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New Mayor for MK
Mayor Amanda Marlow was made the new Mayor of Milton Keynes for 2022-2023 on Wednesday, becoming the 50th person to take the office. Our new Mayor moved to MK 35 years ago as a teenager and was first elected to the Council in 2019, representing Loughton and Shenley.
Her chosen charities are MK Snap, a charity working with adults with learning disabilities and specialist needs, and Medical Detection Dogs who train dogs to support people with life-threatening health conditions.
You can follow the Mayor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on her activities throughout the year.
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The City of Milton Keynes
Late last week, it was announced that Milton Keynes is to become a city as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
We’re enormously grateful to everyone who supported the bid, including the knowledgeable people and organisations who helped us create 40 pages of compelling reasons why Milton Keynes should become a city. We produced the bid ourselves, without the aid of consultants and external designers.
There was a wealth of public support for the bid, and we want to say a special thank you to all the local school pupils who designed a ‘flag for MK’. The flag created by 12-year-old Thea Callaghan from St Paul’s Catholic School was chosen to represent MK in the bid and was also made into a real flag to fly in the city centre.
This is fantastic recognition for our brilliant city and people. Later this year we’ll receive a Royal visit to be formally bestowed with city status.
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MKC services
Join our fostering community!
During Foster Care Fortnight, we celebrated the importance of our foster carers whilst shining a light on the need for more carers in MK.
Our Chief Executive, Michael Bracey was joined by our Head of Corporate Parenting, Sharon Godfrey, to talk about it. Watch the video.
If you’re interested in a rewarding fostering experience, find out more at Fostering - Milton Keynes Council, or call the team on 01908 253206.
Fire Safety – Hot plates and hobs in Schools.
At the start of May a Milton Keynes school suffered a small fire. Thankfully, due to the quick and well-rehearsed fire drills being put into place, nobody was hurt. However, the fire has closed the school for a short time.
There was a hob style hot plate which was not used but had been left installed as part of a worktop in a classroom. Some art work had been left on top of the hotplate which had then become live which caused the fire.
Some helpful reminders:
- Check what heating plates you have and if you really need them
- Always have a staff member there when using hot plates – make sure they are fully cooled down before leaving the area
- Have a double check system in place to ensure that they are switched off after use
- Never use them to dry tea towels
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EMA – support for new arrival and refugees
Continuing their work to help you support new arrivals and refugees in the MK community, the EMA network are offering the following online sessions that may be of use and interest to you.
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Ukraine Diaspora – 21 June (4.00pm – 5.00pm)
This session will help you to understand the needs of the newly arrived Ukrainian community in MK. It will explore challenges faced and outline support available to schools.
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Refugee and New Arrival network – 7 July (3.45pm – 5.15pm)
This is a great opportunity for schools and settings (early years, primary and secondary) who have received refugee/newly arrived children to come together and discuss strategies to support pupil integration into school life.
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Afghan Forum – 13 July (4.00pm – 5.00pm)
This session offers a chance to share and learn from good practice across MK schools, settings. It also considers other services in supporting Afghan children and families in MK schools.
All sessions will held via MS Teams. To book a place, simply email Janet Gleghorn with your details.
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Public Health updates
Our public health team have some key updates they would like to share with school communities on behalf of the NHS and the UK Health Security Agency.
- Letter to parents promoting covid vaccinations for 5 to 11 year olds
- Information/advice around acute Hepatitis in children
DfE guidance
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2022
This consultation ended on 11 March 2022 and the consultation response was published on 20 May 2022.
This consultation ended on 11 March 2022 and the consultation response was published on 20 May 2022.
The DfE have added keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2022 to statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.
Please note that this document is for information only, it does not come into force until 1 September 2022. However, we do recommend that you start thinking about what it will mean for your school or setting.
Early years experts and mentors programme
The DfE have published information on the early years the early years COVID-19 recovery programme which offers leadership support, coaching and mentoring.
The programme is being piloted in two Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) regions from April to July 2022. The full programme rollout will begin, on a national scale, from September 2022.
See more information below:
Early Years Experts and Mentors Programme – Information for Settings
Vodcast – Early Years Experts and Mentors Programme
Early years settings can self-refer and request the support of an expert and mentor using the application form on the Pen Green website.
If you have any questions about the programme you should contact Early Years Recovery.
Useful info
MK Bike Tours and Cultural Routes
MK Bike Tours is a fun and friendly group organising beginner and family bike rides across the MK area. Rides take place every Sunday from June to September, starting at 10.00am.
Rides are led by very friendly, experienced and knowledgeable cyclists and are perfect for beginners and/or families who want to explore beautiful, quiet and mainly traffic free routes around MK.
For more information please visit the Lets Ride website. Full details of all the routes can be found on the get around MK-cultural routes webpage.
Milton Keynes Council contacts
We want to ensure that this newsletter reaches the correct individuals. Please email Jennifer.Bargrove@milton-keynes.gov.uk if you would to subscribe or unsubscribe.
EYE is a quick way of accessing both local and national news. It is published regularly as early years updates become available and is part of the core offer to schools and providers.
Disclaimer: Milton Keynes council accepts no responsibility for the actual content of any materials suggested as information sources in this publication, whether these are in the form of printed publications or on a website. Their use should not be interpreted as an endorsement of particular companies or their products.
The websites referred to in these materials existed at the time of going to print. Please check all website references carefully to see if they have changed and substitute other references where appropriate. Also, check all signposted training (whether MKC or independent) meets the needs of your setting.
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