Heads Up - 15 October 2020

Gloucestershire County Council sent this bulletin at 15-10-2020 01:23 PM BST

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Colleagues are encouraged to see the Bulletin Board which is updated as new information arrives.

Date: 15 October 2020

Heads Up replaces the Covid-19 Briefings and will be published weekly until further notice.

Covid-19 Information for Schools

Education COVID Communications

In light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to keep all schools and early years providers up to date on the latest information, advice and guidance (IAG) being issued, Sarah Poultney sarah.poultney@gloucestershire.gov.uk has taken the role of Education COVID Communications Lead for a temporary period. Sarah will be the first point of contact on COVID-19 related issues and any IAG that needs to be shared with schools and early years. We hope that this will help the education service to continue to respond to the current situation in a timely and consistent way.

Key Communications from DfE for Schools (dated from 5.10.20)

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education (dated from 5.10.20) are available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Remote education webinars for primary and secondary school leaders

The Department for Education delivered webinars for school leaders last week.The webinars were not uploaded to the DfE YouTube Channel immediately but are now available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Contacting Children’s Services

COVID-19 is requiring Children’s Services to balance the duty to safeguard children with appropriate measures to minimise the spread of the virus as informed by national guidance. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for a briefing note that provides advice and guidance for local schools in relation to Children’s Services and provides updated contact details for Children’s Social Care, Early Help and Targeted Support Services.

Testing FAQs

A presentation that has been produced by the Department for Education to address frequently asked questions on testing for schools is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Critical workers

The list of critical workers (key workers) who can send their children to school or other educational settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak was updated by the Department for Education on 28.9.20 and is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Ofsted Visits - findings

Ofsted resumed visits to schools from September. Findings from these visits have been recently published and are available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Sports in School

Sports are allowed in school where national governing bodies have developed guidance that has been approved by the government. This includes all common sports in schools. Further information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Is it just a cold?

Schools are able to use any of the scrolling images/videos (re COVID-19) that are on the GCC twitter feed for digital signage (in school/on website). The DfE, in conjunction with DHSC, has published an animation explaining the symptoms that could indicate whether a child has COVID-19 and should get a test, when it is just a cold or something else and parents/guardians should check the NHS website or via their pharmacy. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link.

All Schools

Headteachers’ Standards 2020

The Department for Education has published a new headteachers’ standards document.This replaces the 2015 publication and the standards remain non-statutory. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-of-excellence-for-headteachers/headteachers-standards-2020

Model Pay Policy 2020 - 2021

The Model Pay Policy is now available on Schoolsnet. The policy has been updated in line with the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2020 -2021. Further information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.

Flexi-schooling

Flexi-schooling denotes a child’s attendance will be divided between time at school and time at home. When parents/carers request this arrangement, they are asking for a pattern of provision that involves attendance at school together with times when educational provision will be provided at home. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for additional information.

Newly Qualified Teachers - New NQT automated system linked to GCC Plus

Newly qualified teachers who have started induction this term are currently being logged on ‘NQT Module’, an automated system, which is linked to GCC Plus. NQT assessment reports for these NQTs and future registrations will be completed on-line, which will make it easier for Induction Tutors to manage every part of the NQT induction process. Full details will follow in due course.

Primary and Special

FREE online training for Religious Education in Gloucestershire

To support schools with developing and teaching great RE, Gloucestershire Standing Advisory Council on RE (SACRE) and RE Today are making two free online sessions available to local primary schools. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for further details.

Previous issues of Heads Up, for the current academic year, are available on Schoolsnet at this link

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