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News in Brief: School-Led Improving System forthcoming
engagement events; Critical Incidents reporting; Health and
Safety SLA 2015/16; EYFS reception baseline
Issue 21
9 February 2015
Dear colleagues,
Diary Dates
As we near the end of the first half of the Spring term, I wanted
to use my editorial to reflect on some of the achievements of this
academic year. I am pleased to see the published attainment
results continue to show progress on the journey to top quartile
performance, and impacting on the gap in attainment for our
more vulnerable young people. It was a great pleasure to be
part of the Essex Teaching awards last week showcasing
excellent teaching across the different categories.
I would urge you to book on one of the engagement sessions
scheduled over the next few weeks which mark the beginning of
discussions on embedding a school led improvement system
across Essex schools. This will enable us to plan together to
develop effective collaborative cluster working, building on some
of the learning from the education partnership work in Basildon,
Harlow and Tendring.
09/02/15 FFT Webinars
09/02/15 PREVENT
Workshop
10/02/15 FFT Webinars.
11/02/15 School Led
Partnership Launch, Five
Lakes.
12/02/15 School Led
Partnership Launch,
Holiday Inn, Basildon
25/02/15 Primary briefing
on FFT Aspire.
26/02/15 Primary briefing
on FFT Aspire.
Have a good half term break
Checklist
Chris Kiernan
Interim Director of Commissioning:
Education and Lifelong Learning
15/02/15 H&S Internal
monitoring to be
completed by all
Community and Voluntary
Controlled Schools.
23/2/15 EES School
Support Services
Data and Standards
Developing a School-Led Improvement
System in Essex
Headteacher / Chair of Governors
2015/2016 subscription
forms to be returned.
31/3/15 Schools will no
longer be able to retrieve
personal student data
from the i-essex and ILP
website by this point.
All Phases
All
Further to Clare Kershaw’s editorial in Education Essex on 2
February 2015, all Headteachers and Chairs of Governors have
now been sent the attached letter with details of the launch
events that will be held this week and the stakeholder
engagement events which will take place in the week following
half term.
The launch events will be a short high level briefing about the
strategy and the engagement events are designed to be very
participative to help with the co-design of the strategy.
If you have not yet booked a place on the sessions please
contact Neil Songer – [email protected].
For further information:
Contact: Clare Kershaw, Head of Commissioning Education and
Lifelong Learning
Sign up to the
Education Essex
mailing list
In this week's issue:
Data and
Standards
Developing a School-Led
Improvement System in
Essex
Email: [email protected]
Essex Schools Infolink Page: Standards and Excellence, Data
and Standards, ESI
Maths Excellence Network Meeting
Subject Leaders / Teachers
Secondary
Post 16
All
The second meeting in the Excellence Network Meetings for
Maths series is taking place on Wednesday 4 March 2015
between 2.30pm and 4pm at Davenant Foundation School,
Loughton, IG10 2LD. The topics for this meeting will include:


bringing/sharing a resource that has been
used/developed that encourages students to produce
logical robust solutions;
future subject knowledge enhancement training.
This meeting will be chaired by Mrs J Greagsby, Head of Maths.
For more information and to book a place:
Maths Excellence
Network Meeting
News and
Information
Information on Changes
to British Gas Online
Billing Services and
Provision of Meter
Readings
School
Management
Important: Renewal of
Health & Safety Services
Critical Incidents
Reporting
Contact: Rosie Ball, Marketing Manager, West Essex TSA
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 02084986711
Website: West Essex Teaching School Alliance
Pupil Support and
Essex Schools Infolink Page: Secondary Improvement,
Standards and Excellence, Data & Standards, ESI
Welfare
SENCO Bulletin – 9
February
News and Information
Essex Education
Services
Information on Changes to British Gas
Online Billing Services and Provision of
Meter Readings
Headteachers / Bursars / Finance Officers
EES Bulletin Other Education
Services
EYFS Bulletin – Baseline
Assessment Update
All Phases
All
For all schools and services within the Essex County Council
procurement contract for Gas, there have been changes to the
British Gas Online Billing system to obtain copy invoices and
submit meter readings.
For further information or any queries:
Contact: Utilyx
Events and
Resources
Hearing Silent Voices
Conference – additional
dates
Email: [email protected]
Essex Schools Infolink Page: Director’s Area, News &
Information, ESI
What’s New on
Essex Schools
Infolink School Management
Important: Renewal of Health & Safety
Service
Headteacher / Bursar / Health & Safety Coordinator
Essex Schools Infolink
and Education Essex
Survey
Introducing the Specialist
Teaching and Preschool
Service
All Phases
Academy Foundation VA Community / VC – who are
converting to Academy Status during 2015/2016 financial
year
The Health & Safety Service runs from 1 April to 31 March each
year.
Service Level Agreement packs for 2015/16 are being sent out
so please look out for them in the post or via the pouch service /
blue bag.
Full details of the 2015/16 Service Offer and forms are also
available on the Health & Safety pages of the Schools Infolink.
From the Health & Safety homepage there is a link through to
‘how to access’ the service.
Top 5 Essex Schools
Infolink Areas visited this
week
Look out for the
next issue of
Education Essex on
Monday 23 February
2015
Existing customers will have their passwords for access to the
Health & Safety pages deactivated on Tuesday 31 March 2015
unless a 2015/16 agreement form has been received.
NOTE: If you are a Community or V/C School you automatically
have access to the Health & Safety Service. However if you
covert to an Academy during the 2015/16 financial year your
access to the Health & Safety pages will be removed as ECC
will cease to be the employer in terms of Health & Safety. The
Governing Body will need to decide where it is going to obtain
health and safety advice from. At that time please contact the
Corporate Health & Safety Team if you would like details of the
Service we offer.
Visit Essex Schools
Infolink
What is new on
Essex Schools
Infolink
For further information:
Contact: Corporate Health & Safety Service
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 03330139818
Essex Schools Infolink Page: Corporate Health and Safety,
School Management, ESI
Critical Incidents Reporting
All Staff
All Phases
Essex Schools Infolink
and Education Essex
Survey – please click on
the word survey in the
Welcome box.
Introducing the
Specialist
Teaching and
Preschool Team:
1.
Tell us about your
service area / page
The Specialist
Teaching and
Preschool Service
pages provide an
overview of the
services we provide
for the preschool,
primary and
secondary sectors,
as well as contact
details and
signposting to our
SENCO Bulletin area
of the Essex Schools
Infolink.
2.
What do you do
within the service
area?
All
As a reminder to schools there are a variety of services able
to provide support to manage a critical incident or
emergency, including in the event of severe weather and
floods. Emergencies and critical incidents, although infrequent,
can cause disruption to the school day and require immediate
action. Contacting the Schools Communication team when an
incident takes place will allow necessary support services to be
triggered so that you are able to operate your School
Emergency Management Plan knowing help is on the way.
A critical incident may be:

an incident has taken place which involves
emergency services;

a pupil or member of staff has died or suffered a
serious injury;

a natural disaster or severe damage to the school
building has occurred;

an incident which has generated high media
interest, or increase in absence e.g. infectious
disease;

a serious safeguarding incident relating to a pupil
e.g. abuse, abduction.
The service provides
a specialist SEN
support and outreach
function, across all
areas of SEN, for
families, children and
education settings.
In the event of an emergency or critical incident use the
contact details below:
Schools Communication: 01245 434745
3.
What is one thing
Out of hours (including weekends): 07717 867525
Further information can be found in the document: Guidance
for schools for informing ECC in the event of a critical
incident.
For further information
Contact: Schools Communication
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01245 434745
4.
Essex Schools Infolink Page: Critical Incidents, School
Management, ESI
Currently we are
receiving many
queries around the
One Planning
process which is the
Essex response to
the requirements of
the new SEND Code
of Practice.
Pupil Support and Welfare
SENCO Bulletin – 9 February
SENCO
All Phases
5.
All
Welcome to the current issue of the SENCO Bulletin.
This issue includes:

the updated SEND Code of Practice (April 2015);

the Preparing for Adulthood Review: a Good Practice
Toolkit;

Autism Education Trust schools training programme;

Inclusive Communication Essex Sharing Day 2015;

launch of SENDirect portal for families.
For further information:
Contact: Specialist Teaching & Preschool Service
Email: [email protected]
Visit: SENCO Bulletin, ESI
Essex Education Services
EES Bulletin
All Staff
All Phases
All
Welcome to the latest issue of the Essex Education Services
(EES) Bulletin.
You should now have received your School Support Services
users would come
to your team for?
Advice on supporting
pupils with highneeds, low-incidence
SEND in a
mainstream school.
What is a popular /
unusual query that
your area deals
with?
Tell us about a
recent achievement
/ event within your
service area…..
During the Autumn
Term 2014, we have
been developing the
SENCO Bulletin to
establish a weekly
communication on a
range of SEND
issues and
forthcoming events,
responding directly to
questions being
asked and including
contributions from
SENCOs.
Top 5 Essex
Schools Infolink
Areas visited this
week:
Education HR
Finance
Health and Safety
Oracle Payroll
SEN
2015/16 pack which outlines all available EES School
Effectiveness Subscriptions, along with details of how to sign up
for the next academic year. Forms must be returned by
Monday 23 February 2015 to guarantee service provision from
April 2015.


Target Tracker New Curriculum: We are inviting every
Essex subscribing school to a training session on how
best to address assessing without levels and explain
recent Target Tracker changes.
Long Service Award: Do you have any members of staff
who have worked in Essex schools for 25 years or
more? Nominate them today!
Essex Schools Infolink
For enquiries and
password assistance
regarding the Secure
Area on Essex Schools
Infolink contact the
Password Team
Dates for your diary:



Essex Teacher Training Information Event: 10
February 2015 - Interested in routes into teaching?
Join us for our drop-in event at the Marconi Club,
Chelmsford between 4pm and 7pm.
Running your Primary School Library in 2 Hours a
Week: 10 March 2015 - Book now to develop strategies
and skills to run your library effectively with limited time.
Refresher Training for Absence Administrators: 23
March 2015 – Staff absence can have a serious impact
on the effective running of a school. This course offers
administrators updates on sickness absence, leave of
absence and flexible working practice.
Check back next week for more updates from Essex Education
Services!
For more information please contact us:
Telephone: 0845 200 8600 or view our key contact list Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.EESportal.org/
Clerking Agency | Education Consultancy | Education Finance
Support | Education HR | Governor Services | Professional
Development | School Library Service | Target Tracker
Other Education Services
Department for
Education News
Statutory guidance on the
exclusion of pupils from
local authority maintained
schools, academies and
pupil referral units The
School Reform Minister
Nick Gibb has removed the
current guidance to
address some issues with
process and we will be
issuing updated guidance
in due course.
This guidance details the
legal responsibilities for
those who exclude
students from educational
setting.
Visit Department for
Education website
EYFS Bulletin – Baseline Assessment
update
Head teacher / EYFS leader / EYFS teachers
Foundation Infant
Primary
All
This is a special edition of the new EYFS Quality Matters
Bulletin brought to you by EYCC Quality Improvement.
This issue includes:

an update on the reception baseline and the approved
provider list;
Events in
February
Shrove Tuesday (17th)
Shrove Tuesday is the day
before Lent starts: the
Tuesday before Ash
Wednesday. It's a day of

CPD opportunities and news.
For further information:
Contact: Liz Norton, EYCC Strategy Manager Quality
Improvement
Email: [email protected]
Visit: EYCC Provider website
Events and Resources
Hearing Silent Voices Conference –
additional dates
All Staff
All Phases
penitence, to clean the
soul, and a day of
celebration as the last
chance to feast before
Lent begins.
Chinese New Year (19th)
Chinese New Year, also
known as the spring
festival, is the most
important celebration in the
Chinese calendar. 2015 is
the year of the sheep.
World Thinking Day
(22nd)
World Thinking Day is a
day of friendship,
advocacy and fundraising
for girls around the world.
All
The Essex Social Care Academy as part of the Working
Together Conferences have, due to demand, added 2 extra
dates for the Hearing Silent Voices Conference. The focus will
be on improving communication with Children and Families:
‘Walking in their Shoes to hear their silent voices by listening,
engaging and taking action, in relation to what children tell us’.
This is a free full day event, incorporating talks by guest
speakers and a choice of themed workshops.
To book a place and for further resources/learning
opportunities:
Visit: Working Together in Essex portal and click on Learning
and Development.
Information about
resources listed and other
free resources can be
found on Educational
Resources for Schools,
ESI
Please ensure research
is conducted before
entering any form of
contract especially if
pupils will be using the
resource or interacting
with the service.
For further information:
Contact: Jean Simmons, Essex Social Care Academy
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 03330131257
=
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Schools and Pupils
and Educational
Resources for
Schools
Visit Essex County
Council Website
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Essex County Council may share information with schools on externally promoted opportunities but this
information service is not part of any brokerage arrangements set up by, or on behalf of, the County Council
and schools are responsible for checking that the quality and terms of the products or services meet their
requirements. We would strongly advise you to look carefully at any contractual agreements before signing up
to them; and if necessary to seek legal guidance
Education Essex is written by the Schools Communications team. If you have any comments or would
like something included in a future edition of Education Essex please contact us:
Telephone: 01245 434745
Email: [email protected]
Previous editions of Education Essex can be found on the Essex Schools Infolink website by visiting
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