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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.
School improvement
Stubbington Study Centre bookings 2025/26 |
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Message from James Scarborough (Head of Centre)
Schools wishing to book a KS2 residential at Stubbington Study Centre, for 2025/26, can do so during January. Please make a note in your diary to submit an online booking enquiry form via our website, which can be done at any point during this January window.
Unfortunately, we had to disappoint a number of schools who made late applications last year, as we had no spaces left to offer at their preferred time.
We are pleased to confirm that our Advisory Committee, which includes Portsmouth headteacher Ash Vaghela, has agreed competitive rates for next year. Details can be found at the link above.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate in contacting Stubbington Study Centre on 01329 662244 or stubbington.sc@hants.gov.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you in the new year!
Ask families and staff to nominate an education superstar |
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 Teach Portsmouth needs your help to recognise a school superstar in the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2025. The awards return to Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday 12 June 2025. While nominations for other award categories don't open until the new year, the people's choice award is now open for nominations.
This is the only category that allows members of the public to nominate a school or college superstar. To help increase nominations, please include the following text in your newsletters and on social media to increase the chances of a colleague being recognised. It's a fantastic chance for Portsmouth to come together and help showcase the impact and meaningful change education professionals make in the city.
In 2023, Michelle Chadwick, a teacher at Priory School won the people's choice award after being nominated by a parent who had received incredible support for her child who has additional needs.
Michelle said: "I was overwhelmed and surprised to be nominated. It’s something I never expected, especially knowing that someone took the time and effort to put my name forward. It felt like a big 'thank you,' and that meant so much to me. It’s not something you experience every day, and I truly felt appreciated."
Share the text below and do your bit to help us recognise an education superstar in the city. The deadline for nominations for the people's choice award is Friday 20 December 2024.
Nominate a school superstar
Teach Portsmouth needs your help to recognise a school superstar in the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2025. If you know a teacher, teaching assistant, volunteer, head teacher (and other senior team members) who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for you, nominate them in the people's choice award category.
All you need to do is visit the Teach Portsmouth website to nominate an individual in your school. Share their full name, school and a supporting statement.
Michelle Chadwick, a teacher at Priory School won the people's choice award in 2023. Michelle said:
"Winning the award was deeply emotional. It showed me that I must be making a positive impact on young people and their families, which is why I do this work. My family were incredibly proud—this recognition is something they still bring up even now."
The deadline for nominating is Friday 20 December. Visit www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards today!
Co-production session held to develop teaching assistant retention charter |
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Teach Portsmouth's mission to help schools retain teaching assistants continued at a co-production session to develop a charter on Thursday 5 December 2024. In May, a survey was completed by 179 teaching assistants. The feedback from the survey was grouped into seven commitment themes which will be used to structure the charter.
The co-production session included HR leads, a head teacher and teaching assistants, who shared their views on each commitment and set out a series of steps schools could take to address these issues.
A draft version of the charter will be shared with the group in due course, before being circulated at upcoming stakeholder meetings. We would also welcome feedback from schools and academies. The development of the charter is part of a series of actions to help address teaching assistant retention in the city and is seen as part of a range of activities which will be implemented over the next 24 months to ensure support staff feel valued and recognised.
More information can be found on the Portsmouth Education Partnership website.
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Languages updates |
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Partners' meeting for Portsmouth ~ City of Languages
The minutes from the first partners' meeting held on Friday 29 November 2024 are now available to read here.
Languages in Portsmouth winter update
Read the latest languages in Portsmouth update for information on:
- The Big Christmas Language Quiz
- A week of celebrating languages in Portsmouth (17 – 21 March 2025)
- North East Festival of Languages 2025
and much more!
ALL Portsmouth Primary Hub and Portsmouth Language Leads meeting
The next ALL Portsmouth Primary Hub meeting will be held online on Wednesday 22 January 2025 at 4pm. Sue Cave will share her knowledge and experience about how best to teach and embed a phonics understanding in language lessons. The session is relevant for both primary and secondary practitioners. See the flyer for further details.
South Downs announces inspiring initiative to help 75 schools |
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Seventy-five years ago National Parks were created as special places where people and nature could come together, bringing hope and joy to a nation scarred by war. Now, 75 years on and to celebrate the anniversary on 16 December, the South Downs National Park is helping 75 schools to add beautiful wildlife havens to their school grounds.
Schools across the National Park and surrounding areas will be able to apply for grants of up to £1,000.
The “ReNature Grants” can be used for a myriad of purposes, such as planting a wildflower meadow, planting trees, digging a pond, building a bee hotel, installing bird boxes or creating an allotment. The initiative ties in with the National Park’s ongoing ReNature campaign, which is fighting against biodiversity loss by creating scores of new wildlife havens across the region.
This funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis or until 1 July 2025.
Hampshire and Wessex Annual Religious Education Conference 2025 |
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This cross-phase conference on Thursday 6 March 2025 is for primary, secondary and SEND RE teachers and leaders of RE.
The conference is to support teachers to teach RE well with Living Difference IV, the locally agreed syllabus for RE in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton schools. Delegates will gain confidence in representing what it means to live with a religious orientation on life, in the classroom.
The day will include keynote sessions on raising the profile of RE and practical advice for creating effective learning environments in the classroom and a range of diverse workshops.
Free Christmas event at Fort Nelson |
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A Christmas Wish is a festive elf trail which takes visitors around 12 themed installations with a special activity booklet – and admission is free.
Take a leisurely stroll around an authentically restored Victorian fort and soak up the festive atmosphere. The Fort will be beautifully decorated with trees and wreaths, with delightful surprises around every corner.
Younger visitors can train to be an elf and get hands-on with games and workshop tasks - sorting presents, preparing reindeer food, plus lots of other magical activities. A special free trail, full of puzzles and poems will keep everyone entertained on the trail.
Visitors are asked to book online in advance as capacity limits are in place. The event runs until Sunday 5 January 2025.
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Free online staff CPD courses in the spring term
In line with Sir Martyn Oliver’s (Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills) priority of a relentless focus on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, South Central Teaching School Hub are pleased to offer three free online staff CPD courses in the spring term.
In Sir Martyn Oliver’s annual report published on 5 December he states, “We should do that [relentlessly focus on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children as a top priority] because it’s morally right, and also because it is a great barometer for the overall quality of the education and social care systems. As I’ve said many times: if you get it right for the most vulnerable, you get it right for everyone. So, we want to make sure every child has the best chances and opportunities, whether they’re achieving highly and need to be stretched, or struggling and in need of support. We want every child to have a high standard of education, no matter their background. It will ultimately help raise educational standards for all.”
The free online staff CPD courses are as follows:
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