Noticeboard: 21 January 2022

This week's Noticeboard includes information about the Birmingham 2022 Youth Programme, advice for maintained schools about the end of financial year closedown, an update from Cityserve and much more.

Included in this update:

Public Health update

On Wednesday 19th January an update was sent to all schools regarding the Public Health documents schools should use.

The update is available on the Noticeboard here.

The Public Health documents are available at this link.

BRING THE POWER – Birmingham 2022 Youth Programme

We would like to invite your school to get involved with the many opportunities available during this exciting year to enable your pupils to ‘Bring The Power’.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the region and we want to ensure that children and young people from across the region can be inspired by this event. There are many different opportunities for young people to engage with the Games and we hope that with your support, many of your pupils will be positively impacted.

The Bring The Power programme aims to reach 1 million children and young people across the West Midlands. We will do this through numerous engagement opportunities including school workshops, digital classroom resources, cultural activities, school festival days and many more. The programme has been developed with the support of local young people and school leaders from the region to ensure it meets the needs of those it aims to support.

Let’s make 2022 a positive year for schools and pupils across the region. Schools are invited join the Birmingham 2022 Youth Programme and help your pupils to Bring The Power.

Further information on the programme and how schools can get involved can be found by visiting www.birmingham2022.com/power 

Maintained schools: Preparation for Year End Closedown 

To prepare for 2021-22 financial year end closedown, Birmingham LA maintained schools need to finalise routine spending by February half term. Only unavoidable transactions are expected in March ledger for items like staff salary, agency costs and emergency spending. This will reduce the number of transactions, adjustments and accruals at year end, and allow final accounts completion by corporate deadline. 

Cheque book schools’ (CHB) final workbook template for the year ending 31st March 2022 will be issued in mid-March 2022. CHB schools must complete and submit the workbook by Tuesday 5th April 2022, with reconciliation to school’s bank statement as at 31st March 2022. Reimbursement for salaries to BCC by CHB schools who use BCC payroll must be paid from the bank before 31st March.  

For schools who have petty cash account, it is the same requirement as in previous years that the petty cash financial certificate must be completed on the last day of February and submitted by the 3rd Friday in March each year.  Again, all schools should make early arrangements with their bank for relevant bank statements to be provided in time for year-end returns.  Detailed closedown guidance will be published before February half term as usual.  

Update from Cityserve

Please find at this link a letter from Dale Wild, Head of Service for Cityserve, which provides an update on product availability and staffing. 

Learning Lessons from Safeguarding Audits - Briefing Note for Team Meetings

The Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership is committed to ensuring that the key learning from serious cases and safeguarding audits are cascaded as widely as possible to frontline professionals across all agencies to share good practice to help improve service delivery. 

A Learning Lessons from Safeguarding Audits Briefing Note is now available to download on the BSCP website at this link.  The briefing note provides a short summary about the audit, highlights areas for practice improvement and identifies good practice and learning.

To support team meeting discussions a powerpoint presentation for the briefing note has been developed and is available for download via the same link.

Early Education Entitlement

30 Hours Places for Spring Term 2022

We would like to remind schools that, for parents to access a 30 hour funded place in Spring 2022 they must have received an eligible code on or before 31st December 2021. Parents must have applied and received their code by 31st December or reconfirmed any codes that were due to expire by this date. The local authority cannot fund codes that have a validity start date of on or after 1st January 2022.

It is the childcare provider's responsibility to check the date on the code before offering a 30 hour place or part of a 30 hour place. You must do this by entering the code on ECS and then checking the validity start date of it to make sure it is eligible for the current term : https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/oefe/birmingham/school

A child cannot have 30 hours extended entitlement in Spring 2022 if the validity start date of the code is on or after 1st January 2022. You must check the date before allowing the child to access a 30 hour place this term.

Further information about 30 hours and validating codes can be found on EYMIS: www.ted-birmingham.org.uk

  • Username: PVI2 (please note this is a capital i not the number one)
  • Password: PVI2year (please note this is a capital i not the number one)

If you have any queries regarding 30 hours extended entitlement please email NEF@birmingham.gov.uk

2 Year Funded Place - Early Education Entitlement

We'd like to remind schools that you must ensure that the 2 year old child is eligible before you offer a 2 year Early Education Entitlement (EEE) place. A parent (or provider on the parent's behalf with permission) must complete an eligibility application to confirm eligibility by using this link: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/oeye/birmingham

Every application generates a code or reference number - you must keep a note of this code for audit. If the code is eligible then you can offer a place. However the eligibility checker does not always confirm eligibility so if it doesn't, you will need to view evidence of eligibility. Please email NEF@birmingham.gov.uk with the child's name, DOB and the eligibility application code / reference and confirm specifically what evidence (eg a confirmation letter that the child receives DLA) you have seen confirming the child's eligibility. On receipt of this information, the NEF team will override the application to eligible and email you back so that you can offer the place.

Two year olds can get a EEE funded place if they live in England and meet the 2 year eligibility criteria which can be found at this link  

EYSFF Returns for Spring Term 2022: For schools with Early Years provision for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

Each term you are required to submit and return an EYSFF spreadsheet to the Fair Funding team to provide us with your numbers of 2 year olds, EYPP and FSM take up so that we can reconcile your early years funding. This is now completed by a simple online form and is managed by the Early Years Funding Team (NEF). 

For your Spring 2022 submission please use the following link to complete your on-line return: Early Years Single Funding Formula Data Collection Schedule - CENSUS 

You must submit the information no later than 28th January 2022 

Please note there is no facility to receive a copy of your submission - you should have the details of numbers of eligible children on your records in line with the terms and conditions of EEE funding. The EEE Provider Agreement detailing the terms and conditions of delivering early education entitlement can be found on EYMIS: Early Years Management Information system

If you have any queries regarding the online form or the eligibility of children please email NEF@birmingham.gov.uk

If you have any queries regarding your funding allocation please email fairfunding@birmingham.gov.uk   

Services for Education Spring Term CPD – Assessment, Safeguarding and Curriculum

Services For Education (S4E) provides consistently high quality professional development and teacher training in Safeguarding, Maths, Science, RE and Assessment. These courses are online and centre-based or can be bespoke to your school’s needs.

S4E embeds a mastery understanding of curriculum subjects, support in moderating your in-school judgements and offer CPD for Teaching Assistants and teachers in the early stages of their career. Our training and support aims to develop pedagogical skills, highlight new resources, and enhance strategies and approaches.

More information is available on the S4E website.

BMet Inspiring Futures - NEETS Project

The BMet’s Inspiring Futures projectaims to help potential NEET students to remain focused on achieving their qualifications whilst at school, raise aspirations post 16/18 and inspire them to study at BMet through a range of in college events and engagement activities. 

BMet has put together a selection of in-college and enrichment sessions which will give students the opportunity to find out more about the courses on offer at BMet and prepare them for their next episode. A suitable date and time during the school day will be arranged with schools to participate in the Inspiring Futures sessions. 

Please see below the range of inspiring activities BMet is offering:

In college sessions Location Duration
Group College Tour In-college  30- 45 mins 
Round robin session with local employers (valuing GCSEs)
*Subject to availability
In-college AM/PM

 

Engagement sessions Delivery mode Duration
Post 16 Presentation In-school/virtual 40 mins via Teams
Application session In-school/virtual 30-40 mins via Teams
CV/Employability Session In-school/virtual 1 hr (Includes activities) via Teams

                                   
So, whether students want to find out more about fashion, sports, the Greater Birmingham Professional Services Academy, engineering, media & games design, performing arts, apprenticeships or much more - BMet can help. 

Interested schools wanting more information should contact Marcia Roberts-Grey at BMet - Marcia.Roberts-Grey@bmet.ac.uk

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