Information items
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.
Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for an update on the Covid-19 vaccine roll out from Rebecca Shute, Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Many schools have raised concerns regarding LFD and PCR test results. These are being investigated at a national level by the UKHSA. While we wait for the outcome of this investigation, we would like to clarify the current guidance, which is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Gloucestershire County Council has extended the deadline to sign up for October Half Term Free School Meal Vouchers and the COVID-19 Local Support Grant up until the 22nd of October at midday. Further information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
All Schools
Gloucestershire County Council’s Fostering Service has been working in partnership with thirty other local authorities to produce a film aimed at encouraging more local people to come forward to foster children and young people in care. It is well known, both nationally and locally, that there is a shortage of foster carers for children and young people who need them. To view the film, please click on the link above.
The Bulletin Board at the above link has information of two virtual training opportunities for those leading in school on supporting Children in Care and Previously Children in Care.
Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for a Previously Children in Care (PCiC) newsletter produced by The Virtual School, which shares good practice, training and news regarding supporting previously children in care.
RE Today Services/NATRE have developed two CPD options to assist delivery of RE in the classroom. Further details are available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
Primary
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has published statutory guidance for assessing and reporting the national curriculum at KS1 and KS2 in the 2021/22 academic year. The STA has also published guidance about access arrangements for pupils participating in 2022 KS1 and KS2 national curriculum tests plus information about how schools can reschedule KS2 tests.
School-led tutoring is one route of the National Tutoring Programme. State-funded schools and academy trusts, with pupils eligible for pupil premium, receive a ring-fenced grant to source their own tutoring provision to support catch-up. Additional information is available on the Bulletin Board at the above link.
The recovery premium provides additional funding for state-funded schools in the 2021 to 2022 academic year, this funding will help schools to deliver evidence-based approaches for supporting disadvantaged pupils. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for further information.
The Mangotsfield English Hub is offering a range of support for the coming term. The Bulletin Board at the above link includes details of their CPD offer, showcase events and a reading for pleasure group flyer. This year’s self-referral form is also attached for any new schools looking to engage with the English Hub in this academic year.
It’s not too late to join Walk to School month for the rest of October or perhaps choose November with a ‘be seen’ message. The Thinktravel blog has some of the key dates and ideas for assemblies together with great stories from other schools. Please see the Bulletin Board at the above link for additional information.
Governance
URGENT - FAO Chairs of Governors and Safeguarding Governors
Annual S175/157audit: Safeguarding children in education
The Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership (GSCP) uses the annual audit return to ensure that all educational establishments in Gloucestershire are meeting their requirements under statutory guidance
Under section 14B of the Children Act 2004, the local safeguarding children partnership (LSCP) requires all educational settings to supply information so that the LSCP can perform its quality assurance function. The course is relevant for Chairs of Governors and Safeguarding Governors.
Join us for one of these sessions to learn more about why we do this and how you can support the process within your setting. The dates/times for this training are:
- 10 November 2021 - 17.00-18.00
- 13 November 2021 - 9.30-10.30
- 17 November 2021 - 9.00-10.00 / 14.00-15.00 / 18.00-19.00
- 24 November 2021 - 14.00-15.00
Places are limited to 2 governors per governing board. The event is free of charge.
Places need to be booked on GCCPlus – please ask your school office to do this for you.
REMINDER - Governor Event - 18 November 2021
There are still places available on this virtual event on 18 November 2021 - 18.45-20.15.
This is an opportunity for governors to:
- meet Clare Dudman, the new Head of School Improvement in GCC
- find out the recent Ofsted updates from Simon Rowe, Senior HMI, South West
- join Anna Barker from EOI to hear about the governing board's role in relation to Pupil Premium.
Places are limited to 2 governors per governing board. The event is free of charge.
Places need to be booked on GCCPlus – please ask your school office to do this – here is the link: https://www.businesssupportservices.org/Event/155749 .
There are still plenty of places available on this training course.
This course is suitable for clerks who have been in post for at least a year and is designed to follow on from the Training for New Clerks. It is also suitable for experienced clerks and covers more advanced clerking skills.
For example: clerking for hearings (complaints, staffing matters, exclusions); retention of documentation and archiving; compliance with statutory requirements for providing public domain information about governance and General Data Protection Regulation requirements as they apply to governing boards and clerks.
Governor Training
For a list of other governor training opportunities until March 2022 click here
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