Safeguarding
The NSPCC really appreciate the challenges that schools are facing at the moment and that safeguarding and child protection are as important now as they ever have been. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for information available from the NSPCC.
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 order to ensure that there are clear communications between schools and the Local Authority during the third Lockdown period, we have put in place arrangements as detailed on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Schools have been requested to submit the educational settings status report to the DfE by 2pm each day and instructions can be found here. If your setting is closed, you’ll still need to complete the form every day so that the DfE is aware of the closure. Additional information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Issues relating to Home to School transport during lockdown are addressed on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Updates from Caterlink on school meals and hampers, along with information on milk and fruit deliveries, are detailed on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for an updated message from Insurers regarding future school trips.
On 18th December the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care published guidance on a programme of mass testing for secondary schools and further education settings in England. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for further information.
The government has announced the new national voucher scheme which will start from the week commencing 18 January, however, any support provided since 4 January 2021 through lunch parcels or locally arranged vouchers can be claimed back from the DfE. Additional information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
All Schools
The Schools Forum biennial elections commenced on Friday 15 January 2021. Half of the Schools Forum schools and academies members’ term of office ends on 31 March 2021.
For a list of which seats are up for election, and details of the election arrangements please use link above. For further information on Gloucestershire Schools Forum, please visit the Forum’s webpage or, alternately, please contact the Clerk.
Making safe connections – the digital revolution, neuroscience and human attachment needs. This course considers how understanding the neuroscience of attachment can inform the debate about the potential risks of digital media. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for booking details.
Primary
The Department for Education has confirmed (press release, 6 January) that ‘statutory KS1 and KS2 tests and teacher assessments planned for summer 2021, including the KS2 tests in reading and mathematics, will not take place.’ This includes also the phonics screening check and all statutory trialling. The Standards and Testing Agency has confirmed (assessment update, 7 January) that ‘arrangements for the EYFS profile in 2021 will be confirmed as soon as possible.'
Governance
Governing and trust boards meetings and visits into schools - DfE guidance (Dec. 2020)
Governing and trust boards should continue to take a pragmatic approach to their meetings. In line with regional or national restrictions, and guidance on social distancing, boards should continue with their alternative meeting arrangements where possible, but could consider whether a blended approach of face-to-face and virtual meetings would be appropriate if needed.
Chairs should be mindful of board members’ personal situations, having open conversations about how they wish to join meetings. No governor or trustee should feel pressurised into attending a meeting on school premises.
Our guidance about governors or trustees going into schools has not changed. This can still happen, if considered essential. Schools will need to consider their own risk assessments and how they will protect the health and safety of any visitors, alongside staff and pupils, in line with our guidance, including on face coverings. If your visits can happen outside of school hours, they should.
Parent and trustee elections
Governor Services advise that in the current national lockdown situation a pragmatic approach to the timing of elections for governors/trustees can be considered. Governing boards can continue to function with vacancies until safe and fair elections can be undertaken.
Updated ‘Handling complaints during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’ section in ‘Best practice guidance for school complaints procedures 2020’.
The Gloucestershire Virtual School have devised a toolkit which may be useful to consider for your schools and academies. The toolkit will also be sent to Designated teachers with Gloucestershire children on roll so that all relevant people are aware of this as a supportive framework. It is recommended that this toolkit is used as discussion tool with your Designated Teacher as an annual event and fed back to senior leaders and governors. This should reinforce that there is a good knowledge and understanding which will support any safeguarding audits or Ofsted data dives into Children in Care in the school.
The toolkit is to support your understanding and further improve on areas that may be identified for children in care. The latest county Ofsted monitoring visit has identified some areas that need improvement which impacts on the work of designated teachers and schools:
- Personal education plans to be more ambitious, specific and measurable; and
- Although the Virtual School has overseen a fall in fixed-term and permanent exclusions and an improvement in the school attendance of children in care, their outcomes are not good enough in many areas. Attainment and progress at key stage 4 are significantly below the national average for children in care. This is a major cause for concern. So too is the quality of personal education plans, most of which provide little evidence of meaningful educational targets and do not meet the requirements of the relevant statutory guidance.
As a result of this feedback an action plan has been devised to address the above. Part of our improvement journey is to ensure that governors of schools and academies are aware of the actions to address. We hope that the toolkit we have provided will support this work in schools. Any queries please contact The Virtual School - virtualschooladmin@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Above is the link to our training programme which is continually being updated to reflect demand. To book a place on any training courses, ask the school office to book you on or email: governor.services@gloucestershire.gov.uk
There are still places available on the following courses:
Single Central Record training - 24 February 2021 - 14.00-15.00
Finance training - 24 February 2021 - 19.00-20.30
SEND - 25 February 2021 - 19.00-20.30
The Role of the Chair - 1 & 4 March 2021 - 19.00-20.30
Training for New Governors - 2 & 4 March 2021 - 19.00-20.30
Governors and the Curriculum - 9 March 2021 - 19.00-20.30
Single Central Record training - 17 March 2021 - 18.00-19.00
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