27th May 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Please find below education updates before you break for half-term.

Save the date - Education Summer Conference 12^th July 2021 

We are delighted to announce the date of our Education Summer Conference, taking place on Monday 12^th July 2021 at Oak Wood School. All schools will receive one place for their Headteacher (or senior representative if unable to attend). Further information will be provided on the agenda and line up of speakers shortly. Please add this date in your diaries and look out for our registration form.

Early Career Frameworks DfE Portal Action

A reminder to register which Early Career Framework programme your school is interested in on DfE portal by tomorrow - DfE guidance slides on the ECF portal.

School Packed Lunches Survey for Parents & Carers - Please share

A new school menus steering group has been set up between colleagues in Public Health, EIP Team, the NHS and school leaders, with the aim to improve healthy eating for children across Hillingdon. The group met for the first time recently and they are keen to find out more about parents' views on healthy eating when children have packed lunches and have, therefore, devised a survey for parents and carers to complete. Please can you share this with your school community, as this will help the steering group better understand how to support parents when preparing packed lunches, to ensure they are healthy and nutritious lunches.

The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 18^th June.

Parents & carers can access the survey via the following link: School Lunchbox Survey

Every school with Reception class offered early language training 

Every state school with a Reception class in England can now apply for training and resources through an early years catch-up programme funded by the Government, to support thousands more pupils with vital communication skills. Please click on Early Language Training to find out more.

Academisation Agenda 

Following our recent SSPB meeting, Headteachers requested that we share our views on the new academisation agenda. The council does not hold a view on this matter, as it is for governors to explore and decide whether academisation is right for their schools. We will support schools who wish to take part in the 'try before you buy' scheme for academisation, with any processes we are responsible for supporting, but the council does not have an agenda to force schools to academise. It is for school governors to look into and decide.  

Ofqual - Parent/ Carer views on Y11 & Y13 Pandemic Impact 

Ofqual is the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. We would very much like to hear the views of parents/carers of Year 11 & 13 students about how the pandemic has impacted their child's learning. Anyone interested in sharing their views can join one of our focus groups which are held virtually on Zoom and last for just one hour. Please get in touch at learning.loss@ofqual.gov.uk if you'd like to find out more.

Perceptions of violence in London - survey of Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) in schools in London 

This survey of DSLs in London is part of a wider research projects about serious youth violence and exploitation across the city. The University of West London (UWL) has been commissioned by MOPAC (the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime) and the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to deliver research focusing on serious youth violence across London, in partnership with ARCS LTD. The research is designed to enhance our understanding of serious violence and responses to it, from the perspective of those who are affected by it, including practitioners, victims, offenders, and members of the community.   

The DSL survey is part of that research, and our aim is to gather feedback about the kinds of issues concerning violence and exploitation that DSLs come into contact within London schools. If you have contacts who could in turn help by cascading a survey link to their own DSL networks we would be very grateful. Please click on Survey of DSLs in London  

The survey will remain "live" until the second week of June 2021, but early responses would be very much appreciated.  We also apologise to DSLs in advance who might receive a link from more than one source, but we're keen to ensure that they have the opportunity to speak about some of these issues. 

EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) - message from the DfE

With the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) application deadline (30th June) fast approaching, the Home Office would appreciate your continued support in reminding parents, families, young people and staff that if they are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, they and their family members may be eligible to apply to the Settlement Scheme. I am therefore sending you this message on behalf of my colleagues in Home Office.

I would greatly appreciate your help in cascading the following to staff in your organisation and schools in your area.

It is crucial that eligible parents apply to the Scheme themselves and check whether they need to do so on behalf of their children. Eligible children are required to have an application in their own right and no child of any age is covered by a parent's application to the EUSS. There's more information on this here on GOV.UK. 

To provide additional guidance, a very clear EUSS leaflet has been produced by the University of Liverpool, in partnership with the Home Office. It has been designed with children in mind and is intended to support both children and parents with information to help them apply to the EUSS. A set of accompanying FAQs are available too.

We would be grateful if you could signpost this leaflet and our other EUSS resources across your own communications channels to encourage eligible parents to apply on behalf of themselves and their children. A list of organisations providing additional EUSS guidance and information is available here. 

Applications to the EUSS are free and can be made online at www.gov.uk/eusettlementscheme, where you can also find out more information about how to apply.

We wish you a restful half-term and, again, we would like to thank you for all of your hard work this term in supporting your children and workforces through challenging times.

Best wishes,

Dan Kennedy