Keeping Governors in touch with the PEP
On behalf of the PEP I am pleased to be able to report that the weekly PEP bulletin is getting a lot of positive feedback and 'hits' and this is helping to keep school leaders and key partners in touch with the latest education developments and key events across Portsmouth. However, I'm aware that school governors / trustees are not as well sighted as they should be and I would be grateful if school leaders could encourage clerks, governors and trustees to sign up to the bulletin, which they can do so by clicking the 'sign up' button at the bottom of every bulletin. Please also encourage them to keep an eye on the PEP website which is continuously being updated.
Mike Stoneman
Deputy Director, Education and Early Help
Preparing for life and work beyond school |
|
 |
Ocean Youth Trust South
Ocean Youth Trust South is a charity which uses Adventure Under Sail as a personal development opportunity for young people aged 12-25, taking them to sea in their 30-metre vessel Prolific.
Ocean Youth Trust South work with other charities, mainstream and special schools, local authorities, social workers and youth workers, who refer young people to sail with them. Especially in school holidays, these may be mainstream groups from families who can afford a voyage (including young people doing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Residential); but they also work with young people who are disadvantaged or vulnerable in some way, particularly for term-time voyages.
Visit the website to learn more: www.oytsouth.org/charity.asp
Early years |
|
 |
EYFS Managers in schools cluster meeting
The next EYFS Managers in schools cluster meeting is on Thursday 3rd October 4-5.30pm at Devonshire Infant School.
The school have very kindly organised for people attending to park on the school playground. There is only permit parking on the roads around the school. Please access the playground from Heidelberg Road.
To book onto the cluster please visit http://www.earlyyears.portsmouth.gov.uk/
Welcome back to another new term from the Early Years Team
New terms bring new children and often new staff. We wish to remind you of the requirement to notify Ofsted of any significant changes to your early years provision (along with allegations against staff).
Such as:
- Change of manager.
- Change to the registered person or nominated individual - this includes schools where a new Head teacher has been appointed or if an Academy Trust becomes the registered person or nominated individual.
- Change of members of the committee, partnership, corporate or unincorporated body.
- Change to the name or registered number of the company or charity providing care.
For a full list of what must be notified to Ofsted, no later than fourteen days after the event occurred, please see the Early years compliance handbook (March 2019)
Failure to notify Ofsted of significant changes within the fourteen day time scale may seriously impact on your early years provision's Ofsted inspection grading and could bring your early years inspection forward.
If you have any queries regarding Ofsted notifications for your early years provision please contact your linked Quality and sufficiency officer on eydelivery@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
School improvement |
|
 |
Improved Outcomes for The Harbour Vocational Centre @ The Vanguard
This centre opened in autumn 2018, and it is great to see that the new building is proving to be as successful as designed. Since the move to a vocational curriculum three years ago, the school have seen the following improvements in outcomes for learners and the new building has been one of a number of significant factors in supporting the achievement of these improvements:
- 3 x as many pupils achieving at least one Level 2 qualification by the end of Yr11 (increase from 17% to 48%).
- 2 x as many pupils achieving 5 or more Level 1 qualifications including English and Mathematics by the end of Yr11 (increase from 17% to 38%).
- Significantly improved average attendance (increase of 12%).
- Significantly improved rate of pupils continuing into Education, Employment and/or Training (EET) after leaving the school (increase of 9%).
- Significant improvement in rate of pupils remaining EET (increase of 16% by Spring of Yr12).
The headline outcomes above represent significant successes for some of the most vulnerable young people in Portsmouth. The improvement in attendance alone means 8 more pupils are in school every day.
Straddling the Transition
Year 5 – 8 Continuity
|
|
 |
Primary and secondary teachers collaborate on this project to ensure continuity of mathematical learning from Year 5 to Year 8. This work group will take an aspect of the mathematics curriculum or a pedagogical approach as the focus for their work and use that as a framework for exploring improved maths progression for pupils between Year 5 and 8. Best for feeder primary and secondary schools to join together to make the most of the transition links for their pupils.
This work group starts on Monday 14th October, to book your place on this work group please click here.
Leadership, recruitment and retention |
|
 |
Please help us choose the winners by getting as many people as possible to head over to the Teach Portsmouth website and vote for their favourites. Help us make this a newsworthy event for Portsmouth. We want as many people as possible to vote in the competition. Can we get this to go national, viral, or even global? We urgently need your help to spread the news.
Over 2500 Portsmouth children entered the My Teacher on a Postcard competition and the finalists have been chosen. The voting is now open, and we need schools, families and communities to choose the winners. Please go to the website to view the postcards from the finalists and vote for your favourites. Voting is open to everyone, so please encourage family, friends and work colleagues to cast their votes too! Share this on your social media - let's make this go viral!! Be sure to tag @TeachPortsmouth and use the competition hashtag #myteacheronapostcard
Happy Teach Portsmouth Week 2019! |
|
 |
This week marks the second annual Teach Portsmouth Week taking place from Monday 30th September to Friday 4th October in schools across the city. As part of Teach Portsmouth week, schools are taking part in a range of activities celebrating teaching and teachers and schools are asking children to take part in exciting initiatives such as 'Tutor Group Takeover' and 'Teach Your Parents'. There is a grand finale to the week with the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2019 in Southsea on Friday 4 October.
We're looking forward to visiting schools to see the exciting activities taking place, and celebrating the fantastic work that takes place in Portsmouth's schools and colleges at Friday's Teach Portsmouth Awards. If you're sharing your Teach Portsmouth Week activities on social media please remember to tag @TeachPortsmouth so we can see what you're up to!
2019/20 Governor Training Programme
A copy of the 2019/20 Portsmouth Governor Training Programme is attached. Places can be booked via the traded services website or by emailing schoolgovernor@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Governors can be booked onto the free courses immediately. For those courses where a charge applies a request to authorise the training will be sent to the school's finance officer, who will be asked to approve the booking by checking it out of the traded services website. All training takes place at the Civic Offices.
Curriculum and CPD |
|
 |
Portsmouth Music Hub celebrates BBC Music Day in style
 Despite the weather more than a thousand primary-aged children from across Portsmouth schools came together on Thursday (26 September) to spread a little sunshine on BBC Music Day.
They were at Portsmouth's Guildhall to enjoy a spectacular performance from the nationally acclaimed Jive Aces Swing Band.
During an hour-long performance from the Band, which included a 'feet-playing' pianist and a double bass thrown through the air, the children danced and clapped along to unforgettable songs including The Bare Necessities, In The Mood, I Wanna Be Like You and Jump Jive and Wail.
To find out more about the concert and to see images from the day visit www.portsmouthmusichub.org
Priory School welcomes back former student Stephen Morgan MP
Priory School was thrilled to welcome back former student Stephen Morgan MP to address the entire student body at a whole school assembly on 17th September. The assembly focused on the message of community, kindness, and overcoming challenges by believing in yourself and working hard to achieve your goals. Yr 11 student Cairo performed a captivating Mozart piece which was highly praised by Mr Morgan & Head Teacher Mr Vaughan. After the assembly Mr Morgan met with the new Yr 11 student leadership team to discuss current affairs and find out the local and national issues that they would like addressed. In particular the students were keen to discuss environmental concerns and lowering the voting age to 16.
Emotional health and wellbeing |
|
 |
Pedal Portsmouth Glow Ride
Back by popular demand! The Pedal Portsmouth Glow Ride returns on Saturday 26 October with a 3km circular cycle route around Southsea Seafront and Common. Glow Ride is a free annual family event which supports cycle safety and encourages cyclists to be safe, be seen during the darker, winter months.
To join the event, simply register for your free ticket and join the ride. You can collect a free 'Glow bag' at the event. Get your 'glow on' and help us light up the night. Dress yourself and your bike with lights, hi-vis and other glow-in-the-dark accessories to make this the brightest event yet. Before the ride starts you can have your bike checked over by our Bike Doctor team and chat with local bike suppliers at our event village along Avenue De Caen. There will also be food, drink, music, cycling-related activities and advice.
Places are limited so to ensure you get to take part we recommend that you book your place online, ahead of the event. Find out more and register here.
School Nursing Service update
School Aged Immunisations
During the Autumn term the School Nursing Service are in schools delivering the HPV vaccination to all year 8 pupils in secondary schools in Portsmouth. The team are highly skilled in supporting pupils in receiving their vaccination. The second dose will be delivered from April until the end of the summer term.
In October the team will be in the primary schools delivering the Nasal Flu vaccine to year R to year 6 pupils. A consent form will be sent out to parents to complete and return to school, 10 days prior to the vaccination session. Last year we had high numbers of pupils off school with reported flu and cold symptoms, therefore we are encouraging parents to access this opportunity.
The team are also available to discuss any vaccinations that your child has missed and support you in accessing these. You can speak to the nurses as directed below.
Immunisation Lead Nurse: 07795451626
Health Related Absence Project
This service is working to support pupils with their attendance where sickness has been identified as the reason for absence. The service is working in 8 schools across the city: Castle View, Highbury, St Georges, Milton Park, Manor, Meredith, Isambard Brunel, Arundel Court, Portsdown Primary and Flying Bull. If your child attends these schools you will receive a phone call from a qualified Nurse who will offer advice and support to help your child return to school.
Each School has a named School Nurse that can support you with your child’s health and wellbeing. You can contact us through your child’s school or directly as below.
Contact:
School Nursing Service Early Help 0-19,
Floor 2 Core 2 Civic Offices,
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2GJ Telephone: 0300 123 6629
Email: snhs.portsmouthschoolnursingservice@nhs.net
Pulse Text Service
This is a confidential text messaging service for parents carers and young people can access health information.
PULSE text messaging service: 07491163276
Message from Steve Burridge, Portsmouth District Commander
Dear colleagues (Head teachers and Designated Safeguarding Leads)
I thought it timely to write to you all, now that you have begun a new academic year. There are some key themes that I would like to share with you as well as some recent incidents that have taken place in Hampshire.
The Portsmouth City Council Trading Standards webpage can be viewed here.
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) |
|
 |
Portsmouth SEND local area inspection report published
Portsmouth Local Area SEND Inspection took place from 1st to 5th July 2019. The inspection report, published on 24th September highlights many areas of good practice including strong leadership, coproduction, joint commissioning and effective joint working across agencies.
School buildings and school places |
|
 |
Capital projects update
Over the summer, projects at Cliffdale Academy and The Lantern (satellite site for Mary Rose school) to provide suitable accommodation for SEND pupils were completed. Also, the replacement school at Beacon View Academy was finished, just in time for the start of term.
This academic year is shaping up to be busy, with three major capital projects now on site at Admiral Lord Nelson School, Charter Academy and The Portsmouth Academy. These three schemes are due for completion for next September, providing additional secondary school places. There is also further work at the Cliffdale Academy in the Early Years area and a scheme at Redwood Park Academy to improve the accommodation for SEND pupils in those schools. Planning permission was recently granted to the ESFA for the new school for Mayfield, and work will begin shortly. Last but not least, the new school at Arundel Court (another ESFA project) is due to be handed over by January 2020.
The Willows Centre for Children closed on 31st August and that provision has been subsumed into the Cliffdale Academy wef 1st September.
Finally, the 66-place autism school at Wymering has been finally signed off by Ministers, and work is progressing, in consultation with Delta Education Trust and the ESFA, on that scheme, due to open in September 2022.
LA updates
Guidance on the Admissions Consultation process for 2021/22
For schools considering changes to future admissions policies (2021/22), the statutory process and timetable are outlined in briefing notes on the Admissions section of the PEP website.
There is a briefing note for own admission authority schools and one for LA community/voluntary controlled schools.
 Applying online for school places
If your child is moving up to junior school or secondary school next year, then the window for applying for school places is open now. The deadline for transfers to secondary school is 31 October 2019, and the deadline for transfers to junior school is 15 January 2020. (Applications for starting school open on 4 November 2019.)
Portsmouth Safeguarding Children's Partnership (PSCP)
The Portsmouth Safeguarding Children's Partnership (PSCP) has replaced the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children's Board (PCSB). The one minute guide outlining the PSCP new arrangements can be found here.
News for schools
The HR news information is located on the human resources Google homepage and maintained schools and any academy with an HR Traded Services agreement can access it here.
Further information can be obtained by contacting HR.
|
