Noticeboard - 6 July 2023

Welcome to this week's noticeboard containing an Oracle Update; information on the Transfer to Secondary School in 2024; Tax-Free Childcare; Residential Caretaker Houses; Birmingham Festival '23 and more!

Oracle Implementation Update

Please find below a summary of the latest information relating to the Oracle system. To help maximise the reach of this information to all intended audiences, your assistance in cascading this information is greatly appreciated.

New Schools Relationships Managers

Since announcing their new roles last week, Chris Etheridge and Karen Davies have made a positive start in conversations with a range of people from different settings including Nursery, Primary and Secondary, as well as the governor community, School Business Managers and a variety of meetings. They have also been meeting council colleagues to gain a greater understanding of the Oracle challenges impacting schools and have further plans to engage with primary consortia and secondary networks over the coming days.

You can get in touch with Chris and Karen via their mailbox: OracleSchoolsRelationship@Birmingham.gov.uk.

BASBM Meeting 6 July

At the meeting, attendees were provided with:

  • Further details on the accounts closure approach/plan for 22/23
  • An update on our plans for Oracle in the future including requests and enhancements

Reconciliation Files Closedown

  • Week 13 reconciliation files – there are currently two issues outstanding:
    • Three schools impacted by a missing subjective code mapping – this is being rectified via a reversal file and reload.
    • For any schools that have uploaded data from the 18 April file, we are in contact with the schools impacted by this and we will be sending out a reversal file.
  • Week 14 reconciliation files – these files were successfully issued last week to the majority of schools. Unfortunately, duplicate week 14 files were sent to all schools due to an Anycomms system processing error. Fortunately, we were able to intervene before the majority of schools downloaded this file but nine schools did manage to download the duplicate file. We are currently confirming which of these nine schools also went on to upload the files to their finance systems, so that we can arrange a reversal process to rectify duplicate entries. To prevent a repeat situation, the Anycomms automated processing has been switched off until further notice and it was made clear that this cannot happen again.
  • Week 15 reconciliation files – we will be sending these files out via Anycomms next week.

We now aim to accelerate the clearance of the backlog up to the current week.

BCC Officers will be working through the remaining backlog of issues over the summer holidays and SCHOOLS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO WORK over this period. We appreciate and thank you for your goodwill over previous holidays and support provided to us in trying to resolve the current issues that we have.

Please note: where schools have transactions in any week, they will receive a file. This means schools may receive two files i.e. one for new financial year (23/24) and one for the old financial year (22/23), whilst the old financial year is still open in Oracle.

Support Details

Transfer to Secondary School in 2024

Next week all Birmingham maintained Primary, Junior and All-Through schools will be sent a letter which should be distributed to their current Year 5 pupils who live in Birmingham and do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). There is key information included regarding deferred entry and children being taught outside of their normal year group, so it is important that this letter is shared with all children attending your school born between 01/09/2012 - 31/08/2013. 

Parent/carers will be able to submit an online application from 1 September 2023 and are urged to apply for their child to transfer to secondary school by the national closing date of 31 October 2023. Further Information about the application process will be available on the council’s website from 1 September 2023.

We would be grateful for schools' support in publicising the process and, where necessary, assisting those parents/carers who may find the application process difficult.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): Proposed Regulatory Changes

The EYFS is changing and the Early Years sector have an opportunity to comment on these proposals as part of the consultation process. The consultation opened on the 31 May 2023 and will close at 11:45pm on 26 July 2023 – so there is still time to contribute!

The DfE launched the consultation to gather providers views about proposed changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which sets out the standards that education and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.

The proposed changes aim to offer providers increased flexibility and alleviate known burdens. This will support them to deliver the new entitlements announced at the Spring Budget. The proposed changes will allow providers more choice over how they operate and make it easier for them to deliver the EYFS.

This is an opportunity to get involved and share your views on the proposed changes, so a broad range of views are captured and assist in reaching well-informed decisions for September 2023.

Early years foundation stage (EYFS): regulatory changes - Online Survey – closing date 26 July 2023.

For any queries please don’t hesitate to contact the team at EYDuty@birmingham.gov.uk

Are Your Parents Eligible for Tax-Free Childcare?

As a childcare provider you can help to be more affordable for parents by checking if they have signed up to Tax-Free Childcare and ensuring that you are signed up for Tax-Free Childcare

Working parents or carers can receive up to £500 every three months (up to £2,000 a year per child) or if their child has a disability, they can receive up to £1,000 every three months (up to £4,000 a year per child) to help with the costs of childcare.

Parents can use Tax-Free Childcare to pay for before and after school clubs, holiday clubs and play schemes as well as Nursery, Childminder or Nanny fees.

Most schools in Birmingham are already signed up to be a Tax Free Childcare provider but it’s easy to  check by visiting – www.gov.uk/guidance/sign up to tax free childcare

Encourage take-up of Tax Free Childcare by:

  • Finding out the families in your area who are not using Tax Free Childcare and support them to understand its benefits and how to apply for it
  • Updating your website with information about Tax Free Childcare, and including links to useful information:

For any queries or further information, please contact:  earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

School's Out Take an Emotional Health Check!

Parents / carers head into the summer with a better understanding of your child's brain development and their emotional wellbeing as you support them into their next new phase.

FREE online parenting courses – from pregnancy to teenager and including children with additional needs.

Simply visit www.inourplace.co.uk and access the courses free by using the code COMMUNITY.

Reminder – Residential Caretaker Houses

Further to previous communications with Schools in 2021 and 2022, this is a reminder of some key points for Headteachers and School Business Managers to consider in relation to the Caretakers House aligned to their school:

  • Statutory Compliance – please ensure that the compliance related to this property is included as part of the school site and not kept separately. This includes Asbestos Surveys and relating ongoing repairs, maintenance, and annual statutory compliance.
  • Vacant properties – if the Caretakers House is empty, it is the school’s responsibility to continue to maintain the vacant property especially in relation to the annual statutory compliance checks. Also, to ensure that all Utility Bills and Council Tax are being paid by the school (even if the house is not in use there will still be standing charges in relation to utilities and Council Tax).
  • Future Use – if the school / governors have decided they no longer require a Residential Caretaker, a further decision will be required around future use of the property. If it is not to be used further as a ‘dwelling’ it could be used as part of the school site. This would remove the Council Tax liability but would also require a ‘Change of Use’ process. This process is undertaken through the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). To note any works relating to the ‘change of use’ on the property will require Landlord Approval.
  • Rental Charge – a Residential Caretaker is not charged rent for their occupation of the property. Any agreement in place for occupation of the property should be ‘for better performance of their role.’ Charging a rental income on the property creates a Landlord / Tenant relationship which provides the occupant with additional rights. Any agreement in place with the occupant needs to be clear that the right to occupy the property will cease when their employment terminates.
  • Retirement of the Residential Caretaker – schools are encouraged to engage with their Residential Caretaker as soon as possible in advance of their retirement date to ensure the relevant support is available in relation to their living arrangements upon retirement. The position with housing has changed over the years and Residential Caretakers will not be offered a property from BCC at the point they retire which may not have been the position in the past.
  • Service Occupancy Agreements – each Residential Caretaker should have a Service Occupancy Agreement in place in relation to their occupation of the property. This should be signed and dated by the occupant and a representative from the school as witness and then forwarded to the LA for sign off by the Director of Children and Families. This is mandatory. For other types of schools then we suggest the relevant level of authority for sign off. If you do not have an agreement in place for your Residential Caretaker, please contact ediproperty@birmingham.gov.uk and we can provide the relevant template document and support with sign off from the Director (for community schools). If you do have an agreement in place, please ensure that a copy has been provided to the Property Team for our records.
  • Duty Holder Property Visits – ensure that regular visits (approximately every 12 months) are undertaken to the Caretakers property, as outlined in the occupancy agreement with agreement from the occupant. This will help establish the condition of the property and whether any repairs / maintenance is required that can be factored into the school budget. To note any fixtures and fittings belonging to the occupant shall be repaired / replaced at the cost of the occupant and not the school.
  • Third-Party Agreements – if you intend to use the Caretakers House for third party use, please ensure an appropriate agreement is in place in respect of this. Please contact the Property Team for support with relevant template documents in respect of this.
  • Private Rentals – there should not be any Caretakers Houses on school sites (or aligned to schools) with private tenants in place. As advised above, taking a rental income from the occupant creates a Landlord / Tenant relationship and means that the tenant acquires rights during their occupation of the property.

For all enquiries relating to the Caretakers House in particular please contact the Property Management Team at: ediproperty@birmingham.gov.uk  

Education Infrastructure – Summer Bulletin 2023

This term’s Education Infrastructure bulletin is available on BESS: Education Infrastructure Termly Bulletins

The bulletin covers the following topics:

  • Asbestos management plan training
  • Duty holder training
  • Additional Secondary places
  • Surplus Primary places
  • Caretakers Houses
  • SEND

For school place planning, capital projects and asset management queries, please contact the Education Infrastructure team at edsi.enquiries@birmingham.gov.uk

Thank you for your support, and we wish you a peaceful summer break.

The Auditor Summer 2023

The latest issue of Auditor Magazine is available and ready to view at this link: The Auditor Summer 2023 - Issue 65

Birmingham Festival 23

A free family-friendly outdoor festival will be taking over Centenary Square 28th July - 6th August with live music, performances and activities to celebrate the legacy of the Commonwealth Games 2022.  There will be something for everyone, with accessible activities, local talent, dance, family-friendly entertainment, the chance to meet B2022’s iconic Perry, and the best of Birmingham’s food and drink offer. 

No tickets are required – just come along and celebrate the magic and memories of Summer ’22 - watch, listen, relax, dance and play. 

Commissioned by Birmingham City Council as a sign of its ongoing commitment to accessible culture for everyone, supported by Principal Partners Arts Council England and the University of Birmingham.

28th July - 6th August, free every day, Centenary Square, Birmingham. Full programme at www.birminghamfestival23.co.uk

Get Involved in a New Research Project Exploring the Nutritional Guides!

The Eatwell Guide is the UK national guidelines on how to eat a healthy balanced diet. However, this guide is made with European diets in mind and does not consider other cultural diets. There are significantly different relationships with food in different cultures and communities across Birmingham and therefore we want to develop eating guidelines which are tailored to different cultural diets and settings. The project aims to celebrate the city’s diversity, support education, and catalyse healthy eating amongst different cultural groups.

Food System Team at Public Health BCC, in collaboration with the Caroline Walker Trust, are looking to engage with primary and secondary education teaching professionals that deliver nutrition and/or healthy eating advice as part of their role in Birmingham; to explore their needs for the tools/resources we are creating and how they can be as effective as possible for our service users.

Small focus groups and structured interviews will be conducted by Registered Dietitians, where education professionals can share their opinion, experience and point of view on the current resources available.

The aim is to gather feedback and recommendations on what format would be best for the eating guides and explore how balanced diet messages should be communicated to diverse cultural communities.

Get involved or find out more by contacting Francesca Straniero, Project Co-ordinator at francesca@fsnutritionist.com

Birmingham Adult Education Service – Free Online Sessions

Birmingham Adult Education Service is offering *FREE online qualifications to study in your own time in:

  • Mental Health Awareness – Level 1 Award (TQUK)
  • Alcohol Awareness – level 1 Award (NCFE)
  • Substance Misuse – Level 1 Award (NCFE)
  • ADHD Level 1
  • The Role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)
  • Understanding Autism – Level 2 Certificate (NCFE)
  • Word: Beginners | Improvers | Advanced
  • Excel: Beginners | Improvers | Advanced
  • PowerPoint: Beginners | Improvers | Advanced
  • Outlook: Beginners | Improvers | Advanced
  • Teams: Beginners | Improvers
  • SharePoint: Beginners | Improvers | Advanced
  • OneNote
  • Cyber Security Awareness for Businesses
  • Power BI
  • Microsoft Project Online Essentials: Improvers | Advanced
  • Microsoft Planner
  • OneDrive and many more

*The discounted fee is applicable for those who are:

  • in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
  • in receipt of Employment Support Allowance Work Related Activity Group (ESA/WRAG)
  • in receipt of an income-based benefit* and are actively seeking work and ready to start work
  • employed and earning less than £9.90 per hour (you will need to provide evidence of this)
  • are unemployed, actively seeking and ready to start work
  • receive Universal Credit, Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (WRAG/HRAG) Income Support, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit), Housing Benefit, Asylum Support

For more information on these courses please contact: sameena.asmat@birmingham.gov.uk

Services for Education

Early Careers Framework Programme

ECTs from both the primary and secondary sector and their Mentors can now access the ECF and Mentor programmes with Services for Education. 

In partnership with Best Practice Network, who were recently awarded excellent in their OFSTED, the ECF programme provides the flexibility of face-to-face and online delivery ensuring that early career teachers and mentors can balance the demands of the programme alongside their school commitments. 

Find out more about the Early Careers Framework Programme at this link.

Update for Existing DSLs on Safeguarding and Child Protection – Wednesday, 12 July 2023: 09:00-12:15

This centre based course is for existing Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and Deputy DSLs who have previously attended the two-day DSL training course. It will focus on best practice, current issues of concern and the leadership and management aspects of safeguarding. It ensures that existing DSLs and DDSLs meet their statutory obligation to have training updated regularly.

Simply follow this link to book your place

For queries or further information please contact hello@servicesforeducation.co.uk

 

 

  

 

This entry was posted by Dawn Evans on 06/07/2023.