Education Noticeboard - 3rd July 2025

I hope you are having a good week. With the upcoming Ofsted visit, I want to assure you that we are here to support you every step of the way. Your professionalism and commitment are invaluable, and together, we will showcase the incredible work being done. Thank you for your continued excellence and dedication.

We have received notice of an Ofsted Joint Targeted Area Inspection. The theme of the JTAI is the multi-agency response to the identification of initial need and risk (often referred to as the ‘front door’) in a local authority area in England.

This will be a three-week Inspection, with notification received this morning and the Inspectors scheduled to be on-site between the 14^th and 18^th July 2025.

We will send regular updates as further information becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions or queries please speak with your manager or email the Children’s Inspection Logistics Team by emailing inspection@telford.gov.uk

I am thrilled to share that Telford & Wrekin Council has received a generous donation of 250 travel bags from the Madlug Foundation. These bags are more than just something to carry belongings - they’re a symbol of dignity, care, and respect. Every child and young person in our care deserves to feel valued, especially during times of change. Now, when a young person moves, they’ll have their own personal bag - something that’s theirs, building a sense of value and worth.

You can find out more about the Madlug movement and how you could support the foundation at https://www.madlugfoundation.org/.

Warm regards,

Jo Britton

Executive Director - Children's Services Children’s Safeguarding & Family Support

Directors Update

Dear Colleagues

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Education Noticeboard.

It's inspiring to witness the collaboration between Burton Borough students and the Telford and Wrekin community in their commitment to environmental sustainability. Burton Borough students have been recognised and awarded for their outstanding dedication and efforts.

Please can schools take the time to review Audit, Governance & Procurement fraud alert article.

In this edition, you’ll find important updates from the SEND Newsletter, Year 7 new starter guidance, Asthma Training for schools and safeguarding information.

Happy Healthy Active Holidays (HHAH) bookings are now open, offering a wide range of activities across Telford this summer. Review the article on the notice board to explore and review the available sessions and activities.

Finally, as we approach the end of term, don’t forget to share your good news stories and photos with us— we love celebrating the brilliant work happening across our education settings. Please send your submissions to: education.noticeboard@telford.gov.uk

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Best Wishes,

Simon

Simon Wellman

Director: Education & Skills

News

Burton Borough crowned champions in school’s litter picking challenge

Awards were handed out to pupils, during a presentation with staff, the head teacher and Councillor Paul Davis, Cabinet Member for Communities and Civic Pride, on Wednesday, June 25.

Now in its second year, the competition forms part of the council’s involvement in the national Great British Spring Clean campaign, delivered in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

This year’s effort saw 32 events take place involving more than 400 people including pupils, youth groups, businesses, and residents clearing more than 300 bags of litter.

Councillor Davis said: “We’re proud to have over 1,700 residents signed up as street champions already, from individuals and families to entire workplaces who are helping to make our borough cleaner, greener, and a better place to live.

“This competition is about more than bags of rubbish. It’s about young people taking pride in their communities and being part of something bigger. We need more people like them to get involved.”

During the event, the school was praised for its commitment, teamwork, and sense of civic pride. Students were also given the opportunity to reflect on their experience, share ideas for future challenges, and take home family street champion application forms to encourage even more local participation.

Councillor Davis added: “This wasn’t just about tidying up - it was about setting an example. Burton Borough students have shown that when we work together, we can make a real impact and we hope their efforts will inspire others to step forward and join our growing network of champions.”

Telford & Wrekin Council is calling on more residents to sign up to the scheme. Volunteers receive support, equipment, and regular updates to help tackle local environmental issues in their areas.

To find out how to register for the next challenge, get involved and make a difference in your community, visit: www.telford.gov.uk/streetchampions

Burton Borough crowned champions in school’s litter picking challenge | Newsroom

Plans submitted for new Captain Matthew Webb Swimming and Fitness Centre in Dawley

Proposals for the Captain Matthew Webb Swimming and Fitness Centre include a new five-lane pool, which will be similar size to that at Abraham Darby Sports and Leisure Centre, to be located at Telford Langley School.

Residents were invited to take a closer look at plans for the new leisure centre on Friday 6 June.

Their feedback has helped to shape the plans which will create a first class leisure facility to meet the needs of the local community and enhance the borough’s leisure offer.

Over 150,000 swims per year will be available at the new pool with an additional 150 places on the weekly learn to swim programme, community access to health and fitness will be increased by 50 hours per week and more than 20 local jobs will also be created as part of the development.

In addition to the pool, a new larger health and fitness facility, including a new Council owned and operated gym and exercise class studio, will be relocated to the leisure building.

This will in turn release the current health and fitness room for more education space for the school.

It will also add to the Council’s current estate of ten leisure centres across Telford and Wrekin including swimming, fitness and a range of other sports and leisure facilities.

Plans submitted for new Captain Matthew Webb Swimming and Fitness Centre in Dawley | Newsroom

Telford flag competition – deadline soon

There’s not long left for schools to submit their entries for the Telford flag competition.

We’re asking schools to submit their entries via email by Friday 11 July at 5pm or to contact us via flagcomp@telford.gov.uk to make alternative arrangements.

One entry will be shortlisted for each school, with the winner being announced in the autumn term. The winning design will earn a £250 arts and crafts voucher for the winner’s school, generously provided by our media sponsor, Telford Live.

To make the process easier for schools, we have also updated our eligibility criteria – see details below.

We’re now asking schools to make parents aware of the competition and its eligibility criteria, whether that’s through a letter or school newsletters. This removes the need for schools to declare parent’s permission with each entry.

At the point an entry is shortlisted for each school, we will then ask the school to contact the child’s parent/carer to confirm they agree with the criteria – particularly around participating in publicity and the design being used in perpetuity.

Flag competition - eligibility criteria

The design

All designs should be no bigger than an A4 piece of paper
We’re looking for bold colours and shapes that can be easily reproduced on a flag
Designs can be created with pencils, crayons, felts and paints, but should not include anything loose or stuck on
Designs created on a computer will also be accepted
Entries must be original and created solely by the child

Application details

The competition is open to all pupils on roll in reception through to year 10 at all Telford and Wrekin schools inclusive
Schools are asked to check that parent or carer are aware of the terms set out in the eligibility criteria before submitting entries
Each entry should include the child’s name, age and school and a description of the design on the reverse
Each child can submit one entry only
Entries received after the closing date (11 July at 5pm) will not be considered

The judging

A panel of judges will shortlist one entry per school. Details of how the winning entry will be selected will be confirmed in due course.
The decision of the judges is final and there is no right of appeal against the decision

The winning and shortlisted entries

The winner and those shortlisted are expected to participate in publicity, including photographs for the media and social media. The schools should ensure all parents/carers agree to this when submitting entries
The winning design may be modified for practical purposes in any way

General information

By submitting an entry, participants grant Telford & Wrekin Council the right to use, reproduce, and display the design in any format and to use it in perpetuity
Telford & Wrekin Council is not responsible for any lost, late, or misdirected entries
Participation in the competition constitutes acceptance of the eligibility criteria
The information given in the eligibility criteria is correct, but Telford & Wrekin Council reserves the right to make changes without prior warning
For more information, contact flagcomp@telford.gov.uk

Kinship care survey

Kinship care is when children whose parents are unable to care for them are looked after by an extended family member, friend or someone to connected to them.

We’re asking kinship carers to complete our short survey and tell us:

what support they've had

what challenges they’ve faced

how we can help them in the future

We also have a survey for young people who are being cared for by kinship carers, so we can better understand how we can help them too.

Please share details of the surveys with your school community.

Adult survey https://forms.office.com/e/fUscMzzUfh

Children and young people survey https://forms.office.com/e/XY2b4bKW4G

SEND

SEND Family Newsletter

We publish our SEND Family newsletter each half term, for SEND Families with a child or young person who has an EHCP. We would be grateful for your support in raising awareness of this newsletter among SEND parent carers.

Recent feedback from parent carers has highlighted that several families are unaware of the newsletter. Please note that it is sent via email from telfordwrekin@public.govdelivery.com.

The newsletter is also available on the SEND Local Offer website, in the Welcome to SEND News area. This area includes the latest editions of our SEND newsletters, including those focused on Short Breaks, Hearing Impairment (HI), and Visual Impairment (VI).

In addition, the Welcome to SEND News section features:

Top Tips for parent carers
A calendar of upcoming SEND events
A video guide on using the accessibility tools on our webpage

With more exciting updates on the way, we would really appreciate it if you could share the Local Offer with your SENCos, TAs, and SEND families.

Alternative Provision

Medical Needs and Section 19 Policies

Following consultation with partners from across education and health, we are pleased to be able to share with you these two policies:

Medical Needs Policy June 2025

This is an updated version of the previous medical needs policy. The processes to support young people in partnership between school and the Local Authority through ‘Tripartite Meetings’ hasn’t changed since the previous version. However, we have introduced a more robust process to include partners, particularly from health, to support the decision-making processes and ensure young people with medical needs receive the right help and the right time.

Section 19 Policy June 2025

This is a new policy and sits as an overarching policy to describe support for young people who are unable to attend school through exclusion, medical needs or otherwise under Section 19 of the Education Act. This should be read alongside the Medical Needs Policy and also alongside the Fair Access Protocols. Updated Fair Access Protocols will be published in September for the 2025-26 Academic Year.

Click here for Section 19 Policy

Click here for Medical Needs Policy

Achievement and Enrichment

Y7 new starters 2025-2026 guidance for placing on roll

Guidance for Schools: Year 7 Transition and Children Missing from Education (CME)

Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, the Local Authority (LA) has a legal duty to ensure that all children of statutory school age are receiving a suitable, full-time education.

Year 7 Transition and School Roll Responsibilities

During the transition to Year 7, some children may not start at their allocated secondary school. If not properly tracked, these children risk becoming Children Missing from Education (CME).

All children allocated a Year 7 place through the admissions process must be placed on the school roll at the start of the academic year.
Secondary schools will receive transfer data from the child’s previous primary school.

Non-Attendance at Allocated School

If a child does not attend their allocated school:

Schools must make all reasonable enquiries and follow their safeguarding and attendance procedures.
Contact parents/carers and offer support to encourage attendance.
Notify the LA of:

A Child Not Receiving Education (CNRE), or
A Child Missing from Education (CME)

All referrals must be submitted via the school's SAM Portal.

Elective Home Education (EHE)

If a parent notifies the LA before the end of Year 6 of their intention to Electively Home Educate (EHE) from Year 7, the EHE team will inform the school directly.
If no such notification is received, the child must be placed on roll at the allocated school from the start of Year 7.

Contact Information

EHE Enquiries: EHE@Telford.gov.uk
Attendance Support Enquiries: Attendancesupporteam@telford.gov.uk

Audit, Governance & Procurement

Standing Order Fraud Alert

A local authority has reported that a number of NatWest branches have received letters, purporting to be from a school, requesting standing orders be set up and made payable to various bank accounts.

The letters included the logo, telephone number, postal and email address of the school, in addition to an authorised signatory of the Head Teacher, which had been forged. The standing orders were to be set up for quarterly payments beginning 20 June 2025 in amounts ranging from 8,400 to 9,100 (no currency was stated). One letter requested a monthly standing order of £2,600 from 9 June 2025. All standing orders were to use the reference “APService”.

Due to the vigilance of the bank, the fraudulent requests were not processed. However we would advise you to check any bank accounts you hold, in order to identify any fraudulent standing orders and ensure that no unauthorised payments have left the account. It is also important to ensure that robust bank reconciliation processes are in place.

Click here for the Mandate Fraud Standing Order Alert

Admissions

Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Fund

Introducing the Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Fund – Apply Now

Telford & Wrekin Council is pleased to launch the Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Fund, inviting schools to apply for capital funding of up to £10,000 per project. This initiative supports minor works that improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of school environments, particularly for SEND pupils. This is to support the national agenda on making learning environments a place for all pupils to thrive.

The fund is open to:

Maintained schools and academies within the borough
Special schools and alternative provision settings

Eligible projects may include:

Installation of ramps, handrails, or hoists
Creation of sensory or quiet rooms
Accessible toilet and hygiene facilities
Modifications to improve physical access to classrooms or playgrounds
Acoustic improvements

How to Apply: Schools must complete the Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Bid Form and submit it by 24 October 2025.

Further information and the application form is linked below. For further information please contact the School Organisation team at: school.organisation@telford.gov.uk or call 01952 380903 /01952 388136

Click here for the Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Fund Form

Click here for Accessibility and Inclusion Capital Fund Framework

Public Health and Health & Wellbeing

Changes to asthma training for schools

Asthma training for all schools across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin will be moving online from 1 September 2025.

The Tier 1 training, which has been clinically and educationally accredited by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, will replace the training currently provided by school nurses.

The nationally approved course will provide schools with consistent training and flexibility where staff can complete it at any time.

To support schools and school nurses through this change, there will be drop-in sessions for people to find out more information or ask questions. These sessions are scheduled on 17^th, 18^{th and} 24th September at 16.00pm. If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, please contact helen.white12@nhs.net

The link to the Tier 1 training can be found here Schools Asthma Training The course is free of charge, with a certificate awarded on completion.

School nurses will continue to support schools and their asthma champions to implement the school asthma policy and the asthma friendly schools programme.

We would encourage all schools to join the asthma friendly schools programme. The benefits of becoming an asthma friendly school are:

Improving asthma awareness and management within the school.
Improving support to students with asthma, encouraging an inclusive environment.
Supporting responsibilities for the health, safety and wellbeing of students and staff.
Ensuring the implementation of current and best practice asthma management strategies.
Demonstrating the school’s self-evaluated status and commitment to Asthma Friendly strategies to its community.

If you would like to start the process of becoming an asthma friendly school, please contact helen.white12@nhs.net .

Safeguarding

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 – interim update

The DfE have advised us that ‘KCSIE will be published ‘for information’ before the end of the school year (no date yet) and the final version will be published in September in the normal way. There are no substantial changes, any changes are technical in nature – for example changes to dates, updates to weblinks and the inclusion of links to additional sources of information which schools may find helpful.’

Scott Thomas-White

Principal Safeguarding & Enrichment Specialist

Achievement & Enrichment

Telford & Wrekin Council

CPD

Level 5 Certificate in Primary School Physical Education Specialism 2025-26

This article is being submitted on behalf of Chris Jew, Head of Service for the Trusted Sports’ Alliance

Chris has asked me to emphasise that:

course fees are frozen for the second consecutive year
this could be the final confirmed year of Primary PE and Sport Premium funding

What is the Level 5 qualification?

A bespoke primary school physical education qualification for primary school staff (PE Coordinators, teachers and/ or teaching assistants with a sporting bias) developed by the Association for Physical Education (AfPE) and Sports Leaders UK.

For full details, please view the attached flyer

An expression of interest is currently being sought – to be sent via email to Chris Jew by 14 July 2025 – please state the candidate’s name and home school.

Candidates will then be asked to enrol on the course before the end of the first half-term in autumn so all is ready for the initial October delivery date.

Click here for L5 Certificate in Primary PE Specialism

An invitation to you and your children to engage with the Telford Gurdwara, Priorslee

This article is submitted on behalf of the Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurdwara based in Whitechapel Way, Priorslee and details their offer to schools, presented in their words.

We represent a volunteer team and, amongst other things, we visit and host schools on a weekly basis.

We aim to increase understanding and tolerance of the Sikh faith through interactive workshops, either at the Gurdwara, at your school assembly, or in your classrooms. The sessions are designed to be both informative and interactive, by including guided meditation to music, optional dress-up with turban tying, an opportunity to see and hold articles of our faith, and answer as many questions as we can!

Our Lead Volunteers hold Enhanced DBS clearance and we have been working in this space for over a decade.

We complement the solid work done by teachers, by offering an encounter with a practising Sikh to make the classroom theory "come alive".

You are welcome to either visit the Gurdwara, as over 3,500 children do a year - which would include a warm vegetarian meal - or we can come to your school free of charge.

We have made a simple web form to make booking easier.

https://telfordgurdwara.org/schools/

Please do feel free to let us know if you have any questions about this, or any other service we provide, thank you.

CPD courses to the end of the Summer Term 2025 and an update on the 2025-26 CPD Booklet

Courses can be booked by completing and returning a CPD booking form to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk (unless denoted differently).

The new 2025-26 CPD booklet is currently being finalised and will be available on the Telford Education Services site in the next week.

Talk for Work	Thursday, July 03, 2025	9am to 3.30pm
Safety Intervention Refresher Training - CPI accredited (BSAT 212)	Thursday, July 03, 2025	2pm to 4.30pm
Raising Awareness of Child Protection (SG 108)	Thursday, July 03, 2025	3.30pm to 5pm
Educational Visits Leader Training (OES 03) please book via edvisits@telford.gov.uk	Friday, July 04, 2025	9am to 3pm
Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher (SG 107) – taking place in Shrewsbury	Monday, July 07, 2025	9.15am to 4pm
Raising Awareness of Child-on-Child Abuse (SG 210)	Tuesday, July 08, 2025	3.30pm to 5pm
Pupil Premium Network Meeting (CPD 721)	Tuesday, July 08, 2025	4pm to 5.30pm
NSPCC event: Healthy Relationships and CSE Prevention Please book direct via link	Tuesday, July 08, 2025	12noon to 1pm
Schools’ Role in the Safeguarding Legal Process (SG 211)	Wednesday, July 09, 2025	1pm to 3pm
Prevent Leads Termly Network	Wednesday, July 09, 2025	2pm to 5pm
Raising Awareness of Prevent (SG 101)	Wednesday, July 02, 2025 moved to 10 July 2025	9.30am to 12noon
School Attendance Surgery (AST 005)	Friday, 11 July 2025	10am to 12noon

In addition to the courses run by Telford & Wrekin Council which are advertised in our CPD booklet, you may also wish to look at the range of courses run by other local providers, whose web links are detailed below:

AmazingCPD

Severn Training Schools Alliance

Other Information and Resources

Happy Healthy Active Holidays is live!!!!

Summer 2025 runs from 19^th to 31^st August

HHAH is bigger than ever with a variety of activities across Telford this summer.

Bookings are live now so don’t miss the chance to take part in this summer of fun! Children are entitled to 16 short sessions and 8 long days over the holidays.

We also have family fun days taking place with loads of activities to take part in and prizes to be won. No credits are required for the family fun days.

To register for HHAH please visit HHAH.Telford.Gov.Uk, once eligibility has been confirmed you will be able to go on and book your child’s place.

Click here for HHAH Sessions Week 1 to Week 6

Holmer Lake Primary - National Arts Week

Holmer Lake Primary has hosted an Art Exhibition of their pupils' work as part of National Arts Week. Pupils have been empowered as young artists as the exhibition not only showcased their talents but also built their confidence and communication skills by leading tours for parents.

Parents loved seeing the school hall transformed into a gallery, with their children guiding them through their artistic journey.

Awareness Dates

Disability Pride Month - July 2025

Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of disabilities, start positive conversations and celebrate the diversity and differences of the disabled community.

The first Disability Pride Day was celebrated in Boston, Massachusetts on October 6, 1990. The first Disability Pride Month was celebrated in 2015 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Disability Pride Month celebrates people with disabilities, their culture, identities, and contributions to society.

Disability Pride Month | Disability charity Scope UK

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