Virtual School Art Competition

For the third year running, the Virtual School has run an art competition for children in care, children previously in care and care leavers up to age 25. This year’s theme was True Colours and the competition culminated in a wonderful exhibition at the Liberation Art Gallery in Brighton. A huge thank you to all the parents, carers, guardians, teachers and other professionals that helped facilitate the amazing art works received this year. Every piece of art tells the unique story of the person behind it, and we are honoured that our young people have shared their ‘true colours’ with us. The private launch packed the gallery to the brim and it was brilliant to see some new faces and so much happiness, celebration and pride in the room. Thank you to everyone for taking part or facilitating a young person to be involved in the exhibition. The art work has had much interest and many compliments from members of the public who visited the gallery. Well done to everyone involved.

Say Hello to Our New Apprentices

The Apprenticeship Team has been delighted to welcome new apprentices and staff to their induction recently. Apprenticeships are available for managers to recruit staff into new roles for the duration of the apprenticeship, or for existing staff to stay on their current terms and conditions and upskill themselves at no personal cost. A number of apprentices were welcomed last month from services across the Council. For further information or to book a chat in with your Apprenticeship Consultants, Lynne Rimmer and Gavin Graham, contact apprenticeships@brighton-hove.gov.uk

City Maths Strategy

Developing the ability to work flexibly and fluently with number is a key priority in pupils’ mathematical development. City wide data shows our disadvantaged pupils are consistently out-performed by their non-disadvantaged peers at every statutory assessment point. To help address this, teachers from both primary and secondary schools have embarked on training with Herts for Learning who have developed an innovative programme that will help ensure students know their base facts, have a range of mental calculation strategies, and can use and apply their knowledge to a wider fluency range. This programme has a proven impact on outcomes for students in KS2 and KS3. Teachers are currently undertaking a baseline diagnostic assessment prior to the programme commencing later this autumn. A training day took place last week which was very interesting and the group were thoroughly engaged. It was fascinating taking the time to consider how many ways – efficiently or otherwise – a student might approach a basic calculation.  

Healing Classroom Work

It has been great to hear more about the amazing Healing Classroom work that the EMAS team do with Afghan, Ukrainian and Syrian pupils in Brighton and Hove schools. Activities include self portrait work with backgrounds of pictures of things they are interested in; VIP pictures where they show who is their very important person and why; boxes decorated as Brighton to show where they have been since they moved here and also boxes decorated as their home country. The work is very much led by the children and their interests and although resources with ideas are prepared for the children, there is always the flexibility to change plans. For example, the Afghan children recently showed the team how to make kites as they do in Afghanistan. For more information please see this link where EMAS teacher Suzanne Fisher talks more about this work. 

Governance Development Update

The Governance Development Team delivers a Governor Induction Programme four times a year, and I was pleased to hear that this term the take-up has been greater than ever, with 60 new governors currently engaged in the programme. Also on offer for new governors are key sessions that are crucial to help them understand the challenges that schools are facing and their role in supporting these, such as SEND, Anti-Racist Education, Health and Safety, Safeguarding and Finance.

 

There is also a range of courses offered to leaders of governing boards. Over 20 new chairs of governors and vice chairs had an induction meeting with key council officers to learn about the services that support schools and governing boards, and there is also a full cohort undertaking the Governance Leadership Programme. This is run annually and is a big commitment of five modules but provides excellent networking opportunities and a safe space to have discussions and develop as leaders. Thank you to all governors for prioritising all this important development, supporting effective governance in the city’s schools.

Apprentices Join the Mayor to Tidy Our Beaches

Last month, some of our apprentices met up with the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman to carry out a volunteer beach clean in some unexpected sunshine. The clean up was organised by the Apprenticeship team in collaboration with Cityclean's Tidy Up team and the Mayor's office. It was a great opportunity for our apprentices to meet the Mayor and network with other apprentices while tidying up our beautiful beaches. One apprentice said: "The best thing was making a difference to our lovely beach and the positive response from so many members of the public. Definitely do it!" If you're interested in supporting a member of staff on a staff apprenticeship or applying for one yourself, the next deadline for apprenticeship funding is Thursday 31 October. For more information,  please email apprenticeships@brighton-hove.gov.uk or book a virtual staff drop-in.

From September 2024, Ofsted have made some changes to the way they inspect schools. They no longer provide an overall effectiveness grade, but there are still individual grades in Quality of education, Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development and Leadership and management. Where applicable, Early years and Sixth form provision are also judged.

 

Downs Infant School and St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School were the first schools in the city to be inspected this term, and the reports have now been published. Both schools were judged to be ‘Good’ in all areas.

Amongst the strengths identified at Downs Infant were the expectations for pupil behaviour, particularly that pupils ‘demonstrate high levels of self-control and motivation’ when directing their own learning. I was also pleased to read about the comprehensive PSHE curriculum and the high-quality play available across the year groups, which helps pupils develop in many areas. There is also a strong culture of reading, and communication and language development are a top priority.

 

At St John the Baptist, inspectors highlighted the ambitious curriculum, with pupils being ‘confident readers’ with ‘secure mathematical knowledge’. The school is also strong in identifying pupils’ need ‘precisely’, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are given many opportunities outside the classroom to contribute positively to the school and wider community, and I was particularly pleased to read about all Year 6 children having a leadership role, for example through leading environmental projects.

 

Well done to all at both schools. 

Goodbyes

                                                              Julie Radmall

Our colleague Julie Radmall at Roundabout Nursery is retiring this month after 43 years of working for the Council. I want to congratulate Julie on this amazing achievement and convey our heartfelt thanks to her. Julie has supported thousands of children and their families, including in some cases, three generations of the same family. She has made such a difference to these children and families through her caring, non-judgemental and gentle manner. We are sure her presence will be greatly missed and we wish her all the happiness for a long and relaxing retirement. Thank you, Julie, for your many years of dedicated service with some of the city’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable families.

 

Best wishes,

Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter @JoMLyons

Find details here Twitter accounts across all council services.