Noticeboard - 9 May 2025

Welcome to this week's noticeboard containing a message from Dr Sue Harrison; important updates on our Oracle Transition and Equal Pay Programmes; a reminder to complete the School Census, training opportunities and more.

Included in this week's noticeboard:

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

Dear colleagues

I hope you enjoyed the sunshine we have all experienced recently. A late Easter break has the advantage of warmer temperatures, but also leads to a very short half term. There is, as ever, a lot going on and as we reach the end of another demanding week, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the vital work you do every day. Your leadership and commitment continue to make a meaningful difference to our children, young people and families across Birmingham. The challenges are many, but your focus on what matters most, remains clear - thank you for your dedication and professionalism.

I’m looking forward to spending this weekend with some key DfE and education leaders from across the country, to take some time to reflect with them on the national systems we work within, the new legislation coming through and how we can make this have the most powerful impact upon our children’s lives. These are exciting times in terms of strategy development, both locally and nationally.  I’m keen to share ideas at our Forward Together Convention next month.

It’s that time of year when all schools are expected, as part of their statutory duties, to complete and submit the School Census. The Census date is 15 May, with an initial return date of 19 May and a final submission by 11 June 2025. Please ensure that all submitted data is accurate and complete by the final deadline. The Department for Education (DfE) will not accept any amendments after this date, and any inaccuracies could affect your school’s funding. The Data and Intelligence Team is here to support you with any questions or issues you may have. Don’t hesitate to contact them at SchoolCensus@birmingham.gov.uk.  

If you haven’t yet registered for the Forward Together Convention on 5 June, this is a friendly reminder to do so. This event is designed exclusively for headteachers, offering a valuable opportunity to connect, reflect, and look ahead together.

Registering is quick and easy – just complete the Forward Together Convention Registration Form.

I’m really looking forward to welcoming you and sharing an inspiring day together.

With my warmest wishes for a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Sue

Oracle Transition for Schools

The latest updates can be found at the following links: 

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 Budgets 2025/26

The 2025/26 indicative budget for Early Years Funding for all schools with the forecasting tool has been updated as requested: 2025 to 2026 financial year | Budgets for schools in Birmingham

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

2025/26 LA Statement of Funding and Provisional School Budget Payment Schedule

The updated cash sheet as of 01 May 2025 can be found here: Statement of funding and provisional school budget payment schedule 2025 to 2026 | Birmingham City Council

We hope you find this useful in reconciling the monthly instalment as well as grant payments the authority will pay during the financial year. 

If you have trouble accessing the file, you may need to save the spreadsheet to your personal desktop, then unblock the file by right clicking, properties, and clicking unblock and applying changes. 

Any queries should be directed to the SchoolsFinance@Birmingham.gov.uk mailbox in the first instance.

April Grant Allocations

Grants received by the LA in April are PE and Sports, and Breakfast Club Early Adopters. These will be paid shortly and are reflected in the May funding column.

LA Expenditure

The LA Expenditure file includes income and expenditure posted to the school cost centre during the April period, broken down by CFR code. To request a copy of the transaction listing to support the figure, kindly email SchoolsFinance@Birmingham.gov.uk

For financial year 25/26, we have removed the deduction from the school’s monthly instalment on the cash sheet, however, we have shown the total figure in row 111.

The LA will shortly be raising an invoice to the school to recover the cost of the expenditure or be making a payment to the school where applicable.

Cash Flow Statement

The cash sheet now includes a cash flow statement template for school use. We encourage schools to use this template in projecting their cash flow over a 12-month period.

Please note, if you are using this at any point before a grant is due to be paid, the school should adjust the income from BCC in line 17, for example Pupil Premium.

Schools in deficit will be required to provide the LA with a cash flow statement to support the use of either an overdraft with Barclays bank under the BCC corporate contract or a request for an advance with an external bank account.

CFR Update

There has been an update to the Consistent Financial Reporting Framework.

I18 no longer exists, and any grants previously reported under this code should now be reported under I06.

There have also been changes to expenditure reporting, specifically spend on technology. Kindly see the below link for more information:

Consistent financial reporting framework 2025 to 2026 - Spotlight for 2025 to 2026 - Guidance - GOV.UK

Equal Pay Programme

Schools where BCC is the Employer

Proposal for Reshaped Pay & Grading for Non-Teaching Staff

Huge thanks to Heads and Governors who were able to join one of the Briefings that took place this week regarding the proposed reshaped pay and grading structure for non-teaching staff in schools where BCC is the employer.

We understand that the intense pressures of such a short half term meant that some were unable to join the briefings. Copies of the presentation have been sent to Headteachers in schools where BCC is the employer. Materials to support with Governing Board Meetings have also been sent out to you, with a request to return a Microsoft form letting us know the date of your FGB meeting at which the proposal will be on the Agenda.

Job Evaluation

From this week I am talking with Headteachers, initially through Headteacher Forums, to outline next steps with Job Evaluation. This information will come through to schools where BCC is employer via consortia and networks. We will be getting in touch to arrange school meetings with small groups of schools before the end of the Summer term to gather key information as part of this process so please watch this space!

Please email eppschools@birmingham.gov.uk if you have any further queries regarding the Equal Pay Programme.

Birmingham Schools where BCC is Not the Employer

We appreciate that many of our colleagues in Foundation Schools, VA schools and Academies are keen to understand the details of BCC’s proposal for reshaped pay and grading for non-teaching staff, especially those schools that have to date adopted BCC’s pay structure and contractual arrangements. While we are still in the process of reaching collective agreement with the three recognised Trade Unions, (GMB, Unison and Unite the Union), we are not able to share the full details of the reshaped pay and grading proposal. Please be assured we will communicate the proposal to you and will be able to respond to your queries in detail, at the point collective agreement is reached.

SEND and Inclusion Updates

Key headlines can be found in the latest monthly bulletin from Helen Ellis, Director of SEND and Inclusion: www.birmingham.gov.uk/blog/sendinclusion.

REMINDER: DfE Statutory School Census – May 2025

Every school in England has a statutory duty to submit School Census, each term, under Section 537A of the Education Act 1996.

This week a letter will be sent to all schools (available on Perspective and email) with important information about the upcoming School Census, please review and action.

Key dates:

  • Census date: Thursday 15 May 2025
  • Initial Return date: Monday 19 May 2025
  • Final submission date: Wednesday 11 June 2025.

Please ensure this information is shared with school staff who will be completing the School Census return.

Schools must ensure data submitted to DfE COLLECT is accurate and valid, after the final submission date no amendments are accepted by the DfE, incorrect or invalid data will impact your school's funding. Read section 2.6 of the letter regarding duplicate pupils, DfE will not authorise your schools return if schools have not resolved duplicate pupil queries.

For any queries please contact the Data and Intelligence Team by e-mail SchoolCensus@birmingham.gov.uk

Pupil and Parent Survey on Public Health School Nursing

FAO: Staff at all State-Funded, Mainstream Primary and Secondary Schools

We would like to request your support in encouraging pupils and parents to fill out a short survey designed to gather views on the Public Health School Nursing service.

The pupil survey is appropriate for pupils in Year 5 to Year 13 and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Parents/carers of any school-aged children can complete the parent survey. All responses will be kept secure and confidential and will be used solely to improve the Public Health School Nursing service.

Here are the links to the surveys to share with pupils and parents:

To ensure transparency and parental involvement, we put together a template letter you can share with parents and carers. This letter outlines the purpose of the survey and gives parents the opportunity to opt-out if they do not wish for their child to participate. Please email lottie.drury@birmingham.gov.uk to request a copy of the letter.

We would be really grateful if you could share the survey with parents and arrange for pupils to complete the survey during an appropriate time, such as during form time or a PSHE lesson.

Both surveys will close on Monday 19 May at 5pm.

The school with the highest pupil survey completion rate will win the opportunity to bring 30 pupils to the Lexus Birmingham Tennis Open on Monday 2 June at 1pm free of charge. They will go to the school activation zone with a registered coach and then have grounds passes for the group to see some tennis (meaning they can watch anything other than centre court).

Celebrate Clean Air Day: Showcase Your Work at Our Air Quality Family Hub Events

Join us for Clean Air Day!  Everyone is welcome! 

Drop in, have a chat, learn about air quality and showcase the great work you are doing in school.

Birmingham City Council is committed to improving air quality. We would like everyone in the city to be part of our journey to improving the air we breathe. Poor air is one of the biggest risks to environmental and public health – it’s bad for our health, our wallet and our planet. These events are a chance to:   

  • Meet Air Quality Experts – Learn about air pollution, how it affects health, and what we can do about it   
  • Air Quality Monitoring – See how air quality is measured and understand its impact in your area   
  • Fun Activities for All Ages – Engage in interactive activities designed to educate and inspire action  

Why it matters Air quality plays a huge role in our lives. Poor air quality has a direct impact on health and the economy, contributing to hundreds of early, preventable deaths and making many existing health conditions worse. Air pollution has the biggest impact on the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities, including children.

By working together and staying informed, we can all help make Birmingham a fresher, healthier place to live. Let’s make clean air part of our everyday by:

  • Making small changes that have big impacts
  • Learning how your daily choices can reduce air pollution emissions
  • Supporting local efforts for a better environment

Drop in Sessions:

Date: 10th June
Time: 10 am-12 noon
Venue: Soho Church, Louise Road, B21 0RY

Date: 16th June
Time: 10am-12 noon
Venue: Rookery Children’s Centre, Heathfield Road, B19 1HJ      

Date: 16th June
Time: 1 pm-3 pm
Venue: Lakeside Children’s Centre, Lakes Road, B23 7UH

Date: 18th June
Time: 1 pm-3 pm
Venue: Chinnbrook Centre, 213 Triffiford Road, B13 0ET

For more details visit School air quality sensors | Education | Brum Breathes or contact Sally James, at sally.james@birmingham.gov.uk

Small Grants for Clean Air

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is launching a small sparks fund and awarding microgrants of up to £500 to small community groups, organisations and schools keen to try out a new idea that can take the region a step closer to cleaner air.

The small sparks fund has three main aims – sharing stories about the impact poor air quality has on our health, sharing the WMCA air quality data platform and finding ways to get communities walking, cycling and using public transport.

The application form has four questions and the team at WMCA is available to have phone calls to talk through ideas. The applications deadline is Wednesday 28th May.

The form and more information are here: Clean Air Small Sparks Fund

Bursaries Available to Train Peer Mediators in Primary Schools

Peacemakers is a small West Midlands based educational charity dedicated to sharing skills and strategies to grow peace in schools and communities.  We have nearly 40 years’ experience equipping pupils and the adults who work with them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to build peace.  

We’re offering training with significant bursaries to help schools set up a Peer Mediation Plus scheme in Autumn 2025/Spring 2026. Peer mediation is conflict resolution for young people by young people.

  • We offer a workshop for the year group(s) mediators will be selected from, exploring what mediation is.
  • Then 3 full days of training for up to 24 children selected to become mediators. They are trained to mediate disputes that happen in the playground. This means staff spend less time responding to problems that arise and creates a more peaceful school environment. The trained mediators develop skills for life, which ripple through the school.
  • This scheme also includes training for lunchtime and classroom staff about mediation and conflict resolution, in order to ensure maximum success of your scheme.

For more informarion visit https://peacemakers.org.uk/primary-schools/ or contact Libbs Packer at Libbs@peacemakers.org.uk

Discovering Birmingham – NEW Book for Schools

Discovering Birmingham by Jonathan Berg

An engaging, high-impact book to support teaching local studies, history, and geography. The easy-to-read text helps pupils understand today’s Birmingham through its history. The many photographs are ideal for sparking classroom discussions.

School prices:

  • Small quantity: £8.00 each
  • 10 copies: £70.00
  • 32 copies (class set): £220.00

View sample pages and order direct from the publisher at: www.discoveringbirmingham.co.uk. The book is also available through local bookshops and online suppliers including Amazon.

Educational City Centre Tours

City centre school tours are also available, with the book used for pre- and post-tour classroom work. Schools also receive FREE access to a photo library, allowing use of the book’s images for educational projects and displays.

Learn more by following these links: 

This entry was posted by Jaspal Shambi on 06/05/2025.