I’d like to congratulate the work of our Early Years team. From September 2017 working parents of three and four year olds have been entitled to an additional 15 hours free childcare a week (the extended entitlement) in addition to their universal entitlement of 15 hours free childcare, making a total of 30 hours a week. The early years and childcare team and the Family Information Service have been working for months to ensure that the scheme is a success in the city. The first national data published by the Department for Education shows that 1,206 three and four year olds took up their extended entitlement in the city in November 2017, which is 107 per cent1 of those with an eligibility code.
Of 152 local authorities we are eighth in the country and
top in the south east. The average figure for the south east is 85 per cent,
and for the country as a whole it is 90 per cent. In addition our local data shows that all early years
settings open at least 30 hours a week (except for nurseries in independent
schools) are offering the extended entitlement, as well as 45 childminders –
that’s 33 per cent of childminders in Brighton & Hove.
While the scheme is very challenging for providers,
particularly in terms of government funding rates, many are appreciative of the
support offered by the early years team – one provider recently emailed to say:
‘As a team, you are very supportive, always answer quickly, seem to
genuinely want to help me, and never make me feel as stupid as I feel, with
forms!! Thanks x’
For more information, please contact Vicky Jenkins, Childcare
Strategy Manager – Free Entitlement. vicky.jenkins@brighton-hove.gcsx.gov.uk
1The figure is more than 100% because of children
coming into the city from East and West Sussex for their free childcare
Research and Evidence Based Practice
Headteachers at the Research and Evidence Based Practice |
It was good to see over 60 heads and senior leaders at
the school and college leaders’ conference on 19 January at Sussex University. The theme was ‘evidence based
research: why and how?’ and we welcomed the Deputy Chief Executive of the
Education Endowment Fund, James Turner, who talked about the value and
potential that evidence based research has in raising achievement for all
pupils, and particularly the most vulnerable. Jonathan Cooper, Headteacher from
St Luke’s, spoke about how he has embedded a culture of action research into Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) and then we had a series of tabletop
presentations from Goldstone, Cardinal Newman, St Luke’s and
the University of Sussex. We are keen to promote the use of research and
action research in the city and will be forming a small working group to take
this forward. Please contact Hilary if you are interested in joining this group
or have ideas about next steps the partnership could take for research. hilary.ferries@brighton-hove.gov.uk
James Turner speaking at the research conference |
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have released a
number of reports focused on outcomes of research into disadvantaged and the
attainment gap. Take a look at their website.
Funding for School Improvement
We were delighted to hear this month that the Brighton & Hove Education Partnership have been successful in their bids to the national strategic school improvement fund. Our new teaching schools led these bids, working together with our LA team and schools to agree priorities and come up with a plan to improve outcomes. The two bids bring more than half a million pounds into city schools to support KS2 maths and to improve disadvantaged outcomes. Congratulations to Sussex Coast and Pavilions and Downs teaching schools for their partnership approach. The maths bid will build on existing school to school support as Saltdean and Coldean will be supporting other schools, the University of Brighton will be providing a lesson study approach and we hope to work with the Maths Hub. The second bid focuses on disadvantage, tackling attendance and persistent absence and will include mentoring, parental engagement, governors’ accountability and will be employing ‘nudge technique’.
Poverty Proofing
The ‘Poverty Proofing the School Day’ initiative is going very well. 60% of schools have signed up so far. There are audits every week this term and next. I would like to thank schools for their enthusiasm and commitment to the project. Several heads have said to me that the audit has been helpful to hear the voices of all the children and young people and to look at their practice through the lens of poverty. A great deal of positive practice has been identified in our schools. There are also emerging themes for development such as planning out school trips across the year to ensure parents can budget, ensuring that families that struggle with money can access clubs and strategically, how best to provide free school meal for all KS1 pupils for trips. There is still time to sign up for the autumn term or spring term 2019. Just contact Hilary Ferries. hilary.ferries@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Awards for making a big difference
Geoff Raw, Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove Council, and Councillor Warren Morgan recently hosted the Council’s Big
Difference awards, celebrating the hard working and dedicated staff across all
directorates in the council. We are so proud of Shirley Vanstaaden, Receptionist at Hollingdean
Children’s Centre, who won the individual award for her work to set up a low cost
healthy café at the centre for the local community.
Shirley Vanstaaden with Steph Lakelin (the Children’s Centre Manager), Geoff Raw, Councillor Warren Morgan and Mrs Maureen Chowen, the High Sheriff of East Sussex. |
Our congratulations also to Ben Cox, one of our Family Coaches and
Vikki Witham, a Practice Manager at Drove Road for being highly commended for
their work. We also had a number of teams and individuals from across Families,
Children & Learning nominated. We are so pleased to see all of your hard work being
recognised and celebrated. Full details can be seen here on the Wave.
Congratulations to our School Meals Team
Susie Haworth from the School Meals Team |
Susie Haworth, our School Meals Team Manager, is
the first 2018 winner of the city’s prestigious Food Hero award for helping
thousands of children enjoy their daily lunch. Susie has made the school meals
healthier, by reducing the amount of meat served, the amount of sugar in
desserts and by removing trans-fats, GMO’s and artificial additives. The team
has introduced Fairtrade bananas, local free-range eggs, sustainable MSC fish
and serves only British Red Tractor meat. Well done Susie and the school meals team.
I’m delighted to share with you that the team of students
from Varndean School did superbly on Tuesday 23rd to win the
regional play off of the Premier League Enterprise Challenge. They will now be one of only six schools involved in the national final at Ernest and Young’s
offices in London in April. You can read more by clicking here.
Students from the Varndean football team celebrating making it to the national finals |
Also, our Premier League Primary Stars case study video,
featuring Cadogan from Coombe Road Primary, is now ‘live’ on the PL’s website
and can be viewed by clicking here.
BEST week at Moulsecoomb Primary
During week 8th-12th January 2018, Moulsecoomb celebrated BEST Week (Book, Eat, Sleep and Talk) an exciting week
where the School Meals Service (Susie Haworth) and our School Meals Contractor
Autograph supported the school. We delivered Hungry Caterpillar Workshops for
Reception pupils, Eatwell Guide sessions for year 1 pupils and
parents/guardians were invited to come and try a school lunch.
The picture shows reception pupils after reading the book,
they talked about different fruits and vegetables and the 5 A DAY message.
Pupils were given a selection of fruits and vegetables to make faces with on
the paper plates. They then tried the fruits and vegetables and talked about
the taste and flavours. This was a great way to encourage the younger
pupils to try new fruits and vegetables, which many of them did. Spinach
seemed to be a firm favourite in the first group!
Moulsecoomb reception pupils making fruit and vegetable faces |
Sam and the kitchen team at the school served a total of 70 meals to parents – a fantastic take up of the offer, one pupil said it was their best day ever to have their mum come to lunch and many of the parents commented on how different school lunches are compared to when they were at school – phew!
All in all a fantastic week of food, fun and activities with very important messages at its core and a big thank you to Caroline Gutteridge who organised it all and for inviting us to participate.
We have had an unusually quiet time with Ofsted
recently, after a very busy November. Only Goldstone Primary and Cardinal
Newman have been inspected this month. I look forward to sharing their results
with you in my February blog.
For those who might be interested in some bedtime reading, this guide gives an
overview of the data contained in the inspection data summary report (IDSR) for
primary and secondary schools and information to assist in interpreting the
charts.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2018
The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin |
The Brighton & Hove Holocaust Education Project Group worked with two local schools to organise programmes on the 24th and 25th of January featuring talks on the ‘kindertransport’; the Jewish Experience; the Sinti Roma experience; poetry writing and presentations of students’ artwork and poetry, and dance.
Young Carers Day
Jo Lyons introducing the event and welcoming the carers and families |
If you have identified a young carer and would like to find out
more about what support they could access, or make a referral, please follow
this link for further information https://carershub.co.uk/
Mayor Mo Marsh presenting a certificate to one of the young carers |
Thank you to Debbie Corbridge, Mayor Mo Marsh, Councillor
Dan Chapman, Siobhan Melia, Katy Razavi and all staff for their involvement.
Welcome and Goodbyes
Fifi Bula,
Apprentice Business Support Administrator, joined our service as an apprentice supporting our traded services work, as well as working with
colleagues in IT. Fifi has been integral in the rollout of BEEM and
providing ongoing support for schools. We
are very proud that she will be moving on to a higher level apprenticeship
within the council and pass on our best wishes in her future role. Fifi will be
joining the Performance team supporting a number of key projects including the
roll-out of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provision.
Fifi Bula, Apprentice Business Support Administrator |
The
Virtual School team have a new Lead, Sam Wilson, who
joined us this month. Sam
graduated from the University of Bradford with a degree in Biomedical Sciences
and from Kings College, London with a Masters in Neuroscience. Sam
joins the Virtual School with a wealth of educational experience; teaching in
London and West Sussex for the past twenty four years, and has a passion for
improving attainment for young people who are in care and those that have been
in care. Sam
strongly believes that children in care and those previously in care deserve
the absolute best; before we even meet them they have faced a myriad of
challenges.
As
Lead for the Virtual School, it will be part of Sam’s role to constantly
support and challenge the progress of children who are or who have been in care
so that they reach their full potential.
Sam
says ‘it is an unfortunate fact that
children in care make less progress but as foster carers, teachers and
corporate parents who have the highest aspirations for our young people, we can
make such a difference’.
As many of you will
now know, Regan Delf, our Assistant Director for Health, SEN and Disability,
has decided to retire at the end of April. She has made a significant
contribution to the needs of our children and young people with SEN and
disabilities and positively lead the SEND strategy across the city. We’ll wish
her a good farewell nearer the time, but she will be very much missed across
the city.
Best wishes,
Jo
Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter @JoMLyons
Find details here Twitter accounts across all council services.