Autumn 2015 - Issue 1 - 30 September 2015

DAPH Annual School Leadership Conference

 .....2 weeks to go!

15 – 16 October 2015
The Saunton Sands Hotel, North Devon

Keynote Speakers and Workshops confirmed Read more>> Last opportunity to book your place online Delegate List as at 29 September 2015

DAPH  Autumn 2015 Briefing 11 November 2015 – Tiverton Hotel

9.15am - 4.00pm (Registration from 8.45am)

Speakers  include:

Sir David Carter, Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West

Tony Draper, President, National Association of Headteachers

Latest DAPH Updates and information on the newly launched
Early Help 4 Mental Health (EH4MH) Service

Book Now

Delegate List as at 29 September 2015

School teachers’ pay and conditions 2015

The Department for Education has published new statutory guidance on pay and conditions for teachers in England and Wales for 2015. Read more >>

Advice on developing your school’s approach to pay is also available.

Model Pay Policy 2015

HR ONE’s model Pay Policy has been developed to reflect the School Teacher’s Pay and Conditions Document 2015 which comes in to effect for maintained schools from 1 September 2015. Consultation with trade unions has been completed and the Policy is now available to download >>

Important Clarification: In relation to the above, HR have issued further guidance to clarify the situation regarding the 2% pay uplift to the maximum of the teachers main pay range from September 2015. Read more >>

Education Funding Agency (EFA) e-bulletins

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) e-bulletins are issued weekly in term time.

e-bulletin Issues 98 - 101 dated September 2015

Click above to access both versions for (1) academies and (2) colleges, schools, local authorities and other providers.

To subscribe to these bulletins email EFA.bulletin@education.gsi.gov.uk

The Key Summer report 2015:

School leaders’ concerns about pupil wellbeing

The Key surveyed its members to learn about their views on pupil wellbeing. School leaders were asked to select which out of a possible 14 health and safeguarding issues were concerning them.

Read more >>

‘Excellence for All’ self-evaluation submission deadline 30th September

Read more under School Improvement below.

DfE School Census Date: Thursday 1st October 2015

Return Date: Tuesday 6th October 2015

Guidance and links to websites >>

Devon Music Education Hub (DMEH) –

Annual Return to Arts Council England (ACE) Autumn 2015

Continued funding of the Devon Music Education Hub depends upon ‘a completed, satisfactory annual submission’. Read more >>

All Local Learning Communities and schools benefit from this funding and are therefore requested to complete the following Survey Form as a condition of ongoing support.

Deadline for completion is Monday 5th October.

Safeguarding Audit 2015

Schools should have received instructions by email with details on how to complete this year's return via Survey Monkey together with some important FAQs and a Quick Guide to Completion.

Closing date for returns: 31 December 2015.

2016-17 Schools Funding Consultation

Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Briefing sessions and who responded to the recent 2016-17 Schools Funding Consultation. The results will be considered by headteacher representatives on Schools Finance Group at its next meeting on 7 October ahead of Devon Education Forum on 21 October 2015.

In the meantime, the consultation documentation and presentation can be found on the DCC School Finance website.

Academies Financial Handbook 2015

This handbook is issued by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and applies to all academy trusts and free schools effective from 1 September 2015. It sets out the responsibilities and requirements relating to academy trusts’ financial governance and management. Read more >>

School Leadership Support Service (SLSS)  The School Leadership Support Service offers a personal and confidential service to all school leaders via telephone and email during term time. Read more >> 01392 380518 or 07970 905511   slss-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

Excellence for All Programme

Devon County Council (DCC) has an ambition that all schools in Devon will be rated good or outstanding and Babcock LDP have been working in partnership with DCC and schools to create a new school improvement strategy, Excellence for All.

Schools will have received a hard copy of the ‘Excellence for All’ publication in June 2015 which describes the strategy to realise this ambition. Read more >>

Self-evaluation submissions deadline 30th September 2015.

Early Help for Mental Health (EH4MH) Service Update

The Early Help for Mental Health (EH4MH) service supports the drive for early-intervention services and fosters cultural change in the ways schools tackle mental health problems. The EH4MH service is split into three elements:

• school support delivered by Virgin Care,
• direct support for children and young people delivered by Young Devon and Xenzone (Kooth),
  
• targeted parenting support delivered by the Children’s Centres.

Read more >>

Improving the lives of children and young people in Devon - A guide to how it all fits together

New arrangements are now in place around the roles and responsibilities of the key children’s strategic groups, and how they will work together and share information on their work. The Strategic Groups include:

• Children Young People and Families (CYPF) Alliance
• Devon Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB)
• Devon Health and Wellbeing Board
  
• The Safer Devon Partnership
• The Devon Education Forum (DEF)
  

Click here for an explanation of each of the groups, how they relate to each other and Devon Strategic Governance Diagram for Children.

The Devon Children’s Improvement Plan The Devon Children’s Improvement Plan sets out DCC's ambition to get to ‘Good’, following the Ofsted inspection which took place earlier this year. An Outcomes Summary identifying key priorities for 2015/16 has also been developed. Read more >>

Opportunity to participate in award-winning parental engagement programme

Save the Children are currently recruiting primary schools (minimum 20% FSM) to take part in a randomised controlled trial of our award-winning parental engagement programme, Families and School Together (FAST). The trial is fully-funded with incentives available for schools in both groups.

To find out more and to submit an Expression of Interest click here >>

Changes to education inspection from September 2015

Ofsted published the final versions of the revised guidance on school inspections which came into effect this term. The new Common Inspection Framework (CIF) is designed to provide consistency and comparability across Ofsted’s education inspections. The framework and accompanying guidance is available on the Department for Education’s website.

When attending meetings of Devon Education Forum (DEF), its sub-groups and other statutory or working groups, DAPH Representatives provide a summary of key messages and issues affecting the primary phase.

For full minutes of recent meetings of the DEF and LA working groups which report to DEF please visit the DEF website and follow the appropriate links.

DAPH Membership on DEF with effect from 1 September 2015:

LA Maintained:
Jamie Stone - Denbury Primary School   jstone@denbury.devon.sch.uk

Paul Walker - Sidmouth CofE Primary School  pwalker@sidmouth-primary.devon.sch.uk

Alun Dobson - Marwood Primary School  adobson@marwood.devon.sch.uk

Academy
Jonathan Bishop - Broadclyst Primary School  jbishop@bcps.org.uk 

Date of next DEF :- 21 October 2015.  Minutes of the meeting  24 June 2015  available here >>

To contact the Forum: schools.forum@devon.gov.uk         Tel: 01392 382305

To view the objectives, Terms of Reference and minutes of meetings for Schools' Finance Group, which is a sub-group of Devon Education Forum, visit the SFG Website.

School’s Audit Bulletin Autumn 2015

School’s Audit Bulletin provided by Devon Audit Partnership with the latest audit guidance
Read more >>

To view the objectives, Terms of Reference and minutes of meetings for School Organisation, Capital and Admissions (SOCA), which is a sub-group of Devon Education Forum, visit the SOCA website.

DAPH Reps Feedback from the SOCA meeting held 29 September 2015: Read more >>

Important Changes in School Admissions

Notification of changes within the Admissions Team, including new contact emails and telephone numbers. Read more >>

The Admissions Directory & Step by Step Booklet

These booklets have been rewritten, combined into a new Step by Step booklet. School information has been combined in a separate document which will be available online: The Admissions Directory. To view/download these documents online, click here >>

Letter to schools from Andrew Brent, Policy and Strategy Officer : Read more >>

Devon Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB) News Summer Update - August 2015 DSCB Training Newsletter September/October 2015

Read the latest issues of Keeping Devon's Children Safe from Devon County Council issued during the school holidays: 

July 2015 Update        August 2015 Update

DCC Children’s Social Work Contacts

Details of Devon County Council’s Children’s Social Work and Child Protection area based teams: Northern, Mid & East, Exeter and Southern are available here >>. This information will be updated at the beginning of each new term.

Safeguarding Update 12 - 2015 Includes essential updates on Safeguarding and Early Help. Read more>>  Area Safeguarding Forums Half-day sessions when Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) are able to meet and discuss up-to-date safeguarding issues which are causing concern in schools. Read more >> Model Safeguarding Policy 2015 (updated August 2015) Schools should review their existing Policy noting that Babcock LDP has recently updated its Whole School Model Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Procedures. Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) New Guidance Document issued for Schools Read More >>

High Needs Funding Arrangements 2016 to 2017

The Education Funding Agency have issued Guidance on High needs funding arrangements: 2016 to 2017.

Congratulations and welcome to all new and acting Headteachers taking up new posts in Devon primary schools this term and we look forward to seeing you at one of our forthcoming events.

Bickleigh-on-Exe C of E Primary School  -  Stephen Bosley

Bishopsteignton School  -  David Killoran

Hartland Primary  -  Naomi Tottle (Acting)

Hayward's Primary, Crediton  -  Emma Summerfield

Ide Primary  -  Sharon Tarr

Ladysmith Junior, Exeter  -  Mark Wilkinson (Acting)

Milton Abbot School  - Chris Luxford

North Molton School  -  Julie Hawkins (Acting)

Sandford School  -  Lois Briard (Acting)

Silverton C of E Primary  -  Gillian Adnams

The Ark Federation (Beer & All Saints Primaries)  -  Rebecca Porter (Acting Executive)

Woodbury C of E Primary  -  Alison Sparks

Woodlands Park Primary, Ivybridge  -Sarah Rogers

Devon Association of Primary Headteachers
DAPH Office – Venture House,
One Capital Court,
Bittern Road,
Sowton Industrial Estate,
Exeter EX2 7FW
Tel: 01392 380518
Email: daph@devon.gov.uk