Noticeboard

Noticeboard - 11 September 2025

Welcome to this week's noticeboard including a message from Sue Harrison; Oracle, Finance and Equal Pay Programme updates; free webinars; training opportunities and more.

This week's noticeboard includes:

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

Dear Colleagues

I know the start of the year brings a flurry of activity, and I want to acknowledge the incredible work happening across our schools already.

I was delighted to hear about the fantastic improvements at Mapledene Primary School over the summer. The school returned this September with a renewed sense of pride, thanks to the efforts of staff, the local community, and nearly 50 volunteers from Jaguar Land Rover. Their support helped refurbish the main hall and refresh outdoor spaces with colourful bunting and planting, creating a more welcoming and inspiring environment.

The school also expanded its library with a new reading scheme and introduced a dedicated Music Room; part of a wider programme of enhancements. This year also marks Mapledene’s 75th anniversary, with celebrations planned to honour its longstanding role in the community.

Congratulations to Headteacher, Jonathan Hyde, and the entire Mapledene team for their dedication and vision. This is a wonderful example of the positive impact happening across Birmingham’s schools.

Equally, I’m delighted to share that King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls and Birmingham’s SEND team have been officially shortlisted for the Co-Production Initiative of the Year Award by NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs), thanks to their inspiring student-led project, Outside the Box.

To be shortlisted for a NASEN Award is a significant achievement. These awards shine a light on those making a real difference in the world of SEND, and this nomination is a testament to the strength of our growing partnerships.

Huge congratulations to King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls. This is such a proud moment, and we’ll be cheering you on at the awards ceremony on 3 October. I really hope there’ll be some great photos of the winners to share!

Just a quick reminder for all Headteachers that our schools webinar is taking place at 11am on Thursday, 18 September. We hope you’ve saved the date, and you can join the session using the following link: Reflections on our SEND Local Area Inspection and the Year Ahead - 18 September 2025 11:00-12:00.

And finally, I’d like to acknowledge and apologise for the confusion caused by an email sent to maintained schools late on Monday, 8 September regarding the submission of HR data for ONS reporting.  We’re grateful to those schools who raised concerns, and we want to reassure you that we’re listening. To support further dialogue, Johnathon Clews, HR Chief of Staff and lead for data, insight and analytics at BCC, will be attending Fora next week to provide an update and take questions.

As we move forward in this new way of working across BCC, schools, and new providers, we’re committed to refining our communications and processes to ensure they are timely, respectful, and supportive, without adding unnecessary pressure.

Thank you as always for everything you do for our children, young people and families, and for your continued support and engagement.

With my very best wishes

Sue 

Oracle Transition for Schools Update

This week’s updates include:

Phase 2 of the Oracle Post-Transition Survey
We would be extremely grateful if as many schools as possible could complete the survey. This includes any Phase 1 schools who may not have had the opportunity to do so before the summer break. Your feedback is vital in helping us understand what’s working and where improvements are needed.

Final End-of-Project HT/SBM Drop-In
A reminder that the last drop-in session will take place at 10am on Monday, 23 September. This is a great opportunity to ask any final questions and share reflections as we wrap up the project.

Updated documents 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 as always for your continued engagement and support. 

Schools Finance Updates

Message from the Department for Education - For the attention of all maintained schools
Reopening of the PE and sport premium digital expenditure reporting return

Thank you to all those schools who have completed the PE and sport premium expenditure reporting return.

We know some schools experienced digital issues trying to access the form before the original 31 July 2025 deadline.

We have reopened the reporting window, and this will stay open until 5pm Tuesday 30 September 2025.

To note, a school which has converted to an academy after 1 September 2025 should use the school’s previous 2024 to 2025 UKPRN for DfE Sign-in log-in details to access the expenditure reporting return.

All schools that receive this funding must complete and send in the reporting return. This is necessary to meet the grant requirements and failure to do so may result in the Secretary of State recovering some, or all the PE and sport premium grant you have been allocated.

In mid-September, we will contact schools that have not yet submitted a completed return to remind them of the reporting requirements and to take action by Tuesday 30 September 2025.

To help you to meet the deadline, you can read further supporting information in the expenditure reporting guidance.

For any queries, you can contact us via the customer help portal.

Equal Pay Programme Update for Schools where BCC is the Employer

Job Evaluation for Schools where BCC is the Employer

School Job Information Gathering Returns: Deadline 19 September 2025

Massive thank you to everyone for who has returned Staffing Spreadsheets, JDPSs and Job Information Questionnaires. We have now met with every single school where BCC is the employer and your engagement is greatly appreciated.

We are processing all of the information you are sending in. It is proving invaluable for the next steps of Job Evaluation.

As the 19 September deadline approaches, please do reach out for help if you are having any issues with completing the information. We are happy to make 1:1 meetings to support and some schools have found this enormously helpful – please email eppschools@birmingham.gov.uk and we will arrange a slot.

Job Descriptions & Person Specifications (JDPSs) and Jobs List

Recruitment Guidance and Job Descriptions & Person Specifcations from the BCC Non-Teaching Jobs Bank are now available on Working in Schools: Recruitment | Birmingham City Council.

If you have any queries about recruitment to jobs where there is not an appropriate existing JDPS, please check the Recruitment Guidance and email us at eppschools@birmingham.gov.uk  if you have any questions.

From next week, we will begin communications about the next steps of Job Evaluation so please watch this space!

Thank you for your continued support.

Every Child Deserves a Good Start – Feedback Survey

Thank you for using the Every Child Deserves a Good Start Transition Form and Guidance.

Your feedback really matters – it helps us understand what’s working well and where we can improve to better support children and families across Birmingham.

Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey and share your experience: Every Child Deserves a Good Start - Feedback Survey

Responses by Friday, 3 October 2025 would be greatly appreciated!

You can find the Transition Form and Guidance here:

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

School Admissions - Schools Portal Responsibilities

The Schools Portal allows schools to manage a number of processes to remain compliant with the School Admissions Code. This, in turn, allows both schools and the Admissions Team to carry out crucial safeguarding tasks and ensure timely updates to children’s records. All mainstream schools are required to use the Schools Portal throughout the year to complete a number of in-year admissions tasks and processes, to include:

  • Providing data on places available
  • Adding details of all in-year applications received and their outcomes
  • Managing waiting lists
  • Submitting Pupil Movement Forms
  • Submitting Fair Access referrals

In addition, there are some transfers-related tasks which are requested of different schools at different points in the transfer admissions process. The portal users for those schools are contacted directly if/when they’re required to attend training, provide information or action a related process via the Portal.

As a minimum, each school should have at least two users, one main and one back-up in case of absence. There is no limit on the number of staff who can have access. There is a 90-day inactivity policy, which means accounts are disabled if staff do not login within a 90-day timeframe.

If any staff at your school require access to the Portal, or have an existing account which is no longer accessible due to inactivity (and would like to regain access) please do contact the team for further assistance.

We hold frequent training sessions on the system, and details of this year’s sessions were sent via email to all existing Portal contacts on 22/08/2025. Our guidance pack was also circulated to all existing users on 26/08/2025.

If you have any queries on the Schools Portal, please email the Admissions ICT team at admict@birmingham.gov.uk.

Early Education Entitlement

Working Hours Places

From Autumn 2025, families with children aged 9 months to 3 years will be entitled to 30 hours of funded childcare per week, if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Children aged 3 to 4 years will continue to receive:

  • 15 universal hours, and
  • 15 additional working hours (if eligible).

To access a funded working hours place in Autumn 2025, parents must have received a valid eligibility code on or before 31st August 2025.

Please note: Codes with a validity start date of 1st September 2025 or later cannot be funded by the local authority for the Autumn term.

It’s essential that childcare providers check the date on the code before offering a working hours place. You can do this by entering the code on the ECS system and confirming the validity start date: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/oefe/birmingham/la/schools

Please ensure this check is completed before the child starts accessing any funded working hours.

For more details about working hours and validating codes, visit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RfNczGD8H5vCJRYpjezp6_KnmCwSFWJs?usp=drive_link

If you have any questions or need support, feel free to contact the team at:
earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Working Entitlement

From September 2025, the working entitlement will increase to 30 hours per week for eligible 2-year-olds.

If a child qualifies for both the disadvantaged and working entitlements, providers must claim:

  • 15 hours through the disadvantaged entitlement, and
  • 15 hours through the working entitlement.

Disadvantaged Entitlement: Families must be receiving government support. You can find the full criteria here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-2-year-olds-claim-benefits

Working Entitlement: Parents must meet the criteria for working families. More information is available at: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.  

Please note that both entitlements require a valid eligibility code.

Parents must apply for and receive their working entitlement code by 31st August 2025 to access funded hours from 1st September 2025.

Please encourage families to apply early in case HMRC requests additional information to support their application.

What Providers Need to Do:

  • Check working codes using the ECS system to confirm they’re valid for the term
  • Check disadvantaged codes for eligibility. If a code isn’t valid but the family meets the criteria, please submit an Override Request Form (available on the BCC Document Website).
  • Do not allow children to access funded hours until eligibility is confirmed.
  • Submit all codes as part of your census claims.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Early Education Entitlement team at earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Supporting Families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)

As you may know, some families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) may still be eligible for:

  • Disadvantaged 2-year-old funding
  • Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
  • Free School Meals (FSMs)

To qualify under NRPF, both parents must have NRPF status. If one parent does have recourse to public funds, the family would need to meet the standard eligibility criteria (e.g. receiving Universal Credit), and household income would be taken into account.

What Happens When Families Apply

When a family with NRPF submits an eligibility application, it may return as ‘not eligible’ or ‘eligibility not confirmed’. In these cases, please contact us to confirm the family’s NRPF status so we can override the code.

All applications for Disadvantaged 2-year-old funding, EYPP, and FSMs can be accessed via the Birmingham City Council website.

Undocumented Families

Some NRPF families may not have a NASS or NI number – these are considered undocumented families.

If a family is undocumented, they should have confirmation from a professional (e.g. NRPF Social Worker or Immigration Team) stating they are being supported by the NRPF team and do not have recourse to public funds.

These children can still be eligible for:

  • A funded 2-year-old place
  • Free School Meals
  • EYPP

Please don’t turn these families away. Instead, contact us for advice and next steps. If the child is undocumented, we can generate a code to enable a funding claim.

What You Need to Do:

  • For Disadvantaged 2-year-old funding, submit the completed NRPF application form so we can override the code.
  • For EYPP / FSMs, submit the completed NRPF FSM application form.

All forms must be fully completed and signed by both parents and the childcare provider. Incomplete forms will be returned and not processed.

Both forms have recently been updated. You’ll always find the latest versions on the BCC Document Website.

A Final Reminder:

  • All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 15 funded hours, regardless of their immigration or financial status.
  • If you’re not applying for FSM or EYPP for a 3 or 4-year-old, you do not need to ask for a NASS or NI number.

Thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions please feel free to contact the team at earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Grow Family Services – SEND Community Day: 9 October 2025

We kindly ask schools to actively share this opportunity with parents/carers and through their wider networks. Your support in promoting this event will help families access vital information and build stronger connections with local SEND services. Thank you!

Grow Family Services is a SEND support network based in Sutton Coldfield, designed for SEND parents by SEND parents. They provide a supportive and empowering space for parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to connect, learn, and grow together.

Grow Family Services warmly invites parents and carers to a FREE community event where they can:

  • Meet Birmingham’s SEND Services
  • Chat directly with service providers
  • Discover support and resources available locally

Venue: Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, Upper Clifton Road B73 6DA
Date: Thursday, 9 October 2025
Sessions: Morning: 09:30–11:30 and Afternoon: 12:30–14:30

Booking is essential: www.ticketsource.co.uk/grow-family-services

Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn

How to Access and Use the Data from Your Air Quality Monitor - Wednesday, 24 September at 16:00hrs

The next Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn webinar is about how to access and use the data from your air quality monitor. All school staff are invited, and the webinar may be particularly useful for headteachers, facilities staff, governors and sustainability leads.

Join this webinar to:

  • See a live demo of the real-time interactive data from your air quality monitor by our supplier EarthSense
  • Learn how to access your data, understand what it is telling us and see how to use it meaningfully to shape curricula and wider sustainability work around physical activity, healthy eating, active travel, road safety, Car-Free School Streets, climate change, Modeshift Stars and Eco-Schools accreditation.

Register for the webinar here: How to access & use the data from your air quality monitor.

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

The Children’s Book Project

The Children's Book Project is a national charity with a mission to tackle book poverty and give each child the opportunity to have a book of their own. Last year they gifted over 520k books to eligible schools for their children to take home and treasure. Their work is fully funded and they make no charge to the schools or families that they support. 

Limited places remain on their 2025/26 primary school gifting programme and they would like to invite interested schools to apply.  Eligible participating schools all receive £7500+ worth of free books for gifting to pupils via three book gifting events run across the year. Books are curated to ensure their relevance and are a combination of brand new publisher books and pre-loved.

Please click here to apply by 15 September and secure your place on their 2025/26 programme.

For further information please contact: tracy@childrensbookproject.co.uk

Free Numeracy Programme to Boost Parental Engagement and Attainment

FAO: Primary Schools

National Numeracy, the UK’s only independent charity focused on improving everyday maths skills, is offering primary schools the opportunity to participate in the Schools & Families Programme. This fully funded initiative aims to tackle low numeracy confidence among pupils, parents/carers, and school staff, with free training and resources.    

The Schools & Families Programme aims to:

  • Boost pupils’ confidence with numbers, foster positive attitudes towards maths, and highlight its importance beyond the classroom.
  • Empower parents, carers, and school staff with the skills and confidence to support children’s learning in maths.
  • Create sustainable strategies and approaches that will continue to benefit schools and families long after the programme ends. 

National Numeracy is now recruiting primary schools from across the UK to join this initiative, which runs from November 2025 to December 2026. With over 180 places available, including opportunities for primary schools in Birmingham, we encourage schools to apply by as soon as possible.

Interested in learning more?
We are hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 16th September 12.30pm - 1.00pm on Zoom for interested schools to find out more information. Schools can register here.

You can apply here or reach out to schoolsandfamilies@nationalnumeracy.org.uk with any questions. FAQs on the programme can be found here.

FREE Mental Health Webinars for Parents and People Working with Children and Young People

The Charlie Waller Foundation is offering a series of free webinars on young people’s mental health, open to anyone who supports children and young people. Led by experienced mental health trainers and guest speakers, each session provides practical, evidence-based strategies to promote positive mental health.

Talking with young people about suicide: 15 September 2025 12:30-14:00

For anyone wanting to feel more confident discussing suicide and suicidal thoughts.

You’ll gain:

  • Understanding of risk factors and suicide theories
  • Tools for opening sensitive conversations
  • Guidance on when to worry and what to do
  • Ways to build protective factors

Neurodiversity and mental health: 24 September 2025 12:30-14:00

For parents, carers, teachers, youth workers, tutors, and lecturers.

You’ll explore:

  • What neurodiversity means
  • Environmental adaptations that support neurodivergent individuals
  • How to foster inclusive cultures that support mental health

Black Heroes of Mathematics Youth

Schools can sign up now for sessions in a new exciting two-day maths and diversity event with inspiring and brilliant mathematician role models on 1st and 2nd October.

Discover the stories of trailblazing mathematicians and take part in fun engaging maths challenges.

Don't miss this free online event funded by the Royal Commission of 1851, live from the London Society of Mathematics.

Places can be booked here: https://www.big-ideas.org/black-heroes-of-mathematics-youth-festival/

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

Invitation to Join the Services For Education KS2 Moderation Team (2025–26)

Have you ever considered becoming a Key Stage 2 moderator?

Services for Education’s School Support Service works with Birmingham Local Authority to lead and deliver statutory assessment duties for KS1 and KS2.

They are now inviting formal applications to join their team of Standards and Testing Agency (STA) accredited Teacher Moderators for the statutory Teacher Assessment (TA) of KS2 writing in summer 2026.

This is a fantastic opportunity to:

  • Contribute to high-quality assessment practice across Birmingham schools
  • Develop your professional expertise in writing moderation
  • Be part of a supportive and experienced team

To find out more and apply, please download the full invitation here: Invitation-to-join-S4E-KS2-moderation-team-2025-26.pdf

First Aid Courses / MIDAS Training Courses - September 2025

FAO: Schools, Academies  and Nursery Staff

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work – 15th 16th & 17th September 2025

Level 3 - Paediatric First Aid at Work - 22nd and 23rd September 2025

Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid - 29th September 2025

Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid - 30th September 2025

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (Requalification) – 6th & 7th October 2025

MIDAS Full Day Course

MIDAS Refresher Course

Please note that lunch or refreshments will not be served at any of the above courses.

Schools should book on the BESS website using the appropriate links.

For general enquiries, please contact: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

 

This entry was posted by Dawn Evans on 05/09/2025.

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