Author: heather

Many parents across the borough got some very welcome news on National Primary Offer Day on 16 April as they were informed their child or children will be attending their preferred primary school from September 2021 onwards.

The percentage of first preference offers (90%) here in Haringey is higher than the London average (87%), and the majority of our neighbouring boroughs – Barnet (83%), Camden (78%), Enfield (88%), Islington (78%) and Waltham Forest (89%). Only Hackney (91%) performed slightly better in terms of first preference offers.

98% of Haringey residents received an offer from one of their top three preferences, and 99% were offered a school of their preference (1st-6th) – both of which are higher than the London averages of 96% and 98% respectively.

Martin Pratt, spokesperson for the Pan London Admissions Board – the body with overall responsibility for co-ordinating school admissions in the capital – and Executive Director, Supporting People at Camden Council, said:

“Starting primary school for the first time is an important milestone for every child.

This year the admissions process has gone smoothly and nearly 89,000 parents will receive an offer of a preferred school place in the capital – with 79,000 of those being for their first preference school.

93% of London’s schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, making it highly likely that children attending school here will get an excellent education.

Each London borough has an admissions team and we are ready to help parents if they have any queries.”

Remark! is the UK’s largest Deaf-run company providing bespoke training in Deaf Awareness or Basic British Sign Language (BSL) to organisations throughout London.

Deaf Awareness Training aims to help improve communication with deaf people. Communication is particularly challenging with the current government guidance on mandatory mask-wearing. This is a source of much frustration and anxiety within the Deaf community.

A typical Deaf Awareness workshop covers the following:

• What it means to be Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• How to communicate effectively
• Technologies
• Deaf culture
• Introduction to British Sign Language
• Lipreading
• Communication in masks

Training is currently provided online, however we are taking bookings for later in the year face-to-face. All tutors are Deaf and the training will be fully accessible to both Deaf and hearing audiences.

Previous feedback from our clients continues to show the training is both beneficial and engaging:

‘Thank you…for a very informative session. I came away learning a lot and, even over zoom, you both managed to keep it captivating and the day ran smoothly. I cannot think of anything which would have made the session better’. – Royal College of Physicians.

For further information, visit www.remark.uk.com

Haringey Council is making £729,000 available to Haringey schools to help families who are struggling financially as a result of the pandemic. This will be shared between all primary, secondary, special and post-16 settings where pupils currently receive free school meals. The grant forms part of a hardship fund worth more than £3.6 million from the government. The remainder of the money is being used to assist residents in other ways such as the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Assistance will be provided through one-off awards for families struggling to meet the cost of living, or experiencing specific financial challenges, and will be distributed until 31 March this year.

Haringey Council is designing a new Youth Hub in Wood Green and want to hear from young people, parents and other members of the community, to help us create the right space, as well as shape the activities and services on offer.

A Youth Hub is a space which all young people can access, where they can come and enjoy taking part in activities such as sports, games and cooking, as well as a space where they could access help and support with a problem that concerns them, or boost their skills to help them in their education or search for employment. We want to hear from you, as valued residents of the community, or professionals supporting the local community in Haringey, to influence the design of this project.

Have your say and have the chance to win £50! All participants will be automatically entered into a prize draw and the winner will be selected at random after the closure of the survey. Prize money will be awarded in vouchers. The survey should take you no longer than 10 minutes to complete.

Here is the survey link for you to circulate through your networks: https://secure.membra.co.uk/ClickSurveys/s/Survey1.aspx?ID=72bab0e3-1c1e-492b-9598-70c139d0340c.

The survey will close on Sunday 28 March 2021.

Step Up to Social Work is a Department for Education-funded, 14-month fast-track, graduate training programme for those with experience working with children, families and carers who are looking to start a new career in social work. The programme is employer-led with a perfect blend of both academic and real-life placement learning.

Applications for Cohort 7 are now open and due to close on 7 April 2021, with the programme commencing in January 2022.

If you’re interested in applying please visit the Step up to Social Work website for more information or contact Programme Manager, Claire Bendjillali susw@islington.gov.uk.

Application Link

The link to the application page can be found via the DfE website: Apply for step up to social work – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which takes you to the Capita page: Welcome (i-grasp.com)

NCEL RP Webpage

Step Up to Social Work Candidate Profiles Cohort 6 – Natalie Johnson