Haringey Schools BulletinNominations for the National Governors Association 2017 Outstanding Governance Awards are open until 1 December 2016. The awards celebrate the unique and inspiring contribution that school governors, trustees and clerks make every single day in schools around the country.
To find out more, including how to nominate an outstanding governing board or clerk, visit the National Governors Association website (external link).
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A free online iSafeguard Forum (external link) has been set up for anyone with an interest in safeguarding, whether they be school staff, health care professionals or social workers.
In addition, a recently created a group/ forum (external link) has been set up for school governors who have the child protection/ safeguarding role.
Please pass this on to your governor with responsibility for safeguarding.
In addition, please contact Governors Services for a model role profile for your governor with responsibility for safeguarding.
Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Education has stated that she does not intend to follow through on her predecessor’s proposal to remove the required places for elected parents on academy trust boards.
The evidence of the impact of collaborative working between schools and the Early Help service in Haringey is emerging.
Latest figures show a success rate of 98.8% where children and young people are stepped down from Children’s Social Care through Early Help. Currently, where Early Help is supporting families, the re-referral rate back into Social Care reduces to just 1.2% compared to 19% (YTD) for cases closed without being supported by Early Help services.
Early Help is supporting families with children at all Haringey secondary schools and 93% of primary schools in the borough – an increase from 63% since January 2016.
‘Conversations 4 Change’ (C4C) is a significantly different approach to Early help which launches in October which will provide a faster response to families to maximise engagement and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. C4C relies on meaningful conversations alongside prompt, practical support. This new methodology has been developed in response to feedback from families and partners about the time it can take for families to meet with their family support worker.
C4C moves Early Help practice away from an assessment model to a dynamic dialogue with families and partners, utilising the team around the family model to develop change-focused goals with the family and using the relationships to help sustained change to be achieved. This simplified approach will also enable and encourage practitioners in universal settings to retain the lead for some family cases, where they already have a meaningful and productive relationship, but draw in the additional resource or broader disciplines available within the Early Help Service, to help move families forward.
You may have seen Haringey’s STEM Commission report, which has a number of important recommendations to encourage more young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths.
Established last year, the STEM Commission (external link) was chaired by Baroness Morgan and it’s panel included Michael McKenzie, headteacher at Alexandra Park School. The independent panel gathered evidence from businesses, experts, teachers and students, and in August 2016 it made its final recommendations on how Haringey can put itself at the forefront of STEM education.
In September, we accepted all of the STEM Commission’s recommendations.. We are now looking to establish a ‘Haringey Diploma’, developed and accredited by employers, business leaders and experts, based on STEM subjects; promote two centres of STEM teaching excellence in Haringey and work with schools to appoint a dedicated Haringey STEM Co-ordinator, responsible for co-ordinating extracurricular activities across the borough. We also want to identify a partner organisation to build links between businesses and local schools and colleges, and also encourage existing STEM professionals to volunteer in Haringey schools.
Haringey council is determined to ensure young people across our borough have the skills to compete in a 21st century globalised economy. None of this is possible without the input of schools and we need your help and expertise if we are to achieve the STEM Commission’s aim. Your contribution is vital to putting all of the recommendations in place and we would very much like to hear your ideas and thoughts on how we can best work together to continue to raise attainment in STEM subjects.
If you would like to be involved in this work, or find out more, please email stemcommission@haringey.gov.uk
For International Walk to School month, (and as part of the Haringey Walks Campaign and Haringey Obesity Alliance), we want all of our infant schools to join in with our around Haringey Walking Bear relay, Hari Bear’s Big Adventure for the whole of October.
We have sent letters to every school via mail and email with details of the adventure and how to take part. We need confirmation as soon as possible so we can finalise the programme and send maps, etc.
Contact Smarter Travel on 020 8489 5351 – see the Bear’s Big Adventure letter (Word, 200KB) and send the completed form back to us please.
Walking Bear “We Love Clean Air”
We have a new set of resources to encourage ‘bear’ haviour change with our younger school children. If you want to join in and receive a new bear and resources to make a difference to your schools, with regard to reducing pollution and improving fitness by reducing car use coming to your school area, please let us know by email.
Cycle Training Free for All
Everyone in our schools from age 9 up to year 14 can access cycle skills training – Free of charge. Visit the Cycling Instructor website (external link) to book a cycle training course for your pupils or even staff or parents.
Air Quality Lessons and Assemblies
Contact our new Air Quality Apprentice to plan your lesson about tackling the pollution that affects our health in London. Lessons are aimed at juniors but can be adapted to other age groups.
For any of the above, please feel free to contact smarter.travel@haringey.gov.uk or call 020 8489 5351 for more information
There are now 64 schools who have engaged and completed a school travel plan. 20 GOLD, 14 Silver and 30 Bronze!
The information you enter helps us plan engineering and schemes that are relevant to the schools. They are able to access additional funding that may be offered by TfL, obtain new or additional cycle/scooter parking facilities and apply for Small Grants via our team for their continued improvements in road safety, walking scooting, air quality schemes for their school.
Once in the system, it is simple to maintain and improve the accreditation levels and make a real difference to the school community.
Make sure that you have applied for a place at the awards ceremonies in Camden for October. (Primary & Nursery, Primary Nursery Gold and Secondary)
See the Smater Travel Newsletter (PDF, 1MB) which explains more of the offer to schools engaging with TfL STARS online.
Three of our schools have been shortlisted for further acknowledgements and awards.
Risley Avenue Primary School has been selected to appear in the 2015/16 edition of The Parliamentary Review. Established by former minister The Rt Hon David Curry shortly after the 2010 general election, The Parliamentary Review’s September release has become a key fixture in the political calendar.
Risley Avenue Primary School features alongside The Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Philip Hammond, and a small number of outstanding schools in the Primary Education South of England edition. The main aim of The Review is to showcase best practice as a learning tool to the public and private sector, with this edition aimed particularly at leading policymakers and executives within Primary Education.
An e-copy of The Parliamentary Review (external link) is available online.
We are delighted that the Music Teacher of the Year award will now be included in the annual Outstanding for All Awards ceremony held at Alexandra Palace.
The prestigious Haringey Music Teacher of the Year award was initially awarded to Tyrone Lowe, Gladesmore School, for 2014 and then to Chris Storey, legendary steel pan tutor, for 2015.
Pictured to the right is Peter Desmond, Head of Music and Performing Arts, presenting the award to Chris Storey in December 2015.
If you know an outstanding music teacher who deserves this award, make sure to nominate them by 14 October.
To make a nomination, and for all the other categories, visit the Ouststanding for All website (external link).