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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
Royal Navy and Royal Marines nurturing programme |
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Home-Start Portsmouth is offering a 10-week free programme for all Hampshire Navy and Marine parents. Open to all naval families across Hampshire, this structured parenting course offers a safe and supportive space to reflect and grow as a family. Each session is confidential and shaped around the unique experience of naval family life.
It’s an opportunity to connect with other military parents, share stories, and develop practical tools that help family life thrive… even when things feel unpredictable. A free crèche is available for children under 5.
The programme begins on Thursday 27 November 2025, 6pm - 8pm at The Haven, 17 Lake Road, PO1 4HA.
A poster to share with families who may benefit from attending can be downloaded here.
Naval Children's Charity newsletter |
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The latest issue of the Naval Children's Charity newsletter features updates on:
- Winning Armed Forces Family Support Charity of the Year 2025 – Portsmouth in the SME Southern Enterprise Awards
- Afternoon tea at the Houses of Parliament
- University bursary application deadline extension
- New Families Hub – your one place for service family support
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Prevent updates |
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The latest Prevent newsletter from the DfE is now available. This edition includes updates on Prevent training for DSLs, governors, and early years. Also included are new SEND safeguarding resources, and details of upcoming webinars on Martyn’s Law.
Anti-Bullying Week (10 - 14 November 2025) |
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 The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) are official organisers of Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Anti-Bullying Week 2025 is taking place from Monday 10 - Friday 14 November, with the theme: Power for Good.
Schools are able to download free teaching resources and themed assemblies from the ABA website. These focus on how we can actively use our Power for Good, and what we can do to stop bullying.
Kooth resources
Kooth is supporting Anti-Bullying Week with free resources and an anti-bullying film and assets to help spread the word. These are designed to spark conversations, raise awareness, and help young people stand up to bullying.
A webinar for families on smartphone safety and cyberbullying is being held on Thursday 20 November 2025, 6pm - 7pm. This session will share practical tips on how to help children deal with potential problems, how parents can spot signs of cyberbullying and what action to take.
Up2U reducing parental conflict training |
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Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership (PSCP) is holding a one-day training where practitioners will be trained to understand, identify, assess and upskilled to support, challenge and change in families with parental conflict. All resources and tools will be included.
Multiple dates are available, with the next session taking place on Monday 17 November 2025 from 9.30am - 4.30pm at the Civic Offices.
There will be three modules delivered over one full day:
- Understanding and recognising parental conflict - pre-birth to 19
- Assessment of parental conflict - impact and need
- Skills to support, challenge and change in families with parental conflict
Please visit the PSCP website to book your place.
Don’t forget you can also book onto Family Practice training via the PSCP website!
SENCO engagement event on ND-Profiling |
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When: Tuesday 18 November 2025, 1.30pm - 3pm
Where: Langstone Primary Academy, Lakeside Ave, Portsmouth, PO3 6EZ
Topic: Meeting the needs of neurodivergent pupils and families: What are the priority outcomes from the perspective of schools?
If you are a SENCO in a Portsmouth school and/or are involved in using the ND-Profiling tool we would love to hear from you.
After a few years of the ND-Pathway having been rolled out in Portsmouth, we would like to invite you to an open discussion about your experiences and insights. We are now in a position to assess how well it works for the people involved, and how it can be improved. Apart from having discussions with parents and families, we would like your help to better understand what the ND-Pathway brings to schools and what changes it has brought to the culture of inclusion in local schools.
We are group of researchers at the University of Portsmouth doing independent research on early support. We aim to capture your insights and stories and summarise them anonymously. The discussions will be confidential, and your identity will be protected. We will then feedback our findings anonymously to the council, the NHS Trust and, of course, to you!
What to expect:
During the session we will try to encourage open discussions in smaller groups or as a whole by asking some open questions. We hope that you will help us understand what having the ND-Profiling tool is like for you and your school, and how you might have supported pupils using the tool and ND-Pathway. We also would like to discuss what your priorities would be in terms of outcomes. What would success in meeting the needs of pupils and families look like?
We will bring along snacks and drinks and will try our hardest to make you feel comfortable and listen to your perspectives.
If you have any questions, please contact Iris Nomikou at Iris.nomikou@port.ac.uk.
School improvement
Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar & Place Value of Spelling training |
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Grammarsaurus is offering Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar & Place Value of Spelling training at a reduced rate of £60 for schools in Portsmouth. Simply choose your required course and use PORTSMOUTH60 in the discount code section of the booking form.
Solent Maths Hub Y5-8 continuity work group |
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On Thursday 6 November 2025, the Solent Maths Hub were really pleased to facilitate the Portsmouth Y5-8 Continuity Work Group - a free and bespoke group for the city of Portsmouth, which is designed to support and encourage pedagogical discussions between primary and secondary phases.
We had six wonderful schools in attendance who demonstrated such passion and willingness to collaborate for the benefit of Portsmouth children. During the session we discussed:
- The outcomes of the curriculum review
- The differences and similarities between Y6 SATs questions with GCSE questions
- The language and representations we would use for modelling multiplication
- The importance of equity within maths education and how a focus on oracy can support this
- The progression within a ratio journey from KS1 - KS3/4
- Then collaboratively planned a task to trial back in school
Please see the progress report for more information about the event.
The discussions in the room were passionate and purposeful, and demonstrated a real desire to improve the transition experience for pupils. If we collaborate, we can create a more coherent journey for all pupils and positively impact their maths experience and outcomes.
All schools in the room are keen for more schools to join the group and be a part of this project - one participant quote stands out:
'If transition between KS2 and 3 is important to you, you need to be here!'
If your school would be interested in joining the next session on Wednesday 28 January 2026, please use the online form to book your place.
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BBC Children in Need: Joe Wicks live event for primary schools |
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As part of Joe Wicks’ new Activate series, BBC Children in Need are bringing schools a live Activate moment on Friday 14 November 2025.
Tune in and join Joe and Pudsey as they take on a series of challenges with characters and friends from across the BBC. Your school will get the chance to interact with Joe and take part in the Activate challenge – a perfect way to celebrate BBC Children in Need Day with your class or school and energise your fundraising.
The livestream is an extension of Joe’s new Activate series, backed and supported by the Department of Health & Social Care, Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The latest episodes are available on BBC i-Player.
Expect old school TV chaos, lots of familiar faces and mood-boosting movement. There’s even the brand new Activate song from Bastille’s Dan Smith to sing along to!
Tune in live at 9.30am or catch up throughout the day around your other brilliant fundraising plans.
Early years
Updates from the Early Years Advisory Teacher (EYAT) team |
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The Early Years Advisory Teacher (EYAT) team have been successful in recruiting two temporary part time teachers to support inclusion across the city, with a specific focus on SEND and EAL. We welcome Kate Wharton as the EYAT for SEND and Transition and Lucy West as the EYAT for EAL, linked to EMAS, working directly with Ella Harbut and Sue Bowler in Early Years until the end of the summer term 2026.
EYAT for SEND and Transition
This role is to support year R practitioners in meeting SEND needs in the mainstream classroom context and will be aligned with and compliment the work of the Inclusion Outreach Service and MABS support that schools access. This work is part of the Inclusion Hub SENDAP Change Programme.
This role is to support adaptation of provision in year R - the daily routine, the enabling environment and the management and navigation of EYFS practice when cohorts are experiencing an increased level of need.
If your EYFS Lead or Year R teacher would benefit from this support, please email eyinclusion@portsmouthcc.gov.uk and Ella Harbut will organise the deployment of Kate to your school for an initial visit.
EYAT for EAL and EMAS
This role will focus on the design of assessment tools, analysis of data and the creation and delivery of training to support practitioners across our early years settings and year R, in meeting the needs of children with English as an additional language. This work will be carried out in conjunction with existing EMAS Adviser Rebecca Reeve who has also been additionally funded by the SENDAP Change Programme until the end of the summer term 2026.
Apply for a Community Hedge Fund |
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Could you plant a new hedge on your school grounds? If so, CPRE Hampshire can help plant, restore and rejuvenate Hampshire’s hedgerows, with their Community Hedge Fund. They'll help by supplying whips, guards and canes to successful applicants.
To apply for the Community Hedge Fund, your hedgerow planting must be completed:
- With 1-2 year hedge whips (using additional mature saplings must be provided by other means)
- Between November and March, but November and December is best
- Using native species such as, hawthorn, blackthorn, privet, spindle, crab apple, dogwood, guelder rose, field maple, wayfaring, hazel, dog rose
- Forming a mixed hedge at least 7 species to maximise the benefits to wildlife
Applications are accepted until end of December 2025. Projects must be carried out during the hedge planting season, between 1 November and 31 March, and all projects must be complete by March 2026.
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