School Noticeboard 22.09.16 v0 - Birmingham€¦ · 2016-April 2018 Attached at the end of this Noticeboard is a copy of the Local Transition Plan which has been shared on Birmingham’s

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School Noticeboard

Edition 3: Thursday 22 September 2016

Inside this issue:

From the Director 2 Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS): Service Update 3 Checking visitors into your school 3 Proposed Local Transition Plan: September 2016-April 2018 4 Private Fostering 4 Guidance for schools on Autumn 2016 DfE Census 5 Procurement Advice Note 5 School Organisation Consultation Notices (St Margaret Mary RC Primary School, St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Harper Bell Seventh-Day Adventist School) 5 Birmingham Virtual School update 6 FFT Aspire 7 Careers and Apprenticeship Event: Saturday 24 September 2016 8 Link2ICT School Newsletter: September 2016 8 Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP): Train the Trainer Opportunity 8 Schools Financial Services Budget Management Training 9 Understanding and supporting children & young people with Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome 10 Braidwood School for the Deaf: British Sign Language Classes 10 Keeping children safe in education 11 Bookstart Treasure Packs for Schools with Nursery Settings 11 Quality First Teaching In Reading 11 Investors in Pupils 12 Fareshare and schools’ breakfast clubs/after school clubs 13 Professional Group Supervision Session for DSLs managing casework related to Extremism and Radicalisation 13 Introducing Restorative Approaches in Primary Schools 14 Life Education ‘Help Harold’ Fundraising campaign 14

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From the Director Dear Colleagues Last week I gave an interview to the Guardian about the growth of unregistered schools and elective home education (EHE) in the city. We have more children where the parents choose EHE and some of that growth had been associated with the option of attending unregistered schools (all now closed by the way). We know that many families do EHE and it works really well. But local authorities have no powers to see children who are EHE and this cannot be right. We should be able to make sure that all children are visible to us and safe. I got some stick on Twitter about this but sensed that those with lots to say were a million miles away from the inner city realities that we know. You can read the article here. I have always said that the best bit of the job is visiting your schools. Now that the term is underway it’s out on the road again. At Christ Church CoE Sparkbrook it was great to tour the classrooms and then talk with Debbie Westwood and her SLT. I am always interested in how such a strongly performing school stays on the cutting edge. Listening carefully, it is all about “eyes on the horizon” and a rich, eclectic mixture of CPD (from within Birmingham and without) allied to a complex set of networks. There is no single source of professional nourishment: rather it is about being a sophisticated purchaser of CPD with the occasional nugget of inspirational learning turning up. A first visit to Selly Oak Trust School revealed an amazing number of activities for students with a wide variety of additional needs. The site is a veritable rabbit warren with buildings from brand new state of the art to ancient huts. Met some wonderful students who are well on their way to the next steps of education and training thanks to everything they have learnt at this school. Clifton Primary hosted a major event for the Yemeni community with guest appearances from the Consul and Khalid “Kal” Yafai, former Olympic boxer and with lots of world super-flyweight titles. He spoke very honestly about how he was as a local boy growing up off the Ladywood Road. The event was aimed at raising the attainment of Yemeni pupils, particularly boys, where things aren’t where they should be right now. Another wonderful Clifton morning. You can see a group of dads writing down their ideas on how to engage more with their children’s learning above. Then on to Castle Vale Children’s Centre and Nursery and a very different part of the city. Birmingham has been a national, if not international brand leader in nursery education for a long time. At Castle Vale, the combination of nursery and children’s centre provides exactly what’s needed for the community – not least the forest school and the chance to grow vegetables, something those children normally would never experience. Finally, it is a short drive from Castle Vale to Minworth Primary (allegedly Birmingham’s last village school at one time?). Thanks to Matt Sadler and the School Council for a fab tour of a growing and improving school. My privilege to eat the first biscuits cooked in the new kids’ kitchen. Yum! We have been working closely with Sue Bainbridge and her staff at Mayfield following a tragic incident that resulted in a student’s death last week. You may have seen coverage in local media. We have expressed our deep condolences to the family and the community. And as you would expect, all at Mayfield have been so professional in everything at such a difficult time. Finally, thanks to the schools that contacted Laura with offers of artwork. We will refurbish the Leader’s office (art studio!) soon. Best wishes Colin

@anfieldexile

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Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS): Service Update The new Children’s Advice Support Service (CASS) was launched at the beginning of September improving access to a wider range of front door services, and offering earlier support from a range of partners. The volume of calls into CASS has been extremely high with over 250 queries each day. Despite taking on new staff, this number of calls has stretched the response time and some DSL’s have reported long call waiting times. The management team within CASS are taking these waiting times very seriously, and want to pass on their apologies for this delay. They are working hard to improve response times and make the service more efficient. We are anticipating the number of calls to reduce, but in the meantime please can you help us to reduce delays by:

• Where you are clear that a specialist service is required please complete the MARF and send it in rather than making a phone referral. The emailed MARFs are closely monitored as soon as they are received and the most urgent receive immediate attention. Send it to [email protected] or [email protected]

• Tell us what has prompted the enquiry and what action you would like us to take

• Ensure you have all the necessary details available

• Let us know if any services are currently involved with the family If you are experiencing severe delays please let Jon Needham know – but remember you have to go through CASS to make a referral or request for service. Jon is only able to collate information about call times and raise those with the management team CONTACT: Jon Needham EMAIL: [email protected]

Checking visitors into your school It is worth clarifying at the beginning of the term the requirements for checking the ID and DBS certificates of professionals from partner agencies coming to work with children at your school, and when these need to be recorded on the single central register. During last term confusion continued to arise that stopped therapeutic intervention and assessment taking place.

• Ideally a visit from an outside agency to work a child should be planned and recorded in the school diary so that office staff are expecting the worker. There will be occasions, particularly with social workers where a visit in unexpected and unplanned.

• It is proper to check the photo ID of the visitor, and they should be willing to show their ID card. If they haven’t got one or are reluctant to show it you have to decide if you let them onto the school site. You may want to put a notice in reception so visiting professionals are aware of the need for photo ID.

• Whilst it is necessary that visitors undertaking regulated activity (generally defined as working directly with children) are required to have a completed Enhanced DBS, the school is not allowed to see the actual certificate, unless the worker chooses to show it to the school. The worker must provide a letter from their line manager, on headed paper, with DBS number and issue/expiry date. There have been cases where professionals have not been allowed into a school unless they have handed over their DBS certificate to the office. This practice should stop. This is because the detail recorded on the certificate of any

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criminal history is between the employee and employer and is not in the domain of the school.

• If the visitor is BCC social worker, family support worker or from BCC Education Services the BCC name badge implies an in-date DBS for that first visit.

• If any visitor is working within the school 3 times within a 30 day period they should be recorded on the single central register, but you only need to record their name, organization, ID check and DBS number/letter from line manager.

• Staff without a DBS clearance should be supervised at all times, and if possible during peak time such as when children are moving between lessons it may be better for visitors to wait in a child free zone. Once again if this visitor is working in the school 3 times in 30 days then they should be entered on the SCR.

This issue is currently being raised with our partner agencies so that they are aware of the requirements places upon schools, and hopefully more workers will carry letters of introduction from their line manager. CONTACT: Jon Needham EMAIL: [email protected]

Proposed Local Transition Plan: September 2016-April 2018 Attached at the end of this Noticeboard is a copy of the Local Transition Plan which has been shared on Birmingham’s Local Offer website. Information contained includes an update about SENAR’s progress against the implementation of transferring Statements of Special Educational Needs and Learning Difficulty Assessment to Education Health and Care Plans in line with the Children and Families Act 2014. It provides a summary of what has been achieved during the last academic year (the 2nd year of a 4 year programme) and gives the proposals/direction to schools for the remainder of the Transfer period September 2016 – April 2018. (final 5 x terms) Main headlines:

• SENAR were successful in transferring LDA’s to EHCP’s within the Governments original timeframe by 31st August 2016

• The DFE is satisfied with the current position of 33% of the Statements having being transferred to EHCP’s (2324)

• There are 4661 Transfers remaining – 1670 (mainstream placements) 2991 (specialist provision) NB Of the 4661 the LA currently maintains, 1889 Transfer Review Meetings have been undertaken and await further processing by the EHC Transfer Team.

• From September 2016 – a further 2772 transfer review meetings are required. CONTACT: Rita Martin, SENAR Transfer Team Manager EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 1888

Private Fostering Please find attached at the end of this Noticeboard a briefing note regarding private fostering. This document explains:

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• What private fostering is

• The duties of the private foster carer

• The responsibilities of parents

• The duties of the local authority

• What other professionals can do to help

Guidance for schools on Autumn 2016 DfE Census Attached at the end of this Noticeboard is a guidance note with information for schools regarding the Autumn 2016 DfE Census. CONTACT: Intelligence, Strategy and Prioritisation EMAIL: r&[email protected] TEL: 0121 675 1757

Procurement Advice Note Please find attached at the end of this Noticeboard a Procurement Advice Note for the attention of all schools. CONTACT: Corporate Procurement EMAIL: [email protected]

School Organisation Consultation Notices

• St Margaret Mary RC Primary School: Proposal to expand a voluntary aided mainstream school by enlargement for September 2017

Birmingham City Council as the Local Authority and with full collaboration of the Governing Body is consulting on the following proposal: Expand St Margaret Mary RC Primary School by 15 places per year group, taking the school from 30 places to 45 places per year from 1st September 2017. St Margaret Mary RC Primary School is a voluntary aided primary school located on Perry Common Road, within the Kingstanding ward of the Erdington district of the City. We are keen to receive your comments on the proposal; and you can comment online here until 20 October 2016. Shortcut to webpage: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/stmargaretmary

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• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School: Proposal to expand a voluntary aided mainstream school by enlargement for September 2017

Birmingham City Council as the Local Authority and with full collaboration of the Governing Body is consulting on the following proposal: Expand St Thomas More Catholic Primary School by 15 places per year group, taking the school from 45 places to 60 places per year from 1st September 2017 St Thomas More Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided primary school located on Horse Shoes Lane, within the Sheldon ward of the Yardley district of the City. We are keen to receive your comments on the proposal; and you can comment online here until 20 October 2016. Shortcut to webpage: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/stthomasmore

• Harper Bell Seventh-Day Adventist School: Proposal to alter the lower age range to remove the nursery provision

Birmingham City Council as the Local Authority, in full collaboration with the Interim Executive Board at Harper Bell Seventh-Day Adventist School, is consulting on the following proposal: To close the nursery provision at the school by proposing to change the age range of the school. It is proposed that these changes come into effect from 31st December 2016. Harper Bell Seventh-Day Adventist School is a voluntary aided school located in the Nechells ward of the Ladywood district. The school caters for pupils aged 3 to 11. The school was established as a one form entry voluntary aided primary school. This means that each year group has one class of up to 30 places in each. The school became a maintained school as of 1st September 2011, prior to which it operated as an independent school. The school is the only school within the authority providing Seventh-Day Adventist faith provision. We are keen to receive your comments on the proposal; and you can comment online here until 14th October 2016 Shortcut to webpage: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/harperbell

CONTACT: Education and Skills Infrastructure EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 8847

Birmingham Virtual School update The Birmingham Virtual School is the service that oversees and supports our Looked After Children. The Virtual School has enhanced its working partnerships with schools through developing its information and data systems.

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1. The electronic personal education plan (e-PEP) is a system that has had a major impact on raising the quality and awareness for all stakeholders. The Designated Teachers in all schools have been offered initial training, with further development available. Please contact Andy Wright on [email protected] for further information on this.

2. The role of the Safeguarding Governor has also been enhanced to integrate responsibility

for overseeing the provision for Looked After Children. The Head Teacher is also requested to ensure that the Looked After Children section in the Annual Report is forwarded, annually, to the Virtual School. This should be forwarded to: [email protected]

The Virtual school has introduced many new developments over the last academic year and is keen to link directly with more schools as part of its Learning Links programme:

1. Curriculum links – This is a programme to develop after-school learning experiences that targets Children in Care to participate alongside their peers in an educational activity not normally available at the school. The Virtual Schools is looking for a small number of both Primary and Secondary schools to host this funded initiative.

2. Arts Link – The Virtual School is working with one of its Reward Partners, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, to provide arts programmes at Key Stage Two and Three .

Please contact Andy Wright on [email protected] for further information. The Virtual School has also introduced the going For Success programme of events. These are targeted at Looked After Children including:

1. Rewards Events – Celebration events for looked after children, their Carers, social workers and teachers. (a) Primary Age – Saturday 19th November at John Willmott School

(Nomination forms currently issued) (b) Key Stage Three – Spring Term (c) Key Stage Four, Five and Care Leavers – Summer term

2. Careers Events – Three events over the year (one per term) where looked after children have an immersive, interactive experience by professionals from employment sectors. The first for this year is at Aston University on Thursday 3rd November.

FFT Aspire If you subscribe to FFT Aspire, please make sure you have access to the system and have logged in successfully at least once since April before committing to any training or consultancy that involves Aspire. This particularly applies to schools that missed the original sign up period in the spring and subscribed at a later date. Changes in the subscription process with FFT this year mean we are unable to set up new schools, reactivate dormant accounts or resolve some subscription issues at short notice. If you require any further information please email [email protected]

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Careers and Apprenticeship Event: Saturday 24 September 2016 There is a Careers and Apprenticeship event being held this Saturday 24 September 2016 for all young people in Years 11, 12 and 13 The event is taking place at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG between 10am and 5pm. More information can be found in the flyer attached to the end of this Noticeboard.

Link2ICT School Newsletter: September 2016 Here is your latest issue of the Link2ICT School Newsletter. In this edition, we look at internet safety for mobile devices, focus the spotlight on Sundridge Primary School and how they are enhancing their curriculum with BGfL 365, invite you to the Making an ImpaCT event on 10 October along with highlighting other upcoming events, bring you information on TheSchoolBus and SchooliP, and much more, not forgetting those all-important dates for your diary. We hope you find this newsletter of interest. If you do, pass it on to your colleagues in school. Our aim is to keep you up to date with new developments and to help you get the most from the services we provide. CONTACT: Link2ICT EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 5100

Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP): Train the Trainer Opportunity This two hour session will enable the Designated Safeguarding Lead in school to become a Home Office accredited WRAP Trainer. Schools will then retain the resource in-house and disseminate to staff and governors at your own convenience. Birmingham City Council will then continually update the DSL with information and resources relating to the Prevent Duty and safeguarding. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2016:57 ‘Individual schools are best placed to assess the training needs of staff in the light of their assessment of the risk to pupils at the school of being drawn into terrorism. As a minimum, however, schools should ensure that the designated safeguarding lead undertakes Prevent awareness training and is able to provide advice and support to other members of staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation.’ This training will take place on 3rd October 2016 -10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 15.00 18th October 2016- 10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 15.00 11th November 2016- 10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 15.00

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6th December 2016- 10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 15.00 Details and booking at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--birmingham/workshop-to-raise-awareness-of-prevent/?mode=search . Search for ‘Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent’ Whilst there is no charge for the training, there is a minimum expectation that the DSL will disseminate within their own school and will evaluate and feedback on any training delivered. This training is only available to Birmingham schools. CONTACT: Razia Butt TEL: 0121 464 7739 EMAIL: [email protected]

Schools Financial Services Budget Management Training Schools Financial Services are once again offering the Budget Management Training Course to school based staff. This course receives very positive feedback from its participants and may be suitable if:

• You are a new Head Teacher or aspiring to become a Head Teacher

• Your role includes the analysis of school resources

• You are responsible for budget planning and the management of the budget

• Budget monitoring is an area that is a major part of your brief

• You are part of the NPQH programme or are a keen Deputy Head Teacher

• You are a newly appointed Finance Officer, Bursar or School Business Manager

• You are a school based member of staff in need of some refresher training

• You are just interested in school finance The training is specifically tailored for Birmingham schools and will cover:

• Introduction to Fair Funding and School Finances

• Budget Planning

• Budget Monitoring and Financial Management including the role of the Governing Body, Value for Money, Schools Financial Value Standard and Financial Regulations and Procedures

Experienced staff from Schools Financial Services deliver this training in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where all questions are welcomed. Places are available on the following dates at a cost of £495 per delegate: 17th & 18th November 2016 Hollyfield Centre, Woodacre Road, Erdington, Birmingham. B24 0JT or 8th & 9th December 2016 Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham. B12 9QH

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For further information or to book a place on one of the courses, please contact Pat Wilson on 0121 675 9857 or [email protected]

Understanding and supporting children & young people with Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome: some guidelines for good practice

A seminar for Strategic Leads (AET Level/Tier 3 trained )and Lead Practitioners (AET level/Tier 2 trained). It is an opportunity to receive information about the latest autism developments and to network with colleagues from other settings.

Outcomes

• to gain a clearer understanding of PDA and its relationship to Autism

• to gain an overview of strategies and approaches that have been reported to be helpful in the education of children with PDA

• to consider issues in applying these strategies to pupils in your setting Dates: 11th October at Hollyfields, Woodacre Road, Erdington, B24 0JT

13th October at The Hub Hazelwell, 318 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, B14 7NH Cost: £35 Time: 9.00 – 12.00 Book your place(s) via http://accesstoeducation.birmingham.gov.uk

Braidwood School for the Deaf – British Sign Language Classes We have been successfully delivering British Sign Language classes in the community for the last nine years and are running courses from September 2016. Assessments taken during the course will lead to Signature qualifications. Level One in British Sign Language (Monday 6.00pm-8.00pm) – starting 19th Sept Level Two in British Sign Language (Tuesday 6.00pm-8.30pm) – starting 20th Sept Both courses last one year and classes are held during term time only. Fees: BSL Level 1 - £285 to include 3 assessment fees BSL Level 2 - £460 to include 3 assessment fees Instalment options are available (additional admin fee applies) CONTACT: Claire Goodwin, Braidwood School for the Deaf, Bromford Road B36 8AF EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 464 5558

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Keeping children safe in education Now more than ever, the internet will play a powerful role in teaching and learning, and while this can offer limitless advantages and benefits, it can also bring risks. New DfE guidelines highlight the risks of cyber bullying, pornography and radicalisation, and the need for schools and colleges to have the appropriate measures in place to address the problem. Link2ICT can help to address specific guidelines that schools are legally advised to follow. Click here to find out more. CONTACT: Link2ICT EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 5100

Bookstart Treasure Packs for Schools with Nursery Settings The consultation 'Bookstart order form for 'EYC settings/Nurseries' is now open. Treasure Packs are for children aged 3-4yrs, and are free

• If your school has a nursery setting attached to it – you need to order o The number of Treasure Packs you need, plus: o BookTouch - children with visual impairments o BookShine - children with hearing impairments o Dual language books

You can view this consultation at https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/place/aed05bea/consult_view Closing date for orders will be 16th December 2016 (end of term) In the instance of change of job role, please ensure that Bookstart is passed on to a member of your current team so that you don’t miss ordering. CONTACT: Linda Monk, Strategic Library Services EMAIL: [email protected]

Quality First Teaching In Reading Do you want to instil a love of reading for every child in your class? Are you confident that every child in your class has access to a broad reading curriculum that fosters an enjoyment and appreciation of the spoken and written word? Would you welcome a treasure trove of reading riches to support the delivery of quality first teaching in order to raise standards and maximise the progress of pupils? Aim: To provide a variety of approaches and strategies to take back to the classroom to enhance the teaching of reading.

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By the end of the course participants will have:

• a clear understanding of the expectations from the Teachers’ Standards and Ofsted with regards to reading

• ideas and guidance around creating a learning environment that promotes reading for enjoyment and enrichment of all learning

Date: 27th September 2016 Time: 9.00am-4.00pm Venue: Warwick House, Edward St, B1 2RX Cost: £245 Click here to book. CONTACT: Andrew Cooper, Services for Education EMAIL: [email protected]

Investors in Pupils Investors in Pupils (IIP) is a national quality mark designed to increase pupils’ understanding of how their school runs and how each member of the school community contributes to their learning. It offers a framework for schools to work towards assessment and gain a nationally recognised quality mark with plaque. The 5 key areas: LEARNING, BEHAVIOUR, ATTENDANCE (including punctuality), CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT and INDUCTION. Within these, IIP focuses on and supports current agendas such as:

• personalisation

• attendance and punctuality

• pupil voice

• children’s rights (UNCRC)

• finance education

• democracy in action IIP has proven impact on attendance and behaviour and has run in over 180 schools nationwide. It is not about creating a portfolio or completing a ticklist exercise but rather is evidenced through real life impact in school. Your assessor will observe processes and tour your school, guided by pupils who can point out and talk about displays and systems in school in which they have been involved. Your assessor will also talk to staff, pupils, governors and parents to ensure that understanding of the award is grown for all members of the school community. It is envisaged that it will take around one year to complete and achieve your Investors In Pupils accreditation, which is valid for 3 years. Come to our free Investors in Pupils launch to find out more at Ladypool Primary, the first Birmingham school to gain IIP! Click here for details and to book a place. CONTACT: Helen Grundy EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 366 9946 / 07825 155830

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Fareshare and schools’ breakfast clubs/after school clubs

The Health Education Service (part of Services of Education) have worked with Fareshare. They are a national charity with a depot in Birmingham. They redistribute unwanted (but in date) food from food distribution centres and supermarkets and send it to charities and community groups. The food they redistribute is fresh, quality and in-date surplus from the food industry. They work with nearly 2,500 charities and community groups from homeless hostels, day centres for older people to women’s refuges and children’s breakfast clubs. Could your school or children’s centre also put good food to good use? If you want a regular delivery of food to your school for use in breakfast clubs/ after school clube the best way is to become a FareShare member. You complete a ‘wish list’ saying what foods you want and what you don’t want and they will deliver to your school for a small fee. Some Birmingham schools already use Fareshare for the food for their breakfast clubs. For more information please contact Eli Ishii at Fareshare on [email protected] or look on their website at www.fareshare.org.uk

Professional Group Supervision Session for DSLs managing casework related to Extremism and Radicalisation Research indicates that group supervision has a positive impact at an individual and group level; allowing group members to learn from others, share experiences, gain strategies. It has also been shown to have an overall result of enhancing group members own mental well-being and ability to identify, understand and find solutions within their everyday practice and casework (Bartle and Trevis, 2014; Jones et al., 2013; Hulusi & Maggs, 2015). Birmingham Educational Psychology Service is offering professional group supervision sessions for DSLs with a particular focus on casework related to extremism and radicalisation. The sessions will be facilitated by an Educational Psychologist who has specific knowledge and expertise in the field of prejudice formation and extremism. The aim of the sessions is to provide DSLs with protected time and a safe place to explore and reflect on casework using a range of supervision models. There will be eight sessions held across the academic year each lasting approximately 2.5 hours with places for up to 8 group members. Session dates (all sessions will run from 13:00 – 15:30):

• Foundation Stage and Primary DSLs: Wed 2nd Nov 2016, Mon 5th Dec 2016, Wed 25th Jan 2017, Thurs 16th Feb 2017, Tues 14th March 2017, Wed 5th April 2017, Tues 16th May 2017 and Wed 21st June 2017.

• Secondary DSLs: Thurs 3rd Nov 2016, Thurs 8th Dec 2016, Thurs 26th Jan 2017, Tues 14th Feb 2017, Thurs 16th March 2017, Tues 4th April 2017, Thurs 18th May 2017 and Tues 20th June 2017.

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Cost: £270 for eight sessions Venue: Vauxhall Gardens, Barrack Street, B7 4H CONTACT: Dr Louisa Jones EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 8288

Free Half Day Information Event: Introducing Restorative Approaches in Primary Schools This event is for senior leaders who want to learn more about a ‘Restorative Approach’ and how it could be implemented within a school setting. This event is co-hosted by Bells Farm Primary and Peacemakers. A restorative approach offers schools an alternative way of addressing discipline and behavioural issues. It promotes a shift in culture and focuses on the things we say and do that can help to build, maintain and repair relationships. The aim is to create a more peaceful school community that helps teaching and learning. We will share our experiences of supporting Birmingham schools to:

• Build healthy relationships to enhance the teaching and learning experience

• Promote skills in resolving conflict in both children and adults

• Develop emotional intelligences in both adults and children in schools

• Foster a preparedness for future life

• Improve behaviour and safety by training people in restorative practices We recommend that two representatives from the school’s senior team attend. There will be limited spaces to enable a quality experience. Details Monday 14 November 2016, 1-4pm The Priory Rooms, Bull Street, B4 6AF Cost: Free To book please return the booking form available from this link (http://www.peacemakers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Restorative_Approaches_Event_14_Nov.pdf). CONTACT: Anna Gregory EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 236 4796

Life Education ‘Help Harold’ Fundraising campaign Life Education work with over 200 schools and 45,000 Birmingham children each year. We are calling all schools, pupils and staff to help support Life Education West Midlands’ ‘Help Harold’ campaign to get Harold the Giraffe a new home.

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Our mobile classroom is entering its 15th year, and whilst being completely safe and fully maintained every year, it is in need of replacement after being visited by 225,000 children. It is Harold the Giraffe’s main residence and we are really hoping that all of the pupils will want to become a ‘Harold Helper’ to help raise the total of £70,000 needed to purchase a new mobile classroom. If every child we visit raised £1, we would have over half the cost and with a commitment of £2 from each child we would surpass our target. Watch the ‘Help Harold’ film at www.lecwm.org.uk and see first-hand the children’s and teachers’ emotional and heart-felt belief in Harold and the work of Life Education. We would really value your support and investment of time in our fundraising campaign and hope the pupils at your school want to get involved. Please call Simone Bassi on 0121 675 6391 or [email protected] if you wish to sign up and discuss your campaign ideas or ask any questions.

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Proposed Local Transition Plan: September 2016 –

April 2018 Update September 2016

Transferring Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) to

Education Health & Care Plans.

Please note consultation will take place with regard to this proposed plan during the 2016 Autumn Term and the content may therefore be subject to change.

1. Introduction

The Local Transition Plan reports on progress against the implementation of transferring Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) to Education Health and Care Plans in line with the Children and Families Act 2014. The Government has given Local Authorities (LAs) a 3.5 year timeframe (September 2014 – April 2018) to complete this work. This update supersedes the previous edition of the Local Transition Plan that was last published in February 2016. Below outlines both a summary of what has been achieved during September 2015 to August 2016 and the proposals for the remainder of the transfer period September 2016 – April 2018. 2. Transfer Process

The Local Authority is required to implement the transfer process as follows:

• all children and young people with Statements of SEN must be transferred to the new system by 1 April 2018 where appropriate;

• all young people in further education and training with an LDA, which is called a Learning Support Plan in Birmingham, must be transferred by 1st September 2016, if they are continuing in further education or training beyond September 2016

• local authorities must transfer a child or young person from a Statement of SEN to EHC Plan via a ‘transfer review’ that involves:

– an EHC assessment under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014;

– determining appropriate outcomes and identifying provision required to achieve them

– replacing the annual review or another significant review of their Statement of SEN with a transfer EHC meeting;

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

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• Priority for transfer is given to those transferring at key transition points in their education.

• Additional funding has been provided to local authorities to facilitate the transfer of children and young people to the new system.

3. Number of Children and Young People with Statements of SEN and LDAs As of 1st September 2016 the Local Authority maintains:

• 0 young peoples’ LDAs and

• 4661 children and young peoples’ Statements of SEN.

− 1670 of whom are in mainstream placements, including independent, alternative providers and early years: and

− 2991 of whom are in specialist provision The Local Authority has 27 special schools and a range of specialist resource bases in mainstream schools and recognises that the impact of the transition process is greater in the special school and resource base sector, because of the higher concentration of children and young people with Statements of SEN. The Local Authority has now completed the transfer of LDAs to Education Health and Care Plans. Further detail is provided in section 8. The Local Authority has transferred 2424 Statements of SEN to Education Health and Care Plans which is 33% of the total amount requiring transfer in Birmingham. 4. Consultation and Development of the Transfer Process. The Local Authority recognises that the transfer process has evolved and has been adapted and adjusted as lessons have been learned during the period of implementation. It remains necessary for the Local Authority to continue to consult with stakeholders on any changes to the Local Transition Plan. Consultations will take place during the Autumn Term with regard to this proposed Transition plan with various stakeholders and may therefore be subject to change.

5. Progress against the Transition Plan published in September 2015

Whilst there has been a significant increase in the amount of plans that the Local

Authority has now finalised it is recognised that the task of transferring Statements

of SEN to Education Health and Care Plans remains challenging. The LA has

prioritised completion of transfers in line with DfE guidance that stipulates particular

cohorts of children and young people that must be transferred within a specified

academic year. These are known as statutory requirements. The DfE guidance

can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/4633

20/Transition_Dept_advice_sept15.pdf

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 3 of 8

The current status of transfers is shown in table one (page 3).

The Local Authority has recruited an EHC Transfer team to support completion of

the activity. 16 officers led by a part-time team manager are now in place.

Schools, educational settings and other partners such as health services play a

significant part in the Local Authority’s transfer arrangements. Of the 4661

Statements of SEN that the LA currently maintains, 1889 transfer review meetings

have been undertaken and await further processing by the EHC team. From

September 2016 therefore a further 2772 transfer review meetings are required.

Table 1: Current status of Transfers for cohorts identified in the September

2015 Local Transition Plan.

Cohort Status

To process the statutory transfer reviews received during

2014/15 (children or young people moving from school

including school sixth form to a post-16 institution or

apprenticeship)

Completed

To process statutory transfer reviews received during

15/16 (relating to children in nursery (n), years 2, 6, 9,

where children are moving setting in years 11, 12, 13 and

14 those leaving youth custody and those moving

between mainstream and special).

Year N - Completed

Year 2 – Completed

Year 6 – Completed

Year 9 – Ongoing

Years 11, 12, 13 and 14

– Completed where

children are moving

setting.

Youth Custody –

Ongoing.

Movement between

mainstream and special

settings – Ongoing.

To process non-statutory transfer review documents

received.

Ongoing

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 4 of 8

6. Current Position and updated Plan for 2016/17

The position moving forward will be as follows:

• To process the outstanding non-statutory transfer reviews documents received

during 14/15 in line with new evidence submitted during the 15/16 annual

review.

• To process the outstanding statutory transfer reviews received during the 15/16

academic year.

• To process the statutory reviews received during the 16/17 academic year.

In order to meet the requirements for transferring statements to EHC plans the

Local Authority will need to put in place arrangements to ensure an even spread of

transfers to EHC plans throughout the 2016/17 and 17/18 academic years and this

will enable the Local Authority to meet its statutory deadlines in relation to phase

transfers. The EHC transfer review meeting will replace the annual review of

statement meetings scheduled for the academic year. The EHC transfer Review

meetings will be arranged as shown in table 2 (page 5).

7. Year 11, 12, 13 or 14’s with a Statement of SEN going into further

education

The Transition Guidance states that young people transferring and moving from their secondary school to further education on 1 September 2015 must have their EHC transfer review completed before 31 March 2015.

As part of the transfer process the parent or the young person had the right to request a particular institution. In the Autumn Term 2015 a Post 16 Transition Booklet 2016 was sent to parents providing information and guidance on the post 16 transfer process. A preference form was devised to enable parents/young people to express a preference for a post 16 setting. The Local Authority undertook to consult with the institution by sending out a copy of the draft EHC Plan ensuring the wishes of the parent or young person would be met, unless the institution was deemed to be unsuitable for young person or their attendance would have be incompatible with the efficient education of others or the efficient use of resources. The process for this age group is currently under review following a significant increase in applications for Independent (Private) Specialist Provisions and those out of Borough. New guidance aimed at students with complex needs and those requesting an Independent Specialist College will be issued. We want to ensure that the very best outcomes can be achieved in settings that enable young people to stay within their own communities as far as possible. This is likely to see the development of 5 day packages of provision and support in local settings. Post 16/19 Transition guidance for September 2017 will be sent out to all young people due to leave their school/ current setting during the 2016 Autumn Term.

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 5 of 8

Table 2: Children and young people with a Statement of SEN that require EHC

Transfer Reviews to be completed between 01/09/2016 – 31/03/18

Pupils that will require EHC Transfer Reviews to be completed from 01/09/2016 – 31/04/2018

Pupils/Young People at 1st September 2016 to be transferred to EHC Plan

School Year Groups

Term for EHC Review meeting will need to be completed

Legal Deadline for LA to finalise and issue EHC Plan by

Number of children/young people

KS0 Pre Nursery Years Early Years Autumn Term 2016 15 February 2017

6

KS1 6-7years old. Infants Year 2 Autumn Term 2016 15 February 2017 for those moving schools

306

KS2 9-10 years old. Juniors (locally agreed to support secondary transfer)

Year 5 Autumn 2016/

Spring Term 2017 20 weeks from start of the

process

434

KS2 10-11 years old Juniors (all other children in Year 6 with a statement including those not moving)

Year 6 Autumn Term 2016 15 February 2017

For those moving schools

464

KS3 13–14 years old secondary

Year 9 Summer Term 2016 20 weeks from the start of

the process

568

In years 11, 12 ,13 and 14, transfers from school (including school sixth forms) to a post 16 institution or apprenticeship

Year11/12/13/14 Autumn Term 2016 31 March 2017

500 approx*

KS5 18-19 years old 6th Form

Year 14 Autumn Term 2016 31 March 2017

32

In any year moving from mainstream to special school or vice versa will require EHC transfer review meeting to EHC plan.

Any year Term 2016/17/18 in which

EHC Transfer Review meeting held.

20 weeks from start of the process

As required.

Leaving Youth Custody Year 13 and

under On release

20 weeks from start of the process.

As required

All others with statements of SEN who do not fall into the above categories

Any other year Not appropriate To be completed by 31

st

April 2018.

462* approx

A further review will be completed by 31st August 2017 to determine a timetable leading up

to 31st Match 2018 as required.

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 6 of 8

8. Young People with LDAs In relation to LDAs, the Local Authority has met its duty to transfer all those required by the 31st August 2016. During the transfer process 748 students were identified as having an LDA. All those young people received information and advice about the transfer process. Of the original 748 students identified not all were high needs students or planning to remain in further education on 1st September 2016 and would not, therefore require a transfer. The majority of Further Education courses are 2 years in duration. Consequently most students with an LDA at the start of September 2014 would have received the support this offered and did not require a transfer to an EHC Plan. This would reasonably account for the lower numbers of transfers that ultimately took place. The total number of completed LDAs transfers as of 31/8/16 is 257. The majority of

LDA’s that have been transferred are for the high needs students as identified by

the colleges, with only a small number of transfers being parental/student requests.

All post 19 students in Birmingham in receipt of high need funding now have an

Educational, Health and Care Plan.

From 1st September young people and or their families will be able to request

support via a new EHC assessment where this is deemed to be appropriate based

on evidence provided. Further information about how to make a request for an

assessment can be found at:

https://childrens.mycareinbirmingham.org.uk/local-offer-main-page/assessment-of-

needs/assessment-and-education-health-care-plan/education,-health-and-care-

plans.aspx

9. Details of the Transfer Review Process for Statements of SEN

The Local Authority is not planning to make substantial changes to the way in which transfers will be completed during the 16/17 or 17/18 academic years. Relevant information about the Transfer Process for Schools, Colleges, Parents and Young People can be found at: https://childrens.mycareinbirmingham.org.uk/local-offer-main-page/assessment-of-needs/assessment-and-education-health-care-plan/transferring-from-a-statement-or-lda-to-an-education,-health-and-care-plan.aspx

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 7 of 8

Schools, educational settings and other partners such as health services play a

significant part in the Local Authority’s transfer arrangements. The timetable can

only be achieved in partnership and the Local Authority appreciates the significant

contribution that all educational settings, parents and young people have made in

the process.

The EHC Transfer Review meeting will replace the annual review meeting for children and young people in the year that they are being transferred to the new SEN system. As there is only 1 full academic year remaining within the Government’s timeline for

transfers, and because reviews are required to take place on an annual basis, the

Local Authority will accept transfer reviews outside of those listed in table 2.

Settings may therefore feel it is appropriate to undertake a transfer review (instead

of an annual review) for any child who currently has a statement of SEN during

16/17. Where settings do not undertake a transfer review an annual review of a

statement of SEN must take place within 12 months of the last review and be sent

to the authority.

The Local Authority would also like to note that a number of children and young people in mainstream provisions with a Statement of SEN do not receive high need funding. The LA would like to work with schools to review these cases (on a case by case basis) during their transfer reviews to assess if an EHCP Transfer is required. It may well be that in a proportion of cases that the child/young person’s support needs can be met within the education providers own resources, whilst support for the learner would remain unchanged. In these cases the child or young person would receive an SEN Support Plan that the school/college would maintain.

10. Information for parents, carers, children and young people Information for parents, carers, children and young people will be available from the Local Authority and schools, as well as via the Local Offer webpage. Schools and Local Authority officers will liaise closely with parents and carers in explaining the process and the purpose of the transfer review meeting, providing them with contact telephone numbers and advice on how to access further information. Parents will be given an opportunity to provide feedback by contributing to the online survey and through discussion at the review meeting. NB In addition a duty line managed on a daily basis by the Transfer Officers is now in operation for Parents/Learners’ enquiries around the Transfer process. 11. Guidance and Training for Schools and Institutions The Local Authority continues to offer guidance, training and workshops to support the transfer of children and young people with Statements of SEN to the new system. Regular updates and guidance on the process is provided through the SENCO Networks termly meetings and by use of the LA noticeboard to share information. Additional training events will be held for Post 16 Providers regarding the new policy and process of transfer as noted above.

Birmingham City Council:

Local Transition Plan: Transferring Statements of SEN & LDAs to EHC Plans

Page 8 of 8

Schools and institutions are asked to feedback on their experience of the process, so that their comments can be used to review and refine the process. 12. Impartial Information and Advice Birmingham SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Disability Information Advice and Support Service) offers impartial advice on a range of special educational needs issues including sources of independent parental support services. Please contact http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/sendiass or telephone number: 0121 303 5004

The following are two national organisations that offer a range of support, resources and advice on the new Special Educational Needs framework:

The Council for Disabled Children - www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk

Independent Parental Special Education Advice - www.ipsea,org.ik

A full list of organisations offering advice and support is available on the Local Offer website at: mycareinbirmingham.org.uk 13. Local Authority Contacts Parents, carers and young people will be able to obtain answers to their specific questions about the transfer process from:

• the Principal Officer in the Local Authority’s Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review Service (SENAR) assigned to them; and

• the Lead Professional that they can nominate to work with them during the process

• The Transfer Officer assigned to write the EHCP (Transfer Team Duty line – 0121 6751700/ 0121 6750711)

The SENAR and the Special Educational Needs Disability Information and Advice and Support Service will also offer general advice on the process.

Contact Details: Telephone Number: 0121 303 1888 or [email protected] 14. Review of the Local Transition Plan The Local Authority will publish a review of the Plan on 31st August 2017, as well as continuing to monitor progress during the year.

Private Fosteringin BirminghamInformation for professionals

IntroductionThere are 1,500 children and young people reported as beingcared for and accommodated in private fostering arrangementsin England (at 31 March 2015). Private fostering is where parentsmake arrangements with someone outside of their close family tolook after their child for them for 28 days or longer. No-oneknows the actual numbers of children being looked after in thisway but estimates range from 7,000 to 10,000 children or more.

Many private fostering arrangements remain hidden as privatefoster children have been identified as a potentially vulnerablegroup.

Many professionals who work with children and young people inthe city will come across private fostering situations. Privatefoster carers and the parents of private foster children, have alegal duty to notify the local authority about these arrangements,but this duty is not widely known, and they are rarely reported.

It is vital that children’s social care is made aware of sucharrangements so that they can safeguard the welfare ofpotentially vulnerable children. Here is what you need to know.

What is private fostering?Private fostering is an arrangement by which a child under 16 (orunder 18 if disabled):

• does not live with a parent (or step parent),

• is cared for by an adult who is not a close relative (in thiscontext a close relative is a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle,aunt, including both full and half relations and relations bymarriage),

• is in a private arrangement made by the parent and the carer,

• is being cared for by a carer in a different home which lasts, oris intended to last, for a continuous period of 28 days ormore.

Some examples of private fostering include:

• A teenager moves in with a friend’s family because of abreakdown in relationships at home, or parents move out ofthe area.

• A child is left with the unmarried partner of his/her parentbecause of the imprisonment of the parent.

• Host families looking after children at language schools orboarding schools during the summer holidays, where this islonger than 28 days.

What are the duties of a private foster carer?Private foster carers must:

• Notify the local authority of their intention to foster a child atleast 6 weeks in advance or, if arrangements are made in anemergency, within 48 hours.

• Notify the local authority of any change in their address, andof any person who moves into or out of the household.

• Notify the local authority within 48 hours when the childleaves their care, giving the name and address of the personinto whose care the child was moved.

What is the responsibility of the parents?• The parents must notify the local authority of the proposed

private fostering arrangement at least 6 weeks in advance or,if arrangements are made in an emergency, within 48 hours.

• The parents retain parental responsibility for the child, so theymust ensure that the arrangement is suitable for the child, andthat the carer has all the information they need to care for thechild.

What are the duties of the local authority?The local authority must:

• Assess the suitability of the arrangement.

• Visit the child every 6 weeks in the first year and every 12 weeks for the following years to ensure arrangementscontinue to be suitable for the child.

• Provide advice to the carer and child.

What can other professionals do to help?Education, health and social care professionals are often the firstto become aware of private fostering arrangements. If you knowor suspect that a child is being privately fostered, you shouldnotify Children’s Services and inform the carer or parent of thereferral.

If you have any concerns about a child’s welfare, you shouldnotify the local children’s social care immediately. All enquiriesand referrals are to be made to MASH team on 0121 303 1888.

If you would like a copy of this booklet in another language, inlarge print, in Braille or on audio tape or CD, please phone 0121 303 8826 or [email protected]

Statutory AUTUMN 2016 DFE School Census – Important Information

Key dates: Census date: 6 October 2016 Return date : 10 October 2016

FAO Head Teacher / School Census Contact

Every school in England has a statutory duty to complete the census each term.

Please find below a link to the DFE Census Guide in preparation for the School census.

Section 3.1 details all of the school and pupil data items collected for each phase for each termly census.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-census-2016-to-2017-guide-for-schools-and-las

The main changes from 2015 to 2016 school census specifications are below Please see DFE Census guide for further information on each data item including those used for funding purposes.

New data items (a) Proficiency in English [ALL schools] Please see paragraph 5.3.3 of the DFE guide for full details. Following an initial collection during the autumn 2016 school census, the collection of proficiency in English will move

to an annual collection from the spring 2017 census onwards.

Proficiency in English is required for all pupils’ recorded on roll where BOTH of the following conditions apply :

• Language has been recorded as anything other than ‘English’ or ‘Believed to be English’ in that census (ie <Language> is NOT equal to ‘ENG’ or ‘ENB’)

AND

• The actual national curriculum year group recorded is reception or above (or the pupil is aged 4 and above as at 31 August 2016 where national curriculum does not apply)

(b) Country of birth [ALL schools] See paragraph 5.3.4 of the DFE guide for full details. Country of birth is collected for all pupils and records the country in which the pupil was born as stated by the parent / guardian and / or child (in the case of a child without a parent / guardian). The country of birth would be expected to appear on – or be derived from – the child’s birth certificate or passport. However, there is no requirement for the school to request, or see, a copy of the birth certificate or passport. (c) Pupil nationality [ALL schools] Please see paragraph 5.3.5 for full details. Pupil nationality is collected for all pupils and relates to the nationality of the pupil as stated by the parent / guardian and / or child (in the case of a child without a parent / guardian). Pupil nationality would be expected to appear on – or be derived from – the passport or European economic area (EEA) identity card. However, there is no requirement for the school to request, or see, a copy of the passport or identity card. For pupils with ‘Multiple Nationality’ (also known as ‘Dual Nationality’) more than one nationality may be

recorded.

(d) Traineeships [For: Secondary, all-through and PRU with appropriate age range] This new data item adds an indicator to each of the pupil’s learning aims. The indicator shows where the individual learning aim contributes towards a traineeship and will be used to inform participation levels and allow the department to understand and monitor what is being delivered to young people as part of traineeships..see paragraph 5.10.16 of the DFE guide for full details

(e) Unique property reference number [ALL schools] Voluntary for 2016/17 This new data item is added to the home information address module and allows the unique property reference number (UPRN) to be returned where this is populated within school systems, see paragraph 5.7.2 for full details.

Existing data items (a) Admissions appeals The structure of the admissions appeals module has been amended to separately record primary admissions appeals (paragraph 4.4) and secondary admissions appeals (paragraph 4.5). Infant admissions appeals have not been altered. (b) Ethnicity Ethnicity has been expanded to include nursery schools so now applies to all schools. The age restriction which previously limited this item to those pupils aged 5 or over has also been removed. As such, this item now applies to all schools and all pupils. (c) Language code Language code has been expanded to include nursery schools so now applies to all schools. The age restriction which previously limited this item to those pupils aged 5 or over has also been removed. As such, this item now applies to all schools and all pupils. (d) Adopted from care The ‘adopted from care’ name for this data item does not provide an accurate description of the data which is expected to be recorded within it. This data item is intended to record 4 variants of children ceasing to be looked after (3 of which do not relate to adoption) and therefore avoid confusion the name of this data item has been changed from ‘Adopted from Care’ to ‘Post looked after arrangements’. (e) Termly attendance To align the attendance reporting arrangements for special schools with the requirements for all other school types, special schools will move to reporting attendance on a termly basis from spring 2017. Special schools will continue to report annual attendance for the 2015 to 2016 academic year via the 2016 autumn census before moving to a termly collection for the 2016 to 2017 academic year with the first termly return being made in spring 2017 (relating to attendance during the 2016 to 2017 autumn term). (f) National curriculum year groups To provide flexibility and to allow school MI systems to record very young children, the dfe has introduced two additional year groups to the national curriculum year group codeset: ‘E1’ for children aged 0 – 1 ‘E2’ for children aged 1 – 2 [followed by, as usual, ‘N1’ (2-3) and ‘N2’ (3-4)] Please note that the introduction of these additional year groups does not extend the scope of who should be recorded in the school census and this remains children on the school’s admission register receiving education. See paragraph 5.4.7 for full details. (g) QAN and ‘Discount Code’ Recent changes to the way accreditation is recorded has meant that the ‘Qualification Accreditation Number’ (QAN) has been renamed as ‘Qualification Number’ (QN). Similarly, the ‘Discount Code’ has been renamed ‘Subject Classification Code’. (h) Funded hours As pupils aged 4 in Reception are funded as 1 full time equivalent regardless of their funded hours, there is no requirement to collect funded hours for this subset of pupils. Funded hours will only be required for all pupils aged 2, 3 and 4 in ‘nursery schools’ and for pupils aged 2, 3 and 4 in year group E1, E2, N1 and N2 and any pupils aged 3 and under in year group Reception; please note this subset of pupils attract a maximum free entitlement of 15 hours a week. Please see section 5.3.11 Funded hours for further guidance.

(i) Unique learner numbers (ULNs) These are mandatory for all pupils aged 14 and above on census day. All schools must be registered with the Learning Records Service (LRS) in order to obtain ULNs. If you need support with registering, managing returned files or exceptions then contact the Learning Records Service helpdesk via telephone 0845 602 2589 or email [email protected] Please note that the LRS is not able to provide support for CTF and S2S queries.

Removal of data items (a) School location module The departments EduBase system records the school’s full address details and, with the introduction of 60 day reminder action within secure access / EduBase; the information collected / held on EduBase provides the department with more timely information that that received via the termly school census. As such, the collection of this data has been discontinued in the school census. Schools may wish to continue to maintain this address information within their MI systems. (b) In care indicator for exclusions The in care indicator was removed from the school census for pupils on roll a number of years ago as it was believed that the SSDA903 return from local authorities was the better source of information for looked after children. With the SSDA903 being viewed as the definitive source of information for looked after children, the in care status at the time of an exclusion will be removed from the 2016 to 2017 school census as the equivalent information can be obtained from matching the SSDA903 to the school census exclusions in the National Pupil Database.

**The Secure Access COLLECT familiarisation site will remain live until 30th September**

https://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/datatdatam/secureaccess

Please log onto the COLLECT site ASAP to ensure you have sufficient access to be able to submit a return

and upload a test file to the familiarisation site to check errors and queries existing in your data.

To recover your password for the DfE Secure Access site please use https://sa.education.gov.uk/ui/forgotten.

PLEASE NOTE: The DfE will not authorise your final school return unless all errors are corrected and notepad

entries are added to COLLECT for any acceptable DfE queries. The wording used must be in strict

accordance with the notepad entry guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-census-

spring-2016-notepad-entries-for-collect-queries. Notes should be entered in the ‘Return Level notes’ section

of the COLLECT site for each individual query ( with the UPN and error number recorded for each query)

COLLECT Guides (Submitting census and Editing data in COLLECT):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-census-2015-to-2016-collect-guides

FUNDING

Funding for Early Years provision will continue unchanged with the Autumn term indicative allocations being updated

based on actual participation as recorded within the October census. Nursery Schools and Schools with nursery

classes must also complete the Early Years data collection template (issued September 2016) identifying the number

of qualifying full time pupils, qualifying 2 year olds and qualifying pupils entitled to the Early Years Pupil Premium.

There were 34 schools who failed to supply this data for the Summer Term 2016, there will be an opportunity for these

schools to submit this data within the Autumn data return.This template will be available via the following link, shortly.

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20014/schools_and_learning/788/budgets_for_schools_in_birmingham/2

Please e-mail: [email protected] with any queries on the early years template or telephone: 675 9302

The DfE, as part of the continuing funding reforms for high needs pupils, continue to require schools to complete a

High Needs Top Up field. This field will identify pupils in schools who receive additional “Top Up” funding for their

special educational needs. These will be pupils, with EHC Plans/Statements of SEN, in special schools , resources

bases and those in mainstream schools who receive termly devolved CRISP “top Up” funding. It is essential that this

field is completed correctly for all these pupils. This will ensure the DfE have an accurate picture of the number of high

needs pupils Birmingham City Council supports.

DFE Pupil Premium Information https://www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-

provision-settings

Software and IT support for Census

SIMS (version 7.170): Link2ICT helpdesk : 303 5100

FACILITY (version 16.2) & PROGRESSO (version 16.4) : Advanced Learning Helpdesk: 0330 060 2199

COLLECT & General Census Queries : DFE on-line chat helpdesk: https://www.education.gov.uk/doyouwish

Further Updates Please ensure the person completing census regularly checks the school notice board

:http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/schoolnoticeboard and Link2ICT site https://link2ict.service-now.com .

Please note if you are a facility or Progresso software user you must check the Advanced Learning Website for any

upgrade information , software guides and updates or known issues.

https://customers.advancedcomputersoftware.com/login

School census videos

The DFE have recently produced a series of school census videos intended to provide background to the census,

funding implications of the autumn census and useful tips on what schools should be doing in preparation for the

autumn census. The videos available from the link below are published on the EFA website and, whilst it is primarily

aimed at academies and free schools, the contents will be equally relevant to local authority schools. Support via

DFE helpdesk: https://www.education.gov.uk/doyouwish

https://registration.livegroup.co.uk/efa/ContentTabs/?ctid=242

Kind Regards

Tracey Britton

Tracey Britton

Intelligence, Strategy and Prioritisation (ISP) I Commissioning Centre of Excellence (CCoE) I Directorate for People

Birmingham City Council I Email: r&[email protected] I Telephone: 0121 675 1757 September 2016

Procurement Guidance Note Alleged Procurement Irregularities - Audit Report ref 2020-049 A report by Birmingham Audit on alleged procurement irregularities made three recommendations;

• Schools should be reminded of the need to follow due process when procuring goods and

services with a value in excess of £10,000;

• Schools should be reminded of the need to adopt robust procedures when procuring

services of this kind. We would expect all schools to have a signed Service Level

Agreement including SMART objectives; and for the organisation’s performance against

these objectives to be formally reviewed assessed and reported; and

• If the service being provided includes the exchange of data, the SLA or agreement should

be clear about the ownership of this data.

In response to these recommendations the following information may be useful:

Procuring goods and services with a value in excess of £10,000 Obtaining value for money in the purchase of goods and services at all times is essential for schools. Following the guidance set out in the Schools Financial Procedures Manual (SFPM) will enable schools to;

• achieve greater value for money and social value

• procure in a fair, transparent, open and impartial way

• meet procurement obligations when spending public money

• draft legally compliant tender documentation, protecting against legal challenges, financial penalties and reputational damage

To ensure value for money, contracts must not be divided into smaller contracts so as to avoid compliance with Financial Regulations. E.g. A school plans to place three orders with the same supplier over a period of 12 months. The order values are £8,000, £7,000 and £500. The estimated total cost is £15,500 and therefore a competitive process is required by seeking at least three quotations. Where the estimated total cost of a contract exceeds £10,000 but is below the European Threshold (£164,176 from 1st January 2016) no contract should be entered into unless the contract opportunity has been advertised on finditinbirmingham.com and 14 days allowed for the submission of quotations and at least three quotations submitted. If at the end of 14 days less than three quotations have been submitted then direct contact may be made with at least three companies to request the submission of quotations. Advertising the opportunity satisfies the need for market testing and makes the opportunity available to other suitable providers fairly and equitably. To attract more bidders, advertise in places where suppliers are likely to look such as local or national newspapers, specific publications, websites, or trade magazines (there may be a cost attached to this). Exemptions from following this process may be authorised provided that the Decision Maker (the authorised officer) is satisfied that the exemption is justified by special circumstances and the Decision Maker formally records the ground(s) for doing so. For more detailed guidance please see SFPM Section 5. Selecting a Provider, and SFPM: Financial Regulations Section 11. Orders for Goods, Works & Services.

For high-volume items such as administrative supplies and learning resources where it is easier to compare products and prices, consider taking advantage of the economies of scale by using one the Council’s contracts. For contracts in excess of £164,176 please contact Corporate Procurement for advice. Email [email protected]

The Benefits of a Detailed Specification An essential component of any contract is the specification – an exact statement of what is required. It is important to spend time developing a detailed specification to ensure that any goods, services or works procured are fit for purpose in order to reduce the financial and reputational impact of the wrong specification further down the line. This is also a fair process for suppliers to ensure they are quoting on a like-for-like basis. A Service Level Agreement (or SLA) is the part of a standardised service contract which defines exactly what services a service provider will provide and the required level or standard for those services. SLAs are best kept brief, and the targets (requirements) listed should be achievable and measurable. Once a contract has been awarded schools should undertake appropriate and proportionate monitoring and evaluation of all services purchased against those targets detailed in the SLA, for example;

• services and service levels (quality)

• monitoring (frequency)

• charging (pricing)

• duration and termination (timing)

• functionality (fit for purpose)

Data Ownership Any organisation which enters into a contract with a school will be expected to enter into a Data Processing Agreement alongside the contract. Each school is responsible for the personal data that it holds, this responsibility also extends to personal data that is processed by a third party on behalf of the school. For guidance on Data Protection or Data Ownership contact the Corporate Information Management Team to provide advice and guidance via [email protected] Consider also reviewing security policies of the providers, including how personal information is managed as part of the procurement process. When the contract is awarded compliance with how personal information is managed should be included as part of your monitoring activities.