LA Education Weekly Update

9 March 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.

Reminders:

Useful Links:

• Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings 
• Please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk with any queries 
• 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.  

All Schools/Settings:

Update on Non-Statutory Funding - 2026/27 Financial Year

Following consultation with schools and a decision at Schools Forum in January 2026 not to support a 1% Schools Block transfer to the High Needs Block, the Local Authority is in the position where we must pause non-statutory funding (SENDEX and Early Support Fund /ESF) for the 2026/27 financial year.

The consultation outcome, reported to Schools Forum on 15 January 2026, showed that 73% of responding schools were opposed to the proposal. As a result, the Council submitted a disapplication request to the Department for Education.

The Local Authority has now received the Minister's decision. Having considered the application, supporting evidence and representations from local stakeholders, the Minister approved a partial transfer of 0.5% for 2026/27 but decided not to approve the requested transfer of 1% in the absence of support from local schools and the Schools Forum.

As a result of the Minister's decision, the Local Authority will pause ESF and SENDEX during the 2026/27 financial year. This means that no new ESF applications will be accepted from 1st April 2026.

The decision also was due to impact on the non-statutory Threshold funding paid to inclusive schools to support them in meeting the first £6,000 in costs for their children with EHCPs. However, after consultation with the Director of Children's Services and the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education, it has been agreed that we will overturn the decision for this vital funding to ensure our inclusive schools are not penalised for continuing to support higher levels of children with EHCPs. However, we must do more to ensure all schools are being inclusive and supporting a range of needs so that schools with high numbers of EHCPs do not continue to attract a disproportionate amount of children with plans.

This is not a decision the Local Authority has taken lightly. ESF has supported early intervention and inclusive practice in schools; however, without the additional Schools Block funding, there is no sustainable mechanism to continue this non-statutory offer during this financial year.

We look forward to hearing more about the SEND reforms and any opportunities to meet needs earlier. The Local Authority remains fully committed to meeting all statutory SEND duties, and available High Needs resources will continue to be used for children with the most significant and complex needs. We will continue to work closely with schools on inclusion and early identification within the funding available.

TikTok School Wars

Recently, AXIS was made aware of a Tik Tok account which has been active on social media encouraging young people from different schools in Hillingdon and other parts of London to meet and fight. They would then be rewarded with 'points' dependant on how violent the fight was.  AXIS acted promptly and shared this intelligence with partners, including police and education services. This triggered a coordinated multi-agency response with partners continuing to work together to minimise risk to public.

Please see below comms from Sergeant Easton, Hillingdon Safer Schools, Metropolitan Police Service, West Area (WA):

'Police officers will continue to maintain a strong and visible presence around schools, where appropriate. They will respond promptly and firmly to any reports of violence or disorder to help ensure the safety of all young people. The police are also monitoring online activity and have worked with social media platforms to request the disabling of several accounts where threats or encouragement of violence were identified. Commander Neerav Patel has reminded young people of the serious consequences of becoming involved in situations of this nature. Any involvement in violence or carrying weapons can lead to arrest, criminal charges or even imprisonment, with long-term impacts on future opportunities.'

Schools and settings are encouraged to remain vigilant and to share any relevant information with police by calling 101 and sharing any intelligence to axis@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership

Please see practice briefing for International Women's Day 2026.  The theme for this year is "Give to Gain", encouraging a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Please share with your staff.

This briefing covers:

·         Early Forced Marriage

·         Female Genital Mutilation

·         Honour Based Violence

·         Breast Flattening and Other Harmful Practices

·         Sexual Exploitation

·         Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence

London RISE Education Fortnight

Please see details of opportunities for colleagues across London: London Rise Education Fortnight

Hillingdon Schools hosting events:

• Bishopshalt School - Improving Standards and Outcomes on 11,18 March Details & booking
• William Byrd Primary Academy - Ensuring Consistency of SEND on 9,10,11,13 March Details & booking
• William Byrd Primary Academy - Inspiring EYFS Environment on 10,11,12 March Details & booking
• Yeading Infant & Nursey School - Starting Strong on 10 March Details & booking

FURTHER UPDATE: EYES Establishment & Parent Portals

System C have recommended delaying Hillingdon Council's EYES go-live migration until late summer 2026. We will share further details of the next go-live dates when provided by System C as early as possible. This means that Hillingdon Council is operating as business as usual with the current live systems and portals.

New Webinar for Assure (Online H&S Management System)

To improve accessibility to training a new pre-recorded webinar is now available via the Council's Learning Zone. It is titled - Assure (Evotix) - Health & Safety System - Incident Reporting & Investigation.

The webinar is approx. 18 minutes long and focuses on using the Assure system for the following:

• Configure own dashboards showing real time information and quick links
• Report incidents through the Assure main system and Portal
• Complete incident investigations in Assure and submit for approval

This is free to access whenever you want for community school staff who are system users. Other webinars are in the pipeline for using Assure to complete DSE and risk assessments.

Hillingdon Determined Admissions Arrangements

Please see Hillingdon Community School Determined Admission Arrangements 2027-28 (PDF, 601 KB)

To all Community Schools, please ensure a copy of this, or the link to our website, is published on your school's website by 15 March: Admission arrangements for Hillingdon community schools - Hillingdon Council

Promotional Banners

Schools can apply for a promotional banner licence to promote their schools or events using this link: https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/4835/Promotional-banner-licence

Opportunity for Parents/Carers/Volunteers

The childcare sector is undergoing significant change and continues to experience a high demand for new staff. As part of the Council's ongoing effort to support the recruitment and development of individuals interested in working with children, we would be grateful if you could share the following opportunities with parents/carers and members of your school community.

We have created this poster with links to the courses and to Learn Hillingdon's website. Would really appreciate it if this could be sent out with your newsletter and/or displayed within your school. These are great learning opportunities for anyone who is looking to upskill. Thank you for your support.

Education Childcare courses - Learn Hillingdon poster (PDF, 249 KB)

Stronger Protections for Children with Allergies in School

The DfE has announced that life-saving allergy pens must be stocked by schools under new plans announced by the government.

The move will also see compulsory training for teachers and a requirement for each school to have a dedicated allergy policy. As well as saving lives, the new measures will help children stay in school, with 500,000 days of learning lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year alone.

Replacing previous non-statutory advice, the new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies is now open for consultation, ahead of coming into effect in September 2026. The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:

• Stock "spare" adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations
• Provide allergy awareness training for all staff - covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices - alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes
• Have a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals like an allergy management plan

The guidance will standardise practise, pointing to a collection of reliable resources for teachers to use, and work in parallel to the government's open call to businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.

Wider changes to the guidance include new condition-specific content covering a range of common and significant conditions. As epilepsy is one of the most common long-term conditions for children, Individual Healthcare Plans should cover seizure types and what to do in an emergency. And as type 1 and 2 diabetes cases in children are rising, schools must support children and young people to use continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps - including via mobile phone apps.

Consultation: keeping-children-safe-in-education-proposed-revisions-2026

Nominate your School for Jamie's Good School Food Awards

The Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards are back, celebrating the people who make a real difference to children's health and wellbeing through great food and inspiring education. From brilliant school cooks to teachers who bring food learning to life, the awards recognise everyday champions who keep pupils happy, healthy and fed. Last year, a London school won the Chef Champions title, and many more across the city are doing outstanding work.

Nominating is quick and open to catering teams, headteachers, staff or student groups: Jamie Oliver's Good School Food Awards

Primary Schools:

KS2 Statutory Assessment & Moderation

Thank you to those KS2 teachers who applied to be part of the LA Moderator recruitment process for this year. We received a very high number of applications, and after training and 3 rounds of STA testing, we now have confirmed 19 LA Moderators.  

This year's Moderators' Handbook can be found here. Schools selected for moderation will be notified on 15 May (date set by STA) by email to the headteacher. 

If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk 

World Oral Health Day and Oral Health Workshop

Friday 20 March 2026 is 'World Oral Health Day' which aims to empower people with the knowledge, tools and confidence to secure good oral health.

Please see below link with some resources that you may like to use in your settings.

https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/

I would also like to invite your team to an Oral Health Workshop, to learn more about improving the oral health of the children in Hillingdon and to signpost your school or nursery setting to programmes that are currently available including to parents & carers.

Oral Health Workshop for Teaching Staff (PDF, 149 KB)

Many thanks for your continued support with promoting good oral health messages.

Sally McGregor, Oral Health Promoter, Community Dental Service - Hillingdon

Join Young Citizen's Summer of Social Action!

Young Citizens, a national education charity supporting state schools to deliver meaningful citizenship learning, is inviting primary schools across London to take part in their Summer of Social Action 2026.

This is an exciting opportunity for children to lead genuine social change this summer, through the Make a Difference Challenge. Projects are designed with local needs in mind, helping pupils develop confidence, teamwork and problem-solving skills. The programme is flexible and can be adapted to your school's priorities - whether you want to strengthen community links, build pupil leadership or enhance your wider curriculum.

Find out more here: https://www.youngcitizens.org/programmes/make-a-difference-challenge/

Free Newly Commissioned Playscripts from The Old Vic

Primary Play Your Part is providing newly commissioned playscripts to primary schools. These are free for all UK state primary schools. The brand-new plays are written specifically for primary-aged students to perform, along with a range of supporting online resources and CPD sessions for teachers. The project aims to guide primary schools through the process of creating their own in-school productions. Find out more and sign up via the link: Primary Play Your Part

Secondary / FE:

British Dance Sport Association (BDSA) Youth Advisory Group

The BDSA has launched its first ever Youth Advisory Group, and applications are now open. This inspiring initiative brings together young people aged 16-24 to work directly with the BDSA, ensuring that the voices of young dancers and those involved in dance at a local level help shape the future of dance sport across the country.

The role is voluntary, with expenses covered, and is designed to fit around education, employment and caring responsibilities.

Full details here: Youth Advisory Group | BDSA

Warm regards, 

Abi Preston 

Director of Education & SEND 

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