Noticeboard - 6 March 2025

This week's Noticeboard contains a message from Dr Sue Harrison, Oracle Transition for Schools and Finance updates, a message from West Midlands Police, training opportunities and more.

This week's noticeboard includes:

Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Strategic Director of Children and Families

Dear colleagues

I’m pleased to share the notes from our January Education Board meeting, which were signed off yesterday. The board has been reflecting on what brings us all together as partners across our system, all passionate about improving outcomes for our children and young people. We have agreed that a more fitting name is the Birmingham Education and Lifelong Learning Alliance, or BELLA for short. Moving forward, this will replace the Education Board. Please note that the Terms of Reference and membership will remain the same and are scheduled for review after BELLA has been operating for 12 months.

Another key item of business at the BELLA meeting was our upcoming Education Summit. I invite headteachers to save the date: Thursday, 5 June 2025. Our team is diligently preparing a full day of engaging activities, where we come together to share some of the amazing practices in our Birmingham schools.

We will have a variety of workshops and keynote presentations from esteemed speakers in the education sector, plus our new Managing Director for the council, Joanne Roney. This will be a fantastic opportunity to continue our journey together, ensuring every child thrives in Birmingham. We will reflect on the progress made and the work still needed.

You will also have the chance to meet some of the council’s newly appointed teams and take advantage of networking and learning opportunities. It promises to be a groundbreaking and exciting day! Please mark your calendars and look out for further details and registration information coming soon.

Helen Ellis is receiving fabulous feedback from schools about the monthly SEND and Inclusion update sent out to headteachers on Monday. This update is packed with essential information to keep schools informed about high-level communications within the service. Additionally, Steve Kay is offering regular updates from Schools and Employability. With these updates, along with the School Noticeboard, we aim to ensure that schools have all the information they need on a regular basis. If you’re not receiving these updates or would like to add another member of your team to the distribution list, please let us know, and we’ll make sure it gets sorted right away.

I was really pleased to hear that pupils from Saltley Academy recently visited the Council House to participate in an interactive session on Early Careers and the opportunity of taking up an apprenticeship with the council. They were provided with an insightful overview of the council's various roles and future career possibilities and two former apprentices shared their personal journeys within the council. Additionally, they enjoyed a whistlestop tour of the building, including the Lord Mayor's Office and Council Chambers. Feedback suggests they had a fabulous time, and I’m delighted to think we’re nurturing the council talent of the future!

Thanks to Nigel Attwood of Bellfield for sharing the joy! Fifty amazing projects from their talented children, ranging from Year 2 in the Infant School to Year 6, have been selected for the Homework Project display at Northfield Shopping Centre. Exploring the theme of ‘Friendship’, each project uniquely expresses what this means to the children, showcasing their ideas and artistic talents. If you’re passing by the Shopping Centre, you might still get a chance to be inspired!

I really appreciate hearing all about the exciting things happening in our schools and sharing them with Children and Families colleagues. Please do send your inspirational stories to me. I’m also hoping to get out and about on more visits over the coming weeks, so I very much look forward to seeing you then.

Spring has officially arrived, and we can finally shake off those winter blues! Gardens are beginning to bloom, with flowers adding splashes of colour and trees regaining their lush green leaves. Whatever you have planned for the weekend ahead, enjoy!

With heartfelt thanks and appreciation as always.

Sue

Oracle Transition for Schools

The Oracle Transition for Schools Update and Q&A has now been split into two documents so that you can access the information you need more easily.

  1. Oracle transition for schools finance update - Q&As
  2. Oracle transition for schools HR payroll and pensions update - Q&As

Archived Q&As can be found here: Archived Oracle Transition Q&A.

For any queries or further information please contact the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk and they will be pleased to assist.

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Schools Finance

Schools Cash Sheet Update 2024/25 

The updated cash sheet as of 01 Mar 2025 can be found here: Statement of funding and provisional school budget payment schedule 2024 to 2025 | Birmingham City Council

We hope you find this useful in reconciling the monthly instalment as well as grant payments the authority has paid so far this financial year. 

Early Years

The adjustment in March is in relation to the actuals calculated for the Autumn Term. 

Any queries regarding Early Years Funding should be directed to EarlyYearsFunding@Birmingham.gov.uk. 

March Grant Allocations

We are awaiting confirmation from the DfE for any March grant allocations, including Quarter 4 Pupil Premium. Once received, we endeavour to include this on the final cash sheet for 24/25 which will be circulated at the beginning of April with the closedown documents.   

Deductions

If you require a copy of the ledger report to support the deductions from the instalment, please contact SchoolsFinance@Birmingham.gov.uk. 

West Midlands Police - Hoax Messages

West Midlands Police (WMP) is currently investigating a series of threatening emails sent to several schools in Birmingham. The sender claims to be a local resident and part of a group, threatening to use weapons against the schools.

At this stage, WMP do not believe there is a credible threat. They are in contact with the affected schools, providing them with advice and support.

If schools have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to West Midlands Police directly at Home | West Midlands Police or dial 999. 

Ensuring everyone's safety is their top priority. They take hoax messages very seriously as they can cause significant disruption to the community and public services.

Hazard Alert – Conen Motorised Display Wall Mount

Warnings have recently been issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Office of Product Safety Standards (OPSS) regarding the Conen Motorised Display Wall Mount (SCETAW 2407-0111).

The product is used to adjust interactive display panels; it presents a serious risk of injuries as the mount may detach from the wall, causing the equipment to fall forwards.

There is a risk of:

  • Serious crushing or impact injury to children which may arise from the equipment detaching from the wall and falling forward
  • Serious crushing injury to children between the bottom edge of the display screen and any fixed objects

Further, information is available at the following links:

For any queries please contact the team at schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk.

Birmingham City Council Section 19 Policy and Provision for Children Absent Through Long-Term or Acute Medical Need

As a council it is a requirement that we have a published and working section 19 policy that sets out how the local authority discharges its section 19 duties for both 6th day provision, and where it accepts children have acute or long-term medical conditions to which their school cannot currently provide suitable education.

The council commissions places at James Brindley Academy to provide the education for children with medical need where it accepts that these young people meet the criteria through referral. Currently, the number of referrals to James Brindley has increased by 24% compared to similar points last year and  as such the local authority will in the next half term be sharing its Statement of Intent for the commissioning of Alternative Provision (AP) to meet sufficiency.

In the coming months, the council will also be recruiting a new Alternative Provision Team. Once in place, we will be changing the referral process for schools and settings requiring education for young people with medical need, with the introduction of our Education Access for Medical Need panel (as currently set out in our section 19 policy). This panel is multi-disciplinary and has representation from the council, James Brindley, social care, SEND, CAT, PSS, Sensory support and EP teams, Home Bridging, BCG's designated clinical officer as well as mental health services.  

Until otherwise notified schools can continue to send any new referrals for consideration to James Brindley. These referrals should only be for young people whose absence is 15 days or more,  is medically unwell, and where there is clear evidence of tier 2 graduated support in place. James Brindley will, as our commissioned partner, continue to triage and respond to new referrals whilst the Education Access for Medical Need panel triages all young people that do not yet have a place at James Brindley. The panel will  consider other alternative provision, ensure that the right health services are engaged and review the current education offer.

We are meeting James Brindley on a weekly basis to consider and review all the young people open via referral from schools currently and we will continue to work together as we move to a new referral process going forward. Once the alternative provision team is in place we will schedule a series of webinars for schools and settings to meet the new AP team and share the new process. 

We are working with a  number of school leaders currently who have put themselves forward via our School Noticeboard communication on  21 November to join a working group to develop our AP strategy, sufficiency and governance; data, and workforce. We would ask all schools to support us in our Alternative Provision Sufficiency planning and commissioning by completing the AP survey that will be posted on the School Noticeboard for the next month. We will also be sharing with schools and AP directory  and case studies in due course.

Early Education Entitlement

Working Entitlement 

Working or Disadvantaged Entitlement is available if:

Working Entitlement Overview - 15 hours

  • The working eligibility criteria and application process will be the same as the current 30 hours for working parents of 3&4 year olds
  • Parents can apply now - applications will need to be made directly to HMRC. You can signpost parents to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk where the most up to date information will be made available to support parents.
  • Parents will need to apply for and receive their eligibility code on or before 31st March 2025 to be able to access the 15 working hours entitlement from 1st April 2025. Encourage parents to apply early in case they need to provide any additional information to HMRC to support their application!
  • An eligible 9-23 month, 2, 3 & 4 year old can access their place from the term after they turn 9 months old as long as they have their code in time.
  • Providers will be required to check the codes are eligible for the term being applied for, using ECS
  • Please do not allow children to access their entitlement until you have confirmed that they are eligible to do so.
  • Providers will be required to submit the codes on their census claims.
  • There may be a very small number of families eligible for 2 year funding under the current disadvantaged eligibility criteria who may also be eligible for the 15 hours working entitlement. These parents can only claim 15 hours in total and cannot claim both elements. These parents should be encouraged to remain on the current disadvantaged entitlement until they can apply for 30 hours working entitlement for 3 year olds.

For any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Early Education Entitlement team: earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Working Entitlement for Foster Children

Foster parents can apply for working entitlement for their 9-23 months old, or their two, three and four years old foster children, if they are in paid employment outside of their foster care role.

These applications cannot be made via the usual route of the Childcare Choices website and have to come directly to the local authority. The foster carer or social worker should email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk for an application form. The Social Worker and Birmingham Virtual School Advisor have to be in agreement that the application is in the best interests of the child.

The same deadlines apply - they must have a code by 31st March 2025 in order to access working hours from April 2025 for Summer term. If you are aware of any looked after children that might be eligible for working hours extended entitlement, please signpost them to earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk.

Three and four year olds would qualify for 30 hours (universal and working element) as long as their code is eligible.

As with all working hours codes you will still need to validate the code on ECS before agreeing the start date. You must do this by entering the code on ECS and then check the validity start date of it to make sure it is eligible for the current term: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/oefe/birmingham/la/schools

Further information about working entitlement 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 please email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Annual Statutory Compliance Return

The Annual Statutory Compliance Return is now live and can be accessed using the following link: https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/bcc/93c4405a

The date for completion of the Compliance Return is Thursday, 1 May 2025.

Once the deadline for returns has passed, a sample of schools will be selected for an audit of their compliance. This will be undertaken by Schools Safety Services.

Any school failing to submit a return will be first on the list to be audited.

For queries or further information, please contact the team at EdICapitalProjects@birmingham.gov.uk

Thank you for your support.

Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn: Talking about FGM with Children and Young People

FAO: All school staff, safeguarding and mental health teams, staff delivering RSHE/PSHE

The Birmingham Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn series are online information/training sessions, around 20 minutes long, aimed at school staff.

The next session is about Talking about FGM with children and young people on Thursday, 13 March at 12.30pm. This session is available to all school staff with an interest in the health and wellbeing of their students and is particularly relevant to staff who deliver RSHE/PSHE.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that has serious consequences. To raise awareness of FGM and promote actions for its prevention, the UK Government has made it a requirement for FGM to be included in all school settings (especially at Key Stage 3 & 4) in RSHE. However, it can be difficult to talk about this sensitive topic with children and young people.

In this session, we will:

  • Provide general information about FGM
  • Identify the main issues around use of language when discussing FGM with children and young people
  • Discuss ways of using language that is clear, nuanced and appropriate
  • Describe a project about language and FGM that you can take part in. 

To register for this session, follow this link: Talking about FGM with children and young people

For any queries or further information please contact the team at: HealthySchools@birmingham.gov.uk

Proposed Resource Base Consultation

Alston Primary School, Bordesley Green, Birmingham B9 5UN

In November 2024 Alston Primary School submitted an expression of interest to Birmingham City Council following the call for more Resource Base places in the city. The proposal is to offer an additional 22 places and they are seeking stakeholder views through consultation. More information regarding the Birmingham SEND Local Offer can be found at Local Offer Birmingham.

Full details on the proposal can be found at https://www.alston.bham.sch.uk and the survey can be completed here https://forms.office.com/e/Na6uKAtQN8.

Please note the closing date for responses is Friday, 28 March 2025.

A consultation meeting to find out more is taking place at 09:00 on Thursday, 20 March 2025 at Alston Primary School. If you’d like to attend simply email enquiry@alston.bham.sch.uk to book your place or speak to a member of the senior leadership team directly

The Otto Club Education Endowment Foundation Handwriting Programme Trial

The OTTO Club is excited to invite all primary schools in England to participate in a new Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) trial beginning in September 2025. The EEF is partnering with the OTTO Club to trial their whole-class intervention programme, designed to improve handwriting for Year 1 pupils by developing their foundational skills of core stability, fine motor skills, and handwriting techniques.

The OTTO Club was created by two Occupational Therapists who recognised that many children were not developing the underlying skills needed for handwriting, which is partly due to the shortfall in Occupational Therapy services nationally. This programme is also a way of addressing the inconsistent approaches applied to teaching handwriting in year 1. 

To find out more about the EEF trial and how you can participate, please follow this link: https://ottoclub.co.uk/eef-trial

For any queries please contact the Otto Club team at info@ottoclub.co.uk.

Rubery Swop Shop

The Rubery Swop Shop is a fantastic community initiative dedicated to supporting families and promoting sustainability. Located at 224 New Road, Rubery, Birmingham, the Swop Shop provides free preloved school uniforms to families in need, helping to reduce waste and ensure that every child has access to the essentials they need for school.

Why Choose the Rubery Swop Shop?

  • Free Preloved Uniforms: The Swop Shop offers a wide range of school uniforms, including coats, shoes, cardigans, and jumpers, all in excellent condition.
  • Environmental Impact: By reusing and recycling school uniforms, they help reduce waste and promote a more sustainable future.
  • Community Support: The Swop Shop is run by dedicated volunteers who are passionate about helping families in the community.

How Can You Help?

  • Donate: If you have any school uniforms that your children have outgrown, please consider donating them to the Swop Shop. Your generosity can make a big difference to another family.
  • Spread the Word: Share this information with other parents and carers. The more people know about the Swop Shop, the more families they can help.

For more information, please visit the Rubery Swop Shop website or telephone 07736 958249.

You can also download and distribute their flyer to help spread the word: Rubery Swop Shop Flyer

Free 'Rockets for All' Workshop - 17 March 2025

Big Ideas delivers community and education projects locally, nationally and globally. Change the way you see the world with Big Ideas.

Don't miss this special opportunity for your class to meet the UK's first astronaut, Helen Sharman. Hear from a real life astronaut first-hand about what it’s like in space!

Sign up now for a free one-hour workshop, open to secondary and upper primary classes https://www.big-ideas.org/rockets-for-all/

'Rockets for All' is a Big Ideas event in partnership with Imperial Space Lab for the UK Space Agency.

For any queries or further information please contact: STEM@big-ideas.org

Kabaddi World Cup – Cultural Workshops for Schools

With the arrival of the Kabaddi World Cup in the West Midlands next month, the organisers are engaging with schools and community groups across the region to get involved through cultural workshops either dance or visual arts focused.

The tournament is the World Cup’s first edition outside of Asia and Birmingham’s Nechells Wellbeing Centre is hosting group stage matches on 20 March. Kabaddi is a fast-paced sport from South Asia which features teams of raiders and blockers. Points are scored by entering the opposition team’s territory, tagging an opposition member and returning to their half of the matt without being tackled to the ground.

They will be offering the following workshops:

Flag Making

  • Theme: "What Teamwork Means to Me"
  • Output: Individual flags inspired by South Asian textiles and Black Country mining banners, which can be used to represent your school at a Kabaddi World Cup event.

Dada & Futurism-Inspired Collage

  • Theme: Kabaddi’s Olympic Legacy
  • Output: Mixed-media collages using abstract Dada and Futurism elements to symbolise Kabaddi’s dynamism and Olympic debut.

Dance of Champions: South Asian Dance

  • Theme: Cultural Celebration Through Dance
  • Output: A high-energy performance inspired by traditional South Asian folk styles, perfect for match day festivities.

For more information and to arrange a session, please contact Veniece Patel at Veniece.Patel@wolverhampton.gov.uk

To purchase tickets for the tournament, visit www.kabaddiworldcup2025.com.

Free Health & Safety Training Webinar – March 2025

Accident, Incident, Near Miss Reporting – How and Why?

This session will help to give schools a better understanding of the accident, incident, near miss (AIN) reporting requirement and the council’s process for doing so.

It is suitable for all school staff, however those in leadership or other roles where they undertake the investigation and reporting of accidents, incidents and near misses in the workplace may find it particularly useful.

The session’s will be approximately 1 hour long, and cover the following areas:

  • What is an accident, incident, near miss (AIN)
  • Why we report AIN’s
  • How to report AIN’s

Dates:

This event is free but anyone wishing to attend will need register for the session of their choice.

General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus Makaton Workshops

FAO: Headteacher and SENCO

If any of your staff would like information regarding Makaton Training, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are running several workshops throughout the year.

Level 1 and 2

This workshop is suitable for Professionals who need to use Makaton in their work (as well as for others who wish a more in-depth training). Signs and symbols in Stages 1 – 4 and Additional will be taught. Current best practice around sign and symbol use. Participant manuals provided

Places available on the following workshops:

  • Level 1             29th Apr 2025 and 10th September 2025
  • Level 2             6th May 2025 and 17th September 2025

Cost

  • Level 1 only £92
  • Level 1 and 2 £168

Level 3

Level 3 training helps you to improve and develop your signing and symbol skills and how to use them effectively every day. You will revise the signs and symbols you learned in your Level 1 and 2 training and learn the signs and symbols for Stages 5 and 6 of the Core Vocabulary.

  • Course 20th May 2025 - Cost £108

Please contact Gareth Humpage at g.humpage@nhs.net to request further information.

National Education Nature Park

The National Education Nature Park is a free programme, for schools, colleges and nurseries across the country, that empowers young people to make a positive difference to both their own and to nature’s future – through connecting to nature while developing vital skills and boosting biodiversity. Part of the Department of Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, and supports your Climate Action Plan.

  • Children and young people lead the way in creating a network of green spaces in schools, nurseries and colleges in England with free curriculum linked resources.
  • Through turning grey spaces green, young people are boosting biodiversity, connecting to nature, and developing vital green and digital skills for their futures
  • Every small act makes a big impact: by monitoring wildlife on their sites, young people see the collective difference they are making on an online map, and contribute to scientific research on nature recovery
  • Register to join www.educationnaturepark.org.uk 

Any queries please contact westmidlandsnaturepark@ltl.org.uk

Lawn Tennis Association: Free Online Teacher Training and Resources

FAO: All staff, headteachers, PE leads, PE teachers, wellbeing leads

Are you interested in delivering tennis in your school?

Primary and secondary schools across the West Midlands have benefitted from the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) free online courses. The courses are designed to develop your ability to facilitate tennis sessions and show you how to use innovative resources that have been developed by teachers, for teachers.

In addition, teachers who complete the course will receive a resource pack and a £250 voucher to spend on either ten hours of team-teaching support from an LTA Accredited Coach, or equipment!

Tennis is a great way of developing personal and character skills and, along with PE resources that have been mapped to the national curriculum, the LTA have cross-curricular materials to support schools in achieving wider school outcomes.

Sign up to the online course and access all of the resources at: LTA Youth Schools. There is also a Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn webinar about the LTA’s offer for schools on Wednesday 26th March at 12.30pm. To sign up, visit: LTA Youth – Teacher training to support tennis in schools.

For more information, or if you are interested in a face-to-face course, please contact michael.salmon@lta.org.uk.

Last Chance to book Free Access to YogaBugs' Online Yoga and Mindfulness Platform!

If mental health is a priority at your school, don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity! YogaBugs is offering FREE access to their online yoga and mindfulness platform up until May Half Term! 

Why YogaBugs? YogaBugs is the largest children's yoga company in the UK, dedicated to supporting schools with mental health and well-being. Their programmes help improve children's concentration, behaviour, emotional regulation, and readiness to learn.

What You Get:

  • Access to over 120 YogaBugs sessions for Nursery to KS2
  • Classroom yoga sessions
  • Bugs brain breaks
  • Mindfulness activities

How to Sign Up:

For more information about YogaBugs, visit their website at www.yogabugs.com or get in touch at 0121 777 7792 or zoe@thebugsgroup.com.

 

This entry was posted by Dawn Evans on 28/02/2025.