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Exciting events coming up for parents/carers. Could you kindly promote these in your newsletters for parents.
Asthma Focus Group information
We are looking to deliver an interactive focus group for the use of spacer devices and are looking for young people and parent/carers to participate. For more information, click on the above link.
Join us for an informative free online event where we’ll discuss everything you need to know about managing your child’s asthma. Don’t miss out on this invaluable opportunity to learn and connect with other parents/carers facing similar challenges. This will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. Sign up now!
Asthma and your child - Breathe Easy Together Tickets, Mon 4 Mar 2024 at 19:30 | Eventbrite
FREE Training for school staff:
CYP Asthma Training Tier 1
For all school staff. This is a free online training endorsed by NHS England. Tier 1 is for all staff and Tier 2 would provide staff with a deeper knowledge and understanding. This training will help towards Asthma Friendly School accreditation.
National Apprenticeships Week 2024 is the 17th annual celebration of apprenticeships and will run from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 February. The week brings together everyone passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the value, benefit and opportunity they bring. The link below will take you to more information and resources.
National Apprenticeships Week 2024
We have now concluded consultation with the trade unions on the Pay Policy for Centrally Employed Teachers and Pay Scale which was updated following the publication of the 2023 School Teachers Pay and Conditions document. You can access these documents below; they are made available for maintained schools for information on the LA approach.
Pay Policy for Centrally Employed Teachers Sept 2023
Teacher's Pay Scales 1 Sept 2023.
The funding, courtesy of UK Youth, is enabling disadvantaged young people aged between 11 and 18 to visit the centre for either a day visit or 2-night residential. This means the centre can open up to schools, colleges and youth groups who never get this opportunity.
The centre has been overwhelmed with the response and they have already filled their places quota; however, they still welcome any interested groups to make an enquiry as this may help inform future requirements for funding.
This is a great start to 2024 for Grafham Water Centre who very much wish to welcome you to visit this year with new improved activity sessions, new equipment and new staff full of energy!
If this sounds of interest please contact grafham.water@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Having been fully booked out for the last 2 years, we are excited to inform schools that PECT’s Growing Towers are now available to reserve for summer term and beyond!
Many students have already enjoyed growing their own food in their school, including lettuce, basil and rocket, using our hydroponic growing towers. It is a great opportunity to not only take part in growing but also to introduce new and innovative ways of food production to your DT and science curriculums. These towers come with everything you need to get started, as well as access to supporting resources and lesson plans. And the best part of it is that they are totally free, but they are limited as we only have 4 available!
To make a request to host a growing tower at your school, simply click the link and enter your details - Growing Towers - Projects - PECT. Here you will also be able to find out more about what a hydroponic growing tower is and view some testimonies from previous schools. Applications are processed on a first come first served basis. So, once you have completed the application you will be contacted by a member of the education team to arrange delivery once a tower is available for you.
Please register your interest to education@pect.org.uk inbox - we look forward to hearing from you!
Growth Works with Skills who are part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority will be hosting a free to attend online webinar on 6 February 2024 at 10.00am to share the journeys of local organizations already benefiting from creating apprenticeship opportunities within their workforces.
The event will be supported by business support experts who can provide free support to help you to gain insight into the benefits for support staff in Schools such as Teaching Assistants, School Business Professionals, Digital Champions, Administrators, Teachers and many more.
To find out more about please register for your free place by clicking the link below;
Apprenticeships – Grow Your Own Talent Tickets, Tue 6 Feb 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
A number of schools already have apprentices on programmes including;
Teaching Assistant Level 3
Digital Champions Programme Level 3
School Business Professional Level 4
Teacher Level 6
Senior Leader Level 7
There are many more apprenticeship options on offer and you can search the Institute of Apprenticeships website at any time to see what is available.
If you are a maintained school you could be benefitting from the apprenticeship levy which covers the full cost of apprenticeship training. If you are interested to find out more, please contact apprenticeships@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and an adviser will be happy to help.
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Talking Together in Cambridgeshire will be running five, free online Festival of Stories events which might be of interest to you. The events include free Live Author Event open to Reception classes in Cambridgeshire, on 27 February. Full list of dates and events here: Talking Together Cambridgeshire Festival of Stories. |
 On Tuesday 19th March 16:00-17:30 there is a free opportunity to find out about Improvising and Composiing using Charanga, the great software package for delivering music in the classroom. In this practical workshop, we'll look at the many improvising and composing activities in the units as well as the tools available in Freestyle and YuStudio. We will demystify composing and consider ideas to hone and extend your pupils' skills
The recent Ofsted Physical Education ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ document identified the need for greater rigour in the leadership of Primary School PE.
For over a decade now, Cambridgeshire’s PE Advisory Service has delivered the Level 6 Primary PE Subject leadership award. This professionally recognised qualification helps develop a deeper understanding of teacher's role as a physical education (PE) leader, and Enhances the ability to design, lead and evaluate a targeted strategy for primary school PE. This qualification has been identified as best practice by DfE, and is regarded as a good use of the PE Premium funding. Details can be found on our AfPE/Sports Leaders Primary PE Subject Leaders Award page on Learn Together. Contact Ian Roberts for more details.
An informal networking opportunity with guest speaker Emma Turner - an experienced former Senior Leader and Head Teacher with wide Curriculum, Leadership and Cognitive Science expertise. Held on Wednesday 13 March, 5 - 7 pm, Neale-Wade Academy, March. Find out more here: Evidence Bites #4 flyer.
 Introducing our new Climate Education platform, assisting schools with an interactive action plan (in line with the Department of Education requirements), a bank of resources and lesson plans, and current news and funding opportunities. Aligned with the global Sustainable Development Goals, schools can choose topics from Zero Waste, Carbon Reduction, Natural Environment, Travel, and Food Sustainability to work on as a whole school approach. Memberships begin at £149 annually per school site, with a special £99 offer for 2023/24. Join us at www.climateeducation.co.uk to start your school’s journey to sustainability today.
This is just to make all schools aware that the remaining parent/carer online safety workshops delivered by the NSPCC are taking place on the 5th February and 20th March 2024.
These 45 minute workshops are FREE and can be accessed by Zoom and are designed to help parents/carers to:
- Understand how children and young people access the online world
- Explore a range of resources and tools that can be used to help keep children and young people safe online
- Have informed, constructive and positive conversations about online safety
If there are any opportunities to promote these workshops or to share the details via the School’s Parent Hub or social media, this would be most appreciated.
Monday 5th February 2024 – 6pm to 7pm.
Kids Safety Net Workshop Tickets, Mon, Feb 5, 2024, at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Wednesday 20th March 2024 – 6pm to 7pm
Kids Safety Net Workshop Tickets, Wed, Mar 20, 2024, at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Further details about the Kids Safety Net Campaign across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can be found here: NSPCC Kids Safety Net Campaign 2024 - Healthy Schools (healthyschoolscp.org.uk)
Thank you very much to all those who responded to the consultation on this issue. The summary results of the consultation, together with the confirmed dates, are now on the council website: School term dates - Cambridgeshire County Council .
The confirmed Cambridgeshire school holiday and term time dates for 2025 – 2026 are therefore agreed as shown below. These are the same dates as agreed by the Eastern Region Group of Local Authorities, which comprises all of our neighbouring authorities. These dates total 195 days, from which schools should choose 5 days to set aside as professional training days.
Autumn Term Dates 2025
- Monday 1 September to Friday 24 October (40 days)
- Half Term: Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October
- Monday 3 November to Friday 19 December (35 days)
- Christmas Holidays: Monday 22 December to Friday 2 January
Spring Term Dates 2026
- Monday 5 January to Friday 13 February (30 days)
- Half Term: Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February
- Monday 23 February to Friday 27 March (25 days)
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Easter Holidays: Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April
Summer Term Dates 2026
- Monday 13 April to Friday 22 May (29 days)
- Half Term: Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May
- Monday 1 June to Monday 20 July (36 days)
- Summer Holiday: Tuesday 21 July onwards
Schools should note that this model leaves Monday 20 July 2026 as a school day. However, it is noted that schools may wish to set this as a professional training day which is disaggregated into a number of twilight sessions across the academic year.
The agreed term time dates are here: Cambridgeshire Agreed Term Dates 2025 - 26
If you have any queries please contact Phil Nash (Senior Adviser for Leadership): phil.nash@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
The government’s draft guidance on Gender Questioning Children was published on 19th December and is open for consultation until 12th March 2024. The aim of this document is to provide guidance and practical support for schools and colleges, including supporting children who are questioning their gender, protecting children from bullying or abuse and maintaining child safety and wellbeing. The PSHE Service are running an online course on Exploring Gender on the 27th February, which will cover awareness raising, whole school approaches to challenging stereotypes and supporting trans children. Aspects of the draft Gender Questioning Guidance will be explored.
Anglia Ruskin University is excited to launch a brand new BEd (Hons) Primary Education with QTS in September 2024, and we are looking for primary schools to join our Partnership and help develop ambitious future teachers for the region. This is a unique opportunity to work with a university ranked seventh for Education in the Guardian League Tables and recently named University of the Year 2023.
There are a number of ways in which schools and individuals can engage with us, including hosting a trainee on placement, guest lecturing and contributing to the student interview process. Please visit our partnership webpage for further information and to express your interest.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch via traintoteach@aru.ac.uk
Dr Rachel Minett | Lead for Initial Teacher Training | Rachel.minett@aru.ac.uk
Assessment of Primary Computing
For Computing Subject Leaders, Assessment Leads Friday 9 February 10:00 – 16:00 Peterborough Free
Leading Primary Computing – Module 1
For Computing Subject Leaders Friday 16 February 10:00 – 16:00 Huntingdon Free
Teaching Programming Using Scratch and ScratchJr
For Teachers of Computing (KS1 and 2) Wednesday 14 February 09:30 – 15:30 Remote Free (other dates are available)
Fuel Poverty Frontline Worker Training
For frontline staff providing support to others. Tuesday 20th February 2024, 12:00-13:00. Online Webinar. Free.
SEND - Using music to support communication and language
Continuing Professional Development – Cambridgeshire Music - Making Music Happen Across The County
For all teachers and TA’s. Monday 12th February 16:00-17:00
An exciting exploration of how music can support communication in and out of the classroom.
Online. Cost £30
Webinar - Network meeting – Primary and Secondary music
For all teachers, music leaders
Monday 11th March 16:00-17:00
An opportunity to discuss all issues and support each other across the county.
Online. Cost £30
Collaborative network meeting for PSHE and Computing Leads
For Primary PSHE and Computing Leads to collaborate on crossover curriculum content.
Wednesday 1st May 2024, 2.30-4.30pm at Cambs FA, Histon, OR Tuesday 7th May, 2.30-4.30pm at Hunts FA, Huntingdon. Free for Cambridgeshire PSHE Service subscribing schools, £45 for non-subscribing schools, based on 2 attendees per school.
Training for New or Inexperienced PE Subject Leaders in Primary Schools
29th February 2024 and 19th June 2024 – 1.30pm-3.30pm. Online. £49
Audience: Teachers and coaches who have been given responsibility for the leadership of PE in primary schools and settings. It is recommended but not essential that you attend both dates as topics will be different.
Safe Practice in PE
27th February 2024, 1.30pm-3.30pm. Online. £49
Audience: Any teacher, coach or assistance in primary, special and secondary phase.
England Table Tennis – Teachers’ Award
28th February 2024, 1.30pm-4.30pm. St Neots Table Tennis Club, £85
Audience: This award is relevant to both primary and secondary school settings.
Exploring Gender
27th February 2024, 2pm-3.30pm. Online. £40 subscribing schools, £50 for non-subscribing schools.
Audience: Teachers in primary, special and secondary schools.
Practical Approaches to Teaching PSHE
19th March 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm. Armstrong House, Huntingdon. £70 for subscribing schools, £80 for non-subscribing schools.
Audience: ECT’s, or primary teachers looking for practical ways of teaching PSHE & Citizenship.
PSHE & Personal Development: Preparing for Ofsted
7th March 2024, 1.30pm-4.30pm. Armstrong House, Huntingdon. £70 for subscribing schools, £80 for non-subscribing schools.
Audience: PSHE Leads, Personal Development Leads and/or senior leaders in primary schools.
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