GOVERNORS’
INFORMATION
PACK
Summer Term 2012
ƒ Lewisham News
ƒ National News
ƒ Lewisham & Shared Training
Please take this pack with you
to governors’ meetings
Contents
Lewisham News including
Schools funding 2012/13 and beyond
2
Training news and area briefings
6
Music in Lewisham
8
Lewisham Governors’ Conference Report
12
National News including
Early Years Foundation Stage framework
16
HR changes
18
New proposals for alternative provision
20
Annexes
Annexe A: Presentation on School Meals
25
Annexe B: SEN Matters
28
Annexe C: Lewisham Challenge lecture – Michael Rosen
34
Annexe D: School term and holiday dates 2012-13
35
Annexe E: School collaboratives
36
Governor Training Programme
38
Maps of venues
46
Training booking form
Inside back cover
EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS
The symbols in the left margin of the Governors’ Information Pack are:
Action may / will be needed by the Governing Body or school on this
Further information and / or resources available
Consultation or survey
Training available for governors on this
If you would like to have an electronic copy of the Governors’ Information Pack emailed
to you, please contact 020 8314 7993 or [email protected]
Lewisham News
LEWISHAM: THE FIRST LONDON BOROUGH TO
RECEIVE AN OUTSTANDING GRADING!
From 6th-17th February, Lewisham had its inspection of safeguarding and looked after
children. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the contribution made by
relevant services in the local area towards ensuring that children and young people are
properly safeguarded and to determine the quality of service provision for looked after
children and care leavers. The inspection team consisted of four of Her Majesty’s
Inspectors and one inspector from the Care Quality Commission. The inspection was
carried out under the Children Act 2004. The full report can be read at
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/local-authorities/lewisham.
In summary, the inspection judged that our services for looked after children were good
with some outstanding features, whilst our judgement for safeguarding was that we are
outstanding. This is a fantastic achievement and at the time of writing we are only the
third authority in the country to have received an outstanding for safeguarding. No
authorities have received an outstanding for looked after children.
The judgment reflects the work that we have been carrying out in Lewisham over
recent years and the outstanding partnerships that we have developed..
WHAT ARE SCHOOLS DOING WITH
THE PUPIL PREMIUM?
Margaret Riddell (a member of the Lewisham Governors’ Association Management
Committee) recently attended a conference organised by the National Education Trust,
where four Headteachers from different parts of England spoke about the use of the
pupil premium – here are some of the ideas put forward :
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Employ a social worker / nurse / counsellor for four days a week to prepare children
for school each day, to meet with staff in school to check that the learning and
emotional needs of these children are being met.
One-to-one pupil / teacher contacts
English lessons for parents
Free school meals for parents
Coaching with specialist teachers, especially before exams
After-school clubs and in particular, football
Nurture groups for short periods
School Journeys
There is nothing new here, but governors have the responsibility to ask how the extra
money is spent and whether it is helping very vulnerable children to thrive?
Secondary schools have been funded to provide opportunities for these children in
transition from Primary schools during the summer holidays before entry in September.
Are they doing it? Liaison between Primary and Secondary schools is of critical
importance for the progress of the children.
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Lewisham News
SCHOOLS FUNDING 2012/13 AND BEYOND
Dave Richards, Finance Manager, writes….
The Secretary of State, Michael Gove, announced on the 26th March 2012 a further
consultation on school funding. The document is called School funding reform: Next
steps towards a fairer system. It sets out the Government’s next steps towards their
long term aim of introducing a national funding formula, most likely from 2015. It also
sets out some proposed interim steps in 2013/14 and 2014/15 towards that goal. The
consultation ends on the 21 May 2012.
As part of the interim steps for 2013/14 they plan to make the local funding formula
used by Local Authorities to calculate schools budgets much simpler, by limiting the
number of funding factors. Their plan is to limit the formula to the following:
¾ Basic per-pupil entitlement – there will be a single unit for primary aged pupils and
either a single unit for secondary pupils or a single unit for each of key stage 3 and
key stage 4.
¾ Deprivation, measured by Free School Meals (FSM) and/or a deprivation index
¾ Looked after children
¾ Prior attainment as a proxy measure for SEN (notional SEN budgets can still also
include funding allocated through pupil numbers and deprivation)
¾ English as an additional language, for a maximum of 3 years after the pupil enters
the school system
¾ A standard lump sum for each school, with an upper limit between £100,000 and
£150,000
¾ Split sites
¾ Rates at actual cost
¾ Private finance initiative (PFI) contracts
¾ For the five local authorities who have some but not all of their schools within the
London fringe area, an uplift to enable higher teacher pay scales in their schools.
This does not apply to us.
In Lewisham this will mean that we will not be able to use a number of factors that we
currently use to fund schools, examples include floor areas and pupil mobility. This
could create wide fluctuations in schools funding. Although schools budgets in 2013/14
and 2014/15 will be protected by the Minimum Funding Guarantee which will remain at
minus 1.5% per pupil for 2013/14 and 2014/15, the longer term position is more
uncertain.
The consultation document is long and complex and some of the details still need to be
confirmed. Over the next few weeks we will be analysing the document and working
with the Schools’ Forum on a response to the consultation. Over the summer we will
also be working with the Forum to consider the way the local funding formula for
Lewisham’s schools will operate in 2013/14. We will then consult with all schools in
September.
The full documents can be found on
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsre
venuefunding/a00205567/school-funding-reform-and-arrangements-for-2013-14
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Lewisham News
SCHOOLS BUDGETS 2012/13
Your school should have now received its budget notification and should be finalising
the school budget for 2012/13.
In terms of the settlement, the level of the Dedicated Schools Grant on a per pupil
basis was cash frozen and did not provide for inflation. The grant does increase in line
with the increase in the number of pupils in schools. The January census indicates
there are an extra 800 pupils in Lewisham when compared to January 2011. This will
mean we will receive an extra £5.6m next year.
The DSG we receive is calculated solely on the number of pupils and there are no
other factors taken into consideration. The allocations to schools are based on a
formula which contains factors that do not increase in line with the pupil numbers, such
as floor areas and business rates. Some factors actually decline, particularly the
curriculum protection, when pupils numbers increase. If the current allocations are
taken proportionally, an increase of 800 pupils would have been expected to allocate
£857k to the ISB. However as the flat rate factors do not increase proportionately then
£857k is available to allocate and the Forum have agreed to add this sum to the
AWPU.
Last year the settlement was better than expected due to an unanticipated top-up for 3
to 4 year olds being received. This top-up ensures Local Authorities are funded for at
least 90% of their 3 year olds regardless of the number of children taking up the free
entitlement. The DFE had at one point indicated that this funding would be
discontinued but have confirmed this will continue in 2012/13. At the time of its
announcement the Forum agreed to set the sum aside for 2011/12 due to the
uncertainty over the funding. This sum is still available next year and it has also been
added to the AWPU.
In total, you will see the AWPU or place led factors in special schools will rise by 2.5%.
This offsets the cost of inflation and overall the level of the schools budget will in real
terms be in a stand still position, which in the current economic climate and the funding
reductions in the public sector is at least welcome. Individual schools may fare
differently though, depending on their pupil numbers or if other circumstances in the
school change.
SCHOOLS FINANCIAL VALUE STANDARD (SFVS)
You will be aware that the Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) ceased
to exist and has been replaced by SFVS. As a reminder, schools which never attained
FMSiS will be expected to complete and submit the SFVS to their local authority by 31st
March 2012. For all other maintained schools, the first run through is required by March
2013. An annual review is required thereafter.
SFVS will not be externally assessed like FMSiS. Local authorities should use schools’
SFVS returns to inform their programme of financial assessment and audit.
The standard consists of 23 questions which governing bodies should formally discuss
annually. The standard is in the form of Yes / No questions. If the answer is Yes, an
indication of the main evidence needs to be detailed. If the answer is No the remedial
action that is planned to be taken should be detailed.
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Lewisham News
The questions are in five parts:
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
The Governing Body and School Staff
Setting the Budget
Value for Money
Protecting Public Money
Summary of agreed remedial action and timetable for action
Further information with a list of things you need to consider can be found on
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/Schools%
20Financial%20Value%20Standard/a00192114/schools-financial-value-standard-sfvs
AN INTEREST IN EDUCATION
BEYOND YOUR SCHOOL?
If you are a secondary parent governor who is interested in education in Lewisham as
a whole and not just what goes on in your school; if you would like to be part of the
decision making process around education matters in the borough – you might like to
consider putting yourself forward to become the secondary parent governor
representative (PGR).
Last term we wrote to all parent governors inviting them to put themselves forward to
be either the primary, special or secondary PGR. The other two posts have been filled,
but sadly there was no secondary parent governor candidate.
You would serve on the Children and Young People Select Committee. The committee
meets approximately every 6 weeks and the meetings ordinarily start at 7.30pm.
It is an important distinction to note that although elected by parent governors, the role
is to represent parents and not governors in Lewisham.
PGRs act as an apolitical voice for parents in the area, representing to the local
authority the main issues which concern parents of pupils in schools maintained by the
authority.
Interested? Look out for details of how you can put yourself forward!
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR GOVERNORS
Several years ago governing bodies were encouraged to adopt a ‘code of conduct’. Is it
perhaps time to revisit this?
A code of conduct can be a very useful document. It gives the new governor pointers
about what is expected behaviour and in the rare instances when a governor’s
behaviour is unacceptable it gives a reference point.
We would recommend you review your code of conduct, re-issue it, and always make
sure that it is part of your governing body induction for new governors.
A model code of conduct for governing bodies is available from Governors’ Services.
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Lewisham News
TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN LEWISHAM
Danny Ruta, Joint Director of Public Health, gave a presentation ‘Tackling Childhood
Obesity in Lewisham’ at the Governors’ Conference on the 17th March.
Danny informed governors of the high level of childhood obesity in Lewisham and the
health implications for children. Obesity is a complex problem and the prevention of
obesity should be a priority for all. Lewisham’s childhood obesity strategy focuses on
how we can work together to improve the health outcomes for our children.
Results of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) reveal that in 2010/11:
• Nearly 40% of 10-11 year olds and a quarter of 4-5 year olds were overweight or
obese.
• The percentage of obese children in Year 6 (24.4%) was more than double that of
Reception (11%).
Schools play an important role in promoting healthy weight by
creating an environment that supports healthier lifestyles.
Schools where children eat healthy foods and are active are
also likely to benefit by improved classroom behaviour,
increased concentration and improved academic performance.
A resource pack was sent to all primary schools in 2011
providing details of the evidence for approaches that work and
examples of local good practice, and a newsletter each term
provides schools with links to quality resources and a means of
sharing good practice.
Recent analysis of the national NCMP data appears to suggest a decline in obesity
prevalence in Reception, however for children in Year 6 the prevalence is increasing.
Children living in deprived areas are showing less healthy weight changes and health
inequalities appear to be widening for all children in Year 6.
Support is also available for children identified at risk of obesity through targeted and
specialist children’s weight management services. Schools will be provided with
contact details of how to access these services.
It is important for the health of children in Lewisham that we continue to work together
to reduce childhood obesity. Any governor wishing further information on how their
school or collaborative can support this agenda can contact Gwenda Scott, Healthy
Weight Strategy Manager on 0203 049 1610 or [email protected]
MORE THAN JUST SCHOOL MEALS
Governors who attended the Lewisham Governors’ Conference on 17 March at
Sedgehill learned that there was more to Chartwell’s than just providing school meals.
Go to Annexe A to:
- find out how much thought and planning go in to the school meals offer;
- consider whether your school should join the Mary’s Meals initiative;
- learn about a literary festival that could inspire your children.
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Lewisham News
TRAINING
and briefings
TRAINING BOOKINGS – NEW WAYS OF BOOKING!
We are introducing a new booking system. Please send your completed forms to
Course Applications, Lewisham Children and Young People, 3rd Floor, Laurence
House, Catford, SE6 4RU or alternatively email [email protected] or
telephone Trina Johnston on 020 8314 6777.
If you wish to discuss the training provision or have any enquiries relating to training
please continue to contact Judy Evans on 020 8314 9795.
Keeping you up to date – Area Briefings – Closing the Gaps
Lewisham is divided into four Children’s Services Areas and schools in those areas
work closely together. The LGA (Lewisham Governors’ Association) Management
Committee has invited the School Improvement Team to address governors through
four meetings, one for each area. This is intended to promote the idea of governors
meeting together in their respective areas.
These sessions will cover some of the new government ideas such as changes to the
Ofsted framework, the Education Act 2011 and Lewisham’s focus on Closing the Gaps.
The meetings will also offer the opportunity to ask questions about what is going on in
Lewisham and to talk to governors in your area of Lewisham. Do let us know if you plan
to attend one of the briefings by contacting [email protected]. If you are
unable to attend the briefing for your area, you are welcome to attend any of the others!
All sessions are scheduled for 6.30pm – 8.00pm.
Area
1
2
3
Date
Monday 2nd July
Wednesday 27th June
Tuesday 12th June
Venue
Childeric Primary School
Brindishe Green Primary School
Civic Suite
4
Monday 18th June
Civic Suite
To find out which area your school is in please see Annexe E.
Safer Recruitment Training
Governors will no doubt be aware that in response to the Bichard report, the DfE
commissioned the National College to provide online and face-to-face training for
Headteachers, school staff and governors to help strengthen safeguards against
employing unsuitable people in schools.
It is the responsibility of the governing body to ensure that:• any person who interviews a candidate for a post, or
• in the case where a selection panel is appointed for that purpose, at least one panel
member
has completed safer recruitment training approved by the Secretary of State.
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Lewisham News
The training is now being provided by the Children’s Workforce Development Council
and can be accessed online at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk . The next face-to-face session
will be held on Thursday 21st June 2012. Please see the training programme for details.
You will be aware that the accreditation is valid for 5 years so those of you who
completed the training in 2007 or earlier will need to undertake the training again.
New governors
If you are a new governor, you should start your training with the Induction sessions
which are held every term. This will provide you with a good overview of school
governance and your role as a governor. You can then select additional courses from
the central programme which you think will be useful. The session this term will take
place on Saturday 12th May 2012 from 9am – 3.30pm; please see the Training
Programme for details.
Car Parking
Please remember that when attending central training at the Civic Suite, free parking is
available after 6.30pm behind Laurence House. The entrance is in Canadian Avenue.
Maps of the Civic Suite, St George’s Church, Brindishe Green Primary School and
Childeric Primary School are included in the programme.
Judy is always keen to hear your views on how we can improve the training that we
provide, so please let her have your views by telephoning her on 020 8314 9795, or
email: [email protected].
FAREWELL, LINETH! WELCOME, SUHAIB !
After 21 years of working in Lewisham, supporting governors and governing bodies,
Lineth Allen is retiring from her role as Team Leader of Governors’ Services. In this
role, Lineth has been a huge support to many individual governors, chairs of governors
and governing bodies. Her calm and common sense approach to governance and the
vast amount of knowledge that she has amassed over the years will be greatly missed.
Suhaib Saeed is taking up post from 1st April as the Strategic Lead for Governors’
Services and School Leadership. Suhaib has been working in Lewisham as a School
Improvement Officer for the past three and a half years. He brings with him a wealth of
experience in promoting and developing leaders and supporting succession planning.
In this post, Suhaib will continue to work with the national college of leadership
development in Lewisham in addition to leading on Governors’ Services.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Thinking of reviewing your Complaints Procedure? You can find a toolkit at
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/doc/s/school%20complaints%20procedure%
20toolkit.doc on the DfE website or ask your clerk for a copy.
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Lewisham News
MUSIC IN LEWISHAM
We thought you'd like to know about what our schools and Lewisham young musicians
have been up to. Peter Hayward, Head of Lewisham Music Service, writes…
Animate Orchestra
On Saturday 3rd March, Animate Orchestra performed to great acclaim at the South
Bank Centre as part of Surrogate Cities Exploded!, one of the BBC Music Nation
events. The music was created by the children themselves over a three day half term
course. Animate Orchestra is a creative ensemble for children age 10 to 14 where
music technology is integrated with more traditional orchestral textures and sounds. It
is a partnership project with Trinity Laban, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and
Lewisham and Greenwich Music Services.
The children also took part in a Q and A with composer Heiner Goebbels whose music
was the inspiration for their own composition and for the day as a whole, and many
attended the main orchestral concert in the Royal Festival Hall. A film about Animate
Orchestra will be shown at Blackheath Halls as part of the Lewisham Live concert on
13th March. You can find out more about Animate Orchestra at
http://animateorchestra.org.uk/
Lewisham Live
This three week youth festival of music and dance started at Blackheath Halls with an
instrumental concert on Tuesday 13th March at 7pm. Highlights of the Festival included
the Dance Showcase at the Broadway Theatre on 14th and 15th March, Live Voices at
the Broadway on 16th March, family Gamelan workshops at the Horniman Museum,
and a creative digital music project culminating in a concert at The Albany on 30th
March. In addition our school events in four secondary schools - two SongFest
concerts, Tune Up (our whole class programme) and Fabulosity performances - involve
a total of 39 primary and secondary schools singing and playing together. There was
also a youth run concert at Blackheath Halls on 22nd March devised and programmed
by a team of young people from our Saturday Centre. Other partners supporting events
not mentioned above include Trinity Laban, Lewisham Arts Service, Lewisham
Education Arts Network, Sage Educational Trust and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Overall there were 84 groups performing from over 50 schools alongside groups from
the Music Service and The Albany. We've hugely exceeded our initial estimate of 1,400
performers - about 2,000 young people were involved over the three weeks.
Young Voices
A number of our primary schools took part in the Young Voices Festival at the O2 in the
first week of March http://youngvoices.co.uk/kids/the-venues/, including the whole of
John Ball Primary School Key Stage 2!
Music For Youth (MFY)
Both the Music Service Guitar Ensemble and Kilmorie Primary School performed at the
Music For Youth Regional Festival at the South Bank Centre on Saturday 17th March.
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Lewisham News
From this regional event, groups can be chosen to go forward to the National MFY
Festival in Birmingham in the summer and the Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in
November.
Brass Blast and Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Lewisham brass players aged 10 to 14 were invited to take part in Trinity Laban's Brass
Blast Day on Saturday 24th March. A group will be chosen from the attendees to
perform a specially commissioned work by Rachel Portman alongside Trinity Laban
students at the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on 3rd June.
Cultural Olympiad (It’s not just about medals!)
Many more Olympic related projects, coming in thick and fast!
•
Ping! is one of the new 2012 commissioned pieces which was performed at the
beginning of March at Warwick Arts Centre as part of Music Nation. Composer Joe
Cutler is a keen table tennis player who is associated with the Table Tennis Club at
Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy (HAKA) (hence the title ‘Ping!’) - this is
one of the top clubs in the country from which a number of British Olympic hopefuls
come.
•
London Symphony Orchestra will be inviting Lewisham young musicians to join
the LSO to take part in a special version of Stravinsky's ‘Rite of Spring’ at Trafalgar
Square on 12th May. The six Lewisham young people in the LSO Next Generation
group will also be performing at the Barbican Hall with the LSO on 28th June.
•
We are working with the Council Arts Service and Live Events team to provide
some performing groups for the Blackheath Olympics Big Screen Site. The
Events Team are planning to set up a covered Festival performance space – a
‘Spiegeltent’ – at the site. The first Olympic weekend (28th and 29th July) will include
some dedicated time for young musicians to perform including Animate Orchestra,
Music Service groups and local groups and bands from partner arts organisations.
NATIONAL LEADERS OF GOVERNANCE
The National College has been recruiting ‘national leaders of governance’ who they
have defined as ‘experienced chairs of governors with excellent leadership skills, and a
proven track record of contributing to school improvement through the effective
leadership of a governing body’.
Three Lewisham chairs of governors have applied and to date we know that at least
one has been accepted. They will be commissioned to work with chairs of governors in
other schools and academies.
CAN’T WAIT TO LEAVE SCHOOL
The age at which young people can leave education or training is rising!
See the next page for more information.
9
Raising The Participation
Age In Lewisham
What’s it all about?
The age at which young people can
legally leave education or training is
rising.
• From 2013, students will be
required to stay in learning or
training until the end of the
academic year in which they
turn 17.
• From 2015, students will be
required to stay in learning or
training until at least their 18th
birthday.
Will young people have to stay in
school?
No, although many young people will
choose to stay in school or college,
others will be able to choose other
types of learning - for example,
apprenticeships, diplomas or jobs
with training.
The aim is to create a range of
opportunities that meet the needs and
aspirations of every young person.
The biggest change in the future will
be felt by young people who would
currently leave school at 16 and do
not continue with any form of learning
or training. They potentially have the
most to gain from these changes.
What does it mean for Lewisham?
Everyone involved in the education
and training of young people in
Lewisham will have a role to play in
making these changes work.
Getting ready for the change
Lewisham Council and its partners
will be helping everyone get ready for
the change by providing information
and guidance.
Students - your school will help you
plan for your future and think about
what kind of training and skills you
need to get where you want to go.
Parents - you can encourage your
children to look at all the available
options and explain the benefits of
carrying on learning after the age
of 16.
Schools - teachers can help students
explore all the opportunities available
to them and decide which one is right
for them.
Agencies - education and training
providers can work closely with the
Council to make sure the young
people of Lewisham find learning and
training opportunities that are right for
them.
What happens next?
We shall also be producing a
resource pack which teachers/
agencies can use to explain to
students and parents what the
changes means for them.
For further information contact:
14 to 19 Education
Tel: 0208 314 9136
Email:
[email protected]
If you are looking for a new opportunity follow the link below
16-19 Course directory.
www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/education/14-19/pages/default.aspx
Lewisham News
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE – UPDATE FOR GOVERNORS
The previous government set persistent absence targets for all local authorities to no
higher than 5 per cent by Summer 2011. Lewisham had made good progress towards
this target for 2011, reaching 5.8 per cent in Summer 2010 (starting at 7.9 per cent in
2008).
Persistent Absence
A persistent absent pupil is now identified as having 15 per cent absence (previously
20 per cent). This is a significantly higher threshold which has resulted in a greater
challenge for the borough.
If a pupil misses 38 sessions between autumn and spring terms they are classified as a
PA pupil. This includes all types of absences both authorised and unauthorised.
Early intervention is a key factor in addressing persistent absence.
Fixed Penalty Notices
Fixed Penalty Notices will now be used more extensively as a tool for addressing poor
secondary attendance. Previously these were used only for pupils identified on Truancy
Patrol.
The local authority will also consider prosecuting cases referred to the Service due to
parents taking unauthorised holidays during term-time.
THINKING OF CHANGING THE COMPOSITION
OF YOUR GOVERNING BODY?
If you are thinking about changing the size / composition of your governing body you
will need to be aware that from 1st September 2012 the make-up of governing bodies
will be different.
In February the DfE consulted briefly on proposed changes to the make-up of
governing bodies. From 1st September there has to be a minimum of seven governors
and we can expect any new governing body to look like this:
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at least two parent governors
the head teacher (unless the s/he decides not to be a governor)
one staff governor
one LA governor
co-opted governors ( you can co-opt staff, however there are some restrictions)
In voluntary aided schools foundation governors must outnumber all other
governors by up to two.
The total membership of the governing body is to be no fewer than 7 governors.
If you are happy with the way your governing body is presently made up,
nothing will change!
11
Conference Report
It’s Not Just About
Medals!
On Saturday 17th March, the Lewisham Governors’ Association (LGA) welcomed sixty
governors from schools throughout the borough to their annual conference at Sedgehill
School. The theme of the conference was ‘It’s not just about Medals!’.
In this Olympic and Paralympic year, the LGA had taken the opportunity to celebrate
the Olympic values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship as well as the Paralympic
values of Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality.
Opening Remarks
Pat Barber, the Chair of Lewisham Governors’ Association, was our MC for the day
and opened the morning by welcoming everyone to the conference.
Cllr Klier, the member for Children and Young People, thanked
governors for the support that they give to our schools and to the young
people of Lewisham. She informed governors that the schools’ budget
has been protected this year but urged governors to ensure that all
pupils who are eligible for free school meals should register so that
schools receive extra funding for them under the Pupil Premium scheme.
2012 Implications for Governors
Education Consultant Michele Robbins, our keynote speaker, highlighted the
implications for governors of the following:
•
Education Act
•
2010 Equality Act
•
New Inspection Framework
•
Academies and free schools
•
New behaviour guidelines
•
Wolf report on vocational qualifications
•
Munro report on SEN
•
Schools Financial Value Standard
•
Removal of School profile
•
Performance Management – new teachers’ standards
•
Freedoms bill.
Michele asked governors to consider what they will do in the light of these changes and
whether their current governance arrangements enable their governing bodies to deal
with responsibilities for self evaluation and strategic planning. She described how they
could link their committee structure to the statutory duties of the governing body and
the Ofsted inspection framework.
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Conference Report
The Lewisham Offer
Fiona Lynch, director for the food service at Chartwells, took the
opportunity to inform governors that Chartwells ensure that 75%
fresh food is used for school meals and that they exceed nutritional
standards whilst keeping prices competitive.
Fiona gave information about:
•
New food offer
•
Meal update
•
Oxford Literacy Festival
•
Mary’s Meals campaign.
See Annexe A for more on school meals in Lewisham.
Tackling Childhood Obesity in Lewisham
Danny Ruta, Joint Director of Public Health, gave us some disturbing messages about
childhood obesity and informed us about the interventions in place in Lewisham to
tackle the problem.
It is predicted that by 2030, 48% of men and 43% of women
will be obese so it is crucial to ‘focus on our kids’. Danny
talked about the Multiple Intervention Whole School
Programme that is focused on food, school, the child, family,
community, physical activity and social marketing. He
suggested that schools can tackle obesity with the following
initiatives:
•
Promote school meals
•
Breakfast clubs
•
Cookery classes
•
Physical activity in the curriculum
•
Promote active travel
Danny asked: Can we do anything about it? YES WE CAN!
A fuller article on Danny’s presentation can be found on page 5.
The Lewisham Picture – panel of speakers
Cllr Chris Best and her panel of speakers told governors about the Lewisham picture
and what is available to our young people, which includes:
•
Community Sport
•
Lewisham Live
•
Lewisham Coaching Scheme
•
School games programme
•
Free swimming for under 16s and over 60s
•
Programme of Olympic events, including the Torch relay on 23rd July at 7.30am
•
Big Dance
•
Sing Out
•
Olympic Tickets for schools. To obtain details of your school’s allocation go to
www.getset.london2012/yourspace
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Conference Report
Governors were particularly interested to hear from Ade
Osundina, a Year 11 student from Prendergast Ladywell
Fields, about his involvement in the School Games
programme at the host school. Ade plays basketball but his
main sport is rowing. Ade started rowing in 2010 and has since
won the Lewisham and London champs and is ranked 10 in
the UK. He has captained the Lewisham London Youth
Games team and has recently been given a scholarship at the
Mossbourne Academy for rowing and hopes this will increase
his chances of joining Cambridge University. Ade is an active sports leader at his
school and was awarded ‘Lewisham Sports Leader of the Year’ at the 2011 Lewisham
Sports awards.
Cllr Best was delighted to welcome Conrad Williams, a local
athlete who will be participating in the 4x400m relay at the
London Olympics. Conrad talked about his sporting career
and his training schedule with Team GB 2012. Conrad
started running at age 21 and trained at Ladywell Fields.
Conrad urged everyone to support and encourage our
children and young people to be inspired to take every
opportunity that they can. Everyone was thrilled to see the silver medals that Conrad
had won and wished him the very best of luck.
Closing Remarks
Frankie Sulke, Executive Director for Children and Young People, closed the
conference and reminded us that the Olympics is about aspiration and achieving goals
and that it is up to us all to make it happen for our children and young people.
Vote of Thanks
Pat thanked the LGA Management Committee, the speakers, Sedgehill School for
hosting the event and Governors’ Services for all their help in providing a successful
conference.
She presented Lineth Allen, Team Leader of Governors’ Services, with a bouquet of
flowers to mark her retirement from the Team after 21 years in Lewisham.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch before everyone went home with a T-shirt designed by a
Brent Knoll pupil. Sincere thanks to Sedgehill School and staff for the support and help
that they gave in organising the conference and to Chartwells for the excellent food.
14
Conference Report
Evaluations
Many thanks to those governors who took the time to complete the evaluation form –
which over 50% of the conference attendees did. Over 97% of those responding felt
that the conference was good or better and of value to them as a governor. Among the
positive comments:
Really good and
very stimulating
A well structured and
focused conference.
Enjoyed listening to
Conrad and Ade
Well
organised
Great lunch!
Lots of good ideas on
governance
However as conference organisers we need to take into account the following remarks
made by several governors:
Allow for
more
questions
Too much packed into
one session; should
have been a whole day
The speakers were
interesting but spoke
too fast
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National News
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE FRAMEWORK
Following the Tickell review of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the Department for
Education's final consultation on the revised document ended in January 2012. The
final version of the revised EYFS will be published in April 2012 and must be
implemented in all schools in September 2012.
The revised framework will include new Early Learning Goals and a new Early Years
Foundation Stage Profile, the assessment system for the end of Reception year.
There will be a briefing session for governors on Tuesday 29th May which will focus on
key changes to the EYFS and the implications of these for schools. Please see the
training programme for details.
THE REVISED
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE FRAMEWORK:
Frequently Asked Questions for School Governors
Kym Scott, Team Leader – Early Years Improvement Team
When will the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) be published?
April 2012.
How soon do schools need to implement the new EYFS?
It will become a legal requirement to implement the new EYFS from September 2012.
In the meantime, schools are legally required to continue implementing the current
(2008) EYFS but should familiarise themselves with the new framework and plan
accordingly.
Are there many changes to the EYFS?
Yes, there are some significant changes. The key ones are:
• 7 areas of learning instead of 6
• 17 Early Learning Goals instead of 69
• Revised and slimmed down Development Matters statements describing a
child’s journey towards the goals
• The requirement for a 24-36 month progress check
• A replacement EYFS Profile
• A focus on three key characteristics of learning for young children
• A clearer set of requirements in order to keep children safe
• Closer partnerships between schools and parents/carers and other colleagues,
such as health visitors
What are the seven areas of learning going to be?
Three prime areas of learning:
Four specific areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional
Literacy
development
Communication and language
Mathematics
Physical Development
Expressive arts and design
Understanding the world
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National News
What will the new Early Learning Goals look like?
Changes were made to the proposed Early Learning Goals following the original
consultation and these were consulted on again in December. We will not know for
sure if there will be any further changes as a result of this last consultation until
publication of the new EYFS later in the Spring.
What does the draft new EYFS profile assessment at the end of Reception look
like?
The revised draft EYFSP is based on the slimmed down Early Learning Goals (from 69
to 17). For each Early Learning Goal, practitioners will assess (using best fit
judgement) whether children are meeting the goal (Expected), or are working above
(Exceeding) or below (Emerging) the goal.
What is the timeline for implementing the new Profile?
The new EYFSP assessments should be completed by June 2013, with the new
EYFSP data published Autumn 2013. This June, it is still a requirement for all
practitioners working with children of reception age to complete the current EYFS
profile and return the data to the Local Authority, and the Early Years Improvement
team will be carrying out moderation linked to this in the usual way.
Will there be a pilot of the new EYFS Profile?
Yes, and Lewisham will be talking part in this pilot. We will be running two different
types of EYFS Profile pilots concurrently, as well as continuing to support practitioners
with the implementation and moderation of the current EYFS Profile. This is in order to
test the validity and reliability of data from the new EYFS Profile, to test moderation
arrangements, to ensure guidance and exemplification is fit for purpose and to assess
comparability of data from the current and new EYFSP and to look at a new measure
of a ‘Good Level of Development’.
Will there be guidance to accompany the new Early Years Foundation Stage
framework?
Yes. There will be guidance including:
• Early Years Foundation Stage Profile guidance
• Remodelled ‘Development Matters’ material
• A summary of the Early Years Foundation Stage for parents
• 2 year old progress check guidance
• A checklist highlighting the changes between the 2008 Framework and the
revised 2012 version
Will there be hard copies?
No. The statutory framework and all guidance will ONLY be available in electronic
copies. The statutory framework will be available on the Department for Education
website and the guidance and a link to the framework will be on the Foundation Years
website.
Will there be funding and training available to support the implementation of the
new EYFS?
There will be no central government funding or training to support this. In Lewisham the
Early Years Improvement Team will be running briefing sessions in May for Head
Teachers, Governors, EYFS Leaders, managers of settings, teachers and support
staff, nursery practitioners and child minders, as well as a session for Local Authority
colleagues and those from partner organisations.
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National News
HR CHANGES
The team that works with schools on Personnel / Human Resources matters has
prepared the following briefing for governors.
1.
Changes to Headteachers’ salaries
There have been some changes in the 2011 Schoolteachers’ Pay & Conditions
Document in relation to the setting of Headteachers’ Individual School Ranges (ISRs)
and subsequently their salaries. These changes are covered by paragraphs 12.1 to
12.6.2 of the 2011 Document.
Previous Schoolteachers’ Pay & Conditions Documents had given Governing Bodies
the facility to set a Headteacher’s ISR up to two Group Sizes above their own school’s
Group Range. This was for recruitment or retention purposes or in circumstances
where the school was causing concern. Some Headteachers had their ISRs set in
accordance with this facility. They may remain on their current ISR until such time as it
is reviewed for any reason.
The 2011 Document requires that any Headteacher ISR determined on or after 1st
September 2011 must not exceed the maximum salary point within the school’s actual
Group Range. There is now no facility to set an ISR for a Headteacher outside of your
own school’s Group Range. The rules regarding where the Headteacher’s salary fits in
with regard to that of the Deputy / Assistant Head and highest paid teacher have not
changed.
In addition to a Headteacher’s basic salary, a Governing Body may determine that
additional payments should be made. The circumstances in which these payments may
be made are as follows:•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Residential duties (paragraph 48)
Continuing professional development undertaken outside of the school day
(paragraph 49)
Activities relating to the provision of initial teaching training (paragraph 49)
Participation in out-of-school hours learning activity agreed between the Head
and the Governing Body (paragraph 49)
Additional responsibilities and activities due to, or in respect of, the provision of
services by the Head relating to the raising of educational standards to one or
more additional schools (paragraph 49)
Recruitment and retention incentives and benefits (paragraph 50)
The school is a school causing concern (paragraph 12.5)
The school would have substantial difficulty filling the vacant Headteacher post
(paragraph 12.5)
The school would have substantial difficulty in retaining the existing
Headteacher (paragraph 12.5)
The Headteacher is appointed as a temporary Headteacher of one or more
additional schools (paragraph 12.5)
The total sum of any additional payments made must not exceed 25% of the amount
that corresponds to the Headteacher’s point on their ISR.
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National News
2.
New arrangements for teacher appraisal and capability
New arrangements for managing teacher performance have been announced by the
Department for Education and will come into force on 1st September 2012. Teachers’
performance will then be assessed against the relevant standards, against their
objectives and against their role in the school. The current three-hour limit on
classroom observation will disappear and Governing Bodies will be free to make their
own decisions about the amount of observation that is appropriate.
A new model capability policy has been produced by the DfE. As a result, Schools’
Team Personnel will be updating the model capability procedures for school staff. This
will be provided to schools in the summer term for Governing Bodies to consider for
adoption by 1st September 2012. The main changes to the DfE policy are that there will
be no informal stage in the capability procedure and the length of monitoring and
review periods will be shortened.
3.
National Qualification for Headship (NPQH)
With effect from 8th February 2012, there is no requirement for first-time Headteachers
in the maintained sector to hold the NPQH. This became optional although when
recruiting, governing bodies can choose to state a preference on person specifications
that candidates have NPQH. This would then allow you to prioritise candidates with
NPQH over those who do not.
4.
Qualified Teacher Status – changes to regulations
There has recently been consultation by the Department for Education regarding
teachers who are FE trained and those trained in the USA, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. The DfE have indicated that the regulations will change with effect from 1st
April 2012 and that these teachers will then be recognised as qualified teachers in
English schools.
5.
Payment for support staff earning less than £21,000pa (full-time
equivalent salary)
Nationally, local government employers have notified the Authority that no pay offer
can be made for council workers and school support staff again this year. Because of
this, for those schools who have signed up to the Single Status Agreement, a decision
has been made by the Mayor of Lewisham regarding the salaries of those people on
the very lowest pay grades. A payment of £250 will be made for every full-time
employee paid less than £21,000 pa. A proportional payment will be made to part-time
employees paid less than the full-time equivalent of £21,000 pa. The payments will be
made with the April 2012 salary. This is for support staff only as arrangements have
already been made nationally for a similar payment to teachers.
Further information and assistance on any of the above issues can be obtained from
Schools’ Team Personnel on (020) 8314 7388.
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National News
ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
‘TO FIX BROKEN SYSTEM’
An independent review into alternative provision recommends that:
° New teachers train as behaviour specialists in Pupil Referral Units
° Ofsted challenges schools on their use of alternative provision
° Pupil Referral Units benefit from academy ‘freedoms’.
A new generation of teachers will be trained in managing disruptive behaviour under
new proposals set out by Charlie Taylor, the Government’s Expert Adviser on
behaviour, in a review undertaken for the Department for Education.
From this September, for the first time ever, new trainee teachers will be allowed to do
some of their teacher training in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), where children excluded
from mainstream education are taught. They will be able to develop key skills in
managing disruptive behaviour.
Publishing his independent review into alternative provision, Charlie Taylor also calls
for outstanding PRUs to take advantage of academy ‘freedoms’ so they can help drive
up quality of provision and develop closer relationships with schools in their area.
He also recommends that where PRUs are failing, they are taken over by successful
PRUs, successful alternative providers, or by academy sponsors. This will mean that
by 2018, poor quality PRUs will have either been taken over or closed. In addition, he
recommends that any new provision be set up as either an academy or a free school.
Figures published for the first time last year show that in 2009/10, only 1.4 per cent of
pupils in alternative provision achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, or
equivalent, including English and mathematics. This compares with 53.4 per cent in all
schools in England.
The review into alternative provision in England was commissioned by Education
Secretary Michael Gove in the wake of the summer riots last year. Of children involved
in the riots and brought before the courts, two thirds had Special Educational Needs
and on average missed almost one day of school a week. They were also more likely
to live in the 10 per cent lowest income areas, to be receiving free school meals and to
have been excluded from school at least once.
The other main recommendations from the independent review include:
°
Ensuring that all children in alternative provision continue to receive appropriate
and challenging English and Maths teaching.
°
Schools rather than local authorities should become responsible for commissioning
alternative provision and PRU services. This is intended to help ensure provision
better meets the needs of children and schools can intervene at an earlier stage.
This is currently being trialled in a pilot by the Department with some schools in
relation to excluded pupils.
°
Schools should share all relevant information about the pupil they are sending to
alternative provision with providers, agree the nature of the intervention and set
20
National News
targets for the pupil. Progress should be regularly monitored and plans put in place
for the next stage in the child’s life.
°
The Department for Education should commission a payment by results trial for
alternative provision so as to help develop greater diversity of provision which will
help drive up standards for children. A trial would aim to start in 2012/13 and the
Department will be setting out further details in the coming months.
°
Schools should look at using money they currently spend on alternative provision to
build up their capacity for managing pupils’ behaviour. By intervening earlier and
using more focussed placements in alternative provision, schools can better cater
for children’s needs.
°
Ofsted should challenge schools on their use of alternative provision. The new
school inspection framework provides a useful opportunity for close and consistent
attention on how well schools meet the needs of children through alternative
provision. To reinforce this, Ofsted should consider a more structured approach to
monitoring alternative provision through its survey programme.
°
Ofsted should improve its intelligence gathering on poor practice – they should
make sure that information on poor practice by commissioning schools and
alternative provision providers is shared effectively within Ofsted and informs
decisions about inspections.
The report, Improving Alternative Provision, and the Government response are at
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/a00204776/taylor-reviewof-alternative-provision.
AFTER THE RIOTS
A report by the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel, established following last
summer’s riots, has made a number of recommendations some of which are aimed at
schools. It identifies seven key factors which it thinks would help to make communities
work and avoid future riots. The key factor in relation to schools is ‘parents and schools
ensure children develop the values, skills and character to make the right choices at
crucial moments.’ The report recommended the following:
ƒ a new requirement for schools to develop and publish policies on building character
and that Ofsted undertake a thematic review of character building in schools
ƒ primary and secondary schools should undertake regular assessments of pupils’
strength of character
ƒ schools should cover the financial cost of any child that fails to reach the ‘age
appropriate standard’ of literacy when the pupil moves to a new provider
ƒ schools should be required to publish more data so as to ensure they take steps to
make exclusion a last resort and transfer pupils to quality alternative provisions
ƒ alternative provision providers should be subject to appropriate inspections and no
child should be sent to poor quality provision
ƒ schools should develop and publish a Careers Support Guarantee, setting out what
a child can expect in terms of advice, guidance, contact with businesses and work
experience options.
The panel notes in its report that ‘character building’ is a difficult concept and that it is
easy to write it off as an unnecessary burden. The report, After the Riots, can be found
at Riot, Communities and Victim’s Panel Report – ‘After the Riots’.
21
National News
ADMISSIONS AND APPEALS
Consultation: Governors are reminded that the recently updated School Admissions
Code now requires governing bodies of VA schools to consult on their admissions
arrangements every 7 years unless they wish to make any changes to their admissions
arrangements earlier. Schools must publish their admissions arrangements, including
any supplementary information form (SIF) applicants need to complete, on the school’s
web site. Regardless of whether the school has consulted on changes to its
arrangements governors must meet annually after 1st March and prior to 15th April to
determine their admissions arrangements for the following round of admissions and an
electronic copy must also be sent to Linda Fuller in the School Admissions Team at
[email protected] by 1st May. Governors must determine their admissions
arrangements for 2014/15 by 15th April 2013. Faith schools are also reminded to
consult and inform their Diocesan Board of any amendments to their admissions
arrangements.
In Year Admissions: Lewisham will continue to co-ordinate all in year admissions to
schools in Lewisham. Schools must refer all applicants to the borough and provide
parents who call in to the school with an In Year application form (iCAF) – supplies will
be sent to schools for distribution.
Appeals: parents must be notified of their right to appeal if a place is refused. For the
2013/14 admission round parents must be given at least 20 school days to appeal.
PHONICS FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS
Thousands of primary schools have already signed up to spend more than £7.7 million
on new phonics products and training to drive up their pupils’ standards of reading, new
Department for Education figures show.
So far over 3,000 schools have taken advantage of the Government’s match-funding
scheme to buy the products, which include a range of teaching resources, including
books, software and games. Additionally, 987 schools have booked phonics training for
their staff (at a total spend of £1.3 million) to improve their teaching of phonics, the
method internationally proven to improve reading, especially among younger children.
The scheme went ‘live’ in September last year with the publication of the phonics
catalogue of approved products and services. Under the scheme, any state-funded
school with Key Stage 1 pupils – including Academies and Free Schools – can claim
up to £3,000 to buy products and training until March 2013.
No more Profile! No more Prospectus!
School Profile – with effect from 1st February 2012 schools were no longer required to
produce a School Profile.
School Prospectus – with effect from 1st September 2012 schools will no longer be
required to produce a school prospectus.
These provisions also apply to Nursery Schools.
22
National News
ONLINE SURVEY FOR GOVERNORS ON
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Improving efficiency is a critical challenge for all schools seeking to make the best use
of their budgets to support pupil attainment. But there are significant variations in
financial efficiency between similar schools, and in the ways in which individual
governing bodies engage with financial and procurement issues.
The Department for Education is working to develop further advice and online tools that
can help schools to optimise their financial resources and support their teaching and
learning objectives. The DfE recognises that governors and governing bodies have a
crucial role – as well as a statutory responsibility – to help their schools to manage
finances effectively and make the best-value spending decisions.
To make this online support as useful as possible, the DfE wants to get a better and
wider understanding of how governors and governing bodies are currently involved in
improving efficiency in their schools. With the support of Modern Governor, the DfE is
now running a short online survey covering basic questions around efficient financial
management and effective procurement. The hope is that as many governors as
possible will be able to participate, to help the Department itself to be more efficient in
supporting schools to manage their funding as effectively as possible.
The survey is open to all governors in any schools in England, and will be available
online until Monday 30th April 2012. It should take around 5-10 minutes in total to
complete. All responses will be anonymous. You can find the Governor Survey 2012 at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DfEGovernorsSurvey12.
For further information, please contact Julie Hull at the Department for Education
[email protected].
THE REAL IMPACT OF CYBERBULLYING REVEALED
Beatbullying has published an in-depth study of the state of cyberbullying amongst
children, young people and teachers in the UK. The report was featured in a Panorama
documentary in February. It found that 350,222 children – or 1 in 13 – experience
persistent and intentional cyberbullying, with just under a quarter (23%) reporting that
the bullying lasted for a year or more, and two in five (40%) said that it lasted for
months or weeks.
The report also looks at the long-term effects of cyberbullying and reveals the
detrimental impact this kind of abuse can have on a young person's wellbeing: the
results found that 20% of children and young people stated the fear of cyberbullies
made them reluctant to go to school, 14% were living in fear for their safety, 5%
resorted to self-harm and 3% reported an attempt of suicide as a direct result of
cyberbullying.
The report can be found at http://www.beatbullying.org/dox/resources/reports.html.
23
National News
VISION FOR CULTURAL EDUCATION
An independent review of cultural education undertaken for the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport and the Department for Education by Darren Henley, the managing
director of Classic FM, makes a number of proposals intended to ensure that all
children leave school as ‘well-rounded individuals with a knowledge of the world, past
and present, around them’.
Recommendations include:
◊
'Heritage schools' – English Heritage will work with schools to encourage them to
explore historical sites in their local area. This proposal will receive funding of
£2.7m over three years.
◊
Supporting teachers to improve the quality of cultural education in schools.
This will include more training and mentoring for new teachers and continuing
professional development for experienced teachers. The new teaching schools will
be invited to draw up a programme of work. This will receive £300,000 funding from
the DfE over three years, supported by non-departmental public bodies.
◊
A new national plan for cultural education. This over-arching strategy will set out
a clear pathway from early years through to young people studying cultural
education subjects at the highest level.
Other proposals of the review include:
◊
A new national youth dance company
◊
New national art and design Saturday clubs
◊
A new film academy for young people.
The review, Cultural Education in England, can be found at Henley Review of Cultural
Education on the DfE website along with the Government's response .
SUMMER SCHOOL FUND TO HELP DISADVANTAGED
CHILDREN INTO SECONDARY SCHOOL
The government has launched a £50 million summer schools fund to help up to
100,000 pupils making the transition from primary to secondary school. The money
applies to all pupils transferring into Year 7 who are on Free School Meals or have
been in care for six months or more.
The funding can be used for activities such as:
• Transitional activities such as meeting teachers, having a tour of the school or
learning more about their new curriculum, to build on schools’ own induction
arrangements.
• Additional intensive support in English and mathematics to enable pupils who need
it to make progress in these key areas before the start of the autumn term, both as
catch-up and preparation for the secondary curriculum.
• Wider enrichment activities such as arts, music and sports activities, trips to
theatres and museums, visits to local higher education institutions and employers.
Schools will be free to ask third parties, such as voluntary groups, to run the summer
schools for them or work together with other schools if they wish to do so.
24
ANNEXE A
Secondary and Primary Food Offer 2012
Chartwells is more than just School Meals.
We firmly believe that in order for a child to reach their full potential during their School day they need to be well
nourished and hydrated. Everything we do is based around educating children to make healthy choices,
understanding the importance of eating a balanced diet in order to improve attainment.
Our menu’s meet and often exceed the Government nutritional guidelines. This is supported by our programme of
Fun into Food events and Cookery Classes aimed at engaging our young audience in all aspects of health and
wellbeing.
Primary Food Offer
Our new Bronze accredited Food for Life menu, designed especially for Lewisham Schools, will be implemented in
Primary School from 16 April.
Our menu’s have accreditations from:
Soil Association, Farm Assured meat and the Good Egg award.
Secondary Offer
Our focus this year is on secondary meal uptake. With strong competition from the fast food outlets tempting students
to spend their lunch money on their way to or from School, we have been working hard to develop our new Bistro
Style food offer aimed at encouraging students to eat at School. This food offer has been well received across the
Lewisham Secondary estate. In addition we have worked with the students to develop a chicken offer “Chicken
Rundown” designed, developed and named by our customers, again being well received.
We would ask all Governors to support their school in every way to encourage children to take a school meal.
Meal Uptake
Meal uptake is important to Chartwells and Lewisham.
The 6th Annual Published Survey of School meals shows the national average Primary uptake across the UK is 4142%.
Lewisham Primary uptake averages 61% (89% FSM).
The national meal uptake league table of 129 Schools places Lewisham 10th when excluding boroughs that provide
free school meals to all children.
Price is a key factor in meal uptake, with Lewisham’s price to Parents being one of the lowest in the UK at £1.70.
•Highest £2.30 – Wandsworth
•Lowest - £1.40 Greenwich (100% subsidy)
• National average Primary meal price - £1.90 - £2.10
In this challenging economic climate we believe we will have to work even harder to encourage parents to pay for
school lunch rather than provide a packed lunch and our Fun into Food Team activities in Schools is aimed at
encouraging uptake and engaging our young audience.
To find out more about holding events in your School please call James Small 07920 296 496 or Ben Harvey
07753 845 056.
25
ANNEXE A
Oxford Literary Festival
Chartwells are sponsoring the Oxford literary Festival
for a third year 3rd Year. We are excited that authors
Anthony Horowitz & Joanne Harris will be Judges for
this years letter writing competition. As part of our Eat,
Learn, Live ethos the competition for students of all
ages requires them to write a letter sharing their love of
food, helping to raise levels of literacy and a passion for
writing.
The winning entry will win a host of prizes including a
visit to their School by one of the judges.
Please encourage students in your School to enter. For
further details visit: www.chartwells.co.uk/write-stuff.htm
Further information will be sent to your School very
soon.
Mary’s Meal’s
Mary’s Meal’s is a Global Movement that sets up feeding projects in some of the worlds poorest communities where
hunger and poverty prevent children from going to school and gaining an education. Their idea is a simple one that
works.
They provide one daily meal in a place of education to attract chronically poor children into a classroom where
they receive an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty.
Their vision is that those who have more than they need, share with those who lack even the most basic things, and
that every child receives one daily meal in their place of education.
They are an non-denominational charity feeding children of all faiths and none.
•.
26
ANNEXE A
Mary’s Meal’s – how can your School help?
In 2011 Chartwells funded two new feeding kitchens in two Primary Schools in Malawi.
Goliati and Chimvu Primary Schools, who feed a total of 3,159 children everyday.
For every 20 meals taken Chartwells will fund a Mary’s Meal.
Schools can download a wide selection of educational material that will support Global
Citizenship, PSHE and other curriculum led activities.
How can your School support Chartwells Mary’s Meal’s initiative:
Register your interest by sending contact detail and name of school to:
[email protected]
Encourage as many children in your school as possible to take a school meal
Make use of the educational material available on Mary’s Meal’s website to engage your
students and make them aware of the importance of a School meal is not just to children in
UK but how by taking a School lunch will help a child in Malawi have a chance of an
education.
27
spring issue 2012
sen matters
[SEN Matters issue 3]
Update about changes to Lewisham’s
special educational needs services
Inside this issue…
Update on Lewisham Parents’ and Carers’ Forum
Proposal to relocate and rebuild Brent Knoll Special School
Athelney Primary School Ofsted report
Lexis: Lewisham’s speech and language resource base
Supporting parents and
carers across Lewisham
Following a competitive tender process, national
education charity ContinYou has been awarded a
three-year contract by Lewisham Council to provide
its parent partnership service (PPS)
ContinYou Lewisham Independent Parent Partnership
Service (CLIPPS), formerly Lewisham Parent Partnership
Service, is a statutory service available to parents/carers
throughout the London Borough of Lewisham who have
a child aged 0–19 with special educational needs (SEN).
CLIPPS took over the service on 1 February 2012 and
offers independent advice, information and support to
parents and carers to help them make informed decisions
about their child’s education.
CLIPPS Manager, Jennifer Becon, says: ‘We provide a
free, confidential and impartial service about SEN. Whether
you need us to guide you through the statutory assessment
process, support you at a meeting with a school or local
authority, or offer some advice and guidance, please get in
touch! We have good links with parents, carers, schools and
other organisations across Lewisham, and look forward to
building on these in the future.’
CLIPPS will be holding a launch event in spring
to enable local parents and organisations to meet
staff at their new base in Bellingham. To find out
more about this and other CLIPPS events, visit
www.continyou.org.uk/clipps.
1
About ContinYou
ContinYou is one of the UK
’s leading education
charities, offering parent
partnership services on be
half
of Warwickshire County Co
uncil, Harrow Council, Ealin
g
Council and Lewisham Co
uncil.
See www.continyou.org.u
k/pps for details.
To contact CLIPPS:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8698 2202
Write to: ContinYou Lewisham Parent Partnership Service
(CLIPPS), Bellingham Children’s Centre,
109A Randlesdown Road, Bellingham, London SE6 3HB.
1
A busy year for Lewisham Parents’
and Carers’ Forum
People say that a year goes by really quickly as you
get older, and our forum is a good example of this.
It is just over a year since we were up and running
again, and I am delighted to report that it has been a
busy and positive one.
Following our first forum in January 2011 we elected
a steering group with officers for the key posts of Chair
and Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. We met at least
every six weeks to plan ahead for the main forums and
other activities. These included training workshops,
where parents and carers learnt new skills to improve
their confidence and become assertive without being
aggressive! Officers in the steering group took accredited
courses in Understanding Tender Submissions and Key
Policies and Decision Making, which they found very
helpful when talking to professionals in the Council
or in health, social care and SEN services. We parents
do underestimate how much we know and it has been
rewarding to see parents flourish in these areas.
It has, of course, been a difficult year with big changes
coming from the Government, so the support the forum
members have been able to give to each other has been
invaluable.
We were very pleased to work with Lewisham Council on
a consultation about its short breaks services statement.
Between May and October a group of parents met the
Council to advise and consult on what has been published
on its website concerning short breaks for children with
disabilities: www.lewisham.gov.uk/shortbreaks. We
value input from everyone and would love to see you at
our Parents’ and Carers’ Forum. Together we really can
make a difference! For more information and the dates of
our next meeting please contact:
Jacky Spigel
Parent Participation Officer
Contact a Family
Tel: 020 8297 8056
Kaleidoscope consultation group
Kaleidoscope is the first centre of its kind
in the UK. It brings together specialist
community services for health, disability,
mental health, education and social care –
all working closely with the voluntary sector.
The Kaleidoscope consultation group
includes parents, carers, voluntary
organisations and staff who share
experiences in order to improve services.
If you are interested in the group, please
contact Fiona Hurst on 020 7138 1302 or
email fi[email protected].
2
Exciting proposal to relocate and
rebuild Brent Knoll Special School
Lewisham Council proposes to relocate and rebuild
Brent Knoll School in order to improve the facilities
and opportunities that the school can offer. This
is part of a wider programme of improvements in
educational provision for all children and young
people with special educational needs in the borough
of Lewisham.
The proposal is to rebuild Brent Knoll School on the
old Greenvale School site. This is located close to the
existing site at 69 Perry Rise, London SE23 2QU.
The newly built school will provide a modern and
innovative learning environment for children with special
educational needs.
Benefits of relocating and rebuilding
the school
Brent Knoll is a highly successful school, described
recently by Ofsted as ‘good with outstanding features’
(2011). However, the existing buildings and facilities are
overcrowded and outdated. The new building will offer
almost twice the space per pupil as the existing school,
accompanied by enhanced external areas in terms of space
and quality. The proposed relocation will deliver greatly
improved and updated buildings and facilities to support
the educational and social needs of pupils.
Specialist areas will be provided for music, art/
design, drama and food technology, as well as therapy
services, including sensory and speech therapy rooms.
The ICT provision will incorporate the very latest
technology available on the market when the school
opens, supporting the specialist learning needs of
individual pupils. Training rooms will be provided to
support the expansion of the school’s outreach service,
offering increased training opportunities for parents and
carers, school staff and other professionals across the
borough.
Consultation
A consultation involving parents and carers, pupils, school
staff and governors, the Council and health partners,
unions, councillors and the wider community took place
from 4 January–2 February 2012. The outcome of the
consultation was very positive with no responses received
against the proposal. The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve
Bullock, will make the final decision about whether
to proceed with the proposal. If approval is given, the
Council will continue to work closely with the school
community to ensure that its views are taken into
account during further planning work.
If you have any questions or comments about this
proposal, please get in touch with Charly Williams,
Strengthening Specialist Provision Programme
Manager: [email protected].
Kelvin Grove Primary School Resource Base
Some great news for the borough! The Mayor
has now given final approval for the specialist
resource base at Kelvin Grove for 16 primaryaged pupils with ASD. The school will also be
expanding to three forms of entry to meet
the growing population needs in Lewisham.
It is hoped that the resource base will open in
September 2012.
3
Congratulations
to Athelney
Primary School!
Their rating has risen from satisfactory to good in
their recent Ofsted report (published 15 December
2011) and we were thrilled and proud to read the
specific comments made about the ASD resource
base, which opened in September 2010:
‘Pupils in the resource base are exceptionally well
supported. Their needs are very well understood and
provision tailored very closely and individually to each.
Pupils make outstanding progress in their learning as
a result.
‘The resource base is exceptionally well led and
managed. The level of understanding of the needs
of the pupils in the unit is high. The day-to-day
organisation to ensure needs are met is outstanding
as are the links with parents and carers and a very wide
range of external professionals. The resource base
provides short term places and expertise to other local
schools to support them in meeting the needs of pupils
they have on the autism spectrum’
Well done and thank you to all of the staff in the
resource base for their hard work and dedication in
providing such a top quality provision for the pupils that
are placed with them.
This is the link to the Ofsted reports for those of
you who wish to read more about the school in general:
bitly.com/athelney.
Lexis: Lewisham’s speech
and language resource base
Lexis is a secondary resource base for children with speech
and language difficulties. It has been open for three years
now but has recently moved into a purpose-built centre
where the pupils benefit from intensive small group and
individual work with the collaborative support of specialist
teachers, a speech and language therapist and teaching
assistants. Initially, in Year 7, pupils will spend most of
their time in Lexis. However, they are expected to progress
to joining more mainstream classes in Year 8 and 9 as their
maths and English skills improve.
To book a place on one of the set visiting days that are
held throughout the year, please contact Ms Volume on
[email protected].
For any other enquiries, contact Helen Crocker on
[email protected] or visit
www.as.lewisham.sch.uk.
For queries about placements for children with
statements of special educational needs, please contact
the SEN Team on 020 8314 7453.
Comments from parents
‘Since coming to Lexis
my child has been the
happiest that she’s
ever been in school’
‘I can’t
believe the progress
that he has made
this year – it is
amazing!
upils
Comments from pupils
‘I
like the
teachers’
‘I like
the small
groups’
’I like Lexis because
we get to play
maths games’
4
e
h
T
z
d
i
u
q
S
b
u
Cl
Venue: The Albany, Doug
las Way,
Deptford, London SE8 4A
G
Tickets: £5 for young peop
le, pay-whatyou-can for parents and ca
rers
To book tickets, call the
Albany:
020 8692 4446
For more information co
ntact
Heart n Soul: 020 8694 16
32
or visit www.heartnsoul.co
.uk.
For young people who are interested in getting involved
in the arts, The Squidz Club is the only place to be! This
participatory arts club night is for young people (aged
10-25 years) with learning disabilities, their families and
friends. Young people get the chance to take part in a
range of activities including the art zone, games room and
the unique boutique dressing-up area. There are also live
performances from groups such as the Rathbone Dance
Society, Lewisham College music groups, Heart n Soul’s
Do Your Own Thing groups, DJing and VJing. Grownups aren’t left out either. They can relax in the midnight
garden chill-out room where they can get free massages,
tea and coffee. All are welcome.
5
Schools with SEN
resource bases
Useful contacts
Below is a list of the current SEN resource bases in the
borough. There are several other resource bases planned –
look out for details in future issues of SEN Matters!
Speech, language and communication needs
The Lexis, Addey and Stanhope Secondary School
Bonus Pastor Catholic College – opening September 2013
Tidemill Academy
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
The Launch Pad, Athelney Primary School
Kelvin Grove Primary School – planned opening
September 2012
Learning difficulty and disability
The Progress Unit, Conisborough College
Lewisham’s parent partnership
service offers independent advice,
information and support to parents of children aged 0–19
with special educational needs.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 8698 2202
Address: ContinYou Lewisham Independent Parent
Partnership Service (CLIPPS), Bellingham Children’s
Centre, 109A Randlesdown Road, Bellingham, London
SE6 3HB.
Contact a Family supports families
with disabled children.
Their freephone helpline is open Monday to Friday,
9.30am–5pm.
Freephone helpline: 0808 808 3555
Tel: 020 8297 8056
Fax: 020 8297 6961
Email: lewisham.offi[email protected]
Hearing impairment
Coopers Lane Primary School
Rushey Green Primary School
Sedgehill Secondary School
Lewisham Council Special Educational
Needs Team
Tel: 020 8314 7453
Email: [email protected]
Specific learning difficulties
Deptford Green Secondary School
Complex needs
Kilmorie Primary School
Complex medical and physical needs
Perrymount Primary School
NEXT ISSUE
The next issue of SEN Matters will come out in summer
2012. If you have any comments on the newsletter or
would like to submit an article or list an event, please
contact Patricia Solomon on 020 8314 9127 or email
[email protected]
If you have difficulty understanding this document in
English please call the number below.
020 7253 7700
Also call this number for other formats, including Braille, large print,
audio tape, BSL or computer disc.
Email: [email protected] Typetalk: 18001 020 7253 7700
© Published March 2012 Communications Unit. Ref: 341-1b
Produced on recycled paper using environmentally friendly print methods. For more information visit www.lewisham.gov.uk
Visit www.lewisham.gov.uk for all the latest news and information about your Council’s services and job opportunities
Lewisham Challenge: Equalities & Achievement
Open Lecture Programme 2011-2012
Michael Rosen
How not to bore the pants off kids
Thursday 28th June 2012
5.30pm to 7.30pm
Prendergast Ladywell Fields College, Manwood Road, SE4 1SA
We are delighted to be continuing with the above lecture series this year to give teachers, parents/carers, governors,
students, local authority officers and other members of the community a space to engage with the plethora of research
that surrounds the issues affecting the education of children and young people. These are informal sessions, open to all
and free to Lewisham residents and employees. Lectures start at 5.30pm with refreshments available from 5pm.
Michael Rosen is one of the best-known figures in the children’s
book world, renowned for his work as poet, broadcaster and
scriptwriter. As an author and by selecting other writers’ works for
anthologies he has been involved with over 140 books.
Michael has visited schools throughout the world with his oneman show to enthuse children with a passion for books and
poetry. He lectures and teaches in universities on children’s
literature, reading and writing, and his own works for children
appeal to all ages. He writes non-fiction, novels, picture books,
retells classics and stories from other cultures as well as writing
poetry. He has been short-listed for and won many awards.
Michael’s passion for poetry started early when at the age of
twelve he started creating satirical poems about people he knew. His parents, who were both teachers and distinguished
educators, were from the Jewish East End tradition, their parents and/or grandparents coming from Poland/Russia/Romania.
He read English at Wadham College, Oxford where he started to realise his ambition of acting (as well as writing and directing).
He began looking outside the recommended reading to contemporary working class ballads. He retains a passion for street
rhymes, popular songs and folk stories.
Michael is also well established as a broadcaster presenting a range of documentary features on British radio. He is the
presenter of BBC Radio 4's regular magazine programme Word of Mouth which looks at the English language and the way it is
used. He has long been involved in campaigning around issues of education and we are delighted to welcome him to Lewisham.
To reserve a place at this session please email [email protected]
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Book now to avoid disappointment!
For further information contact:
Helen Lucken, Project Manager: Equalities and Achievement
[email protected] Tel: 020 8314 6629
Please note that the car park at Prendergast Ladywell Fields College is for staff use only. There
is limited parking available in the surrounding roads.
Annexes
ANNEXE D
School term dates 2012-13
These are the term dates for Lewisham schools in the academic year
2012-13
Autumn term
•
•
Tuesday 4 September – Friday 26 October
Monday 5 November – Friday 21 December
(39 days)
(35 days)
Half Term: Monday 29 October – Friday 2 November
Spring term
•
•
Monday 7 January – Friday 15 February
Monday 25 February – Thursday 28 March
(30 days)
(24 days)
Half Term: Monday 18 February – Friday 22 February
Summer term
•
•
Monday 15 April – Friday 24 May
Monday 3 June – Wednesday 24 July
(29 days)
(38 days)
Half Term: Monday 27 May – Friday 31 May
Total: 195 days
In 2012-13 children should attend for 190 days (or 380 half sessions). Teachers must
be available to work for 195 days during this academic year.
Schools which close for local elections are required to extend the summer term or
coincide it with an INSET day.
Public Holidays
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
New Year
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Day
Spring Holiday
Summer Holiday
25 December 2012
26 December 2012
1 January 2013
29 March 2013
1 April 2013
6 May 2013
27 May 2013
26 August 2013
35
Annexes
ANNEXE E
DIRECTORATE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
School Collaboratives Aligned with Children’s Service Areas
Area 1:
A
Clyde Early Childhood Centre
Deptford Park
Grinling Gibbons
Lucas Vale
Sir Francis Drake
St. Joseph’s
Tidemill
Deptford Green
B
Childeric
Edmund Waller
Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Hatcham Primary
Kender
St. James Hatcham
St. Stephen’s
Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Hatcham College
C
Ashmead
Beecroft Garden
Chelwood Nursery
John Stainer
Meadowgate
Myatt Garden
Turnham
Addey & Stanhope
Area 2:
A
All Saints
Brindishe Lee
Brindishe Green
John Ball
Lee Manor
St Matthew Academy
St. Margaret’s Lee
St. Winifred’s Infants
St. Winifred’s Juniors
Trinity
B
C
Dalmain
Holbeach
Rathfern
St. William of York
Stillness Infants
Stillness Juniors
Gordonbrock
Prendergast Vale
St. Mary Magdalen
St. Mary’s
St Saviour’s
Prendergast Ladywell Fields
College
Prendergast Hilly Fields
College
Area 3:
A
Coopers Lane
Good Shepherd
Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Knights Primary
Launcelot
Marvels Lane
Rangefield
Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Knights Academy
Pendragon
B
C
Baring
Holy Cross
Sandhurst Infants
Downderry
Forster Park
New Woodlands
Sandhurst Juniors
Torridon Infants
Torridon Juniors
Conisborough College
Rushey Green
St. John Baptist
36
Bonus Pastor
Greenvale
Annexes
Area 4:
A
Adamsrill
Brent Knoll
Christ Church
Kilmorie
Our Lady & St Philip Neri
Perrymount
St Michael’s
Forest Hill
B
C
Athelney
Elfrida
Fairlawn
Haseltine
St. Augustine’s
Watergate
Eliot Bank
Holy Trinity
Horniman
Kelvin Grove
St. Bartholomew’s
Sedgehill
Sydenham
37
Governor Training
SUMMER TERM 2012
CENTRAL TRAINING / BRIEFING SESSIONS
CS = Civic Suite
Please see Annexe E for a list of school collaboratives aligned with Children’s Service areas
MAY
DATE
TITLE
LEAD
TIME
VENUE
Saturday 12 May
Induction
George Kwasniewski &
Sara Sanbrook-Davies
9am-3.30pm
Thursday 24th May
Monitoring
Kevin Jeffrey
7pm-8.30pm
St
George’s
Church
CS
Tuesday 29th May
Early Years
Foundation Stage
Kym Scott
7pm-8.30pm
CS
Wednesday 30th
May
Personnel Issues
Jan Ibrahim
7pm-9pm
CS
TITLE
LEAD
TIME
VENUE
Tuesday 12 June
Briefing for Area 3
Sue Tipler & Adam
Higgins
6.30pm-8pm
CS
Thursday 14th
June
Role of the Chair
(4 of 4)
Hilary Moore
7pm-9pm
CS
Thursday 14th
June
Meeting for Special
School Governors
6.30pm-8pm
CS
Monday 18th June
Briefing for Area 4
Christine Grice, Viv
Hinchliffe & Irene
Cleaver
Sue Tipler & Adam
Higgins
6.30pm-8pm
CS
Thursday 21st June Safer Recruitment
Diane Parkhouse &
George Kwasniewski
9.30am4.30pm
CS
Tuesday 26th June
SEN
Jo Ashby
7pm-8.30pm
CS
Wednesday 27th
June
Briefing for Area 2
Sue Tipler & Adam
Higgins
6.30pm-8pm
Brindishe
Green
Primary
TITLE
LEAD
TIME
VENUE
Briefing for Area 1
Sue Tipler & Adam
Higgins
6.30pm-8pm
Childeric
Primary
School
th
JUNE
DATE
th
JULY
DATE
nd
Monday 2 July
38
Governor Training
MAY
INDUCTION – ALL IN ONE DAY!
PLEASE NOTE NEW VENUE AT ST GEORGE’S CHURCH
Date
Saturday 12th
May
Time
9am3.30pm
Aimed at
All new governors
Led by
George Kwasniewski and Sara
Sanbrook-Davies, Governor
Trainers
Everyone who becomes a governor for the first time should attend the induction session to
obtain an insight into what being a governor involves, the roles and responsibilities of governors,
the support available and how to become an effective member of the governing body.
This all day session will include the three modules from the DfE programme and will cover:
•
•
•
The Strategic Role;
The Critical Friend;
Accountability.
MONITORING – THE ROLE OF THE LINK GOVERNOR AND GOVERNORS’ VISITS
Date
Thursday 24th
May
Time
7pm8.30pm
Aimed at
All governors but especially Link
Governors
Led by
Kevin Jeffrey, Governor Trainer
Link governors are a useful way for the governing body to understand, oversee, monitor and
develop a particular area of responsibility within the school and the session will explore ways to
develop positive links.
Visiting the school is an enjoyable aspect of being a governor but you need to know what to ask
and what to do. The session will also cover:
•
•
•
•
agreeing the focus and purpose of a school visit;
identifying what governors should always do and what they should never do!
reporting back;
agreeing a protocol for school visits.
39
Governor Training
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
Date
Tuesday 29th
May
Time
7pm8.30pm
Aimed at
All governors but particularly
members of standards or
curriculum committees
Led by
Kym Scott, Team Leader Early
Years
Following the Tickell review of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the Department for
Education's final consultation on the revised document ended in January 2012.
The final version of the revised EYFS will be published in April 2012 and must be implemented
in all schools in September 2012.
The revised framework will include new Early Learning Goals and a new Early Years
Foundation Stage Profile, the assessment system for the end of Reception year.
This briefing session for governors will focus on the key changes to the EYFS and the
implications of these for schools.
PERSONNEL ISSUES – the governor role
Date
Wednesday
30th May
Time
7pm-9pm
Aimed at
All governors but especially
members of Staff Dismissal and
Grievance Committees
Led by
Jan Ibrahim, Senior Human
Resources Adviser, Schools
Personnel
Governors are occasionally asked to serve on Staff Dismissal, Grievance and other staffing
panels. This briefing will give an outline of the procedures to be followed and the governors’ role
in the decision making process.
JUNE
BRIEFING FOR GOVERNORS FOR SCHOOLS IN CHILDREN’S SERVICE AREA 3
TO BE HELD AT THE CIVIC SUITE
Date
Tuesday 12th
June
Time
6.30pm8pm
Aimed at
All Governors but particularly
Chairs and Vice Chairs
These sessions will include:
• Lewisham’s focus on Closing the Gaps
• Implications of The Education Act 2011
• The new Ofsted Framework 2012
40
Led by
Sue Tipler, Head of Standards
and Achievement and Adam
Higgins, Strategic Leader,
Primary
Governor Training
THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR (SESSION 4 OF 4)
Date
Thursday 14th
June
Time
7pm-9pm
Aimed at
All new or aspiring chairs of
governors or vice-chairs
Led by
Hilary Moore, Governor Trainer
How strategic is your governing body? The last in this series on ‘Taking the Chair’ will focus on
the strategic aspects of the work of the governing body. The chair’s role in ensuring that all
appreciate the difference between being strategic and operational, will be a key focus through
highly practical individual, pair and group activities. Issues such as how to use information
strategically, and where to get that information from, will be addressed. In addition, there will be
the chance for attendees to recap on issues raised in previous sessions and to put forward their
own challenges for group discussion.
BRIEFING FOR GOVERNORS OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS OR THOSE SCHOOLS WITH
RESOURCE BASES
Date
Time
Aimed at
Led by
th
Thursday 14
6.30pmSpecial School Governors or
Christine Grice, Head of
June
8pm
governors of mainstream
Access and Support Services,
schools with support bases
Dr Viv Hinchliffe, Executive
Headteacher of Drumbeat and
Irene Cleaver, Executive
Headteacher of Athelney
Primary School
The Management Committee of the LGA have arranged this briefing for governors of special
schools and those mainstream school governors with support bases.
The aim of the briefing is for governors to be updated on the direction of SEN support in the
borough due to the restructuring of special schools including Brent Knoll and Drumbeat and role
of the support bases. There will also be an opportunity for governors to meet each other and
exchange views and good practice.
BRIEFING FOR GOVERNORS FOR SCHOOLS IN CHILDREN’S SERVICE AREA 4
TO BE HELD AT THE CIVIC SUITE
Date
Monday 18th
June
Time
6.30pm8pm
Aimed at
All Governors but particularly
Chairs and Vice Chairs
These sessions will include:
• Lewisham’s focus on Closing the Gaps
• Implications of The Education Act 2011
• The new Ofsted Framework 2012
41
Led by
Sue Tipler, Head of Standards
and Achievement and Adam
Higgins, Strategic Leader,
Primary
Governor Training
SAFER RECRUITMENT
Date
Thursday 21st
June
Time
9.30am4.30pm
Aimed at
Headteachers, governors and
other school staff who recruit
staff
Led by
Diane Parkhouse, Head of
Schools’ Personnel and
George Kwasniewski, Governor
Trainer
In response to the Bichard report, the DCSF commissioned the National College to provide
online training for Headteachers, staff and governors to help strengthen safeguards against
employing unsuitable people in schools. The training is now being provided by the
Children’s Workforce Development Council.
If you would prefer ‘face to face’ training then this session is for you. The aims of the session are
to:
•
•
•
•
build participants' understanding of offender behaviour;
identify the key features of staff recruitment that help deter or prevent the appointment of
unsuitable people;
consider policies and practices that minimise opportunities for abuse or ensure its prompt
reporting;
help participants begin to review their own and their organisations’ policies and practices
in recruitment with a view to making them safer.
As places will be limited, they will be allocated on a ‘first come- first served’ basis. Several
Headteachers and governors have already booked and the session is almost full.
If you have been allocated a place, you will receive written confirmation. Please do not
attend unless you receive this confirmation as you will not be admitted on this occasion
A sandwich lunch will be provided.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS – the role of the Link Governor
Date
Tuesday 26th
June
Time
7pm8.30pm
Aimed at
All governors but especially SEN
Link Governors
Led by
Jo Ashby, School Improvement
Officer for SEN and Secondary
Transfer
The session will provide:
•
•
•
•
•
a review of SEN governors' roles and responsibilities;
the current context for SEN, including updates on some of the key issues for schools
being raised by the SEN Green paper;
a discussion of local and national issues, including the Inclusion Development
Programme;
the Lewisham School Action and School Action Plus Guidance;
the value of provision mapping and the implications for our schools.
42
Governor Training
BRIEFING FOR GOVERNORS FOR SCHOOLS IN CHILDREN’S SERVICE AREA 2
TO BE HELD AT BRINDISHE GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL
Date
Wednesday
27th June
Time
6.30pm8pm
Aimed at
All Governors but particularly
Chairs and Vice Chairs
Led by
Sue Tipler, Head of Standards
and Achievement and Adam
Higgins, Strategic Leader,
Primary
These sessions will include:
• Lewisham’s focus on Closing the Gaps
• Implications of The Education Act 2011
• The new Ofsted Framework 2012
JULY
BRIEFING FOR GOVERNORS FOR SCHOOLS IN CHILDREN’S SERVICE AREA 1
TO BE HELD AT CHILDERIC PRIMARY SCHOOL
Date
Monday 2nd
July
Time
6.30pm8pm
Aimed at
All Governors but particularly
Chairs and Vice Chairs
Led by
Sue Tipler, Head of Standards
and Achievement and Adam
Higgins, Strategic Leader,
Primary
These sessions will include:
• Lewisham’s focus on Closing the Gaps
• Implications of The Education Act 2011
• The new Ofsted Framework 2012
Greenwich, Lambeth, Newham and Southwark
Training Programmes
We are pleased to say that the reciprocal arrangement, whereby governors from Lewisham
schools can attend governor training provided by Greenwich, Lambeth, Newham and
Southwark LAs and their governors can attend our central training sessions, will continue
again this term. This arrangement will mean that a greater range and number of governor
training sessions will be available to governors and will allow for good practice and ideas to
be shared with governors from another authority.
For details on sessions, content and venues, please contact Judy Evans.
43
Governor Training
Training Venues
(i)
Civic Suite: Most courses will be held in the Civic Suite, in the town hall
complex at Catford.
Refreshments are provided free of charge.
The Civic Suite has disabled access, audio loop facility and a reception
service.
Free car parking is available after 6.30 p.m. behind Laurence House,
entrance in Canadian Avenue. Alternatively there is street parking in
surrounding side streets or access to the Milford Tower multi-storey car park,
entrance in Holbeach Road.
Catford is well served by bus routes and British Rail stations, both Catford
and Catford Bridge Stations are within easy walking distance.
(ii)
St George’s Church, Vancouver Road, Forest Hill, SE23 2AG – please
see map for directions.
(iii)
Brindishe Green and Childeric Primary Schools – please see maps for
directions.
Please see Annexe E for a list of school collaboratives aligned with Children’s
Service areas.
If you need directions to a training venue, please contact Governors’ Services team
on 020 8314 9795.
Booking
It is essential to book for every course you choose to attend in order to secure a
place.
Please complete the booking form at the back of this programme and ensure we
have a telephone contact number for you.
Return to:
Fax:
Telephone:
E-mail:
Course Administrator,
3rd Floor,
Laurence House,
Catford Rd,
SE6 4RU
020 8314 3050
020 8314 6777
[email protected]
44
Governor Training
Cancellation
Please telephone to cancel your place if you are unable to attend; we can then offer it
to a governor on the waiting list.
If a course is rescheduled, we will telephone to inform you.
Charging
The governors of schools subscribing to the central training service are entitled to
attend any of the training events without charge. If your school does not subscribe,
you are welcome to attend but there will be a charge. Please contact your school
before booking.
School based sessions
Governing bodies can request a school based training session to meet the specific
needs of the whole governing body.
(Contact Judy Evans on 020 8314 9795 or [email protected])
Examples of school based sessions:Preparation for Ofsted
Equalities Issues
The Governing Body’s Role in Self-Review
Developing Effective Committees
Statutory Roles and Responsibilities
Self-Evaluation
Appointing a Headteacher (a 2 part course)
Making Sense of Data and Interpreting Statistics
SEN
Monitoring the Curriculum
Governors’ Premises Responsibilities
Performance Management
Governors’ Visits
School Development Planning
Working as a Team
Target Setting
The Effective Governing Body
Health and Safety
45
Governor Training
HOW TO GET TO THE CIVIC SUITE
Civic
Suite
Laurence
House
Car Park
Trains:
Catford: trains from Blackfriars and Sevenoaks.
Catford Bridge: trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge
and Hayes (Kent).
Both of these stations are 5 to 10 minutes walk from the Civic Suite
or you can catch a bus.
Buses from: Forest Hill: 185
Sydenham: 75, 202, 181
Catford: 75, 185, 171, 202, 181
Bellingham: 208, 54, 136, 47, 199, 171
Lewisham: 75, 185, 122, 208, 136, 54, 199, 47
Brockley: 122, 171
Parking:
There is a large car park behind Laurence House (Opposite the Civic
Suite, where the library is), that is free to the public on weekdays after
6.30pm. You can access the car park via Canadian Avenue
Please note that the through way from the Broadway, through Lewisham Town Hall, is
closed from 6pm. The only remaining entrance to the Civic Suite is via Catford Road.
46
Governor Training
St George Christ Church + St Paul
Address:
Vancouver Road,
Forest Hill,
London
SE23 2AG
Directions:
The church is located in Vancouver Road, just opposite the end of Carholme Road if
coming from the South Circular.
Buses that serve close by are:
• 181 and 202 in Catford Hill
• 75 in Woolstone Road
• 185 and 171 on the South Circular (A205).
Catford and Catford Bridge train station are both just down the road.
St George
47
Governor Training
Brindishe Green Primary School
Beacon Road
London
SE13 6EH
Brindishe Green
School
Public transport to Brindishe Green School
Rail
Nearest station: Hither Green
Buses
181, 225
48
Governor Training
Childeric Primary School
Childeric Road,
London,
SE14 6DG .
Public transport to Childeric School
Rail
New Cross and New Cross Gate
Buses
225, 21, 53, 172, 453, 321,136, 171, 177, 436, 343,
49
GOVERNOR TRAINING BOOKING FORM
Summer Term 2012
RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM TO:
Course Administrator
Lewisham Children and Young People
3rd Floor Laurence House
Catford, SE6 4RU
Telephone: 020 8314 6777
Fax: 020 8314 3050
Email: [email protected]
COURSE AND DATE
Induction
Saturday 12th May 9am-3.30pm
St George’s Church
Monitoring
Thursday 24th May 7pm-8.30pm
Civic Suite
Early Years Foundation Stage
Tuesday 29th May 7pm-8.30pm
Civic Suite
Personnel Issues
Wednesday 30th May 7pm-9pm
Civic Suite
Briefing Area 3
Tuesday 12th June 6.30pm-8pm
Civic Suite
Role of the Chair
Thursday 14th June 7pm-9pm
Civic Suite
9
COURSE AND DATE
Special School Governors’ Briefing
Thursday 14th June 6.30pm-8pm
Civic Suite
Briefing Area 4
Monday 18th June 6.30pm-8pm
Civic Suite
Safer Recruitment
Thursday 21st June 9.30am-4.30pm
Civic Suite
SEN
Tuesday 26th June 7pm-8.30pm
Civic Suite
Briefing Area 2
Wednesday 27th June 6.30pm-8pm
Brindishe Green Primary School
Briefing Area 1
Monday 2nd July 6.30pm-8pm
Childeric Primary School
NAME:
SCHOOL:
TELEPHONE NUMBER
and Email Address:
Confirmations will not be sent. You will be notified if you are unable to attend.
9
Lewisham Children and Young People
Governors’ Services
rd
3 floor, Laurence House
1 Catford Road
London, SE6 4RU
Telephone: 0208 314 7993
Fax: 0208 314 3050
E-mail:
[email protected]