been hacked.  This is a case similar to the recent incident involving the Spy Dog series by Andrew Cope where an older website of children's activities linked to the characters which was no longer supported by the author or publisher has been compromised.

On both sides of the back cover, the website address 'www.funwithhumphrey.com' now brings up a phishing link claiming to be a security alert.  Instead, this links to extremely inappropriate material.  There are approximately 19 different titles featuring Humphrey, and it would be necessary to check all your copies as newer editions of the older titles may have been reprinted with the website address on the cover.  The publishers Faber & Faber, and Peters and Askews library suppliers have been alerted, but there will still be copies on sale generally with this website printed on the book.  Until the website can be taken down we suggest that schools/services check their libraries and classroom collections for copies and block the website.

Big Ideas Workshop - Celebrating Katherine Johnson

Explore the maths of NASA's Katherine Johnson, legend of the Hidden Figures film on 28 January at 10 am or 2 pm. This FREE fun 50-minute maths workshop for children aged 8-11 will include geometry activities guided by Dr Angela Tabiri, the 'World's most interesting Mathematician.'  Sign up here: https://www.big-ideas.org/celebrating-katherine-johnson/

Warm regards, 

Abi Preston 

Director of Education & SEND 

Children's Services, London Borough of Hillingdon, 4E/07, Civic Centre, Uxbridge UB8 1UW