Consultation for Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership

We would be grateful for your support in completing the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership Information Sharing Consultation.

Your feedback is essential in helping us understand current practice and inform future improvements to multi-agency information sharing.

Access the consultation here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/368ND7/

Deadline for completing the survey is 14 Sept 2026.

Updates from the Neurodiversity Team

Profiling Tool Training

The Neurodiversity team are holding the following training this autumn term 2026. The training offer will be a rolling programme throughout the 2026/27 academic year. Training on how to complete the neurodiversity profiling tool and the neurodiversity pathway in Portsmouth takes place at the Portsmouth Academy Training and Learning Centre from 9.30am to 1.00pm.

• 17 September 2026
• 15 October 2026
• 19 November 2026
• 17 December 2026

If you have any specific training requests please do not hesitate to contact the team - we are happy to look at how we can accommodate any specific training requests.

To book a place please email Neurodiversity0-19Enquiries@portsmouthcc.gov.uk confirming which session you would like to book onto.

Insight Hub Enhancements

Over the summer, we have continued working closely with Sentinel, taking on board feedback from schools to improve the usability of the Insight Hub.

The latest updates include:

• Uploading supporting documentation directly to the Hub.
• A dedicated Review section and review form.
• A dedicated Request Assessment section and assessment request form.

Further guidance is attached to support colleagues in using these new features. 

Graduated Approach Guidance

Here is a link to Graduated Approach Guidance circulated at the end of the summer term.

EMAS monthly bulletin now available

The Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS) publishes a monthly bulletin packed with practical advice, resources, training opportunities and updates to support schools working with children and young people who use English as an additional language (EAL). The bulletin also highlights upcoming webinars, network meetings, research, national opportunities and information about the support available from the EMAS team.

Schools are encouraged to share the bulletin with all staff so that teachers, support staff and leaders can benefit from the latest guidance and resources. 

The latest and previous editions of the EMAS bulletin are available on the PEP website.

School governors

Do you know someone who would like to make a difference to children and young people in Portsmouth? Schools across the city are looking for volunteers to join their governing boards.

A recent Teach Portsmouth article features Matt, Chair of Governors at Meon Federation, who describes the role as rewarding and a great way to give back to the local community while developing valuable leadership and decision-making skills.

Please share this opportunity with parents, carers, staff and members of your wider school community who may be interested in becoming a governor. Find out more about becoming a school governor on the Portsmouth City Council website.

Governor vacancy to fill?

Alternatively, if your school has a vacancy for a school governor, please get in touch with the school governor coordinator at the Portsmouth City Council by emailing SchoolGovernor@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Portsmouth LA Network Leads and Solent Language Network

These meetings are open to everyone interested in languages teaching and learning in the Solent region and incorporate the ALL Portsmouth Primary Hub, the Portsmouth LA Network Leads for Languages and the Solent Language Network. 

The first session on Wednesday 7 October online at 4pm will include:

• Update and advice on applying for funding for languages-related opportunities through the Erasmus+ programme.
• Danielle Dion-Jones will deliver a practical presentation on using famous art to stimulate and inspire learners to use the target language, with a focus on developing speaking skills.

Further joint CPD sessions are planned for Wednesday 3 February 2027 and Wednesday 9 June 2027. Please get in touch (lizlord0502@gmail.com) if you have any suggestions for speakers or themes, or would like to present something.

Week of Celebrating Languages 2027

Planning is beginning for the third Week of Celebrating Languages in Portsmouth, which will take place from 15 to 19 March 2027.

A first planning meeting will be scheduled for late in the autumn term, and colleagues may wish to start considering how they could mark the week within their settings.

How to say hello?

CBeebies is inviting families with children aged three to six to submit short videos of their child saying "hello" in their home or heritage language for possible inclusion in future programming.

The project aims to celebrate linguistic diversity and help children see and hear a wider range of languages represented on screen. Schools, early years settings, community groups and heritage language schools are encouraged to share this opportunity with families who may be interested in taking part.

Further information and submissions:
Take part in the CBeebies 'Say Hello' project

Portsmouth International Port 50th birthday creative project

To commemorate the 50th birthday of Portsmouth International Port, young people from all educational settings are being invited to create an artefact that showcases the attractions and opportunities Portsmouth offers to visitors travelling through the port.

Entries can take the form of a video, poster or leaflet and may be created in English or in one of the languages that young people study or speak, which could be helpful for tourists visiting the city.

The attached posters are intended to promote the competition.

Poster for primary schools

Poster for secondary schools

For further information, email Liz Lord, lizlord0502@gmail.com and the deadline for submissions is Friday 23 October 2026.

NASA LIVE, 11 September at 2PM  

Get behind the scenes of the Artemis mission with NASA's Orion spacecraft engineers Howard Hu and Branelle Rodriguez. 

Broadcast live from Imperial Space School in London, don't miss this very special opportunity to meet the engineers behind the Artemis. Discover their story, ask your questions and find out what is next as they work towards moon landing. 

This one-hour session is open to schools across the UK and is suitable for ages 8-18. Secure a place for your class now by registering here: https://www.big-ideas.org/nasa-live/

Funding opportunity for schools: Royal Society Partnership Grants 

Applications for the 2026 round of The Royal Society's Partnership Grants scheme close on 30 November 2026. The Partnership Grants scheme funds schools and colleges up to £3,000 to work in partnership with STEM professionals from academia or industry to run an investigative STEM project. The grants are open to all levels of education supporting students aged between 5-18.  

With the deadline for the 2026 round approaching, now is an excellent time to start planning a project and identifying a STEM partner. We encourage schools and colleges to submit an application and make the most of this funding opportunity. 

Find out more through the Partnership Grants website and/or watch this 10-minute overview video.  

NextGen Leaders

Young people in years 10 and 11 who have a real passion for leadership are invited to join Unloc and City of Portsmouth College for this immersive, interactive and informative programme. The sessions are designed to develop the next generation of Portsmouth leaders.

We will explore the importance of power, improve your leadership skills and connect you with inspirational guest speakers and other young leaders.

Application form: https://bit.ly/NextGenLeadersSignUp
Leaflet: https://bit.ly/LeafletNextGen2026