Friday 11 July 2025
Dear Colleagues,
As we approach the end of another busy and rewarding term, I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued commitment to children and young people across Devon.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting several schools recently, and I’ve been inspired by the creativity, commitment, and care shown. Your leadership, compassion, and dedication make a real difference every day and I’m incredibly proud of the work happening across our schools to support children and young people in their learning and wellbeing.
This edition of our newsletter brings together a wide range of updates and opportunities that reflect the energy and innovation happening across our education community, and the progress we're making together.
I'm particularly excited about the launch of our new 'Inclusion and Learning' strategy that will help us build vibrant communities of support where every student feels valued and understood.
Please also note our request for your help with our free school meals opt-out auto-award project. We're aiming to ensure entitled children have better access to nutritious meals, which supports concentration, attendance, and overall academic performance, and schools have reduced administrative workload and additional pupil premium funding.
Thank you once again for all that you do. I hope you’ll find time over the summer to rest and recharge and I look forward to working with you in the new academic year.
With best wishes,
Jack Newton
Deputy Director - Head of Inclusion and Learning
Devon County Council
 Every child deserves an equitable opportunity to thrive in an inclusive learning environment. Let's make it happen in Devon!
Are you in? Sign up here.
Why should I?
Inclusive learning is a shared vision for Devon, and to achieve it we need colleges and educational settings to show that they ‘believe in belonging’ by not just being places of learning, but vibrant communities of support where every student feels valued and understood.
Read more about our inclusion and learning strategy.
By pledging your support, we’ll help each other to create a brighter, more inclusive future for our children and your school, college or educational setting.
It’s not just us. Inclusion is a key priority for the Department for Education and is also set for increased focus in the revised Ofsted framework, and we’re making it the foundation of our work with schools, colleges and educational settings too.
We've been working on a project to help make sure that children in Devon who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) don’t miss out on receiving them. The scheme will also bring in additional money for schools because, as you know, pupil premium funding is based on the number of children registered for free school meals.
Barriers such as language, lack of digital access and confusion about eligibility can stop families applying for FSM. So, we’re introducing a system to automatically check if pupils are eligible for FSM without families needing to apply.
We gather benefits data from the government and Devon County Council, then run it through the Free School Meals eligibility checker to find pupils who qualify but haven’t registered yet- so we can sign them up. This will help make sure no child misses out on the support they’re entitled to, and that schools receive the full pupil premium funding available.
Once we’ve identified the pupils in Devon who are entitled to FSM, but not yet registered, we’ll let their school, college or educational setting know. This is because we would like you to contact their family to notify them that we’re going to register their child for FSM, and how to opt out if they do not want to be included.
- We’re asking you to do this, rather than contacting them directly, because:
- You already have a trusted relationship with families
- You are most likely to have the most accurate contact details
- It’s the quickest and most reliable way to get in touch, and so minimises the chance of delays and errors
We know your time is limited, so we’ve kept things simple with easy-to-follow guidance and ready-made templates to help avoid any extra workload. We will provide a template letter for you to send to families, which includes information about the process and a link to a short online form to use if they wish to opt-out. This won’t affect any current support they receive; it just means that they won’t be included in the automatic checks.
Once the opt-out period ends, we’ll remove the records of those families who would prefer that we didn’t register their child for FSM and sign the rest up through the usual DfE process.
We’re holding two online information sessions for schools to learn more about the project and ask questions, so that you have the information and templates required to support this process. You can sign up here:
We’re working with a consultancy firm called Basis, who has supported other local authorities to implement this system securely and effectively. We aim to identify, and register, entitled children in time for the October census, so schools don’t miss out on vital Pupil Premium funding. However, this depends on when we receive the benefits data from the government, which we’re still waiting for.
June Devon SEND Partnership newsletter
Here's the latest copy of the Devon June SEND Partnership Newsletter. Please feel free to use this content (or use a direct link to the newsletter) in your school communications and communications to parents.
If you're not signed up to receive directly, please subscribe here.
Please see below a link to the Young Carers Steering Group newsletter for the summer term. Please share with anyone in your network who will be interested in updates and opportunities for young carers.
Young Carers Steering Group Newsletter Summer 2025
Summer Holiday Activities and Food Programme – Places Still Available
There’s still time for families to book free summer activities through our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. And thanks to a new online booking system, it’s now easier than ever for them to sign up.
Since the new online system was launched in March thousands of parents have booked their child onto at least one of a number of activities; but there are still thousands of places available.
The HAF programme is funded by the government and offers free activities during school holidays and a nutritious meal each day for children and young people eligible for benefits-related free school meals
Devon County Council has been running the HAF programme since 2018, working with over 100 providers across the county to offer a wide range of inclusive activities. In 2025/26, the council received £1.9 million to continue delivering the programme, which runs 4 days in Spring, 16 days in Summer and 4 days in Winter. (Note: HAF does not run during half-term holidays).
Please share this opportunity with families in your school community. For more information, visit the Devon HAF website.
Help Us Understand Your School’s Climate Action Planning
Devon County Council is asking all schools and education settings to complete a short survey about their awareness and progress towards developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP).
This follows the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which requires all schools to have a Climate Action Plan and a nominated Sustainability Lead by the end of 2025.
The survey takes less than a minute to complete and will help us understand how best to support schools across Devon. Complete the survey.
The S2 absence request form (or your school’s equivalent), which includes a legal warning about possible fines or prosecution, should only be given to parents and carers of children who are of compulsory school age.
For children who are not yet of compulsory school age, we suggest using a different form (one that does not include the legal warning) or allowing parents and carers to notify the school of the absence by email or through the school app.
Just a reminder: A child becomes of compulsory school age at the start of the term after their 5th birthday.
Please could this information be shared with admin staff who are responsible for sending out these forms.
Early Years
An early years section has been added to each of the 10 key areas in the Inclusive Education framework. Please use this to support your provision and practise in early years settings, including reception.
An evaluation so far
Having launched the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Education Framework in July 2024, we are keen to review the impact of this so far. We’d be grateful if you could complete this survey to help us understand how the framework is being used to support and improve inclusive practice in schools and settings, and the impact this is having on outcomes for children and young people. This will help to inform any next steps and future developments.
Ordinarily Available Targeted Support Framework
Thank you to all those that have attended a training session on how to use the targeted support framework to support provision within your setting. We have now produced a series of videos to support schools and settings to understand what targeted support and a graduated approach are and how to use the Targeted Support Framework to effectively identify needs and plan and implement provision. These videos can be used to develop individual understanding or as part of whole staff training.
If you would like any further support with implementing or embedding OAIP and targeted support across your setting, federation or MAT, please contact hannah.chamings@devon.gov.uk or rachel.hearn@devon.gov.uk.
Devon Young Carers’ Service update
Westbank’s Devon Young Carers service has introduced a new, more responsive way to identify and support young carers—making it quicker and easier for professionals to help children and young people who take on caring responsibilities.
What’s Changing?
Previously, professionals had to refer young people for a full assessment, often resulting in long waiting times. Now, any professional can register a young carer directly, allowing them to access support sooner and more efficiently.
What Support is Available?
Once registered, young carers can access:
- Advice and signposting
- A Young Carers ID card
- An enhanced information hub via the Devon Young Carers website
- Templates for a Young Carers Passport and Toolkit, helping professionals and families understand and support the young person’s caring role
These tools can be used to identify needs, make reasonable adjustments, and ensure the young carer feels recognised and supported in their school or community.
For Higher Needs
If a young carer’s role has a significant impact on their wellbeing, a referral can still be made for more specialist support, which may include:
- A Young Carers Needs Assessment
- Whole family support
- School-based support
- Advocacy and safety planning
- Social opportunities
- Transition to adulthood planning
For Professionals
- Use the Young Carers Toolkit to assess and register young carers.
- Children’s Social Care staff can now use a Young Carer marker in Eclipse to record and track support.
- Briefings are being arranged for DCC Social Work Teams and the Schools Leadership Service to explain the new process and answer questions.
Find Out More
Visit the Devon Young Carers website or contact the team at youngcarers@devoncarers.org.uk for advice and resources.
Devon Youth Council: Final Request Before – Pupil Survey on ‘Places to Go and Things to Do’
As the school year winds down, the Devon Youth Council has one final request for secondary schools before the summer break.
Following the recent Make Your Mark youth vote, the top issue identified by young people in Devon is “Places to Go and Things to Do.” To better understand this issue and shape their campaign, and remain representative, the Devon Youth Council wants to find out more information from young people across the county.
So they're asking secondary-age pupils to complete a short survey. It takes less than 5 minutes and explores how different age groups experience access to activities and spaces across Devon.
Survey link: Microsoft Forms
Intro video (40 seconds): Watch on YouTube
Please share this with pupils via tutor time or class charts before the end of term. The Youth Council will use the responses to create a report over the summer, helping them work with elected members and decision-makers to drive real change.
Sorry for sending out another survey, but it is really the only way to get a large number of responses from young people across Devon so that we can properly understand the issue that they have voted for.
Thank you for supporting youth voice and helping young people see how democracy can lead to action.
 Sustainability Conference: Helping Schools Plan for a Greener Future
Devon County Council’s Environmental Team is inviting education staff to a special event focused on climate adaptation in schools.
This practical and inspiring conference will help schools:
- Understand what climate adaptation means in an education setting
- Learn how to create and implement a Climate Action Plan
- Discover real-life examples of sustainable initiatives that can cut costs and reduce carbon footprints
It’s a great opportunity to gain valuable tools, share your school’s successes, and return with actionable ideas to inspire your whole school community. You can see the whole programme on the Devon Education Services website.
Date: 27 November 2025
Time: 9.30am to 3.30pm
Location: Sandy Park, Exeter
Book now: Devon Education Services website
TA Level 3/5 qualifications
Please see the links below about level 3 and 5 TA qualifications that can be done free of charge starting now or in September. The theory can be done in the first term which is one day a week, and then the rest of the learning is classroom based.
Free Webinar: Solihull Approach – Emotional Health and Wellbeing Resources
Date: Thursday 17 July 2025
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)
The National Solihull Approach Team is hosting a free webinar to introduce a wide range of online courses and resources focused on:
- Emotional health
- Child development
- Parent wellbeing
- Teen mental health education
These resources are available to schools and families across Devon and Cornwall through the TAMAR multi-user licence.
Explore the resources: In Our Place website (Access code: TAMAR)
Register for the webinar
This session is open to education and health professionals across Devon and Cornwall. Whether you're new to the Solihull Approach or looking for a refresher, this is a great opportunity to learn more and share with your networks.
Funded CPD Opportunity for Year 5 Teachers
We are pleased to share an exciting opportunity for primary schools in Devon to take part in a fully funded national research project led by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), and the University of Exeter.
The project will evaluate the impact of the RSC’s Rehearsal Room Writing programme, which will be delivered in Year 5 classrooms across England during the 2025/26 academic year.
What is Rehearsal Room Writing?
This innovative programme offers high-quality CPD training in Stratford-upon-Avon, equipping teachers with a dynamic toolkit of drama-based strategies designed to inspire and improve pupil writing. These techniques have been shown to be particularly effective in engaging reluctant writers and boosting confidence and creativity in the classroom.
Teachers who have previously taken part report significant improvements in both writing outcomes and pupil attitudes to learning. The RSC’s recent Time to Act research project further supports these findings, highlighting the programme’s positive impact on literacy and engagement.
Why Get Involved?
- Fully funded participation, including CPD and classroom resources
- Backed by leading educational research organisations
- Proven benefits for pupil writing and engagement
- A chance to be part of a major national trial shaping future practice
How to Take Part
We encourage school leaders to share this opportunity with their Year 5 teaching teams. An information sheet is available with full details on eligibility, reimbursements, programme delivery, and the project timeline.
Schools can also visit the project webpage to learn more and register their interest.
For further information or to discuss the opportunity, please contact the RSC team at research@rsc.org.uk.
Travelers Public Sector Webinar Series 2025: School protection during holiday periods
As the summer break begins, it's important to ensure that school sites remain protected while pupils and staff are away. From securing buildings and grounds to safeguarding equipment and sensitive data, holiday periods can present unique risks.
Travelers Insurance are holding an online information session offering valuable insights into risk management, particularly relevant for those working in education and public services. Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues who may benefit from attending.
Date: 21 July 2025
Time: 11am
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Microsoft Teams
Register here.
The Devon Schools Wellbeing Partnership is excited to be working with the award-winning Body Happy Organisation™ to offer all schools across the Devon County Council area a fully funded package of body image education resources.
This offer includes:
- A live online CPD session for staff
- A six-lesson curriculum pack for both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4
- A flexible digital workshop for Years 5 and 6
All resources are curriculum-linked, age-appropriate, and designed to support pupil wellbeing, inclusion, and personal development.
Find out more and sign up here
Please share this opportunity with relevant staff in your school.
Last year, the Devon Schools Wellbeing Partnership funded a year-long PSHE Association membership for schools that opted in. We are now exploring the possibility of continuing this support for 2025–26, and would like to hear from schools interested in taking part.
This offer is open to all schools in the Devon County Council area.
Membership Benefits Include:
- Full access to a library of quality-assured lesson plans
- Programme Builders to help plan a complete PSHE curriculum
- Expert support from PSHE subject specialists
- Access to training on key topics such as:
- Planning and assessing PSHE
- Preparing for Ofsted
- Addressing sexual harassment in schools
- Confident PSHE delivery
- Regular policy and practice updates from DfE and Ofsted
Interested? Please complete this short form by Friday 18 July.:
For questions, contact: dswp@devon.gov.uk
Date: 21 July 2025
Time: 11am
Duration: 45 minutes
Platform: Microsoft Teams
With over 26 years of experience at Travelers, Andy’s role has seen him host a series of UK-wide conferences, create specialist Risk Control materials, and help develop the risk management knowledge of our broker partners.
Naomi has over 20 years' insurance experience, much of which was in the public sector. Before joining Travelers, Naomi was Risk and Insurance Manager at Derbyshire County Council. She's also worked for a large local authority insurer as Public Services Segment Manager and Senior Liability Risk Consultant.
Please feel free to share this invitation among colleagues who you feel may be interested or would benefit from attending.
Register Here
TastEd, a charity promoting sensory food education, is offering a fantastic opportunity for primary schools to take part in a new research project led by the University of Exeter.
The project explores how children’s attitudes towards animals and food develop over time. Participating schools will receive:
- Free training from TastEd
- Full access to lesson plans for EYFS to Year 6
- Funding for fruit, vegetables, and equipment to run the lessons
TastEd’s approach helps children build confidence in trying new foods and encourages healthy eating habits through fun, hands-on sensory experiences.
They are especially looking for schools that haven’t used TastEd before.
If your school is interested or you'd like to find out more, please contact info@tasteeducation.com.
Feel free to share this opportunity with other schools or introduce TastEd directly, they’ll be happy to talk through the project and connect schools with the University of Exeter researcher.
Space Youth Services is once again running its Not My Sentence programme, supporting young people in Devon who have experienced a close family member going to prison.
This free programme offers:
- Six weeks of 1:1 support
- Guidance and education around prison, the justice system, and wellbeing
- A safe space for young people to explore their experiences and build resilience
Referrals are now open. Please see the attached poster for more details and how to refer.
We encourage schools and professionals to share this opportunity with any young people or families who may benefit.
The School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) is calling on the Government to fund a qualified school nurse in every school.
School nurses play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people. As specialist public health professionals, they help promote healthy lifestyles, prevent illness, and provide early support when needed.
SAPHNA believes that every child should have access to a school nurse who can lead the Healthy Child Programme (0–19) and ensure access to health promotion, early identification of needs and timely intervention and support.
They are encouraging professionals across education, health, social care, and the wider community to support their campaign.
How You Can Help
For more information and to get involved visit the SAPHNA website.
University College London (UCL) is leading a new research study, called SHINE, linked to the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). The study will explore how measuring height and weight affects the health and wellbeing of children.
UCL is looking to work with primary schools in Devon during the 2025/26 academic year, with support from Devon County Council’s Public Health team.
Participating schools will be asked to support short surveys with year 6 pupils and parents of Year 6 and Reception pupils
Schools taking part will receive:
- A summary report on the overall health and wellbeing of their pupils
- A ready-to-use lesson plan promoting body positivity
- A digital badge to display on your school website
- A chance to influence national policy on children’s health monitoring
If your school is interested, please see the information documents and the Expression of Interest form. Completing the form does not commit your school, it simply lets the research team know you’d like to find out more.
For questions, contact Rachel Humphries Devon County Council’s Public Health team by emailing rachel.humphries@devon.gov.uk
Bite Back is an exciting new programme now available to secondary schools across the South West. It empowers young people to become advocates for better access to nutritious food in their schools and communities.
Already running in over 200 schools across England, the programme helps students build skills in:
- Research
- Communication
- Advocacy
- Teamwork
What’s Included:
- A kick-off assembly led by an inspiring Bite Back ambassador
- High-quality, ready-to-use resources and session plans
- A £500 grant to support delivery
- Ongoing support from the Bite Back team
- Engaging physical resources for students, including workbooks and badges
Drop-in Info Session: Monday 14 July at 4:00 PM
Location: Join via Google Meet
Applications are open until Friday 18 July. Find out more and apply here
Please share this opportunity with relevant staff and student leaders. It’s a great way to support youth voice, health, and leadership in your school.
Are you a secondary school leader in Devon looking to boost your students’ STEM learning and career prospects? The UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) is offering a fully funded opportunity through the STEP Programme (Semiconductor: Skills, Talent and Education Programme), designed to prepare students for careers in the UK’s fast-growing semiconductor industry.
What’s included – all free of charge:
- Hands-on teaching kits aligned with GCSE, A level, and equivalent curricula in Physics and Computer Science
- Teacher training and support, including guides, drop-in sessions, and email assistance
- Student events with visits to semiconductor companies and universities
- Travel bursaries to ensure all schools can take part
This is a fantastic chance to bring real-world STEM learning into your classroom and connect students with exciting future careers.
Find out more and register your interest
For questions, contact: info@ukesf.org or Nathan March, Programme Manager by emailing nathan.march@ukesf.org
|
