As a reminder (see also February’s Schools Bulletin), the DfE has produced some non-statutory guidance on School Workforce Planning (January 2017) (external link)    which provides guidance on reviewing schools staff structures and also links to advice, case studies and tools for school leaders to use.

 

A session for Head teachers and School Business Managers is also being arranged by the local authority to enable the sharing of good practice in balancing budgets and also to collectively develop further ideas to meet the challenges faced by our schools by a national funding formula. Details of this session will follow in a subsequent bulletin.

 

For any queries please contact Eveleen Riordan, Head of Education Services, at eveleen.riordan@haringey.gov.uk

 

The Department for Education (DfE) has produced guidance for schools and academies on apprenticeship reform. The guidance covers what the reforms to apprenticeship mean for schools and the type of apprenticeship that are currently being developed for a school setting.

Of particular importance for those governing, this guidance clarifies what type of LA school needs to pay the apprenticeship levy and what the money can be used for. The guidance confirms that all public, private and charity sector employers will contribute 0.5% of their wage bill over £3 million to a levy. This can then be accessed by the employer in the form of “credits” to fund apprenticeship programmes.

Even if your school does not have an individual wage bill of over £3 million, if it is part of a multi academy trust (MAT) or is a community or voluntary controlled LA school with a wage bill of over £3 million, it may have to contribute a proportional share. Any school in which the governing board is its own employer with a wage bill of under £3 million will not have to pay the levy. If you are a governor or trustee of a school with a wage bill of over £3 million, or the governing board is not the employer in your school, you should ensure that the school business manager is aware of the levy and provision has been made to factor this into the budget.

With several apprenticeship positions being developed for schools (including business manager apprenticeships and teaching apprenticeships), governing boards, whether their school has paid into the levy or not, may want to ask senior leaders how they intend to access and use apprenticeship funding.

Click here to access the DfE guidance (external link)

Visit the Schools News page (external link) on Haringey's website to see some of the great things that are happening in schools thoughout Haringey. Latest stories incude:

St Thomas More Catholic School raises money for NSPCC on Number Day (external link)

Year 12 academic day at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (external link)

Talkies Community Cinema, Haringey Young Musicians and Heartlands High School presents Somme 100 Film (external link)

If you’d like to share your good news stories, please send details and photos to: joss.dempster@haringey.gov.uk

 

The news must be of interest to the community and/or other schools, for example, achievements, events, etc. Each story is subject to approval to ensure its relevance and will be edited if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAFTA Kids returns to Alexandra Palace on Tuesday 20 June (10.00am – 2.45pm) to celebrate its 70^th anniversary. Children’s TV presenters Lindsey Russell (Blue Peter) and Ben Shires (Officially Amazing!) will host a special BAFTA Kids event for 1,000 pupils from schools across London.  

 

Highlights of the day will include live demonstrations, behind-the-scenes films and interviews showcasing different career opportunities from actors to animators, designers to directors. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions and take part in challenges to win prizes.  

 

The cost is £2.50 per pupil for Haringey students and £3 for those from other boroughs. To register your interest and for more information please contact Isobel at the Alexandra Palace Learning Team: Isobel.Aptaker@alexandrapalace.com.

Not all schools will be users of ALPS but those with sixth forms probably are. One of ALPS leading consultants, John Philip, has produced a check sheet of advice for both Progress 8 at GCSE. and A Level.

 

We appreciate that schools are adopting most of his recommendations already but we felt it would be useful for schools to have a chance to read about his ideas. Please see the attachments.  

 

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