All Different – All Equal

PACA students with their anti-bullying socks

This month was Anti-bullying Week (ABW) and once again there was lots of great practice going on in our Brighton & Hove schools. The theme of ‘All Different, All Equal’ reminded us all to celebrate both our similarities and our diversities with equal measure. 

Primary schools used materials developed by the Primary PSHE Lead Teachers, which included:

• Reception classes focused on welcoming all children into their games using the story of Blue Penguin 
• Years 1 & 2 created class community jigsaws to celebrate their connections as well as celebrating their differences
• Lower key stage 2 classes thought about Jo Cox’s statement ‘We have more than connects us than divides us’ and created connection webs, and thought about how they could help ensure everyone is treated equally in their schools 
• Upper key stage 2 looked at the Equalities Act and some equality campaign slogans and designed their own equalities t-shirts, and they also practiced safe challenges to prejudiced or bullying behaviour

Patcham Infant class community jigsaw display

Secondary schools also got in on the action and carried out anti-bullying lessons in PSHE lessons and tutor time. There were lots of displays, assemblies and activities including:

• A ‘Words Hurt’ display
• ABW wrist bands being sold to raise awareness
• New cohort of Anti-bullying Ambassadors were trained and introduced in assemblies
• Students shared stories of how they have been bullied / discriminated against because of their religion
• Positivity walls with messages of positivity and compliments to take and keep or share 

This year schools were encouraged to wear odd socks in a fun way to support anti-bullying week. It’s an opportunity for children to express themselves and appreciate individuality and uniqueness! Many schools across the city took part in this wonderful way of celebrating our differences.

Well done to all and let’s make sure this great work continues throughout the year. 

Apprenticeships in our schools and early years settings

Congratulations to the Apprenticeship Team for holding a positive event for schools and early years providers this month in Hove Town Hall. The event was dedicated to help schools navigate the new apprenticeship options available. Staff from schools, early years providers and university were on hold to talk to those attending and answer their questions. 

If you would like more information on apprenticeships, please contact Carla Butler Carla.Butler@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Governance Strategy and Partnership Event

It was a pleasure for me to welcome over 60 governors to this term’s Governance, Strategy and Partnership (GSP) meeting. We held this straight after the Apprenticeship Fair and it was good to see some governors arrive early to find out more about what apprenticeships were on offer for their school. The GSP agenda was packed as always, with some challenging discussions about school funding, SEN and education standards. This meeting is a good opportunity for our senior managers to update governors about the current issues facing schools, so they can have informed discussions with their headteachers in governors’ meetings.

I was also delighted to see two of our current governors give presentations about their own development as governors - thank you to Amanda Mortensen (Local Leader of Governance) and Adrianne Nnadi (Training Link Governor).   

Governors’ handbook from 50 years ago

There was some light relief at the end of the session when Sharon MacKenzie, School & Governance Development Manager, showed us a governors’ handbook from 50 years ago (note the price of 2s & 6d!). There were some similarities, such as funding being closely monitored and partnership working with other schools being promoted, but one area that has thankfully long gone is headteachers having to provide reports about corporal punishment!

Richard Barker, Head of School Organisation, speaking at Governance Strategy and Partnership Meeting

Achievement Awards

I was delighted to join young people their carers and staff from across Families, Children and Learning for our annual achievement awards for children in care and care leavers. It was a great opportunity to see the tremendous achievement of our children and young people and schools and colleges and more widely in music, sport and art. 

  

Una McCartan, Lyndsey Grice and colleagues at the Achievement Awards. Thank you for your hard work to make the awards happen!

Brighton & Hove Education Partnership

Our Brighton & Hove Education Partnership Board met again this month to continue its strategic planning around the key priorities. One of the priorities that the board has identified is that of education staff recruitment, retention and celebration. This is growing into a national concern and I think it is great that locally we are tackling this early, before we see a real impact in Brighton & Hove. Whilst some schools have no problem recruiting, there are those who find it difficult and so we hope a whole-city approach will make a difference and ensure all schools and colleges can find and retain excellent staff.

To this end we are planning a recruitment fair in January, both for those who are already training to be teachers and for those who think they may wish to pursue a career in education. Headteachers and young people will be presenting at this. We are hoping to have pop-up stands around the city to advertise the fair, and we will be working closely with the Universities and teaching Schools. We also hope to promote the different avenues into schools work.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for how we could move this forward, please contact Hilary Ferries hilary.ferries@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Sweetpeas Group

Music Mike with children and parents at Sweetpeas

Global’s ‘Make Some Noise’ is Heart FM own charity which supports different projects across the UK. Sussex Heart FM works in partnership with six local projects within Brighton & Hove to support the most isolated and disadvantaged families. This year Heart FM selected ‘Sweetpeas’, a parent-led group based at Tarner Children’s Centre, as one of the projects to support. Sweetpeas is a project which supports parents / carers and families with children who have special educational needs and learning disabilities. The group helps parents / carers share their experiences, build their confidence, and create peer networks to support each other. Heart FM visited Tarner Children’s Centre to take part in one of the sessions and to meet all the parents and children.

One parent said ‘Sweetpeas is a life saver for me and my daughter. It is a safe clean place which is really important for me and especially my daughter. Sweetpeas gives me the chance to talk to other parents who are all very supportive.’ 

Music Mike with children and parents at Sweetpeas

National School Meals week

This month we had the opportunity to celebrate with our primary schools everything that’s good about school meals in Brighton & Hove – healthy, tasty, social and fun! Good quality ingredients are used within the service, including sustainable fish, Red Tractor quality meats and fresh vegetables. Eat a rainbow promotes take-up of vegetables, salad and fresh fruit amongst our pupils.
  

Food & Mood provides healthy choices that children can sit and enjoy together. Studies show that sharing a meal with friends can help improve overall wellbeing.

This month it was great to see Hangleton Primary, Peter Gladwin and Patcham Infants trying a new pizza base (thin and crispy) topped with our vegetable-packed homemade tomato sauce. Some classes had the opportunity to top pizzas which were then cooked for them in time for lunch for the whole class to enjoy together! We finished off on Friday with a Seaside Special, adding some salmon fishcakes to our MSC fish as an extra for children to try (Omega 3 benefits).

Thanks to all the schools for celebrating the schools meals service and taking part in activities.

Peter Gladwin pupils making pizzas

I’m delighted to announce that St Joseph’s Catholic Primary were graded as Good once again in their last Ofsted inspection. Congratulations to Fran Morrison and all staff, children and governors on this positive outcome. Link to report

St Paul’s CE Primary were also inspected this month, and were judged to be Good again. Congratulations to Linda Dupret and all staff, children and governors on this positive outcome. Link to report

The Ofsted report for Homewood College was released and although the overall judgement was Requires Improvement, we are pleased that: ‘The governors, headteacher, senior leaders and staff are determined to improve their school further. Pupils make strong progress in art because of good teaching and high expectations. Safeguarding is effective. Relationships between pupils and staff are exceptionally strong.’ Link to report

We are very proud of all these schools’ successes – well done.

We have had a very busy time with these recent inspections, and more at the following schools: Balfour Primary, Coldean Primary, Cottesmore St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Patcham High, the PRU and Westdene Primary.

Once the reports are out I will report back in the next blog.

St Martin’s School visit Mayor Mo Marsh

Children from St Martin’s Primary celebrating Ofsted success with a visit to the Mayor’s Parlour

To celebrate St Martin’s Primary Ofsted achievement moving for Requires Improvement to Good earlier this term, some of the children and staff were invited to the Mayor’s Parlour. They enjoyed meeting the Mayor and getting to see the Council Chamber. Congratulations to Alex Wingham and all staff, young people and governors on this positive outcome. 

Mayor Mo Marsh with St Martin’s Primary children in the Council Chamber

Children’s Centres Annual Team Day

Gordon Harold speaking at the Children’s Centres Conference

Our Children's Centres held their annual team day in November and I was privileged to join them and opened the morning. There was such a lot to celebrate this year including an Outstanding OFSTED inspection at Jumpstart nursery, a new volunteer run café in Hollingdean, lots of parents signing up to the European Funded PACE project, a high take up of Triple P interventions in the centres, and very positive new working relationships with community and voluntary organisations CHOMP, The Brighton Dome, Brighton & Hove Music and Arts, MASCot, and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership.  

Volunteer staff at the Hollingdean Community café

Gordon Harold, a professor in child and adolescent mental health, gave an inspiring presentation focusing on the impact of inter-parental relationships on children's emotional health and wellbeing. Gordon has recently been advising the government on their policies to develop and roll out this area of work within Children and Family services, so the team were delighted to hear first-hand about his research and policy recommendations.

Caroline Parker Head of Early Years, Family Support, Youth and Parenting launched the Early Years Strategy which the Children’s Centres teams have been involved in writing and will be implementing the 'Ten Next Steps'. You can read the strategy here: early years strategy.

The event also had a focus on the emotional health and wellbeing of staff, who came up with some very innovative ideas to help combat stress in the workplace which they hope to be able implement locally in the centres.
  

Gordon Harold speaking at the Children’s Centre Conference

Helen Cowling - Service Manager for the Children’s Centres was delighted with the very positive evaluations from staff about the event. Well done to the team!

Best wishes,

Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter @JoMLyons
Find details here Twitter accounts across all council services.