Noticeboard: 24 March 2022

This week's Noticeboard includes an update about support for families from Ukraine, a reminder about completing the DfE weekly attendance return, information from Finance about VAT and lease accounting, training opportunities and more.

Included in this update: 

Support for families from Ukraine

We know that Birmingham schools are keen to support families from Ukraine in any way they can.

So far a small number of Ukrainian families have arrived in the city and the council is working with partners to provide bespoke support, including appropriate education provision, for these medical evacuees.

We have had confirmation from the Department for Education that 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.

The DfE's advice to local authorities is set out at this link and will be updated to be more user friendly by addressing specific queries they are receiving from schools and local authorities. This guidance confirms:

‘In most cases, foreign national children in the UK have the right to attend schools in England. School admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child on the basis of their nationality or immigration status nor remove them from roll on this basis.’

Schools should process applications for school places from Ukrainian families using the normal in-year admission process and the Fair Access Protocol where appropriate. The School Admissions team can be contacted in the case of queries (0121 303 1888 or admissions@birmingham.gov.uk). 

We have also had confirmation that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities will shortly be publishing a Welcome Pack for refugees from Ukraine – in Ukrainian and Russian - which will include an annex advising them on how to apply for a school. The annex will be similar to the one in the Afghan Welcome Pack.

As soon as we have more information about the arrangements for the arrival of sponsored refugees we will share this with all schools.

DfE weekly attendance return

From 7 March, the DfE's educational setting status form moved to a weekly collection on Thursdays. On any other weekday, only complete the form if your setting is closed.

Please can you continue to submit your education setting status form by 2pm every Thursday as this continues to provide the local authority a useful picture of what is happening across the city and enables us to support individual schools.

The form is available at this link. 

Ramadan guidance and model letter

This year, the month of Ramadan will arrive around 2nd April, depending on the lunar calendar. 

Please find at this link a model letter shared last year for schools to update and use for primary aged pupils who wish to fast in school. 

Last year's guidance from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) on Ramadan for leaders and staff in primary and secondary schools and tertiary colleges is available at this link.

Schools Contracts Data Collection for Lease Accounting (IFRS 16): Deadline 4 April

The new standard for lease accounting (IFRS 16) becomes effective from 1 April 2022. To prepare for this, BCC’s final accounts team need to collect data for all schools’ contracts including vehicle leases in order to assess them under IFRS 16.

Please use the excel file at this link and fill it in for all contracts where the total contract value is more than £5,000.

Please provide sufficient detail in the contract description field to enable the final accounts team to understand if the contract includes physical assets and whether the asset identified are leased by the school. The returned data will be assessed under IFRS 16 and additional information would be needed for contracts deemed to be in scope of IFRS 16. Please note: A nil return is required.

Details requested must be provided by Monday 4th April 2022 to Mukhtar Mirani mukhtar.mirani@birmingham.gov.uk

Temporary VAT rate comes to an end for Hospitality Services

The temporary reduced VAT rate for Hospitality Services which has been in place since July 2020 is due to end on 31 March 2022. From 1 April 2022 the VAT rate will return to the standard rate of 20%.

The temporary rate has applied to relevant Hospitality including sales of food and drinks for consumption on the premises where sold, plus hot takeaway food and drinks and supplies of catering services. It includes adult meals provided in schools, e.g. staff meals. VAT should therefore be charged at 20% on all these supplies from 1 April 2022 onwards.

Please ensure you are applying the correct rate of VAT to any hospitality supplies that you make from this date onwards. It is also worth noting that this rate is not expected to change again now that it has returned to the pre-pandemic rate. 

Should you have any queries or if you are unsure about the correct rate of VAT to apply please get in touch with a member of the council’s VAT team at VAT@birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham Careers Service: Risk of NEET Students - Year 11, 12 & 13

In response to Covid-19 and the disproportionate impact on the future career opportunities for young people, Birmingham Careers Service will be offering its RONI (risk of NEET) offer with effect from 1 April 2022. Careers Leads are invited to submit a referral form for any 2022 leaver they consider is at risk of not progressing into education, employment or training. 

Full details and a referral form are available at this link

Please be aware this does not replace the school's statutory duty to provide impartial and independent careers guidance.

Free Knife Crime Awareness Webinar for Parents/Carers: Friday 29th April 2022

Yardley Early Help, in partnership with West Midlands Police, is holding a webinar aimed at parents and carers to increase their awareness on knife crimes in children and young people. The aim of webinar is to increase awareness around current and data trends, myths around knife crime, gang and youth violence, tips on talking to children about the issue and empower them to make the right choices. Parents also can ask questions at the end of the session. 

The session will take place on Friday 29th April 10am - 11am on Microsoft Teams. The guest speaker will be Kelly Brookes, Early Help Officer, West Midlands Police. All attendees will receive post training material.

More information, including how to book a place, is available at this link. Please share details of this webinar with parents and carers.

Be Empowered Workshop – Early Support Programme for SEND Parent Carers

The Be Empowered workshops are for parent/carers of children and young people of any age, with any additional need, with or without a diagnosis. They are an attempt to support parent/carers through times of change and at whatever stage of the journey participants may find themselves.

Workshops will be taking place on Wednesdays from 10am - 1pm, starting on Wednesday 27th April then continuing on Wed 4th May, Wed 11th May, Wed 18th May, Wed 25th May followed by a break for half-term and finishing on Wed 8th Jun 2022.

The workshops take place at St Nicholas Place, 81 The Green, Kings Norton, Birmingham B38 8RU.

Please share these workshops with any interested parent carers of children with SEND. Places can be booked by emailing BeEmpowered@birmingham.gov.uk for a booking form.  

For any enquiries about the Be Empowered workshops please contact Oenca Fontaine (Parent Engagement Consultant) on 07956 929 151 or email BeEmpowered@birmingham.gov.uk

Communication and Autism Team training: Introduction to the Autism Progression Framework

This session is suitable for practitioners working with school-age pupils on the autism spectrum in both mainstream and specialist services. This may include:

  • teachers
  • teaching assistants
  • SENCOs
  • any practitioner needing to map the progress of pupils

The session will provide practitioners with:

  • an understanding of 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 needs

The session will be delivered remotely via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 30th March 2022 - 9.00am – 12.30pm. 

To secure a place, please book online via this link. 

Services for Education Online Safeguarding and Child Protection courses 2021/22

Based on customer feedback the Services for Education course now offers: 

  • an admin area for multi-users to allow easy visibility to see how users are progressing through the course including scores on the course activities and the end of course assessment.
  • enhanced content including videos and soundbites.
  • easier navigation through the course.
  • CPD certification

Services for Education also offers bulk discounts for the following number of users purchased: 

  • 50 – 99 = 5% 
  • 100 – 199 = 10% 
  • 200 – 499 = 15% 
  • over 500 = 20% 

More information about this offer, including how to order, is available on the Services for Education website at this link.

West Midlands Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health survey

Around one in ten children and young people have a significant mental health problem. Mental health issues can lead to poor concentration, poor motivation and poor self esteem all of which affect a child’s ability to learn. All those who work with young people can help, through understanding and providing the right support. 

The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) can help. ACAMH is a children’s mental health charity with headquarters in London and branches in UK regions – your local branch is West Midlands ACAMH. Here at West Midlands ACAMH, we are keen to provide events, workshops and facilities that reflect local interests and needs. Our events count as CPD and there is a certificate of attendance. SENDIASS is working with West Midlands ACAMH and would want to ensure ACAMH’s events meet schools' needs. Please complete a two minute survey and tells us about topics that would interest you.

The survey is available at this link. 

For more information please contact:

Information about becoming a member and a list of member benefits can be found on the ACAMH website. You do not need to be a member of ACAMH to attend events but those who are members benefit from reduced rates.

Free STEM Workshop Taster Sessions with The Pump Creative Spaces

Local young people’s charity, The Pump, is seeking to develop exciting partnerships with local schools, and is offering Birmingham and Solihull schools a free taster workshop at their state of the art makerspace in Kitts Green.

This includes a fully funded 2 hour ‘Makey Makey’ workshop to complement the curriculum for KS2, KS3 or KS4. Please note there are only a limited number of free sessions available, offered on a first come first served basis to schools in Birmingham and Solihull. 

To book your free taster and expand your STEM offer, email Elizabeth Forrester elizabeth.forrester@i-se.co.uk

Ambitious about Autism: Online platform for Autistic young people

Ambitious about Autism, has launched the UK’s first online platform for autistic young people.

This will offer autistic young people aged 16 to 25 a safe and moderated online space to help them understand their autistic identity and reduce isolation and loneliness that many feel. Young people will be able to take part in peer support sessions, share experiences and find volunteering, work experience and employment opportunities.

There will also be opportunities for them to work together and campaign for change. More information is available at this link

Peacemakers Training: Peer Meditation Plus

Peacemakers has significant funding available to help schools set up a Peer Mediation scheme and train staff. Peer mediators are trained to mediate disputes on the playground, in line with the Best Practice Guidelines recommended by the PMN.  Research shows that peer mediation can support children’s social and emotional development and children’s ability to manage conflict well.  

Peacemakers ask schools to commit to all aspects of the offer and to make a financial contribution towards the costs. The cost to deliver this workshop is £2,265.00 per school.  Peacemakers ask for a contribution of £400.00 per school.  

  • Pupil Workshop - An interactive workshop of 60-90 minutes [up to 3 classes] 
  • Mediation Training - three full days of training with up to 24 selected peer mediators
  • Staff CPD - 3 twilights (or one half day and one twilight) for all classroom staff 
  • Lunchtime Supervisor Training (LTS) -a session to understand the role of peer mediators and the LTS role 
  • WM Peer Mediation Leads Network - an invitation to join a new network
  • Evaluation - a full evaluation, including a follow up visit to the school once the scheme is established.

Further information relating to Peacemakers can be found on their website peacemakers.org.uk/  

Contact: Libbs Packer (libbs@peacemakers.org.uk or 0121 236 4796)
 

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