Director's Message - 7th April 2020

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you have had a good start to the Easter period.

The government has updated a number of key guidance documents over the last few days to reflect the ongoing situation. Links to access these updates are available in our attached FAQs. The main areas are:

• FSM guidance provides clarification on Easter provision and reimbursement
• Exceptional costs guidance to support schools with additional costs
• Extra package of support for schools and parents, along with online resources 
• NQT induction support
• Ofqual announcement on qualifications to support cancelled exams
• Breakfast and after school club opening hours needed to allow key workers to attend critical roles

LA update

LEAP Portal

Hillingdon LEAP  has a growing number of resources available to support schools. We are adding our usual School Leader Briefing articles here, and would like schools to use the Home Learning section in LEAP to share resources with their parents / carers. 

Education Psychology Service (EPS)

The EPS has produced a bereavement support resource pack for schools, settings, parents / carers, attached.

Participation Service

As you are aware, there is usually a requirement to provide the Participation service with a monthly return containing data pertaining to attendance, exclusions, leavers and joiners. Given the current national and local situation during the Covid-19 crisis, much of the data normally submitted each month does not exist or isn't currently required. 

However, the Children Missing Education function continues and our statutory responsibilities to track and contact children and young people remains as vital as ever.  We still need to receive referrals from any schools where it is believed a child may have left and does not have a confirmed place at a new school, as soon as possible. 

Please can I therefore ask you to continue to submit the monthly returns by 15th of each month, but just containing the data in the section headings below:

• Yr R to Yr 13 Pupils Removed from Roll during this month 
• In-year Admissions for the current month (inc yr 12/13) during this month 

Maintaining this process will assist us in supporting you upon schools re-opening.

Please contact your allocated officer in the Participation Team if you require any clarification in relation to this request.

Best wishes,

Dan