Month: September 2017

Categories
School Admissions Schools

October census – in-year pupil offer data

For the attention of all primary and secondary schools

Dear Colleagues,  

In a previous post I highlighted our commitment to helping you maximise your funding by ensuring that you are sent offer data as soon as possible before census day next week. Taj Buljhoo (Secondary) and Lynne Tighe (Primary) have been uploading details of children offered a place at your school via the Document Exchange (LGFL). We have noticed that a number of schools have not yet downloaded this information so I would be grateful if you can please access this information as soon as possible.

The LGFL Document Exchange is a secure method of exchanging data which all schools have access to and have been using for over a year now. If your school is encountering any problems with accessing the LGFL site then please liaise with Imogen Rush (IT Admissions Officer) on Imogen.Rush@Haringey.gov.uk or 0208 489 8352.

We will continue to send you offer data via the Document Exchange througout this week and leading up to census day next week and beyond. Please continue to check this site regularly for any updates.

Many thanks,

Carlo Kodsi, Team Leader School Admissions

Categories
Schools

Reminder: don’t forget 5 October is Census Day

The annual October census is taking place on Thursday 5 October.

It is vitally important for all of you, especially those of you with nurseries, to ensure that you have the maximum number of pupils on roll to maximise your funding, as the level of school funding allocated to Haringey Council is determined by the submission of accurate and complete census information.

Please see the DFE guide to submitting census data (external link)  

Please help us by continuing to provide your weekly vacancy information. Email your roll returns to:  lynee.tighe@haringey.gov.uk (Primary) or taj.buljihoo@haringey.gov.uk (Secondary).

A small number of schools have not provided this information regularly and we will contact these schools separately to ask for this.

Categories
Outstanding for All Awards Schools

Outstanding for All Awards 2017 – make your nominations now!

Outstanding for All Award Logo CMYK

We are waiting for your nominations for this year's Outstanding for All Awards. The categories are:

  • Support Staff of the Year Award
  • Overcoming Adversity Award
  • Early Years Champion Award
  • Achievement in Sport Award
  • Achievement in the Arts Award
  • Governor of the Year Award
  • Community Hero Award
  • STEM Achievement Award – Primary
  • STEM Achievement Award – Secondary
  • Apprentice of the Year Award
  • Teacher of the Year Award
  • The Councillor Egan Achievement Award

You can make your nomination here (external link)

The Outstanding for All Awards is a fantastic opportunity to show your support and appreciation for all the hard work of a teacher, student, staff or governor. Watch this video to see how some of the nominees felt last year.

Nominations are open until 13 October 2017.

 

Categories
Governance

Revised national school funding formula published

The Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening announced details of the new national funding formula for schools (external link).

This is the outcome of the second stage of the consultation, which closed in March, and follows July’s announcement(external link)  of £1.3 billion additional funding for the core schools budget in each of the next two years.

Key points from this week’s announcement include:

  • funding will be distributed via local authorities for both of the next two years;
  • the DfE’s formula will provide for secondary schools to receive a minimum of £4,600 per pupil in 2018/19 and £4,800 per pupil in 2019/20, while primary schools will receive £3,300 per pupil in 2018/19 and £3,500 in 2019/20;
  • every school will receive a £110,000 lump sum and an additional £26 million will be allocated to rural and isolated schools;
  • every school will see a minimum cash increase of 1% by 2019-20 and many schools will see larger increases;
  • an increased emphasis in the formula on low prior attainment.

More details are available on the Department for Education’s website (external link)  including tables where you can see how your school’s budget (external link) would be calculated under the national funding formula (NFF). Governors and trustees need to remember that as funding for the next two years will be calculated according to Haringey’s formula agreed by the Schools Forum.

 

 

 

Categories
Governance

MPs launch inquiry into alternative provision

The House of Commons Education Select Committee has announced one of the first inquiries of the new parliament will be on Alternative Provision (AP) (external link) for pupils who do not attend mainstream schools for reasons such as school exclusion, behaviour issues, or illness.

The inquiry will look at:

  • routes into alternative provision;
  • the quality of teaching in alternative provision;
  • educational outcomes and destinations of pupils;
  • safety, accommodation and provision of resources for pupils;
  • in-school alternatives to alternative provision;
  • regulation of independent providers.

Any individual or organisation is free to submit written evidence to the inquiry and details of how to do so are on the parliament website (external link)

 

 

 

Categories
Governance Schools

New Wellcome report on science teaching in primary schools

A new report by the Wellcome Trust (external link)  examines the current state of science teaching in the nation’s primary schools. Key findings include:

  • just half of science leaders (51%) are receiving specific release time to lead science;
  • a far smaller proportion of teachers and science leaders thought science was ‘very important’ to their school’s senior leadership than for English and maths;
  • on average, primary school pupils receive 1 hour and 24 minutes of science teaching per week but older year groups tend to receive more than others.

Science is part of the national curriculum for primary schools and is an important part of preparing pupils for the next stage of their education. Governing boards have a duty to ensure that the children in their school(s) are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum and it may be useful to consider the time and resource available for science teaching in upcoming meetings.

Categories
Governance Ofsted

Ofsted: changes to short inspections

Changes to short inspections

Following a consultation earlier this summer, Ofsted have revised their proposals for changes to short inspections (external link) A number of changes will take place from October half term:

  • some ‘good’ schools will automatically receive a full, two-day inspection instead of a short inspection;
  • where a short inspection converts to a full inspection, this will usually continue to be within 48 hours but may take up to 7 days in some cases;
  • short inspections of secondary schools with more than 1,100 pupils will be carried out by three inspectors (rather than two as is standard).

The proposals set out in the new consultation are that:

  • where short inspections pick up serious concerns, they will continue to convert to full inspections within 48 hours;
  • where, following a short inspection, inspectors are not confident that the school remains ‘good’ but “the standard of education remains acceptable, and there are no concerns about safeguarding or behaviour”, the inspection will not convert. The school will receive a letter setting out the inspection findings and a full inspection will take place within 1 to 2 years. It will remain a ‘good’ school;
  • where, following a short inspection, inspectors believe the school may be ‘outstanding’, the inspection will not convert. As above, the inspection findings will be set out in a letter, the school will remain ‘good’, and a full inspection will take place within 1 to 2 years.
Categories
Health and Safety

Important health and safety information

Update on schools’ fire risk assessment

Following the fire risk assessment review carried out in July 2017, we wrote to a number of schools informing them of the actions to take to ensure their fire risk assessments are suitable and sufficient. For each recipient of this letter, either of the actions below is required of you:

If you have not had an FRA by competent fire risk assessor in the last 2 years, please ensure one is commissioned and provide a copy of the assessment sent to: Health.SafetyAdvice@haringey.gov.uk  

If you believe you have had an FRA by a competent fire risk assessor, please send the name, qualifications and the date that it was carried out to Health.SafetyAdvice@haringey.gov.uk

EVOLVE and educational visits

The final date for processing applications for approval of educational visits in paper form has now passed. The recording, reviewing and approving of all educational visits are now carried out using EVOLVE. This is an online management system introduced by the Council in April 2017.

The system is set up to ensure that the educational visit co-ordinator for each educational establishment approves all visits, prior to approval by the head teacher and Chair of Governors. Certain visits will require final approval by Haringey’s corporate safety team, including visits:

  • outside England
  • involving strenuous or adventure activities
  • with overnight stays.

The initial log-in details for the head teacher and educational visit co-ordinator for each school have been provided. Training on the use of EVOLVE is provided on FUSE and should be completed prior to using EVOLVE. The training can be located by searching the word EVOLVE in the FUSE system.

If you do not have access to FUSE, please email haringeyacademy@haringey.gov.uk and request a user ID and password for Haringey Fuse. You will then be sent your log-in details.

New Health and Safety Procedures

The following procedures were recently approved and are now in use:

  • Accident and Incident Management Procedure
  • Construction Design and Management Procedure
  • Provision and Use of Work Equipment Procedure

For more information, please contact the Corporate Health and Safety Team.

Categories
Governance Schools

Primary assessment: consultation outcomes announced

Improvements  are planned to the primary assessment system, aimed at creating a stable system for the long term.

The following information is taken from the announcement received from the STA on 14 September (external link), following the government response to the primary assessment consultations. The reforms will:

  • improve the way writing is assessed, giving teachers more scope to use their professional judgement when assessing performance;
  • introduce a new assessment at the start of reception from September 2020, to act as a starting point for measuring progress. This will acknowledge/give credit to schools for the progress they help pupils make in reception, year 1 and year 2;
  • remove the statutory status of end of KS1 assessments at the earliest possible point, from 2022 to 2023 academic year, once the reception baseline is fully established;
  • remove the requirement to carry out statutory TA in English, reading and mathematics at the end of KS2 from 2018 to 2019;
  • improve the early years’ foundation profile, including revising the ELG to make them clearer and align them more closely with teaching in KS1;
  • introduce an online multiplication tables check, to be taken by pupils at the end of year 4, from 2019 to 2020 academic year onwards.

The government has also responded on the recommendations made by the Rochford Review:

  • to implement the review’s proposal to extend the pre-key stage standards to cover all pupils who are working below the standard of national curriculum tests but are engaged in subject-specific learning;
  • there will be a pilot of the review’s recommended approach to assessing those pupils not engaged in subject learning;
  • these plans will ensure there are effective assessment arrangements in place for primary school children working below the standard of the national curriculum tests.

2017 to 2018 revised writing assessment frameworks at the end of  Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Revised frameworks for the assessment of English reading, mathematics and science will be published for use from 2018 – 2019.

The interim pre-key stage standards for English writing for KS1 and KS2 has also been updated to align with the changes to the frameworks. These standards should be used in 2017.

Categories
Governance

Updated model documents

Governance Services has recently updated a bank of model documents. These include a revised skills audit, general governor role profile and role profile for the Chair of the governing body, Chair of Finance, and new role profiles for SEN, Literacy and Numeracy.

If you would like copies of any of these please contact Carolyn Banks, Governance Services Manager: carolyn.banks@haringey.gov.uk