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If you have information to be included in the next issue of the PEP bulletin, please send your text, image and link by Tuesday at 12pm to pep@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Inclusion
Senior mental health lead training grants |
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Senior mental health lead training grants remain available for schools and colleges that still want to benefit, including a second grant if your previously trained lead has left. Make sure you reserve your grant by 31 December 2024 - you’ll still have until 31 January 2025 to book your training and complete your claim.
Senior mental health lead training has made a difference in thousands of schools and colleges, equipping leaders with evidence-based strategies to support the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, learners and staff. Training helps develop the knowledge and practical skills of school and college leaders, and 89% say it has enabled them to plan or improve their whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
The training will help your school or college to:
- Identify need, and monitor impact, of mental health/wellbeing support
- Achieve the best possible outcomes from your existing in-school provision
- Develop approaches aligned with your DSL/SENCO’s work
- Develop your universal and targeted support offer
- Engage pupils and learners, and develop positive relationships with parents/carers
How do I apply?
Click here to reserve your grant by 31 December 2024, including a second grant if your previously trained lead has left. There are a range of courses available to suit your mental health lead, with start dates up to the end of spring term 2025. You have until 31 January 2025 to book your training and complete your claim.
Practical resources and toolkit
- A resource hub is available to support you to embed and sustain your whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing, and has been updated with new, evidence-based resources for this academic year.
- Access a targeted mental wellbeing support toolkit to help you develop and provide effective in-school/college targeted support.
- Access a resource page for teachers, parents and carers to support children and young people experiencing difficulties with mental wellbeing and regular school or college attendance.
Support for children and young people bereaved by suicide |
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Listening Ear are running free training: No Time For Goodbye: Supporting Children & Young People Following a Death By Suicide on 12 and 21 November 2024. This course is most suited to professionals working with and supporting children and young people in an educational, safeguarding and/or pastoral capacity. Feedback from previous attendees has shown that this course is best suited to school staff, safeguarding leads, community nurses, youth workers or those working in similar roles, who have not previously attended this training.
Listening Ear offer a specialist counselling service for children and young people bereaved by suicide. The counselling takes place at the child's school or in a community venue. Any parent, guardian or professional can make a referral via the Listening Ear website.
Listening Ear also provide the Amparo support after suicide service which provides practical and emotional support after bereavement for anyone living in Hampshire affected by suicide. Visit amparo.org.uk to find out more.
Self-harm awareness training with Solent Mind |
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The experienced Solent Mind training team are offering live online (and some face-to-face) training to equip you with the knowledge, skills and tools to support young people you work with who may self-harm or be at risk of self-harming. The training and resources are designed to upskill staff and build a culture of understanding and proactive support.
Upcoming sessions
Self-harm awareness (1 hour) - basic understanding and improving confidence:
- Wednesday 13 November 2024, 12pm - 1pm
- Thursday 28 November 2024, 10am - 11am
Self-harm awareness (3 hour) - more in depth understanding of self-harm, suicide awareness and intervention skills as well as techniques to build resilience:
- Wednesday 20 November 2024, 9am - 12pm
- Wednesday 4 December 2024, 9am - 12pm
Reflective practice (1 hour) - a chance to share with peers:
- Wednesday 20 November 2024, 2pm - 3pm
Empower your students to recognise and reject misogyny and sexual violence
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Are you seeing the rise of harmful, misogynistic content in your students' lives? Is a shift towards dismissive attitudes around misogyny emerging in your school? Do you want your students to become active, positive forces against misogynistic beliefs and sexual violence?
Today, aspirational misogyny is one of the most critical yet complex challenges facing schools. Students are increasingly exposed to online narratives that promote harmful stereotypes and violence. The consequences are profound:
- In the UK, one rape per school day is reported to the police as occurring on school premises (Bates, 2022).
- The Ofsted Review (2021) highlights how “sexual harassment is pervasive in all contexts” within schools.
- Recent data reveals over 2 million women each year experience male violence in England and Wales, with 55.6% of incidents involving children.
- Boys are increasingly rejecting gender equality, with 50% believing feminism has "gone too far" (Hope Not Hate, 2020).
Creating a culture that genuinely resonates with young men while addressing these issues is critical to making a lasting impact. With Engendering Change's expert-led, award-winning teacher training and student talks, educators are guided to address these challenges effectively and in alignment with KCSIE and Ofsted recommendations.
‘We have been working with Engendering Change for several years now. Whether they are empowering our teachers with engaging training sessions or delivering student talks for our Personal Development Days, the feedback is always fantastic. The consultancy they provided led to a total rewrite of our RSHE curriculum and policies and we would not hesitate in recommending their services to other schools.’
- Gemma Pearse, Head of Trafalgar School
Book your free consultation today and let’s build a future where every student champions respect and safety. Visit the Engendering Change website for more information.
Free support for you and your family |
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Family life with young children can be difficult and stressful at times, and this is when it helps to have someone to turn to and somewhere to go.
The Portsmouth Family Hubs are one stop shops within your community, providing information, and a variety of free services, activities and support for families with children.
In Portsmouth, we have five family hubs in Buckland, Milton, Northern Parade, Somerstown and Paulsgrove. And an online Family Hub with free online sessions, information and a place to book.
From midwifery support to Stay and Play sessions, the hubs have all the support you could need, under one roof.
Visit www.portsmouthfamilyhubs.co.uk to find out what's on and to book sessions.
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School improvement
Help create Portsmouth's teaching assistant charter
Teach Portsmouth is creating a charter that sets out a series of values that schools can choose to adopt, using insight from a survey that was completed by teaching assistants.
We are now inviting teaching assistants, headteachers, and HR leads from schools across Portsmouth to take part in an in-person session to co-produce a TA Charter.
We will look to create a framework out of the session using several key themes. These themes include pay and benefits, recognition, training, wellbeing, progression, communication, resources, support, and workload management.
The session will be held on Thursday 5 December 2024 from 4pm to 6pm at the Civic Offices. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Please share this opportunity with your colleagues! If you are interested in attending, please email teachportsmouth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to reserve your place.
More information on the teaching assistant charter can be found on the Portsmouth Education Partnership website.
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Exhibit and promote the Teach Portsmouth Support and Teaching Assistant Jobs Fair |
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Teach Portsmouth's popular jobs fair returns to the city, inviting the community to learn about support and teaching assistant opportunities in schools, academies and colleges.
We are asking schools to share this information inside newsletters and on social media to help increase awareness.
The event will take place on Wednesday 20 November at Cosham Community Centre from 10am to 11.45am and 12pm to 2pm. Those in attendance will...
- Watch short presentations about working in education
- Hear from experienced support staff from Portsmouth's classrooms
- Learn about training and apprenticeship opportunities
- Explore current vacancies on the jobs board
Please click on the button below to download the promotional pack as a PDF. Alternatively, if you have vacancies and would like to exhibit, please email teachportsmouth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk in the first instance.
Registration now open for PEP Early Education Conference |
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Following on the from the success of the PortsMaths Teaching and Learning Conference in 2024, registration is now open for the Early Education Conference being held on Thursday 6 February 2025 at the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel.
We are pleased to be able to offer this event free of charge on behalf of the Portsmouth Education Partnership. Inspirational content for colleagues working in the EYFS and KS1 - childminders, practitioners in nurseries, headteachers, Year R and KS1 teachers … anyone with an interest in early education from pre-school to end of KS1.
We are excited to welcome our two keynote speakers, Greg Bottrill and Aaron Bradbury (more information will be provided over the coming months), with the usual array of workshops, stallholders and prizes/giveaways!
Please note that Greg Bottrill will be providing a workshop but this will be on a first come, first served basis due to a limit on workshop numbers.
Please register using the Traded Service link below. Workshop descriptions are available on the website to assist selection when registering. Should you require any assistance with registration, please contact Cheri.Trigwell@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
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Participation and progression
EBP South’s Career Inspiration Events help schools to meet Gatsby Benchmarks |
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EBP South will be holding Get Inspired Portsmouth at Portsmouth Guildhall on 16 January 2025. The event for years 7-11, which is free for schools to attend, allows young people to engage with local employers through taking part in short activities, and learn about careers in their local area.
The Solent Primary Schools’ STEM Fair, taking place at CEMAST, Lee-on-the-Solent on 4 - 5 March 2025, gives primary school students the chance to find out about STEM businesses through 25-minute timetabled activities. There are still some spaces remaining for schools to sign up.
Secondary schools can also sign up for Inspiring STEM taking place at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton on 25 June 2025. This exciting event for teams of 7-10 students, breaks down job role stereotypes and allows young people to get a hands-on understanding of STEM careers.
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Sufficiency and resources
Portsmouth School Place Planning Strategy |
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At the recent Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education decision making meeting the Portsmouth School Place Planning Strategy for 2024-29 was approved. This document sets out Portsmouth's overall approach to ensuring the supply of sufficient high quality mainstream and specialist school places over the period 2024-29.
It provides the framework for local authority maintained schools, academies and MATs working within Portsmouth to plan for and take decisions in respect of individual school changes.
Education Information Services (EIS) FFT Aspire training |
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During 2024/25, EIS are offering some more free training to schools that purchase the EIS SLA, or purchase access to FFT Aspire via EIS. This training will be led by a trainer from FFT. These sessions are designed for new staff or for colleagues who may need a "refresher" for the FFT's Aspire system.
All sessions will be run via MS Teams and, when they are available, can be booked via the training and events area of the Portsmouth Traded Services website.
Primary schools
There will be a session on Tuesday 19 November 2024, 11am - 12pm.
This will include:
- Using FFT Aspire for self-evaluation, based upon summer 2024 pupil-level data.
- Using FFT Aspire estimates to support target setting.
Secondary schools
There will be a session on Wednesday 22 January 2025, 11am - 12pm.
This will include:
- Using FFT Aspire for self-evaluation, based upon summer 2024 pupil-level data.
- Using FFT Aspire estimates to support target setting.
For further information, please email: education.informationservices@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Weather does not dampen the spirits of GSR team |
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Despite the 10-mile race having to be cancelled due to our great British weather, eight of our 23 strong Foster Portsmouth team conquered the 5km, junior and mini Great South Run races on Saturday 19 October.
Three children in our care, three of our foster carers and two of their birth children completed the three races on the Saturday which did dawn bright and clear.
Foster carer Emma shared: “Our seven year old boys, one fostered and one birth child, did the mini run with my husband Chris. They both worked hard and ran the whole course. They were both so pleased and proud of themselves at the finish line!"
Wearing branded running vests, the team all hoped to raise awareness of Foster Portsmouth and the need for more foster carers from diverse backgrounds to provide a safe home for the vulnerable children and young people in Portsmouth.
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CIL Neighbourhood Funding drop in day |
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For community organisations looking to make great ideas happen this year, join us at our next Neighbourhood CIL Fund advice session.
Projects that can qualify include:
- buying new equipment for a community group
- building and open space improvements to existing community spaces
- public art
- street furniture
- safety infrastructure
- biodiversity projects
Funding awards of £500 upwards depending on where the project is located.
Our friendly informal one-to-one session is a 30-minute advice session on Neighbourhood CIL Funding opportunities for community projects located within Portsmouth.
Date: Tuesday 26 November 2024, 9.30am - 3.30pm
Venue: Cosham Library, PO6 3EB
White Ribbon Day |
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White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity working to end violence against women and girls with the aim of preventing violence against women and girls by addressing its root causes. This year White Ribbon is focusing on #itstartswithme(n) encouraging everyone to look at ways they can help challenge and prevent violence to women and girls.
As a White Ribbon accredited organisation, Portsmouth City Council will be holding and participating in a number of events starting with the national White Ribbon Day on Monday 25 November 2024. There will be a flag raising ceremony starting at 9.30am in Guildhall Square, outside the Council Offices which we welcome our local schools to attend. This will take approximately 20 minutes and will also include short talks from some of our community organisations.
There will be a further 16 days of activism which schools are encouraged to take part in. White Ribbon have developed a toolkit for primary and secondary schools.
Please contact Justina.Jeffs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to register your actions or for more information about the flag raising event.
Portsmouth Museums autumn/winter programme |
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The programme of exhibitions and events for the autumn/winter season at Portsmouth Museums has been announced. The museum service includes The D-Day Story, Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, Portsmouth Natural History Museum – Cumberland House, Southsea Castle, Eastney Engine Houses and Charles Dickens Birthplace.
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