Noticeboard: 12 May 2022

This week's Noticeboard includes details of a School Admissions webinar relating to pupils from overseas, information about arrangements for Child Protection Conferences, guidance on the upcoming census and much more.

Included in this update: 

Webinar on School Admissions for pupils from overseas including Ukraine: Thursday 19th May 2-3pm

Children and families from Ukraine are beginning to arrive in Birmingham. The DfE has confirmed the rights of Ukrainian refugee children do not differ from the rights of other refugee children. Refugee children and asylum seeker children in the UK have full rights to access a state-funded school place whether they settle here permanently or are only here for a short space of time. 

Local authorities are therefore applying their usual school admissions processes to children arriving from Ukraine. To support the admission of pupils from overseas including those from Ukraine schools are invited to a webinar to provide clarity on admission processes.

The webinar will be delivered by Alan Michell (Head of Service School Admissions, Attendance, Exclusions and Pupil Tracking) and Katharine Mann (Senior School Admissions Officer) and will take place on Thursday 19th May from 2-3pm.

Please use this link to join the webinar just before 2pm on Thursday 19th May.  A recording of the webinar will be shared with all schools after the session.

Child Protection Conferences

On Wednesday 11th May schools were sent an email on behalf of Graham Tilby, Assistant Director Safeguarding in Birmingham Children's Trust, confirming that as of Monday 16th May 2022, all Initial Child Protection Conferences will take place face-to-face at either New Aston House (Alma Street, Aston, B19 2RL) or The Willows (Emmeline Street, Bordesley Village,  B9 4NG).

Professionals should attend in person unless by exception, in which case this should be discussed with the Principal Officer chairing the Conference, whereby the technology will be available to join virtually via Microsoft Teams. 
 
It is expected that the vast majority of Child Protection Review Conferences will also be face-to-face depending upon the overall capacity of the two venues. Plans are being advanced to host Child Protection Conferences at Lifford House in Stirchley. 

For further information please contact Birmingham Children's Trust Assistant Heads of Service Claudia Richter (Claudia.richter@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk) or Helena Kirk (Helena.kirk@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk)

DfE Statutory School Census – Summer 2022

Key dates: Census date: Thursday 19 May   | Return date: Monday 23 May   

Every school in England has a statutory duty to submit School Census, each term, under Section 537A of the Education Act 1996.

An information briefing for the attention of Headteachers and School Census contacts is available at this link.

Contact: SchoolCensus@birmingham.gov.uk

Early Years Single Funding Formula Indicative Allocations 2022 - 2023

Notification of the Indicative Allocations of the Early Years Single Funding Formula 2022-23 have been published. Schools can see how their allocation has been worked out here:

Any queries email the Fair Funding Team at: fairfunding@birmingham.gov.uk

School Organisation Proposal: Ward End Primary School 2022

Birmingham City Council published a proposal for statutory consultation on 28th April 2022. 

The proposal is to establish special educational needs (SEN) provision in a mainstream community school, Ward End Primary School, by creating an SEN Resource Base for up to 18 pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC). This is proposed for implementation in September 2022.

For a copy of the complete proposal document and details of how to submit comments, please visit this link.  

All comments must be received no later than 26th May 2022.

Vacancies on Birmingham Virtual School Governing Body

Birmingham Virtual School currently has the following two vacancies on its governing body***:

  1. Special school representative
  2. Secondary school representative

The governing body meets six times a year (currently virtually) from 3:30pm – 5pm. The purpose of our governing body is to:

  • Establish the strategic direction, by:
    • ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; and agreeing the Virtual School Service Plan priorities and targets
  • Ensure accountability, by:
    • engaging with stakeholders and where possible and contributing to service self-evaluation
  • Monitor financial performance, by:
    • monitoring the spending of the pupil premium plus funding is allocated in accordance with the DfE conditions of grant and any held back top slice of PP+ is well spent.
    • ensuring risks to the organisation are managed

***It is important to stress that the Virtual School is not in itself a school but a statutory local authority service, as such it is not a requirement that a Virtual School has a governing body, nor is it required to comply with the statutory requirements of a school's governing body. We believe the value of our governing body is in its role as part of our wider corporate parenting duties as a city.

We would welcome expressions of interest from Headteachers; members of school senior leadership teams; Designated Teachers, or Designated Safeguarding leads. Please contact the Virtual School Headteacher Lisa Marie Smith via email lisa.smith@birmingham.gov.uk for more information or to register your interest.

May SENAR Update

Please find the May SENAR update here, which continues to show tangible progress in SEND services.

Please feel free to read other SEND newsletters and updates on the SEND Local Offer website news page.

SEND Green Paper Consultation: accessible version

The Department of Education (DfE) published its Green Paper on SEND and Alternative Provision in March. The DfE has now published a more accessible version of the Green Paper, including: 

  • a full British Sign Language version to support those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment
  • an easy-read version to support those with learning disabilities 
  • a guide to help children and young people with SEND or those in alternative provision, to understand the Green Paper and respond to the consultation  

The DfE is extending the consultation period by 3 weeks, to 22nd July 2022, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part in the consultation and we would encourage schools to support children and young people to consider the Green Paper (where appropriate).  All resources are available at this link.

Long-COVID Paediatric Referrals

Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH) is accepting GP referrals for its paediatric long-COVID Assessment Service, serving patients and professionals across the West Midlands. This has been designed at a regional level and has been commissioned according to national commissioning guidance. The establishment of this service follows national announcements and multi-million-pound investment to support those suffering from the effects of long COVID, including children and young people. 

One of 15 paediatric hubs across the country, the service is designed to assess patients experiencing long-term health effects following COVID-19 infection. While it appears young people have been less severely physically impacted at the infection stage, with a much lower level of hospitalisation compared to older people, there have been numerous reports of children experiencing the same or similar long-COVID symptoms to adults such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mobility issues. The multi-disciplinary service at BCH will assess and make recommendations as to the best course of treatment and support.

Schools who suspect post-COVID syndrome in children and young people should support the family to seek a review by their GP, and a referral to the long COVID clinic by the GP if they deem it suitable. 

Further resource can be found at this link

The RISE Youth Forum: Recuiting young people with additional needs

Our young people are experts by experience! Here at BCC we are delighted to be expanding our Additional Needs/ Disability pupil voice forum. We are inviting young people with additional needs to apply to hold a place on the RISE Youth Forum.

BCC is recruiting up to 12 young people aged 11-25 with Additional Learning Needs and / or a disability from mainstream/ special educational settings who will represent the voice of young people and who have a passion for creating positive change for children & young people across the city.

The RISE Youth Forum will aim to:

  • ensure the experiences and voices of young people are heard within the implementation of the Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) overseen by the SEND Transformation Team.
  • raise any inequalities felt
  • support inclusion
  • raise achievements 
  • support access to learning 
  • provide a meaningful impact 
  • signpost to services and key agencies within the local community

How to apply:

Birmingham Early Years Transition Approach

The Birmingham Transitions Approach, a multiagency workgroup, has been working together to agree on a consistent approach to early years transitions for Birmingham. The inclusive approach has been developed with children's outcomes at the centre of the process. The "Birmingham Transitions Approach" also meets the needs of children's families and the professionals working with them. The workgroup is finalising a mix of transition resources for parents, schools and early years providers, which will be shared shortly.

Resources for providers and schools include

  • a transfer form
  • transitions guidance notes 
  • citywide workshops
  • district-based professional discussions.  

Parents will have access to

  • preparing for school guide 
  • therapist-led preparation for school support sessions.

To find out more about transitions and the Birmingham Early Years Transition Approach, “transition champions" and/or early years class teachers can now book a place at a citywide workshop "Birmingham Transition Approach" session by clicking on a links below:  

For future Birmingham Transitions Approach updates and access to a variety of early years resources, please sign up to the Birmingham Early Years Network here 

Access to Education Training Courses 

Introduction to the Autism Progression Framework – Wednesday, 25th May 2022 -  9.00am – 12.30pm

What will you learn?

  • Understand how the progression framework relates to the broader educational context
  • Familiarity with the content and key features of the progression framework
  • Skills in identifying learning goals and measuring progress for pupils on the autism spectrum in areas specific to their individual need

This session will be delivered at Thornbury Centre, Thornbury Road, Handworth, Birmingham, B20 3DE. Booking information available at this link

AET Autism and Anxiety Module – 18th May 2022 

After completing this module, delegates will be able to understand:

  • how autistic CYP might express anxiety.
  • what can cause anxiety in autistic CYP.
  • what you can do to prevent and reduce anxiety in autistic CYP

After completing ‘Autism and anxiety’, participants will: 

  • have greater knowledge about how prevalent and impactful anxiety can be on autistic pupils
  • know that anxiety can be transactional and we all have a role in reducing anxiety in school
  • understand that there is a toolbox of approaches that can be used to reduce anxiety and the first step is to learn about the individual’s triggers and preferred means of support
  • understand that by reducing anxiety we can significantly improve a CYP’s ability to engage with school life and their peers, as well as improve general well-being

This session will be delivered at Thornbury Centre, Thornbury Road, Handworth, Birmingham, B20 3DE on Wednesday, 18th May 2022 at 09:00am – 12:30am.

Booking information is available at this link

AET Post-16 Good Autism Practice (Virtual) – 24th May 2022 

This module is for practitioners and staff working in a range of Post-16 settings, including General Colleges of Further Education, Independent Specialist Providers, Mainstream and Special Schools with Post-16 provision, Sixth Form Colleges, Work Based Learning Providers and Adult and Community Learning Providers.

The aims of this module are to enable delegates to: 

  • appreciate the strengths and learning needs of autistic learners
  • improve the ways they support the autistic learner to communicate their future aspirations
  • be equipped to work in partnership with the autistic learner to co-create goals for their education
  • improve their practice in supporting the autistic learner

After completing this module delegates will be able to:

  • reflect on, develop and improve you own knowledge, understanding and practice in working with autistic learners.
  • consider some approaches, strategies, and adaptations you can implement to remove barriers to participation and learning for autistic learners you work with.

This session will be delivered remotely via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 24th May 2022 at 9am – 4pm . Booking information is available at this link.

Services for Education Early Career Framework Induction briefing: Wednesday 25th May 2022

Early Career Framework Induction revisited - Wednesday 25th May 2022 - Venue: Online

In September 2021 NQT induction changed. Induction now follows the Early Career Framework (ECF) and is a two-year process. NQTs or Early Career Teachers will still need to be registered with an Appropriate Body.

This two-hour online briefing will give those delegates, new to the process, a clearer understanding of the new Early Career Framework (ECF) induction, awareness of what is required of schools to ensure they comply with statutory guidance and an introduction to the different programmes available.

Places can be booked at this link.

Health For Life Funded Programme online briefing: 21st June 2022

Is your school eligible to join the award winning, FUNDED Health for Life programme? Do you wish to engage your pupils in cooking and gardening opportunities within your curriculum and would you like support and funding to achieve this? SFE are recruiting the next cohort of Primary Schools to begin working towards the Health for Life award in September 2022.

If your school is in one of the following postcodes then please read on:
B6, B7, B19, B20, B21, B23, B36, B42, B72, B73, B75, B76

‘Health for Life’ has worked with 152 primary schools in Birmingham to date and achieved significant changes in each school. It supports schools to engage their community in healthy active lifestyles, embedding the work in the school culture and curriculum in a sustainable way. It is intended to increase pupils’ knowledge and real-life skills and effect changes in attitudes and behaviour with a focus on: Healthy eating and cooking skills, Growing food, Physical activity, Family involvement.

If your school is in an eligible postcode please use this link to book a place to attend a free online briefing  to learn more about the programme, ask questions and find out how to register your interest for selection. 

The online briefing will take place on 21 June 2022 3.45pm - 4.45pm. 

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Makaton Workshops

The Level 4 workshop is made up of two modules delivered as a full day of training. The training completes the Core Vocabulary.

If you have completed up to Level 3 and wish to advance to the next level we will be running a Level 4 Makaton Workshop at the Springfield Centre Selly Oak on 21st June 2022 9am – 4.30pm.  You will revise the signs and symbols you learned in your Level 1, 2 and 3 training, and learn the signs and symbols for Stages 7 and 8 of the Core Vocabulary.

If you would like further information or an application form please contact Gareth Humpage on 0121 466 6266 or bchc.bchcplus@nhs.net

This entry was posted by on 10/05/2022.