Last 7 days archive

DASH Update: Summer Term – 14 June 2019 – Issue 3

View the latest newsletter from Devon Association of Secondary Headteachers. Subscribe or update your subscription preference here.

South West STEM Conference – Secure your place!

Friday 18 October, Sandy Park, Exeter

Join us for a day of all things STEM.

This interactive full day event will inspire and show you how to bring STEM into the classroom without costing the earth.

The conference will have a mixture of keynotes addressing the importance of having a strong STEM ethos within a primary school and also talking about the importance of encouraging young women into STEM.

Workshops will include outdoor learning and various free or cheap experiments to take back to your setting.

Key reasons to attend

• Learn new low cost ideas for delivering fun experiments in your classroom
• Understand the importance of having a strong STEM ethos in your setting
• Gain strategies on how to link Science and Maths

Who should attend?

Primary: Teachers, Subject Leaders, TA’s, HLTA’s, Deputy Headteachers and Headteachers.

• Book a place at the conference today
• More information about the conference

Do you know the signs? Don’t miss the Safeguarding Conference: This is Us

Thursday 27 June 2019 – Sandy Park, Exeter – 09:30 – 15:45

The 2019 conference focusses on emerging themes for Devon schools.

Workshops:

• Primary Health and Relationships Education 2020
• County Lines
• Sex and Relationships Education and LGBT+
• Gender Identity

More information about the conference available here .

Hear Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, a survivor of a forced marriage and now an internationally renowned Speaker, Campaigner and Author. Jasvinder will share her powerful personal story with us about honour based abuse and forced marriage.

Dr Jenny Lloyd will speak about peer on peer abuse. She will share evidence on the nature of abuse between young people in school settings and introduce tools and resources to tackle harmful sexual behaviour in schools.

Book your place at this Safeguarding conference.

Tackling Teacher Workload Conference!

We listened to you! Through our feedback surveys from other Babcock Conferences, over 60% of you said that Teacher Workload is a topic you wish to be covered at future events.

Our Teacher Workload conference will bring together experts to examine the workload of teachers in details and identify potential solutions. The day will begin with a closer look at the factors that have led to the crisis in teacher wellbeing and retention, and provide guidance on how to better manage your worklife balance. With this shared understanding, we will then consider ways that other schools have successfully addressed teacher wellbeing in their own setting, and provide you with a range of practical strategies that you can take away and implement, including direction on assessment.

Book a place now at the conference.

Vocabulary conference with Jean Gross CBE

Wednesday 6 November 2019 – Exeter

We are thrilled to announce an exciting upcoming conference for the Autumn Term 2019.

Jean Gross CBE will be joining us in Exeter to host our Vocabulary Conference on Wednesday 6 November 2019. Jean Gross is an education expert who has led many national initiatives aimed at improving the learning, attainment and wellbeing of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs.

Book today

Babcock behaviour Conference 2019

Thursday 21 November 2019 – Sandy Park, Exeter – 09:00 – 15:45

Being good isn’t just about right and wrong, following the rules or doing what we are told. It is about the whole person, their sense of self, feeling safe, intrinsic motivation, positive relationships and more.

This conference will explore the link between wellbeing and outcomes for children. The key note speakers Sue Roffey and Sue Cowley will draw on their experience of promoting social and emotional learning, behaviour management and creative teaching and learning. Supporting workshops will bring a host of fresh ideas for you to consider and take back to your schools and settings.

The focus for the day will be on how we can create environments in which all of our children can thrive, achieve and flourish, making the most of the learning opportunities available to them.

Book now

Finance Seminar: Maximising Your School Funding

Thursday 28 November 2019 – Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter – 09:00 – 13:00

With the education funding climate ever changing, it is important that schools are able to obtain other sources of finance to ensure the viability of learning at their setting. This seminar will help delegates find ways to secure external funding through expert knowledge of our keynote and workshop speakers as well as exhibitors.

The morning will also provide practical how to guides regarding the DfE’s new School Resource Management strategy, and the tools available to schools that will assist in ensuring School Resource Management is maximised.

Key reasons to attend:

• Gain expert insight and strategy on how to secure external school funding
• Understand how readily available funding and efficiency tools can help improve your setting
• Create contacts through dedicated networking and exhibition time.

Book a place at the seminar now

Data Collection 2019

We are ready for your Anycomms+ CTF files!

Please have a look at our website for all guidance and remember Anycomms+ is different this year but again there is guidance. We have a link to the Scomis website that has the guidance you will need to look at.

Prism Forms – Payroll

The Prism 1 form has recently been updated to include an employee’s email address which will be needed when we move to our new HR and Payroll management system later this year.

Clawton Primary School – consultation to lower age range

DCC and Clawton Primary School are consulting on a proposal to lower the age range of Clawton Primary School from 4-11 years to 2-11 years of age with effect from September 2019.

Clawton Pre-School currently operates as a Governor-run pre school on Clawton Primary School’s site and currently takes 2, 3 and 4 years olds. This proposal is concerned with the Governor-run pre school becoming part of the school rather than operating as an extended service. If approved, the pre-school will become a Nursery Class (organised as a Foundation Stage Unit) within the school.

Further details are on DCC ‘Have Your Say’ consultation webpage.

The closing date for responding to the consultation is 9 July 2019. Please send any responses to Mrs Charlene Marston, Headteacher, Clawton Primary School, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 6QN or by emailing: admin@clawton-sch.org

Attachment Based Mentoring for Designated Teachers, SENCos and Senior Leaders

Attachment and relationships (being a significant adult) – The theories which underpin our understanding of effective relationships and their role in development, learning and well-being as well as developing the skills and practical strategies that we need to use in our work with children.

Development (being a coach) – The theory and practical application of using solution focused coaching skills to support the child to identify skills and strengths and work towards what they would like to achieve.

Practical Support (being a parent in school) – Supporting inclusion, providing information, being an advocate and how we can set and maintain boundaries with nurture and empathy, using a relational rather than behavioural approach.

Emotional logic lesson plan training

Emotional Logic is a programme designed to improve emotional literacy and reduce depression and anxiety. This training is intended to enable school staff to deliver basic Emotional Logic teaching to class groups or individuals.

Through an introduction to Emotional Logic, some background theory and conversational practice, it will equip participants to:

• teach emotional logic to students within their settings using a set of lesson plans and teaching materials
• support individuals with their emotional responses

Moving and handling of children with physical difficulties

It is your legal obligation to ensure that members of your staff are adequately and correctly trained to maintain their own safety and the safety of the young people they are working with. Ideally this would be updated annually as a period of more than eighteen months will significantly increase the risk of injury to both parties and potential litigation. Staff who have not had training within eighteen months, will need a full day ‘Initial’ course before they are considered adequately trained to handle people again.

Suitable for any staff working with a child or young person who has physical/movement difficulties, subjects covered:

• The Importance of Safe Load Management
• Legal Requirements
• Risk Assessment
• Spinal Awareness
• Musculo-Skeletal Injury
• Looking After Yourself
• Base to Face Safety Checkpoint
• Client Handling Techniques
• Handling Equipment

Safeguarding – Ofsted preparation

Ready, Steady, Go……..Preparation for inspection

Ready – are you prepared for inspection,

Steady – are you firmly fixed in your procedures, supported by all staff, and balanced,

Go…….are you good to go?!

This half day event is an opportunity for school leaders, governors and those with a significant role in safeguarding to work together, identify, reflect and plan in order to demonstrate effective safeguarding practice during inspection.

Employment Status and IR35 – Further guidance

Following our post last week, the Payroll Compliance Team are happy to share further guidance to help you deal with Employment Status.

HMRC’s CEST tool uses complicated terms in order to gather the information on engagements throughout the country. This can make it hard to apply to your own situation. To make this easier, we’ve re-written the CEST tool questions into plain English.

At the link below you will see two sets of slides – one for engagements where work’s started and one where it has not. Each slide will list the question as it appears in the CEST tool (in grey) and our plain English alternative (in green). It will also give some explanations of what the outcome means for you and your worker.

If you have any questions or you need some assistance in dealing with Employment Status/IR35, please email employment.status@devon.gov.uk.

Finance Seminar: Maximise Your School Funding

Thursday 28 November 2019 – Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter – 09:00 – 13:00

With the education funding climate ever changing, it is important that schools are able to obtain other sources of finance to ensure the viability of learning at their setting. This seminar will help delegates find ways to secure external funding through expert knowledge of our keynote and workshop speakers as well as exhibitors.

The morning will also provide practical how to guides regarding the DfE’s new School Resource Management strategy, and the tools available to schools that will assist in ensuring School Resource Management is maximised.

Key reasons to attend:

• gain expert insight and strategy on how to secure external school funding
• understand how readily available funding and efficiency tools can help improve your setting
• create contacts through dedicated networking and exhibition time

Book now a place at the seminar

Moving and Handling of Children with Physical Difficulties

It is your legal obligation to ensure that members of your staff are adequately and correctly trained to maintain their own safety and the safety of the young people they are working with.  Ideally this would be updated annually as a period of more than eighteen months will significantly increase the risk of injury to both parties and potential litigation. Staff who have not had training within eighteen months, will need a full day ‘Initial’ course before they are considered adequately trained to handle people again.

Suitable for any staff working with a child or young person who has physical/movement difficulties, subjects covered:

• The Importance of Safe Load Management
• Legal Requirements
• Risk Assessment
• Spinal Awareness
• Musculo-Skeletal Injury
• Looking After Yourself
• Base to Face Safety Checkpoint
• Client Handling Techniques
• Handling Equipment

Sorry for your Loss Seminar: Supporting Children who have Experience a Loss or Bereavement

Thursday 10th October 2019 – Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter – 09:00 – 12:45

“Sorry for your loss” is a comment we often hear, and sometimes use ourselves, when we are in a situation where someone has experienced a loss or bereavement. Usually well intentioned and mostly kind – we are usually left feeling awkward and wishing we could say or do more.

Schools can often be the one constant in a child’s life when they have suffered a loss, and this seminar will look at different ways a school environment can provide the support children need. Simon Thomas will share his and his son’s personal experience of loss, alongside local charities sharing case studies from the perspective of young people. This seminar will give you the tools needed to help children and their families through these difficult times, as well as build whole school awareness.

Book a place at this seminar now

Tackling Teacher Workload Conference

Wednesday 18 September 2019 – Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter – 09:00 – 15:45

We listened to you! Through our feedback surveys from other Babcock Conferences, over 60% of you said that Teacher Workload is a topic you wish to be covered at future events.

Our Teacher Workload Conference will bring together experts to examine the workload of teachers in detail and identify potential solutions. The day will begin with a closer look at the factors that have led to the crisis in teacher wellbeing and retention, and provide guidance on how to better manage your worklife balance. With this shared understanding, we will then consider ways that other schools have successfully addressed teacher wellbeing in their own setting, and provide you with a range of practical strategies that you can take away and implement, including direction on assessment.

Book a place at the conference now

The Payroll Compliance Team Needs You!

In the last few weeks we’ve shared some guidance with you to help make Employment Status and IR35 easier to deal with. However this is only part of our journey to make this topic more straightforward – we want to make some fundamental changes to the way we handle the project. These changes aim to reduce the amount of time you spend dealing with Employment Status and will make information more accessible to you.

We are now in a testing phase in order to release our improvements later in the year. We need your help. If you regularly hire ‘off-payroll’ workers and are interested in finding out more about the changes that are coming, please email employment.status@devon.gov.uk to look at becoming an early adopter.

Thank you.

Emotional Logic Lesson Plan Training

Emotional logic helps people of all ages to understand how all emotions have useful purposes, including the unpleasant ones when seen as part of an integrated process of adapting to change, disappointment, setback or hurt. Moving people beyond current mindfulness strategies of creating a calming ‘safe place’, towards taking reasonable actions with others to address the root of issues and move forward.

Through an introduction to Emotional Logic, some background theory and conversational practice, it will equip participants to:

• teach emotional logic to students within their settings using a set of lesson plans and teaching materials
• support individuals with their emotional responses

Attachment based mentoring

Attachment based mentoring is a relational, child centred and holistic approach to supporting our most vulnerable children.

Drawing on theories and research from the fields of attachment, coaching and resilience, it is a comprehensive practical guide as to what to do and how to be to ensure that the individual needs of each child are met.

The approach aims to enable children to feel safe, connected, and capable – forming positive relationships and enjoying learning.

DAPH Update: Summer Term – 13 June 2019 – Issue 3

View the latest newsletter from Devon Association of Primary Headteachers. Subscribe or update your subscription preference here.

Summer School Census – SEN Units and Resource Provision

The Department for Education has identified differences between data recorded in the census about pupils who are members of a SEN unit or resourced provision compared to data schools have recorded on Get Information About Schools (GIAS) about such provision.

Schools should only record pupils as being a member of a SEN unit of resourced provision where the provision has been formally recognised as such by the local authority. The provision will be listed in the pupil’s Education, Health and Care plan. Schools should not use these flags in the census to record provision that the school has set up to provide for its own pupils.

The link below provides further information and guidance on what action needs to be taken.

Devon Education Fund – apply now for funding

Do you have a project that needs additional funding?

The Devon Education Fund wants to hear from schools, organisations and educational projects that exploit innovation and show a real ambition to enable children and young people in Devon to thrive and flourish.

Grants of up to £25k may be awarded.

Read more and apply here.

St Catherine’s C of E Nursery and Primary School – change age range

Following consultation, the Governing Body of St Catherine’s C of E (VA) Nursery and Primary School (Heathfield, near Newton Abbot), has unanimously agreed at their meeting on 13.06.2019 to change the age range from 3-11 to 4-11 from September 2019.

The Nursery provision will be changing to a Governor run Pre-School.

Background information on the proposal is available here.

Primary Computing/ICT Subject Leader update meetings

The Primary Computing/ICT Subject Leader update meeting will cover the changing role of the coordinator, as well as curriculum developments, news and resource ideas. Updates to the online safety requirements and resources and a look at technology across the curriculum, with a focus on media and video use.

Delegates are asked to bring along to each session a wifi enabled, fully charged laptop which can be connected to an external network.

Schools who have purchased a subscription to the ICT Subject Leader update meetings receive one free place at each meeting. Additional places are charged at £90 per person.

Become a Mental Health First Aider – Youth Course (a two day workshop)

Flyer for Mental Health First Aider – Youth Course (2 days) taking place 26 and 27 September 2019.

Tackling teacher workload conference

Wednesday 18 September 2019 – Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter – 09:00 – 15:45

With data now suggesting that 4 out of 10 teachers plan to quit the profession, the issues around Teacher Workload and Retention have never been more urgent.

Our Teacher Workload Conference will bring together experts to examine the workload of teachers in detail and identify potential solutions. The day will begin with a closer look at the factors that have led to the crisis in teacher wellbeing and retention, and provide guidance on how to better manage your worklife balance. With this shared understanding, we will then consider ways that other schools have successfully addressed teacher wellbeing in their own setting, and provide you with a range of practical strategies that you can take away and implement, including direction on assessment.

Book your place at the conference now

Supporting children who have experienced loss or bereavement

Sorry for your loss seminar

Finance seminar: Maximising your school funding

Thursday 28 November 2019, Mercure Southgate Hotel, Exeter, 09:00 – 13:00

With the education funding climate ever changing, it is important that schools are able to obtain other sources of finance to ensure the viability of learning at their setting. This seminar will help delegates find ways to secure external funding through expert knowledge of our keynote and workshop speakers as well as exhibitors.

The morning will also provide practical how to guides regarding the DfE’s new School Resource Management strategy, and the tools available to schools that will assist in ensuring School Resource Management is maximised.

Key reasons to attend:

• gain expert insight and strategy on how to secure external school funding
• understand how readily available funding and efficiency tools can help improve your setting
• create contacts through dedicated networking and exhibition time.

Book a place at the seminar now