Noticeboard - 19 October 2023

This week's noticeboard contains an invitation to attend a COVID-19 update webinar, a deadline reminder for Year 7 and 14-19 school admissions, an update for SENCos and SEND leads, training opportunities and more!

Included this week:

COVID-19 Update for Autumn/Winter 2023

Thursday, 26 October 2023: 13:00-14:00 – Via Teams

As part of the Public Health Lunch and Learn programme, schools are invited to join a webinar to receive further information and COVID-19 updates.

Our COVID-19 Journey continues, and Dr Mary Orhewere, Assistant Director of Public Health, will share what we’ve learned along the way and provide further updates and knowledge for us all to stay safe during the winter months. You’ll receive the most up to date advice and guidance and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Simply register for your place here - Lunch and Learn – COVID-19 update for Autumn/Winter 2023 and feel free to bring your lunch!

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact the Health Protection team at HPteam@birmingham.gov.uk

School Governor Recruitment Webinar

16 November 2023: 12:00-12:45 via Microsoft Teams

School and Governor Support are seeking volunteer Local Authority nominated governors.  Join us and Inspiring Governance, a DfE funded recruitment service, on 16 November 2023 to gain further insight into the important role that Governing Boards undertake, what it’s like to be a governor, and how your skills and knowledge could offer strong governance and provide you with an excellent CPD opportunity to develop skills that are transferrable back to the workplace.  Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.  We look forward to seeing you!

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

Deadline for Year 7 and 14-19 Admissions - September 2024

This is a reminder that parents residing in Birmingham have until 31 October 2023 to apply through the Birmingham City Council website www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions for their child’s secondary school place.  Further information, as well as the admission arrangements to support parents with making their preferences, can be found on our website.  Advice and guidance is also available from Children's Services on 0121 303 1888.

Thank you for your support in publicising the process as parents who apply late are less likely to be offered one of their preferred schools.

SENAR Quarantined Emails

It has been flagged through our IT security teams that there are a high number of emails being ‘quarantined’ that should be received by the SENAR@birmingham.gov.uk this is due to issues created when the email is created by the sender.

Two of the key reasons that an email is quarantined is if the sender does not use the correct URL to create the email or because the email asks them to click on a link. This ordinarily means that the document is embedded within a settings SharePoint system, rather than being attached to the email.

In order to ensure that BCC receive the information in an accessible format and eliminate any issues with GDPR can you please ensure that you attach any documents as either Word/PDF/Spreadsheets rather than inserting a link into your email.

Birmingham SEND Update for SENCos and SEND Leads in Schools and Settings

As part of ensuring more consistent communications around SEND, we have developed a half termly update for all SENCos and SEND leads across the sector. An email alert has gone out today to all SENCos/SEND leads, taking them to our new SENCo Area of the Local Offer website where they can access updates and links to further information SENCo area - Local Offer Birmingham

If your SENCo/SEND lead has not received this then please get on touch with Heather Wood heather.wood@birmingham.gov.uk to make sure they are added to the circulation list.

Applications for Growth Funding or Falling Pupils Funding

Birmingham City Council retains funding to support primary and secondary schools (including academies and free schools) with significant in-year growth in pupil numbers (Growth Fund) or falling rolls (Falling Pupils Fund).

The amount of funding and criteria was approved at Schools Forum in January 2023 and ratified in March 2023. Reports with details on the agreed criterion can be found here: Birmingham Schools’ Forum January 2023 | Birmingham City Council

The application round is open from Friday, 20 October 2023 for schools to submit business cases for funding. The deadline is Friday, 17 November 2023. If you believe your school is eligible for funding, please contact ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk for a copy of the application form.

Please use census figures as submitted for October 2023 census in your application. Business cases should be emailed to ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk with "Application for Growth Funding" or "Application for Falling Pupil Funding" in the subject header.

Notes:

  • Funding is limited and will be allocated on an eligibility basis.
  • There will be no route of appeal if your application is declined.
  • Schools who have been commissioned by the LA to create additional places during 2023/24 will automatically have their places funded and therefore do not need to apply. If you are unsure, please contact us.

Please contact the team if you have any queries: ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk

Admission Numbers for 2025 entry

We are now starting to plan for 2025 intakes; reviewing PANs for Reception, Year 3, Year 7 and Year 10 entry points.

Community and VC school PANs will be consulted on as part of the minimum of a 6-week consultation on admission arrangements that will be starting later this year, with a decision due by 28 February 2024. We will contact schools individually where a change to PAN may be proposed.

In line with previous announcements we are working with primary schools to manage surplus places as a result of falling birth rates but seeing continued growth in our secondary phase.

If you would like to discuss PANs at your school across 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 please do get in touch.

Pupil Place Planning, Education Infrastructure: ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk

Services For Education Online Conference and Training Course

Full Day Online Conference - Thursday, 9 November 2023

Services for Education (SFE) are pleased to present a full-day online conference covering all aspects of reading!  

SFE have the pleasure of sharing presentations from some of the very best national experts from universities and organisations around the country. They will be covering such intrinsic elements of our practice as: Building a Reading Culture, How to Teach Reading Fluency, Phonics Teaching, Developing Comprehension, and more! Simply follow this link for more information and to book your place

Safer Recruitment - Friday 10 November 2023: 09.00-16.00

This full-day course, delivered by accredited Safer Recruitment Consortium trainers, enables schools to meet statutory requirements and to improve processes that help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children or who are otherwise unsuited to working with them and identifies ways settings can create safer environments with a culture of vigilance. Book here

Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Courses

FREE WEBINAR: Menopause Awareness

Tuesday, 24 October: 15:45-16:45 via Microsoft Teams

The menopause can trigger physical and mental health symptoms such as sleeplessness, memory loss, headaches, depression, and anxiety to name just a few.

While not everyone will notice symptoms or need help or support, it is a fact that some people give up work because of a difficult menopause.

For the benefit of the workplace and our employees, we should understand more about the menopause, its symptoms, and how we can support team members and colleagues during this phase of their life.

The Webinar will last for an hour and will explore:

  • Why we need to talk about menopause.
  • What menopause is, why it happens and when.
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Managing menopause
  • Discussion points …
  • Where more information is available
  • Summary

To join the meeting simply follow this link

If you don’t have a Teams account you can Join on the web and enter the following ID & Passcode:

  • Meeting ID: 384 289 311 311
  • Passcode: LpAzUY

FREE WEBINAR: Stress Awareness

Tuesday, 7 November: 15:45-16:45 via Microsoft Teams

A 1 hour webinar to help employees and managers/Leadership recognise the common causes of stress, and some of the positive actions that can be taken to better manage stress, by using a risk assessment approach.

Stress is something everyone feels at times, especially when dealing with change or life challenges, such as money worries, work issues or relationship problems.

It is the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure.

When we are stressed, our body releases a hormone called adrenaline (often called the "fight or flight" hormone), which usually gives us a boost or motivates us to act quickly.

But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable and affect our self-esteem.

Experiencing long-term stress or severe stress can lead to feeling physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called "burnout."

To join the meeting simply follow this link

NB: If you don’t have a Teams account you can  Join on the web and enter the following ID & Passcode:

  • Meeting ID: 350 684 385 32             
  • Passcode: oGpKNG

For any queries please contact the OHS&W team at schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk or telephone 0121 303 3685

Fire Marshall Training

Wednesday, 1 November 2023: 13:00-15:00 Online

Cost: £21.50 per delegate

Please book your place by following this link

Paediatric First Aid Training  

Monday, 20 & Tuesday, 21 November 2023: 09:00-16:00

Cost: £164.00 per delegate  

Venue: Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JT

Please book your place by following this link

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work

Monday, 4, Tuesday, 5 & Friday, 8 December 2023: 09:00-16:00

Cost: £194.00 per delegate  
Venue: Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JT

Please book you place by following this link

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (Requalification)

Monday, 11 & Tuesday, 12 December 2023: 09:00-16:00

Cost: £194.00 per delegate  
Venue: Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JT

Please book your place by following this link

Please note that lunch or refreshments will not be provided for any in person training courses.

If you have any queries or would like further information please don’t hesitate to contact the OHS&W team at schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

Free CPD in Content and Language Integrated Learning

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences at Aston University, learning through Languages UK and the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics are hosting a series of three FREE CPD events on Content and Language integrated Learning (CLIL) for teachers. All events are run by experienced CLIL practitioners working in primary and secondary schools:

  • Workshop 1 - CLIL definition and benefits: Saturday, 4 November: 10:00-11.30 online
  • Workshop 2 - Planning a CLIL lesson/unit: Saturday, 11 November: 10:00-11.30 online
  • Workshop 3 - CLIL in action: Monday, 13 November: 16:30-18:00 in person

What’s on offer? This free series of practical events, organised by the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics, presents the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach – the teaching of content through the medium of another language. Teaching subjects, such as physics or geography, to middle childhood children through the medium of other languages uses rich and plentiful input, shown to be suited to that stage of development.

The events, delivered by school practitioners of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), will include two online and hands-on workshops on the CLIL approach in primary and lower secondary schools, followed by practical demonstrations and a Q&A on campus.

Intended audience – School leaders in charge of the statutory delivery of languages, (trainee) teachers delivering that provision, students and members of the public interested in language teaching.

To find out more and to book your place, please follow this link

This entry was posted by Jaspal Shambi on 17/10/2023.