Information items
Safeguarding
STREET Gloucestershire, which supports young people aged 13-19 years who have been affected by domestic abuse or teenage relationship abuse, is launching a new online referral form. Referrals can be made using the online form available on the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Services (GDASS) website. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for further information.
Covid-19 Information for Schools
Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
In our meetings with the Chairs of the Headteacher Associations we have spent a lot of time talking about the pressure on schools to stay open and how Headteachers can balance those expectations with the reality on the ground. We hope the information available on the Bulletin Board at the link above will help schools if/when they need to consider how to approach this.
LA advice on how schools should proceed with regard to children not attending at this time is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link. This takes into account the latest guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care along with Public Health England effective from 5th November, and advice regarding education settings and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
We recognise that many teaching staff often keep their mobile phones in lockers, staffrooms and offices during the school day. In these cases, we advise schools that staff should turn off/pause the Track & Trace App whilst they are in school to mitigate notifications of false close contacts. Schools are managing Covid-secure sites and have their own internal systems for identifying close contacts. Information on how to pause this function is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
All Schools
As you know, I will be leaving the council in the next few days. I just wanted to thank you for everything you are doing for children and young people in our county and for working so closely with the council; especially the support many of you have given me directly over the years. It would be fair to say that 2020 has given us all an unprecedented level of challenge and tested us more than we could have ever imagined – but as I’ve said before I continue to be eminently proud of all you have achieved – educating more children on site than we have seen nationally, alongside supporting those at home, creating Covid-safe schools and supporting your staff as well as families. I know how much you all need the Christmas break and I do hope that you can make the most of it when it comes – although it still feels a long way off I know!
There will be a recruitment process underway shortly to permanently recruit to the Director of Education post but it will not be filled directly in the interim. Most of you already have good connections with staff in the council’s education service and with the key leaders, but a reminder of who best to contact in my absence is available on the Bulletin Board using the link above.
Charlotte
The Educational Psychology Service in collaboration with Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning and The Advisory Teaching Service are offering Virtual Training for all schools as part of the Department for Education's Wellbeing for Education Return Programme. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for further information.
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Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum is funded by the DfE to support and represent parents of children with additional needs, including SEND as per the SEND Code of Practice. As a strategic partner within the County (as per SEND CoP), the Forum hopes that schools see the value of sharing our information. Please see the Bulletin Board for a poster and the link to the website where parents can sign up for news and opportunities to share their views.
Primary and Special
A reminder that this term’s headteacher briefings, hosted by the Education Outcomes and Intervention team, will be a one hour event delivered via Webex. The event will be repeated on three separate occasions and will be recorded to be watched at a later date. More information including dates and how to book are available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
The SkillZONE team have produced fire safety education materials for use in the classroom. Also free to download are fire safety information sheets for sharing with children and their families. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for additional information.
Secondary
Make Your Mark is a British Youth Council campaign, endorsed by the UK Parliament and is an opportunity for 11-18 year olds to express opinions and begin their democratic journey by voting on the policies they’d like to introduce or change. There are just two weeks left in which to register. To find out more, please see the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Previous issues of Heads Up, for the current academic year, are available on Schoolsnet at this link
Governance
Single Central Record Training for Governors - additional dates
Further to the recently held sessions, additional dates have now been arranged. (Schools who attended any of the previous sessions should not book onto any of these dates).
Governor Services in conjunction with the Safeguarding in Education Team are delivering training to governors with safeguarding responsibilities in relation to the Single Central Record.
The aim of these free 1 hour sessions is for you to learn what belongs on your school's single central record (SCR) and your role in monitoring its compliance with safeguarding requirements.
The single central record (SCR) is the central record of the safeguarding checks that have been carried out on all staff and other relevant people.
We receive a lot of questions about how to monitor the SCR and we know that many governing boards assign a governor – usually the governor with responsibility for safeguarding – to regularly check the SCR themselves to make sure it complies with the requirements under Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).
Places are limited to 1 per governing board across all 3 sessions, for the governor with safeguarding responsibilities (not the headteacher or associate members).
To book a place please click on one of the links below, ask the school office to book you on or email: governor.services@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Thursday 14th January – 9am to 10am
Wednesday 24th February – 2pm to 3pm
Wednesday 17th March – 6pm to 7pm
All governor training until further notice will be delivered virtually. Above is the link to our training and this programme is continually being updated to reflect demand.
This pre-recorded Clerks’ briefing includes DfE updates, a reminder of some important aspects of the clerks work and possible actions, consideration of how governors should be carrying out virtual meetings and school visits, and provides information about governor training available from GCC.
Please use the link above, (click on clerks' briefings) to see the briefing and the powerpoint presentation.
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