• Oracle System Implementation Update for Schools
• School Audits and the Impact of Oracle
• Birmingham Children's Hospital Winter Pressures Plea
• Consultation on Proposed Admission Arrangements 1
• Consultation on Proposed Admission Arrangements 2
• Early Years Autumn Wellcomm Data Return 
• National Professional Qualification in Early Years 
• Introduction to Restorative Practice for Schools and Community Settings 
• Peer Mediation Plus 
• How Practical are your Practicals? 
• Reading Deep Dives - An Insight into the Ofsted Framework
• Understanding and Responding to Sexual Harrassment and Sexual Violence in Secondary Schools

Oracle System Implementation Update for Schools

Since the last update on 16 November, progress continues with our support plans for HR, Finance and Payroll. This week’s bulletin includes an update on a workshop held last week, as well as ongoing progress with the finance reconciliation files functionality.

Discovery Workshop Update

A ‘discovery’ workshop took place on 23 November to explore existing Oracle pain points, resulting in 21 new priority fixes needed. Over the next 2 weeks, these will be investigated and solutions identified. Details of these activities will be communicated as agreed to the business managers who attended the workshop, with a follow up discovery session being arranged for January 2023.

Finance Update

• Reconciliation Files – The Oracle interface to provide financial reconciliation files to Schools is nearing completion. Extended testing across additional schools and across a wider range of time periods will provide greater assurance that the functionality works. This is taking place this week and if successful, the weekly files process should start from 12 December. 
• Payroll Reporting – This remains a priority and the work is now in its final stages, with selected schools supporting accessibility testing this week. Subject to successful completion of this testing, it’s anticipated that Schools will be able to download the report via the HR Dashboard, from 12 December

People Services (HR)

• Annual School Workforce Census – The census data is now being finalised and will shortly be sent to schools for approval before it uploaded to the DfE system. Your local HR Officer team will keep you updated with progress and time frames.
• Reminder – teachers’ pay award for 2022 – The Department for Education (DfE) has published a report on pay and conditions for 2022 with changes reflected in December’s pay.
• Pay Progression – All pay progression changes are being dealt with manually within Oracle, with a priority to complete processing within the month in which changes are submitted. The HR team will keep you informed on any cases where this has not been possible.
• Salary Statements – The Oracle report to produce salary statements is still under development, creating a delay in providing them to schools that requested them. Further updates on timings will follow soon.

Communications

• Revised approach – From December, the cycle of general Oracle progress updates will change from fortnightly to monthly, along with timely progress updates on specific priority areas.  
• Online document library – There is now an online Schools Oracle information page to enable all Schools staff to view Oracle updates and other supporting information.
• Alternative communication channels – To help ensure that important Oracle information reaches its intended audiences, please email details of any alternative / preferred channels, formats and stakeholders to OracleCommunications@birmingham.gov.uk.

Reminder of Main Points of Contact

Information on contact points and escalation channels to support technical issues and complaints is available by download: Oracle for Schools - support routes and key contacts.

School Audits and the Impact of Oracle

We have listened to feedback from schools and appreciate the impact following the implementation of the Council’s new Oracle system. 

Whilst we are committed to supporting schools and helping them maintain strong governance processes, we want to give you some breathing space to embed revised processes and resolve any issues, so we will be suspending our schools audit programme and not starting any new visits until the New Year. 

Any audit that is currently in progress will be completed and drawn to a close, and we will contact schools already booked for an audit visit during December to rearrange dates. 

Rest assured we remain on hand to help with any queries or concerns in the normal way.

If you have any queries or require any further information please contact: BirminghamAudit@birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Winter Pressures Plea

Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department has been under significant, sustained pressure due to high levels of respiratory infections locally and unprecedented attendances.

Across the country, Children’s Emergency Departments are seeing approximately a 20% increase on previous record attendances, with a number of units reporting a lack of beds for paediatric admissions.

BWC is asking colleagues in the community, education, and other sectors to help by sharing some key advice to children, parents, and carers to ease the pressure on hard working staff.

Please share the following key messages through your channels, networks, websites and wherever you think it could help:

• The Children’s Hospital Emergency Department is incredibly busy – those who are not seriously ill will face very long waits to be seen and may need to go elsewhere for help.
• Remember, the Children’s Hospital Emergency Department can’t help with dental or eye issues. For an eye emergency, please attend the Midland Eye Centre at Dudley Road open 9am-7pm.  NHS 111 can help with finding and accessing an Emergency Dentist.
• There are things you can try before visiting, such as:
  • View our ‘virtual consultations’ to hear our doctors’ advice on the most common reasons people come to the Emergency Department – Click here
  • Visit Healthier Together, a website recommended by our doctors, which has advice and resources for parents and young people – Click here
  • Visit 111 online (for children aged 5 and over). Answer questions about your symptoms on the website and they will tell you what to do next.
• Take these simple steps to keep well this winter:
  • Wash your hands regularly just like you did during the pandemic.
  • Get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster.

Please also share/retweet our regular social media updates with video advice for parents if you are able to.

Consultation on Proposed Admission Arrangements 1

The proposed admission arrangements for all own admission authority schools within the area of Birmingham City Council that have instructed the Council to carry out consultation on their proposed arrangements for the 2024/2025 academic year on their behalf, are available to view: Proposed admissions arrangements 2024/2025

This consultation will run from 28 November 2022 and will end on 9 January 2023. If you have any comments regarding the proposed admission arrangements, please visit: Birmingham Beheard

It would be greatly appreciated, it you would also include the above information and links in your next school’s newsletter for any interested parent/carers.

If you have any queries, email:  admissionsconsultation@birmingham.gov.uk  

Consultation on Proposed Admissions Arrangements 2

The proposed admissions arrangements and proposed published admissions numbers for Birmingham City Council’s Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools for the 2024/2025 Academic Year can now be viewed: www.birmingham.gov.uk/Consultation2024-2025

This consultation starts on 5 December 2022 and closes on 23 January 2023.

Any comments on the proposed admission arrangements and proposed published admissions numbers can be made at the Birmingham City Council consultation website during the consultation period: Birmingham Beheard

It would be greatly appreciated, if you would also include the above information and links in your next school’s own newsletter for any interested parent/carers.

If you have any queries, email:  admissionsconsultation@birmingham.gov.uk

Early Years Autumn WellComm Data Return

For the attention of Primary Schools and Nursery Schools

Thank you for using the WellComm Toolkit to improve Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) outcomes in your school. 

Last term's WellComm data collection return demonstrated that targeted interventions offered by early years providers improved children's level of SLC development by an incredible 25%. The data also indicated that Birmingham still has approximately 50% of children under five not reaching the expected level of development, demonstrating that citywide targeted interventions are vital to support children's educational outcomes. 

We therefore kindly request, that every early year's provider returns their WellComm screening data by the 31 December 2022. This vital data collection process will be used to shape the SLC support available across Birmingham.

To complete the survey simply follow this link

If you have any questions, email:  EYDuty@birmingham.gov.uk

National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)

For the attention of all early education entitlement providers, including schools and academies

The new National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) has launched!  The NPQEYL focuses on the key challenges early years leaders face in their role. This CPD course covers 7 topics, with a mix of self-study and group coaching sessions, as well as face-to-face sessions with other participants.

It will help you gain confidence and develop skills in:

• developing your leadership style
• delivering high-quality early education and care
• organisational management
• giving constructive feedback to parents
• enhancing the expertise of your staff and supporting their development
• working with children who have additional and special educational needs

How you and your school could benefit:

• Ensuring all children experience success
• Delivering a high-quality and ambitious curriculum
• Managing resources and budgeting effectively
• Knowing what improvement approaches to use
• Learning with people from different early years settings, allowing you to build your network and share best practice

Early years professionals helped design this course to fit around busy schedules. On average you will need to spend between 1 and 2 hours per week working towards completing this NPQ.

As a high-quality CPD offer, the NPQEYL complements those existing early years qualifications which leaders already hold which are directly linked to ratios. The NPQEYL fills a key gap identified by current and aspiring early years leaders, strengthening early years-specific teaching methods.

Full DfE funding, with no cost to the participant, is available. You are eligible for this course, and funding, if you are a leader, or aspiring leader, qualified to at least level 3 with a full and relevant qualification, employed:

• in a maintained nursery school in England
• in a preschool class or nursery that’s part of a maintained school in England
• in a pre-school class or nursery that’s part of an independent school in England providing free early years entitlements places
• in a nursery that is registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register
• as a childminder with leadership responsibilities working with early years children and registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register or with a registered Childminder Agency

The NPQEYL is delivered by Lead Providers and their delivery partners, who can also offer support in deciding whether the NPQEYL is the right choice for you and your setting. If the course is appropriate for you, and with agreement from your chosen Lead Provider, you may be able to self-fund the NPQEYL if you are not eligible for DfE funding.

To register and find out more simply follow this link

Please direct any queries to: EYDuty@birmingham.gov.uk

Introduction to Restorative Practice for Schools & Community Settings

Monday, 6 February 2023 – 09:00-16:30: The Priory Rooms, Birmingham B4 6AF 

£150 per person

This training course will provide participants with the background knowledge and skills that are required to use informal restorative practices in their day-to-day work. The course will introduce participants to the philosophy and language of restorative practices. It also engages participants in identifying how to apply this innovative and relational way of dealing with conflict into their daily work. The training day is experiential with a mix of theory, skills practice and small group work people have come to expect from Peacemakers. The training will cover a variety of restorative practices.

Restorative Practice is a way of being, thinking, interacting, teaching and learning – with relationships at the centre. Many schools are using restorative approaches to foster an inclusive, child-centred and relational learning environment. Children develop emotional and social skills and learn to take ownership of conflicts and solutions to conflict.

The course is delivered by a practitioner, who is accredited by the Restorative Justice Council.

Book your place by simply following this link.

Bookings of more one person may be eligible for a discounted price, contact office@peacemakers.org.uk or telephone 0121 236 4796 to find out more!

Peer Mediation Plus

Funding is available for schools in the West Midlands to help set up a Peer Mediation scheme and train staff to get the most out of the scheme in the Spring or Summer terms 2023.

Peer mediation involves children being trained to mediate their peers’ conflicts at school. It is underpinned by the same values that inform adult mediation. It is voluntary, inclusive and leads those people who find themselves in a dispute, to find their own solution to their problem, rather than being told what to do.  It is conflict resolution for young people, by young people. 

What's offered:

• Pupil workshop
• 3 days mediation training - with up to 24 selected peer mediators
• Staff CPD (3 twilights or one-half day and one twilight)
• Lunchtime Supervisor Training (a 90-minute session)
• Invitation to a WM Peer Mediation Leads Network
• Evaluation including a follow up visit to the school once the scheme is established

Schools are asked to commit to all aspects of the offer and to make a financial contribution towards the costs. The actual cost to deliver this work is £2,270 per school. Each school will be asked to contribute £500.00.

For further information, please contact Libbs Packer by email Libbs@peacemakers.org.uk or telephone 0121 236 4796. 

How Practical are your Practicals?

Wednesday, 7 December 2022: 13:00-16:00

The science education community and beyond see practical work carried out by students as an essential feature of science education. This course will explore ways in which the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategy can be adopted for practical work to provide the cognitive challenge of linking observables to ideas.

Practical work provides the opportunity for students to explore phenomena first hand however often whilst effective in getting students to do what is intended with physical objects, this can be less effective in getting them to use the intended scientific ideas to guide their actions and reflect upon the data they collect.

The course will:

• consider the two-domain model – where knowledge is involved and the learning demand so that students see an event or phenomenon or become able to manipulate a piece of equipment and tasks where the aim is that students develop an understanding of theoretical models that might account for what is observed.

• review how by being helped to differentiate more clearly between tasks of relatively low learning demand and those where the learning demand is much higher, you will be able to identify those tasks where students might require greater levels of support in order that the intended learning might occur.

You can book your place by simply following this link

For queries or further information, please contact: Marsha.blissett@servicesforeducation.co.uk

Reading Deep Dives – An Insight into the Ofsted Framework

Monday, 9 January 2023

One element of an inspection that we can be certain of is that there will be an Early Reading Deep Dive, and yet many of our English Leads feel unprepared for what is expected of them. So how can we ensure that primary English Leaders are able to meet the requirements effectively and articulate their English curriculum confidently? This critical course addresses these concerns and gives an opportunity for our English Leaders to delve deeply into the Ofsted procedures and expectations.

You can book your place by simply following this link

For queries or further information, please contact: Emma.mudge@servicesforeducation.co.uk

Understanding and Responding to Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in Secondary Schools

Tuesday, 10 January 2023: 09.00-12.00

The ‘Everyone’s Invited movement’ and OfSTED’s subsequent review into Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence have highlighted the sheer prevalence of these behaviours in secondary schools.

This course aims to give a greater understanding into “Harmful Sexual Behaviour”, how it can be challenged, what responses should be given and how schools can embed a culture that raises awareness of, minimises, or even eradicates the prevalence.

You can book your place by simply following this link

For queries or further information, email: Lucie.Welch@servicesforeducation.co.uk