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Welcome to the new weekly edition of the PEP Bulletin which will now be issued once a week, every Monday, during term time.
Early years |
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Early Years Training & Development - Infant Year R & Year 1
March
Eager to write (YEAR R Teachers only) : 13 March 2019 : 1 - 3.30 pm
Delving into Sustained Shared Thinking : 26 March 2019 : 6.30 - 8.30 pm
Seminar on alternative ways to teach reading
Date: Monday 25th March 2019
Presented by Victoria Devonshire - University of Portsmouth
Time: 10am-12 noon
Venue: Conference Room A, Civic Offices
Did you know that only 56% of words can be spelt using phonic rules? How do we support children to spell the remaining words? This seminar will explore the elements of phonology, morphology, etymology and form rules to support our understanding of how children learn to read.
Audience: For experienced Early Years Practitioners and Year R teachers
Early bird booking from 4th Feb - 28th Feb
Non-members £40 per person
Members £35 per person
From 1st March- Full price applies
Non-members £60 per person
Members £55 per person
Conference News!
The Power of Play - Saturday 29th June 2019
Portsmouth Grammar School
9:00am-4:00pm
OFSTED will be delivering our afternoon keynote about the new inspection framework.
Remember to book your place as soon as possible to ensure you get your first choice of workshops.
For further information on any early training and development opportunities and to book, please log onto the Portsmouth Traded Services Network website. Enquiries to EYWorkforce@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Early Years Bulletins
Available to view here
Leadership, recruitment and retention |
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Governor recruitment drive
In the next couple of weeks we will launch a recruitment drive to encourage more people, including staff working in the council and our partner organisations, to consider putting themselves forward to be a school governor. The campaign will direct people towards the Portsmouth Together website, where vacancies are advertised.
If you have a vacancy that you would like to advertise you can use the attached template and send it to schoolgovernor@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Governor vacancy template
Governor Training Programme - Planning for 2019/2020
We are very keen to get the views of head teachers, clerks and governors on proposals to introduce a more co-ordinated programme of training for governors during the 2019-20 school year. I would be grateful for your help in sharing the attached letter with your governor colleagues, and encouraging them to complete the short attached survey using this link or by emailing schoolgovernor@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Letter about governor training programme
Alison Critchley
Education & Business Partnership Manager
Reducing spend on teacher supply agencies
Thanks to the schools that responded to our survey on the use of supply agencies. Headline feedback, including information about the main agencies used, the range of costs that schools are spending on total and per teacher, and how these costs have changed over time, is given below. In the light of this feedback we will be doing some feasibility work on a "framework agreement", whereby agencies would commit to a pre-agreed set of terms and conditions in terms of rates, temp to perm fees etc. for those Portsmouth schools that wanted to be part of it. I will follow this up directly with those schools that have already indicated that they were quite or very likely to wish to be part of new Portsmouth wide arrangements. If other schools are also interested in participating please contact Alison.critchley@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Supply agency survey results
Alison Critchley
Education & Business Partnership Manager
Skills Survey
Are you employing people in Portsmouth? If so PCC needs your views on workplace skills.
We want to make sure local companies have workers with the right skills to meet the needs of the organisation, and that local people are equipped for the jobs of the future.
We're asking employers to fill in a survey about skills and training so we can better understand what provision is needed.
Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think.
School improvement |
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Ofsted Briefing
Monday 4th March, 1.00 - 4.00 p.m.
Lord Mayors Banqueting Suite, Guildhall
(coffee & tea will be available from 12.30 p.m.)
Ofsted will be running a briefing for Heads and senior leaders on the proposals for changes to the education inspection framework from September 2019. This will be held on the afternoon of 4th March 2019 in the Guildhall's Lord Mayors Banqueting Suite.
This will provide an opportunity to hear the latest on the proposed changes from Ofsted and to reflect on examples of recent good practice that is addressing city wide school improvement priorities.
So we can plan for numbers can you email Kelly Rooker to confirm your attendance at kelly.rooker@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Curriculum and CPD |
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One World Litter Picking Poster Competition
In support of the Great British Spring Clean, Portsmouth City Council and the Portsmouth Music Hub are working together to raise awareness about litter picking.
Portsmouth Music Hub invite you to design a poster encouraging people to pick up rubbish and put it in a bin.
Closing Date : 22 March 2019
Details / Poster
FREE Phonics Roadshow
Collins are hosting a series of Phonics Roadshows funded by the Department for Education. These free events will showcase best practice in the teaching of systematic synthetic phonics and early reading.
You are invited to attend a free Phonics Roadshow event in your area (flyer)
Thursday 21st March 2019, 9.00am — 12.15pm
Host School: St Swithun’s Catholic Primary School Taswell Rd, Portsmouth Southsea, PO5 2RG
Register your attendance: www.collins.co.uk/PhonicsRoadshows
Thrive - FREE event
St George's Beneficial CofE Primary School is hosting a session for Heads, SENCos, wellbeing leads etc. on 4th April - 'An introduction to the ACE's (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study and how the Thrive Approach helps every child to access learning'. The Thrive organisers will show a film and discuss the programme. This is a FREE event.
Details / Booking
Online Safety Events
Cyber Ambassadors Scheme : A letter was sent out to all secondary schools in Portsmouth inviting you to register your school. When the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Board (PSCB) consulted young people last year they clearly said they would prefer to receive internet safety advice from their peers and are more likely to talk to someone their own age about the problems they encounter online. As such the PSCB has funded places for all of Portsmouth's secondary schools to join the Cyber Ambassadors programme.
The Cyber Ambassador training dates for this year are:
Wednesday 20th March at Portsmouth High School.
Wednesday 3rd April at The Portsmouth Academy School.
There is a booking form to select preferred training date/ venue. For those schools who have not yet signed up to the scheme there is also a signing up form for completion.
Any questions you may have, please email Marcia.tanyanyiwa@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
South West Grid for Learning have been invited to Portsmouth on 11th March, 2 - 4:30pm to deliver a 2 hour workshop on the latest research, legislation, technology, tools and resources to help keep children safe online. They will also be offering an additional 30 minute introduction to SELMA, an initiative tackling the problem of online hate speech by promoting mutual awareness, tolerance, and respect aimed at 11-16 year olds. This workshop is FREE and open to all those working with children in Portsmouth. Bookings for this event are via Eventbrite.
Portsmouth Cultural Expo - D Day Museum
Teachers from across Portsmouth's schools are invited to join the Portsmouth Cultural Education Partnership on 18 March, from 4.00 to 6.00 pm at the D-Day Story for tea, coffee and cake and some special presentations, all focused on the fantastic cultural opportunities that are available to you here in Portsmouth and which can enhance and enrich the teaching and learning of the curriculum.
Details / Booking
Hornpipe Arts for Schools - Small Grants Scheme
The Guildhall Trust has opened up its Hornpipe Arts for Schools, Small Grants Scheme again.
Small grants of £250-£1000 will be allocated to schools, practitioners or organisations, looking to enable the delivery and support of arts and cultural initiatives for schools in the local area. Activity does not necessarily need to take place within the school setting, however it must engage schools within a PO postcode. For more information and details on how to apply, please see here.
On the website you can also find closing dates for future rounds of applications.
Emotional health & wellbeing |
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Join our Change4Life #TwinklTeach Twitter chat tomorrow
Join headteachers and health experts in a chat about embedding a healthy eating ethos in schools during a special twitter chat from 8-9pm tomorrow (Tuesday 26 February).
Just follow #TwinklTeach on Twitter to join in.
Body Coach Tour
Joe Wicks, the Body Coach, is going on a schools tour from March 25 - 29 to lead kids in a fun workout and show them how good it feels to be active. He's aiming to work out with 10,000 kids during the week. There's been a lot of interest, with over half the schools in the UK applying. If you want to be in with a chance of him visiting your school you need to complete a short form. Apply here
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Time to Change
Portsmouth and Southampton have jointly won funding to become a Time to Change Hub and tackle stigma around mental health by changing the way we all think and act about mental health problems. Made up of a partnership between Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils, local mental health charity Solent Mind and local people (Time to Change Champions), the Hub will support communities, workplaces and schools to take action to end negative attitudes and behaviours towards people experiencing mental health problems. Find out more.
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Parental Absence in Naval Families
The Naval Families Federation (NFF) has launched some new research that offers an insight into the lives of families who are separated from their serving person through ‘weekending' (non-operational deployments). The research was conducted by King’s Centre for Military Health Research, funded by Greenwich Hospital, and will now help inform the services offered to families. In response to the research, the NFF has produced a resource to help parents and carers experiencing parental absence - view here.
FREE Stonewall training for primary schools
Stonewall offer training in creating an LGBT inclusive school environment for primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across the UK. Research shows that 45% of LGBT young people experience HBT bullying at school. Stonewall is working with the Government Equalities Office and offering selected primary schools a full-day bespoke training opportunity completely free of charge.
If you’re a primary school with pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium (including service children, adopted from care and looked after premium), you could qualify for free Stonewall training:
As part of this Government Equalities Office funded project, Stonewall can offer you:
- A 2 hour twilight INSET on preventing and tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying for all staff
- A 2 hour working group meeting on celebrating difference and creating an inclusive curriculum, to be attended by a range of staff including a member of SLT and staff responsible for pastoral care
- A 1 hour consultation on ensuring school policies are inclusive
- A 1 hour session on either of the following topics: training for support staff on tackling HBT bullying and language; OR support for SLT on working with parents
Stonewall will come to your school, spend the day with you, and deliver the training to whichever staff you choose, at whichever time of day you choose. After the training session, your school will become a Stonewall School Champion, with access to an extensive range of membership benefits.
They will also provide training resources that you can use to support your planning going forward, as well as a pack of posters and stickers to help you on your way to creating an inclusive school environment. They will be on hand to provide support and advice throughout the academic year by email and over the phone. You’ll be paired with an experienced mentor school who can help you with your planning, and will provide 1-1 support to help you apply for the prestigious Stonewall School Champion Bronze Award, benchmarking best practice in LGBT inclusion. Because Stonewall are working with the Government Equalities Office, all of this is completely free of charge.
Only 100 places are available, so apply now to make the most of this limited time offer.
If you’re interested in applying for this free bespoke training, please fill in the application form and Stonewall will be in touch as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email.
Post 16 education and training |
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National Apprenticeship Week 4 - 8 March 2019
With the support of Stagecoach, Shaping Portsmouth, Portsmouth University, the Southern Universities Network and other partners Portsmouth City Council will be celebrating National Apprenticeship Week by taking the Apprenticeship Bus to visit local secondary schools and supermarkets on the 5th and 7th March.
Further details
Portsmouth Careers Apprenticeship Show
Wednesday 15 May 2019
Portsmouth Football Club, Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council is working with the support of partner organisations (Southern Universities Network, Solent LEP, Apprenticeship Hub, University of Portsmouth and The Careers Enterprise Company), to deliver a Careers and Apprenticeship Show. This exciting event will bring together a range of employers who will be showcasing career and apprenticeship opportunities for young people. The event will have a focus on opportunities with pathways through level three to higher and degree apprenticeships.
The Careers and Apprenticeship Show will be a 3 part event:
- The first part of the day will be school focused with the aim of introducing year 10s to aspirational apprenticeship opportunities, helping them to make the right choice for post-16 and think about how they prepare for competitive applications.
- Part two of the Careers and Apprenticeship show is designed to show case real opportunities that young people can prepare for following the completion of their post-16 education. It has a strong focus on Apprenticeships - in particular higher and degree opportunities. The aim is to have parity of esteem with UCAS events that are open to year 12s. The post -16 part of the event will be specifically focused on options at the end of year 13/14.
- Part three of the event is open to a wider audience that will include parents/carers, young people in year 13, adults and professionals who advise and guide on apprenticeship applications.
To register your interest in attending please email hazera.begum@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Poster
Traded Services 2019/20
The standard Inflationary charge for the second year of two year Service Level Agreements will be 3.42%. This has been calculated as a composite rate of both pay and non-pay inflation in-line with the Traded Services Terms and Conditions, and will apply from 1 September 2019 for the majority of Portsmouth's traded services with schools. Schools which have purchased SLAs have signed up for a two year period and need take no further action to secure the service for 2019/20.
Energy Saving Projects 2019/20
The energy services team is launching a new round of green energy projects for Portsmouth schools. Two main schemes are offered: the installation of free solar panels; and LED lighting schemes which can be funded through Salix with no upfront costs to the school. Both schemes bring financial savings and environmental benefits and, in the case of the LED lighting scheme, can also improve the learning environment for pupils. To arrange a free no obligation visit to the school to explore what might be possible please contact Emma Slade on 023 9383 4670 or emma.slade@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Energy savings projects
Support for families affected by alcohol
There's a new service in Portsmouth to help families where a parent or carer's alcohol use is impacting the children and wider family. The Family Support Project is a 12 week programme where a specialist worker will support the whole family by helping to identify what changes they want to make as a family and supporting them to make these together. It's a free service. The Family Support Project can be contacted on 0800 138 0355 / 07854 563004 / family.support@ssj.org.uk. Adults who are struggling with alcohol but don’t have children can contact the Recovery Hub for free support: 023 9229 4573 / recovery.hub@ssj.org.uk.
Find out more about the Family Support Project
EU Exit - No deal preparations for schools
As you may already be aware the government has recently published some guidance for schools in the event of a no deal Brexit. The link to the guidance can be found at: EU exit: no deal preparations for schools in England
An update was also sent out to you November 2018 (courtesy of HCC) which focused on travel and school visits after 29 March 2019. This is still valid and ties in with the latest guidance from the Government.
Prevent Update
Prevent Update for February 2019 can be viewed here.
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