Scene! Tuesday 7th November 2017

Hoodwinked! - Next summer Nottingham will host a sculpture trail unique to our city in conjunction with Wild in Art. From July to September a series of cheeky decorated robins will flock across the city.

Director of Sport and Culture, Hugh White, has blogged about the sculpture trail and the impact Wild in Art trails have had in cities such as Birmingham, Newcastle and Bristol. You can read Hugh's blog here: http://bit.ly/2lH1O5j 

More information will follow about the sculptures but in the meantime if you know of anyone who may be interested in sponsoring a sculpture or the education programme please get in touch. More information is available from Caroline Elmhirst or Julie Walker at: hoodwinked@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or on: 0115 87 64984 / 0115 87 64985

Urgent and important stories...!

School Workload Conference (Friday 17th November) - Excessive workload is cited as the number one factor in the national teacher retention crisis. The EIB's Workload conference aims to help managers eliminate unnecessary burden on teachers, and improve staff wellbeing and retention. The event is free for Nottingham City Schools, on Friday 17th November at The Nottingham Belfry. To reserve a place please visit: http://bit.ly/2gdJJ9e

Nursery Education Funding 15 hours/30 hours - In order to secure funding it is essential for the LA to have an accurate picture of the supply of places in the city for children eligible for nursery education funding. To complete the survey please click on the following link: http://bit.ly/2hg9b28. Please respond by Friday 17th November 2017.

Early Years Eligibility checking - To access a place in the Spring Term, parents must have their 11 digit eligibility code by 31st December 2017. All codes must be verified before the child takes up a place. If a child is eligible for 30 hours in the Spring Term but does not get a code until after 31st December they will have to wait until April 2018 before they can take up a place.

30 Hour Eligibility Check - The period for checking eligibility for the Spring term 30 hour extended entitlement ends on 31st December 2017. HMRC strongly advise parents to apply before 30th November to make sure they get their code in good time for next term therefore, please encourage all parents to check their child’s eligibility now, reminding them to use the Childcare Choices Website in order to receive new or continued funding from the 1st January 2018. We also want to remind existing parents to reconfirm their eligibility for 30 hours every 3 months, so please do continue to communicate that important message too. Please click on the following link to access information on the Early Website: http://bit.ly/2zleMIM

ADCS Position Paper - “A Country that Works for all Children” is a position paper, which has just been issued by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services Ltd. of which our DCS, Alison Michalska, is currently president. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2inzxeZ

Flu Vaccinations for Staff - This year the Employee Wellbeing team are able to provide vouchers which can be exchanged for the flu vaccines at a number of pharmacies for £7.50 or vaccinations to be administered at Loxley House for £8.00 – to apply please complete the form: http://bit.ly/2fGtykH and return it to: ew.admin@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. If you have any queries, please contact the Employee Wellbeing Team on: 0115 8762953

Important but not urgent stories...!

DfE News: New route into classroom for aspiring teachers - The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship will offer top graduates an alternative route into the profession. For more information about the new apprenticeship please visit: http://bit.ly/2yU0MbK or for further information on apprenticeships in Nottingham City please visit: http://bit.ly/2vphhd6

DfE Open Consultation: Working Together to Safeguard Children: revisions to statutory guidance - Views are invited on changes to the statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' and new regulations. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2iw1rsR

DfE Guidance: Literacy and numeracy catch-up strategies - This paper reviews catch-up strategies and interventions which are intended for low-attaining pupils in literacy or numeracy at the end of key stage 2. For further details please visit: http://bit.ly/10LkErT

DfE Guidance: PE and sport premium for primary schools - How much PE and sport premium funding primary schools receive in the academic year 2017 to 2018 and advice on how to spend it. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/1FzhHsT

DfE Guidance: 2018 teacher assessment exemplification: KS1 English writing - Examples of pupils' work to support teachers' assessment of English writing at the end of key stage 1. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2l2o5Ks

DfE Research and analysis: Teachers’ pay reform: evaluation - Findings from an evaluation of the teachers’ pay reform. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2imwJTc

DfE Guidance: Data protection: privacy notice model documents - Suggested privacy notices for schools and local authorities to issue to staff, parents and pupils about the collection of data. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/1KA1V5V

Ofsted news for schools October 2017 - To read the latest news from Ofsted please visit: http://bit.ly/1FRD4dJ or to view the latest Ofsted monthly newsletter please visit: http://bit.ly/2gXinoo 

Character Education Resources and Training - The PSHE Advisory Service are running a practical and stimulating training day on 30th November with strategies and activities for use in the classroom and ideas for implementing or improving a whole school approach to developing character and emotional resilience. (This is a repeat of the successful event on 28th September). For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2gZz1n1

Safeguarding in Education: School’s Training Programme - The Safeguarding team are still only able to offer a reduced training package at this time due to the Training Officer post still being vacant. However all compulsory courses for initial and update training are available. Also the team aren’t in a position to offer any further in house safeguarding training this term due to capacity. For more information on the training available, please visit: http://bit.ly/2hysAIl

FGM Training and Development - This training opportunity is provided by the City PSHE Advisory Service in partnership with Mojatu and the County Tackling Emerging Threats to Children Team. The Mojatu Foundation is a leading organisation, both locally and nationally, in the global campaign to end FGM. A limited number of places on this course have been reserved for ADSLs. To request a subsidised/free place email: petermcconnochie@ncsep.org.uk or to book a place please e-mail: Claire.Trott@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. For further details on the training session please visit: http://bit.ly/2h73LpY

Free Diabetes Training - Registration for the next Diabetes Training will take place at 2.45pm and the training will then run from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday 21st November. This training will take place at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2xNlWUS

Safer Recruitment Training - From September 2017, the HR Advisory team will be running a half-day Safer Recruitment course. This course has been designed to meet the requirements of the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 to ensure that at least one person on any appointment panel has undertaken safer recruitment training. It will cover your legal duties and vigilance to keep children safe at all stages of the recruitment process, warning signs, how to interview and test applicants, pre-employment checks and how to address concerns. To view the available dates please visit: http://bit.ly/2ynFfsb. To book please email delegate(s) name, job title, school, email and phone details and first and second preferred dates to: school.hrqueries@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

October DSL Conference Presentations - The presentations from the DSL conference (18th October) are available via the DSL page. To view the presentations please visit: http://bit.ly/2zAEOem

East Midlands Primary Languages Conference - The annual East Midlands Primary Languages Conference will be taking place on Tuesday 5th December this year, at the Nottingham Conference Centre at the city centre site of Nottingham Trent University. The theme this year is “Working in Partnership” and a wide variety of workshops for you to choose from are available. The key note speaker this year will be John Rolfe from the British Council. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2hC0YCq

Grants to Promote the Teaching of Greek - The Hellenic Society Schools Sub-Committee makes grants to schools to assist projects concerned with the teaching of Greek or Greek civilisation. Typically, grants are made for books; the development of new courses in Greek; teaching materials, classics days or conferences; Greek plays by schools; and summer schools for pupils etc. The next closing date for applications is 1st May 2018. For more information please visit: http://www.hellenicsociety.org.uk/grants/

In Year Adjustments - To view the PE and Sports Grant file please visit: http://bit.ly/2uUZfzz

TeachFirst: Give your idea a head start - The Innovation Award exists to empower individuals with game-changing ideas that will fulfil the TeachFirst goal of ending educational inequality in the UK. It enables up to five winners to turn their ideas into a reality. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2yvmcYD

The Royal British Legion: Supporting the Children of Armed Forces Personnel - The Legion has always supported local authorities in their efforts to help the local Armed Forces community, and as part of this work a new guide titled has been published this month, Supporting Service children in school in England. To view the guide please visit: http://bit.ly/2lUHKw9

Ambition School Leadership: development programme offer - Ambition School Leadership is a national education charity, offering high-quality leadership development programmes for school leaders, supporting the long-term improvement of schools in challenging contexts. For more information please click on the following link: http://bit.ly/2Ab4Ktc

School Term Dates - The school term and holiday calendars are confirmed for the 3 year period 2019/20 to 2021/22. The Council will continue to set the calendars for all maintained schools and we encourage academies to adopt a similar model to maximise consistency across the City. To view the calendars please visit: http://bit.ly/2zqPPi3

Presentation from the Headteacher Briefing held on Thursday 19th October - The full presentation from the Headteacher Briefing held on 19th October is available by clicking on the following link: http://bit.ly/2y6iF3P

Tes Online Safety Special - This downloadable PDF contains a wealth of safeguarding information from Tes magazine's online safety special. To download the document please click on the following link: http://bit.ly/2inxnvZ

Promoting Fostering - Make a difference to the most vulnerable children and young people in Nottingham. The number of Nottingham children in care is at an all-time high, and we need more suitable people to come forward and foster them. Fostering makes an enormous difference to the lives of looked after children, providing a positive and lasting effect. If you are aged over 21, have a spare bedroom in your home, and would like to know more about this rewarding role, you can contact the fostering team on: 0115 876 3335 or email: fostering@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. For further details on fostering please visit: www.fosteringnottingham.com or to view upcoming information evenings please visit: http://bit.ly/2A0vQmI

PlayWorks Questionnaire - PlayWorks, the home of Children's Play in Nottingham is the City's leading resource centre for Play. A Citywide consultation is currently being undertaken into Play in Nottingham and what the future priorities should be for PlayWorks. It would be much appreciated if you could spend a few minutes filling in a questionnaire. To complete the questionnaire please visit: http://bit.ly/2lHax7y

Nottingham City SEND Strategy consultation meeting - All Schools are invited to send two representatives to a consultation meeting to inform the development of the Nottingham City SEND Strategy. The meeting will be held at the Notts County Ground, Meadow Lane on Tuesday 14th November, 8:30am to 12:30pm. To view the agenda please visit: http://bit.ly/2h6bDIr. To make a reservation, email your name, school and role to: Isabella.Kisielowska@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Stories you might find interesting...!

DfE Statistics: pupil absence - Statistics on overall authorised and unauthorised pupil absences by school type, including persistent absentees and pupil characteristics. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/1gUcqFr

DfE Policy: Increasing flexible working in schools - How the government is working with the education sector to help schools adopt flexible working arrangements that benefit teachers and children alike. For further details please visit: http://bit.ly/2z9unLB

Ofsted: Complaints Procedure - For details of how to make a complaint about Ofsted's staff or service please visit: http://bit.ly/2z7Lv6M

Government responds to children and young people’s mental health report - The original report from the two Committees examined several issues including well-being in schools and colleges, mental health training for teachers, partnerships between schools and colleges and mental health service providers and the impact of social media on the wellbeing of young people. To view the report please visit: http://bit.ly/2yPNpbX

Google Digital Garage - Do you know anyone who is keen to develop new work skills or wants to be more confident online? If so, the Google Digital Garage is the place to go to get expert advice from Google’s team of digital specialists. On the 16th and 17th of November, the Google bus will be parked up near the railway station, within walking distance of the tram stop and intu Broadmarsh. It’s open from 11am to 5pm and there’s no need to book, just turn up! For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2AcwFZG

Teacher subject specialism training courses - Find and apply for free teacher subject specialism training in England. Courses are available in secondary mathematics, core maths, physics and modern foreign languages. For more information please visit: http://bit.ly/2aO0Kb8

East Midlands Education Support Service: Science of Learning Conference - Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London, will give a scientific perspective to child development and learning. For details of how to book onto the conference, please click on the following link: http://bit.ly/2hJM8d5

Discounted KS1 Books For Sale! - Various KS1 Oxford reading tree, Ladybird reading tree & miscellaneous books for sale. Nottingham Nursery School have a collection of Books worth nearly £1,000 for sale at discounted rates. They are also open to offers from any schools looking to purchase in bulk. To view the books on sale please visit: http://bit.ly/2A04kWn. If you are interested in purchasing any books, please email: admin@nurseryschool.nottingham.sch.uk