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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
National awareness campaigns |
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Two national media campaigns have recently been launched to support parents, professionals, and young people by strengthening media literacy and increasing awareness of the risks linked to harmful or illegal online content.
“You Won’t Know Until You Ask” – media literacy campaign for parents
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched a new media literacy campaign encouraging parents to have open, constructive conversations with their children about harmful online content - including misogynistic material, body shaming, and rage bait. The campaign provides practical tools, conversation prompts, and guidance to help build children’s critical thinking skills and support parents in challenging misinformation effectively.
Visit the campaign hub to learn more.
“What You Share Leaves a Trace” – youth online safety campaign
Counter Terrorism Policing has launched a targeted online safety campaign following a rise in extremist and terrorist content being accessed and shared online by boys aged 13–17.
The campaign, What You Share Leaves a Trace, is designed to support safeguarding and early intervention by highlighting the real‑world consequences of accessing or sharing terrorist material online. This information is being shared with education settings to support safeguarding awareness and to help professionals identify risks and support young people and families.
Further guidance on identifying risks and reporting concerns is available via the ACT website.
Please feel free to circulate these campaigns through your school communities and parental engagement channels.
Simon Says school champion programme
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Creating compassionate school communities for
bereaved children – be part of Hampshire’s growing
network of champion schools.
The programme elements:
- Growing in grief audit tool
- Whole staff training
- Policy and procedures for bereaved pupils
- Simon Says network group
- Create a bereavement kit
- Hold a fundraising event
- Impact statement
For further details, please email info@simonsays.org.uk or visit the Simon Says website.
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Dedicated Practice Week: Child Sexual Abuse – 27 April to 1 May 2026 |
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The Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership will be running a dedicated practice week from Monday 27 April to Friday 1 May 2026, focused on strengthening our collective response to child sexual abuse.
Across the week there will be daily briefings emailed out and a programme of online learning sessions designed for anyone working with children, young people or families in Portsmouth.
Sessions include:
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Monday 27 April, 12.30pm - 1.30pm – Spot it Early: Signs & Indicators
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Monday 27 April, 3pm - 4.30pm – Online Sexual Abuse/Exploitation
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Tuesday 28 April, 12.30pm - 1.30pm – From Concern to Strategy Discussion
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Tuesday 28 April, 4pm - 5pm – Direct Work & Interventions
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Thursday 30 April, 12.30pm - 1.30pm – Responding to Harmful Sexual Behaviour
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Thursday 30 April, 3pm - 4pm – CSA Medicals: When to Refer
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Friday 1 May, 12.30pm - 1.30pm – Learning from Reviews & Next Steps
Please save the dates - Teams links will be shared soon.
School improvement
Help to promote the Teach Portsmouth Education Careers Fair |
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 The Teach Portsmouth team need your help in attracting parents/carers to attend the Teach Portsmouth Education Careers Fair 2026 at Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday 5 March from 12pm to 4pm. Exhibitors will promote jobs, training and volunteering opportunities in schools and colleges across the city.
We are asking schools and colleges to share this information with parents and carers to increase interest and awareness about careers in education. Please include this suggested text and image in your school newsletters and social media pages. A poster to print or share online is also available.
For something more bespoke, please email teachportsmouth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Participation and progression
Portsmouth's Member of UK Youth Parliament (MYP) Elections |
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Portsmouth Youth Cabinet (PYC) are led by Portsmouth’s Member of UK Youth Parliament (MYP) who is a youth representative elected in a city-wide vote every two years; Maheep Kaur has served as MYP since April 2024 and as her two-year term comes to an end, she is ready to pass the baton on!
We have four amazing candidates who are campaigning to be elected: Cora Jepson, Freya Scowen, Kam Hart and Maya Choudhury. We need your help in spreading the word to the young people of Portsmouth aware of these elections and using their vote to choose the next person who will represent them and their city on a national-scale in the UK Youth Parliament and beyond.
Voting is now open (until Thursday 26 February 2026 at 6pm) for all eligible young people (11 - 18 years old and live or study in Portsmouth, or work/volunteer for a minimum of 14 hours a week in Portsmouth) to have their say on who will be their next MYP.
Further information about the elections and candidates, including the form to cast their vote, can be found on the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet Linktree.
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Sufficiency and resources
Consultation on establishing a new Inclusion Centre at St George’s Beneficial CofE Primary School |
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We are pleased to share some exciting news about a new development with St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School. From September 2026, the school with support from the local authority, plan to open a brand-new Inclusion Centre, designed to support primary-aged children who have additional cognition and learning needs.
This specialist centre will help children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to thrive, offering tailored teaching and support within a caring, familiar school environment.
We would welcome comments, which should be sent to Capital.CapitalStrategy@portsmouthcc.gov.uk by 5pm on Wednesday 25 March 2026.
Education Information Services school data meetings |
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The next school data manager meetings organised by Education Information Services (EIS) will take place towards the end of March. These meetings are aimed at staff responsible for data and statutory returns (including head teachers, finance officers, MIS managers or admin officers). They are of benefit to both new and experienced colleagues. The sessions will include updates on the Summer 2025 Attainment Data Collection and the DfE's School Census and other forthcoming data issues to ensure that schools are obtaining best value from the team. Sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 25 March 2026 (PM) and Thursday 26 March 2026 (AM).
Please book your session via the "Training & Events" area within the Portsmouth Traded Services website.
Attendance is free for schools that purchase the EIS SLA. Schools that do not buy the full SLA can pay to attend on an ad hoc basis.
For further information, please email: education.informationservices@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Funding opportunities for community projects in Portsmouth |
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For community organisations looking to make great ideas happen this year, book your place at our next Neighbourhood CIL Fund advice session. This fund offers awards from £500 to help improve community spaces, facilities and neighbourhoods in Portsmouth
A great example of the impact this fund can have is the new sensory garden and forest school area at Highbury Primary School in Cosham. An unused space has been transformed into an engaging outdoor area now enjoyed by pupils, families and local groups.
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
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 10 March 2026, 9.30am - 3.30pm
Venue: Portsmouth Enterprise Centre, PO3 5QT
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Take part in the Big Walk and Wheel |
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The Big Walk and Wheel is back from 16 - 27 March 2026! The free event from Walk Wheel Cycle Trust inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improve air quality in their neighbourhood, and discover how these changes benefit their world. Now in its 17th year, the annual event will see schools across the UK compete to make the most active travel journeys.
During the challenge you'll log daily journeys and earn virtual badges, plus you can track your school's progress. There are lots of fun, flexible resources on the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust website.
Get involved for the chance to win prizes for your school!
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Children and Families Mental Health - Spotting the Signs, Starting the Conversation
Tuesday 3 March 2026 | 1pm - 3pm | Civic Offices
Course aim: To support professionals in recognising early signs of poor mental health and wellbeing in children and young people, and to build confidence in starting supportive conversations.
Who is it for? This course is for everyone in Portsmouth who: works with children directly or indirectly; works with adults who are parents; or works within a community setting.
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.
Dates for your diary
4 March 2026
SEND in action in the primary setting | 8.30am - 2.45pm
Email: Stephanie.Andrews@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
5 March 2026
Teach Portsmouth Education Careers Fair | 12pm - 4pm
Find out more
13 March 2026
Year 6 Teacher Assessment Framework Training (Writing) | 1pm - 3pm
Find out more
16 - 20 March 2026
Celebrating Languages in Portsmouth Week
Find out more
20 March 2026
Moving Forward | 9.30am - 3pm
Find out more
25 March 2026
School Data meetings - Spring 2026 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Book your place
26 March 2026
School Data meetings - Spring 2026 | 10am - 11.30am
Book your place
The Portsmouth Education Partnership (PEP) calendar includes dates for events, network meetings, conferences, training sessions, and workshops taking place in Portsmouth.
To help make the calendar as useful as possible for everyone, colleagues and partners are encouraged to regularly add relevant dates they'd like to share. If you're scheduling your own event or training, you can check the calendar to avoid potential clashes with other activities.
How to add an event:
Simply forward your meeting invite to pepportsmouth@gmail.com and your event will be added to the calendar automatically.
Note: This email address is for calendar additions only. For all other queries related to the Portsmouth Education Partnership, please contact pep@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
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