May 2015

Jo’s May Blog - The vibrancy, colour and fun of the Brighton Festival!

It’s been a month at work of recovering and catching up from our Children’s Services Ofsted inspection and at the same time enjoying Brighton at its best as it hosts the Festival. The festival opened with the fabulous 'taking flight' themed children’s parade, a highlight of my year, an event that makes us think how special it is to be a child in one of our city schools, followed by a month of culture and entertainment across the city.

The ‘taking flight’ Children’s Parade

Personally I’ve been able to enjoy a number of fabulous Fringe events for the age five and under; ‘Goldifox’ at the Komedia, a fabulous show that combined puppetry with a good dose of panto, and ‘Little Joe’s Cautionary Tales’ in the amazing Spiegeltent, a colourful and exciting puppet show. As you can guess we enjoyed them as much, if not more, than our two little ones! I do hope you have all been taking some time out in the evenings and weekends to enjoy.

Post Election

Post our local elections I’ve been busy with my DMT colleagues getting to know our new councillors, meeting them individually and presenting at induction sessions, helping bring them up to speed with our Education & Inclusion issues and wider priorities in Children’s Services. Our new lead member for Children, Young People and Skills Committee is councillor Tom Bewick. I know he is looking forward to meeting many of you and will I am sure want to visit schools to see some of your best practice.

Reading Recovery Awards 2015

Congratulations to two Brighton & Hove schools who are the winners of the Reading Recovery Awards 2015 which celebrate and honour practitioners who have made an outstanding contribution to children's literacy through Reading Recovery and are awarded by UCL Institute of Education.

Reading Recovery School of the Year Award went to Pippa Davis at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, for work supporting parental involvement. Inspirational Manager of the Year Award went to Jenny Aldridge, Rudyard Kipling Primary School, for work with community engagement and high aspiration for literacy learning for all.

I know what a difference this work and the Every Child a Reader programme is making to the outcomes for young people and I also want to thank all those who make this a reality in the city.

Downs View School & Link College Open House

It was very impressive to hear how well the Downs View School Samba band, 'Unified Rhythm', played together with the Balfour Primary and Varndean School Samba Bands at this year’s schools Open House. Visitors to the well-attended Open House event day were also able to sample treats from the work experience 'Fair Trade Cafe' and view a variety of art on display created by the students.

Downs View School, Balfour Primary and Varndean School Samba Bands

The Rugby World Cup

We are all looking forward to the Rugby World Cup (RWC) in September and I’m urging all our schools to get involved in the lead up and the actual event. I was delighted to hear that Westdene Primary’s Choir will welcome Samoa as part of the event. See link http://www.youthsporttrust.org/news-media/news/2015/may/twenty-school-choirs-chosen-to-welcome-teams-to-rugby-world-cup-2015.aspx

In further RWC celebrations nearly 40 schools took part this month in two tag rugby tournaments. The competition was organised by Emma Greenough from our sports development team, in association with the Rugby Football Union community coaches and the Brighton & Hove Schools Rugby Association and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.


I’m pleased to announce that we now have 83% of our schools judged to be good and outstanding, above the national average. Of course there can be no complacency and we will not be satisfied until we reach our goal of 100%. I look forward to continual work with schools and the wider learner partnership to achieve further improvement on this percentage.

Patcham Junior has had a full inspection from Ofsted this month and we look forward to receiving the report in June.

Her Majesty’s Inspectors have also been busy visiting St Bartholomew’s CE Primary, BACA and Coombe Road Primary this month to carry out monitoring visits. I’m delighted to announce all have been judged to have taken effective action.

Tests and Exams

It’s that time of year when children and young people are sitting tests and exams. We must remember for some this can be an anxious and stressful time and the support parents and teachers give is so important. I do hope the Y6 SATs went as well as I know our headteachers hoped. I know from my team visiting a selection of schools to monitor the arrangements, and from my own visits to schools this month, just how well prepared the children were and how you have done so much to minimise the stress involved, whilst knowing the importance of them. Good luck also to all those little ones taking the phonics test and our young people taking GCSEs, A and AS Levels.

I have been fortunate to receive my own training and demonstration this month of the Brighton & Hove Education & Enterprise Marketplace (BEEM). Those who attended the ICT Schools and Traded Services Conference or the recent training organised by Roger Snell, our School Traded Services Manager, will have seen the new schools online portal, BEEM. I am pleased to say this ‘one-stop-shop’ system for your services to schools is now live. Initial feedback has been very positive and you should have all now received your own school logins. This is a great tool that will support us all in understanding and improving services and achieving greater value for money. Keep an eye out for further upcoming training or log in and take a look for yourself.

Improving Primary Writing and Looking Beyond Brighton & Hove

Improving standards in writing is a top priority for us so it’s very important that nine of our Primary Schools are leading and developing a two year Primary Writing Project. Pie Corbett and John Stannard provide professional development for school staff and leadership teams through a series of whole school training, focus leadership days and interim school partnership support. I am pleased that my team are co-ordinating this project to ensure within and between school professional development to improve writing outcomes for pupils in schools as part of a school supporting schools improvement model.

Improving primary writing

This month 22 staff from our local project lead teams visited Penn Wood Primary Talk for Writing school of excellence and training centre in Slough. All were inspired by the school, the leadership and the positive learning environment for pupils and staff. I was pleased to hear from the team that the visit provided a cohesive picture of whole school commitment and long term vision to ensure all pupils could be successful and confident communicators, a goal that our own Primary Writing Partnership Project is actively working towards. I am looking forward to hearing much more as the project develops and would encourage other schools to find out more.

Alongside my LSCB board members and members of the wider Children’s Services partnerships in Brighton & Hove, I attended the LSCB Conference on Child Sexual Abuse and Harmful Sexual Behaviours last week. The conference aimed to improve multi-agency responses to end abuse and support victims. The day featured many speakers, including Sue Berelowitz from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and Ruth Marchant from Triangle. I personally found the day invaluable in raising my own awareness and learning with others, it was good to see representative headteachers and governors present.

Young People Participating in Safeguarding

I’m pleased to say that our Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) received over 40 entries to their competition and that the children’s consideration of these safeguarding concerns certainly gave them some food for thought and will be used to enhance the training offer and website in the near future. The winners were announced online http://brightonandhovelscb.org.uk/home/drawing-competition-2015/.

I’m delighted with the winning entry by Scarlet, aged 10, from Stanford Junior School. Another good example of a young person’s positive engagement and what amazing artwork.

The winning entry by Scarlet

Vulnerability Index

A huge thank you to all the primary schools who have used the Vulnerability Index to transfer pupil data from Y6-Y7; 78% of primary schools with a Y6 have completed the transfer. The index has also been used for secondary schools, for Y11 referrals of young people who need transition support or at risk of disengagement. There is still time to make referrals if schools haven’t as yet, so I’d like to urge you to do so.

Children’s Services Ofsted

As a team in Children’s Services we were pleased to receive verbal feedback on our four week inspection. Unfortunately we are unable to say what the judgements are as Ofsted go through a strict regime of checking and quality assuring their judgements before the report is published in late June. However, what we can say is they have confirmed that there are some areas where we have real strengths and some really excellent practice. There were no surprises and it confirmed our self-evaluation and that we know ourselves well. There are also some areas that are not as good as they should be, but Ofsted have noted that the improvements we have made over the last couple of years have been appropriate and our plans for the future are right. It was good to hear them commending us on our “decisive but steady leadership.”

It was an exhausting experience and particularly for Pinaki and Helen leading the whole process and for those working on the front line with some of our most vulnerable children and families. I was so impressed with the commitment of the staff involved across Children’s Services and I personally learnt so much from others during the process. It was a good example of the whole team working together as one Children’s Service. We look forward to receiving the report and sharing it with you.

New Secondary School

I’ve been working closely this week with our University colleagues to further develop the bid for our new school and the writing of the bid is well underway. The collection of signatures from parents and carers is also going well. The work is a great example of positive collaboration between the University and our teams across the City Council to address our top priority of providing well needed school places. My thanks to primary school headteachers for welcoming John Smith and Sam Coates from the University of Brighton on site to get the signatures we need; and also to the secondary headteachers for their responses to the draft bid. I know you will all continue to provide your help and support.

Prize Win for Mile Oak School

On 21 May Mile Oak Primary School was presented with a cheque for £10,000 for winning the Randstad Primary Education Award 2014/15. The school was invited to the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham for the award ceremony.

The award was in recognition of the schools innovative idea to develop a Science Bus. The money will be used to transform the bus, which is presently located in PACA’s car park, into a state of the art science centre to be used by the whole community. The project has been supported by Brighton & Hove Bus Company which kindly supplied the bus. This is a great example of innovative practice and collaborative work between schools as Mile Oak Primary has been working in partnership with PACA to take the idea forward.

Deputy Head Mile Oak Primary, Samantha Heselden - Brighton & Hove Buses, Dr Caroline Oprandi - PACA Stem Centre Manager, Neil Fulcher - Mile Oak teacher

Congratulations Helen

I’m proud to inform you that Helen Beaumont (Early Years Advisor) from our Early Years team has just had a book published called ‘Reflective Teaching in Early Education’. It is the definitive textbook for reflective professionals in early education, drawing on the experience of the author team and the latest research, including the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) findings. Please have a look http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/reflective-teaching-in-early-education-9781441177988/#sthash.qHNfgt2x.dpuf

Well done to Helen and her team.

Hello and Goodbye

Congratulations to Rob Niedermaier-Reed newly recruited headteacher for Hove Park Secondary School who will join us from September. Rob has significant head and deputy headteacher experience and he has established a strong record and drive for improvement at his current school Chessington Community College.

Congratulations also to Karen Harrison who joins Peter Gladwin Primary School as their new headteacher from September. Karen will move from Balfour Primary School, where she is currently Director of Learning for Key Stage One.

Adam Sutton has been seconded to Moulsecoomb Primary School from Brackenbury Primary School until Easter as interim headteacher. Our thanks to Dawn Oliver for releasing him and of course to Adam for taking on this challenging yet exciting role. Another good example of school to school support.

Alex Wingham is currently deputy head at St Martin’s CE Primary and will be acting headteacher whilst the governors recruit a new headteacher; well done Alex. We wish Joanne Smith all the best as she takes up the headship of Rudyard Kipling Primary from September.

Governors have asked Maddy Southern to become acting headteacher at Hove Juniors for the coming year. Maddy is currently Head of School; well done Maddy.

Forthcoming Events

I look forward to seeing headteachers and key leads across Children’s Services on 9 June at the School and College Leaders Business Meeting (08:30 - 12:15 at the Conference Centre, Bramber House, University of Sussex). Our theme this term is Leading with Moral Purpose - Nothing about us without us. This will include: Introduction to the Faith in Schools Guidance with a focus on the Islam section, Supporting pupils and students during Ramadan, Nothing about us without us, and - Making a difference - being a trans inclusive school, as well as a presentation from Robin Banerjee (Professor of Developmental Psychology) and a chance to hear about good practice in schools from our own headteachers.

Keeping in Touch with our Valued Colleague

Hilary Ferries and Mary Ellinger went to visit Hugh Baldry, one of our School Partnership Advisors, at the Royal Marsden.  He is now halfway through his treatment, is very positive and sends best wishes to everyone. He also says thank you for all the cards and messages of support that he has received. Hugh will be in the Marsden for at least two more months so please do keep passing on those good wishes.

Best wishes,

Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter @JoMLyons, I'd urge you all to set up accounts for your schools if you don't already have one.

April 2015

Jo's April Blog - Ofsted have descended upon us!

This month Children’s Services got that inevitable and long awaited Ofsted call. A large Ofsted team have descended upon the city and are with us for four weeks, evaluating the way we safeguard and look after our children and young people. Aside from the relief that the anticipation is now over, we are getting a good opportunity to demonstrate what we think we are doing well, as well as using the Ofsted experience to help us progress even further towards our aim of making Brighton and Hove an even safer place for children to grow up. I’ve been so impressed with how our staff across Children’s Services, particularly those on the front line, have responded to this challenge as well as keeping that important day job going. Thank you to the schools and other partners who are providing support and input. Ofsted will report back to us with their initial findings on 8 May.

Be The Change

On Thursday 17 April I attended ‘Be the Change’ at the Amex, which was the first event of its kind in Sussex and helped inspire around 100 students from schools across Brighton and Hove about their future. Hosted by LoveLocalJobs.com, the event was aimed at Year 10 pupils who, for one reason or another, have become disengaged with school or lack confidence in their own abilities.

The students took part in workshops and group activities led by Humanutopia’s founders, Carlo Missirian and Graham Moore, both former teachers who understand the challenges facing young people today. Volunteers from the business community and senior leaders across the city including our Chief Executive, Penny Thompson, were central to the activities, playing the role of mentors to small groups of students.  The experience was designed to open the young peoples' eyes to the world of work and the wealth of possibilities and career opportunities in Brighton and beyond.  I had the opportunity to take part in some of the activities myself and even in the short time I was there I was able to see a difference in the attitudes and confidence of the young people I was working with. Richard Bradford and Helen Emerson from Dorothy Stringer took a group of students along.  Here's what they thought about it: "A really inspiring day for both students and staff alike.  Great to see how the students responded throughout the day from non-engagement to full participation.  It was wonderful to see how the students' confidence grew as the day went on.  The combination of business and enterprise and personal development was a real plus."

LoveLocalJobs.com are looking forward to holding further events of this kind.  More information can be found here http://news.brightonandhovejobs.com/2015/04/local-businesses-inspire-next-generation-at-ground-breaking-careers-event/ or by contacting Rosanne@LoveLocalJobs.com or Georgina@lovelocaljobs.com.

 

'Be The Change' event on 17 April

Balfour Primary School General Election

This month with the general and local elections round the corner, it was fabulous to hear about Balfour Primary School's special event, when they turned the school into a polling station and replicated the whole process that the country will go through on 7 May. Their election was to vote for the school values, with all the children, staff, families and governors casting their votes, from 7am to 7pm! 1391 votes were counted and the result ended with the values; Respectful, Enthusiastic, Friendly, Caring, Courageous and Ambitious.

Rose Wisdom (Partnership Adviser - Governor Support) at the polling station! 

Primary Headteachers' Phase Meeting

I joined our Primary Headteachers earlier this month for a packed agenda which included Gill Brooks (CCG Commissioner for Children’s Mental Health) talking about the consultation into Community Mental Health services and asking schools for their view on future models of practice.

Dave Tanner (Senior IS Support Officer) and Mary Ellinger (School Partnership Adviser) talked about the new primary assessment and the use of SIMs to support schools, including baseline assessment and the new moderation and assessment training dates: 22 June (Year 1 and Year 3) 1pm-4pm, 23 June (Year 4) 1pm-4pm, 30 June (Year 5) 1pm-4pm. Email standardsandachievement@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you'd like to book a place.

Sam Beal (Partnership Adviser - Health and Wellbeing) was able to share the latest Safe and Well at School Survey results which have now been published. The survey was also piloted this year with FE and special school settings.

We are delighted that there was a 4% reduction in Year 4-6 pupils reporting they had been bullied at school representing a 13% reduction since 2006.  88% of primary pupils now report that their school is good at dealing with bullying and 94% of them state they feel safe in school.  For secondary schools numbers reporting bullying stayed the same as in 2013, however there has still been a 14% reduction since 2006 and steady increases in students reporting safety at school and enjoyment of learning. A briefing on the secondary school data can be found here http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/content/surveys

This positive data reflects the hard work and dedication of schools to the health and wellbeing of children and young people and the effective joined up working between the council, schools and other partners. We know however that there is more work to do and that the SAWSS data shows that some groups of young people, including for example those who say they get extra help, are more vulnerable to bullying and so we need to continue to use the data to target our preventative strategies.

Tim Read from the Community Safety Team joined Sam to speak about a new guidance document which has been developed for schools, police and other teams supporting young people and their parents/carers when bullying occurs.

Secondary and Continuing Education Partnership

At this month’s meeting we focused on public health including school nursing, self-harm and CAMHs support.  There is a shared understanding that emotional and mental health is a major priority for schools and colleges. New forms of social media are contributing to problems of self-harm and other cyber pressures.

In response we are developing a collaborative approach with schools, Public Health and Children’s Services to pilot a new way of working.  In two schools, a primary mental health worker from the Community Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CCAMHS) team will spend a substantial time with the school working to improve skills, resilience and confidence of staff to meet the needs of pupils at early stages.  In response, we will be asking pilot schools to identify a lead for emotional/mental health within the school who can coordinate relevant school resources and provide an interface with the CCAMHS worker.

Secondary and Continuing Partnership Meeting on 17 April

Adoption Support

We had another lively and productive adoption support steering group meeting this month.  It’s always a pleasure to chair this group as I am joined by such a passionate and creative group of professionals and parents, including Headteachers and Heads of Service across the Children’s Services and its wider partnership. We were able to progress our work with schools on our Attachment Aware Brighton strategy, more schools are signing up for training and are rolling this out across their schools using our newly identified school Attachment Champions. At this session we also looked at the benefits of developing an approach to Personal Education Planning for adopted children and those on Special Guardianship Orders, similar to the approach we use with our Children In Care. We agreed this was something positive to explore further.

Take a look at our newly launched Adoption Support Passport.  The passport explains a range of services in social care, education, health and the voluntary sector and has been developed with the help of our adoptive parents.  It includes the offer provided by the Virtual School:
http://www.fosteringinbrightonandhove.org.uk/content/adoption-support-passport
Please let me know what you think.

School Attendance

As part of our drive to promote and ensure good school attendance, we have launched our revised Code of Conduct to schools. See bulletin http://wave.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schools/bulletins/Lists/Posts/DispForm.aspx?ID=4090

Good school attendance is a top priority for the city and ensures that all children are able to develop both academically and socially, improving their life chances. It also has a significant welfare role in safeguarding children and young people. This Code of Conduct plays an important part in the range of school strategies and policies we use to support good attendance and raise achievements for our pupils. We look forward to working with you all to ensure we improve attendance, reduce persistent absence and holidays in term time.

Opening of BHASVIC Copper Building

I was delighted to be invited to BHASVIC’s official opening of its new building. Professor Dame Athene Donald (DBE FRS) was there to unveil the plaque and officially open the building, as well as providing an inspiring speech about her academic achievement and career as a physicist. Staff and students at BHASVIC are very proud of the new building which will provide quiet study areas, classrooms and catering facilities built to the latest energy efficiency specifications. I was very impressed by this superb new space which I know will help BHASVIC students excel in their learning. Principal Chris Thomson said: “We are delighted with our new building which will make a significant contribution to the outstanding education which the College offers”.

Left to right: Shirley Brooks-Mills (BHASVIC Vice Principal); Mayor of Brighton & Hove Councillor Brian Fitch; Dame Athene Donald, DBE FRS (Master of Churchill College Cambridge); Jutta Knapp (BHASVIC Assistant Principal); Chris Thomson ( BHASVIC Principal);Neil Cole (Amiri, Construction Director; Peter Freeman (BHASVIC Chair of Governors); James Moncrieff ( BHASVIC Assistant Principal)

PE and Sport in Schools

I enjoyed an excellent visit to Westdene Primary School this month to see first-hand the amazing work they are doing to develop outstanding PE and sport across the school. Their offer is extensive and ranges from running to fencing and Frisbee! It was positive to hear from Tim Laing their PE and Sports Co-ordinator, Andrew Parry (Lead Governor) and the Headteacher and Chair of Governors about how they have built a sustainable model that trains and involves all staff. Also great to hear about the work they are doing in collaboration with other schools in clusters. I’d recommend a visit as they are keen to support others.

Andrew Parry Lead Governor, Westdene Primary School with their PE and Sports Co-ordinator, Tim Laing

Celebrations

Congratulations to St Andrews CE Primary School who secured a ‘good’ judgement from Ofsted with a positive report. Well done to the staff, children and parents.

This month a beautiful plaque to commemorate architect Thomas Simpson was unveiled by the Mayor of Brighton on the front elevation of West Hove Infant School.  Simpson designed a number of schools in the city to provide free education for all children between the ages of 5-10 years once it became a legal requirement in 1880. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend but Linda McMillan (School Partnership Adviser) attended the event to represent Children’s Services which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Congratulations to Hove Juniors and Hertford Junior who have just achieved the Working With Others Gold and Silver Awards respectively. These awards acknowledge schools’ commitment to the values of Working With Others and the benefits they have gained as a result.

New School

A lot of my time this month has been spent meeting and working closely with the University of Brighton on the proposed new school. We are very excited at the prospect of a much needed new secondary school in the city. The University, in collaboration with us, are busy putting together the bid ready for the end of May and gathering expressions of interest from current Y2 and Y3 parents and carers. They are keen to work with local schools as part of the Learning Partnership and we hope Headteacher colleagues will join us in supporting and developing this important proposal.

Hello and Goodbye

Left to right; Kirsten Trussell, Hannah Spooner (former apprentice) and Apprentice Ambassador Rachel Maddison 

Kirsten Trussell (Partnership Adviser - Education and Skills) is leaving our team to take on an exciting role as a Skills Development Manager at Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership to implement their Skills Development Plan. Having been a valued member of the team for over seven years, Kirsten will be greatly missed and I would like to thank her for all her hard work on behalf of the Council.

Andrew Livingstone was appointed this month as interim Headteacher at Moulsecoomb Primary. Thank you to Paul Beverton, Headteacher from Our Lady of Lourdes for releasing Karen Taylor to be Acting Deputy Head at Moulsecoomb. This is another good example of school to school support. From September Maddy Southern will be the Acting Headteacher at Hove Juniors. Also, for one term from September Alex Wingham will be Acting Headteacher at St. Martin's Primary.

We also welcome Martyn Giddens who will start in September as Headteacher at Bevendean Primary School. I’m sure Martyn’s enthusiasm will be a great asset to the school.

Mary Ellinger (School Partnership Adviser) has been appointed interim Head on a job share with Syb True at Royal Spa Nursery until Christmas. She will continue to work part time in her Schools Partnership Advisor role.

You will have heard that Hugh Baldry (Schools Partnership Adviser) is undergoing treatment at The Royal Marsden. He sends his regards and has welcomed your interest and best wishes. We have commissioned time from Simon Chandler a new Adviser to cover some of Hugh’s work. He will be carrying out the School Pupil Premium reviews. Simon has just moved to Hove from Lincolnshire and was a Head of School Improvement Partner there.

With great sadness this month that I read a letter from Hass Yilmaz who has for many years been our Principal Educational Psychologist, who shared the news that he has terminal cancer and just a short time to live. He has done the impossible and written an uplifting letter which is incredibly moving. He is well loved by colleagues and many have described him as an excellent psychologist, a lovely guy and supportive friend. Our kind thoughts go to Hass and his family.

Forthcoming events

The School and College Leaders Business meeting on the 9 June will have a focus on equality to enable further targeted work with vulnerable pupils and students.

Please save the date of the next Headteacher Conference on 2 October, where we will have keynote speaker Tim Brighouse.

I am off to the Children’s Parade on Saturday 2 May and look forward to seeing all your creative work!

Best wishes for the bank holiday weekend.

Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter @JoMLyons, I'd urge you all to set up accounts for your schools if you don't already have one.

March 2015

Jo’s March blog - Looking forward to Easter!

It has been a productive month as our schools and colleges approach the end of another term of creativity and learning, with staff and children looking forward to that well deserved break.  At home we have been having fun with the children making cupcakes for the school Easter celebrations and preparing for the excitement the chocolate egg hunt brings, balanced with some lovely walks by the sea and on the Downs this Easter weekend.

Easter cupcakes

Early Years Places for 2 year olds

I’m delighted that Rudyard Kipling Primary School and Royal Spa Nursery School have been expanded using capital funds so that they can now offer free early years places to eligible two year olds in their nurseries, alongside existing provision for three and four year olds.

Opening day at Rudyard Kipling

The Big Difference Awards

The Council's Chief Executive, Penny Thompson CBE, every quarter presents a 'Big Difference Award' to an individual nominated by colleagues for outstanding service to B&H citizens.  I was thrilled that this month the award went to Susie Haworth, our School Meals Team Manager, for her fantastic work in introducing the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme, whilst at the same time ensuring that the Pupil Premium count was not affected.  In her comments, Penny wrote, "Susie’s energy, enthusiasm and determination shone through and she had led enormous change in a short time with very positive outcomes."  I'm sure that all of you who know Susie would agree with Penny's statement and that this award is richly deserved.

Susie Haworth receiveing her award from Penny Thompson 

I’m very pleased to report that Peter Gladwin Primary School and Middle Street Primary School  secured a good judgement from Ofsted; congratulations to staff, children and parents. We look forward to working with them on their journey to outstanding. Ofsted have also visited St. Andrews Primary School this month and we look forward to receiving the report.

A suggested read for you all over Easter is Ofsteds Speech to the Association of School and College Leaders Conference 2015. An interesting focus on optimism and resilience in leadership https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/speech-to-association-of-school-and-college-leaders-conference-2015


Governors Working in Partnership

I was delighted to attend the Portslade Partnership of Schools’ Governor conference on 5 March. This was a great example of school to school support in action as the evening was led by governors from across the partnership.  We had a good debate about governors role in developing strong partnerships as beacons of excellence to support school improvement.  The conference challenged governors to understand its data and be more outward looking to support all children and young people across Portslade to reach their potential.

Three of our governonrs Jenny Barnard Langston, Rosalind Turner and Clive Bolton 

At this months LSCB we continued the debate about Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), it was good to look at the recent audit and discuss with head teachers and other partners what more we might do to raise awareness in schools. As part of this work we commissioned AlterEgo’s ‘Chelsea's Choice’, an innovative and powerful Theatre in Education production highlighting the very serious and emotional issue of CSE.  I’m pleased to report that a successful tour of this production took place this month in 8 of our secondary schools and 4 special schools targeting year 8 students.  Students and school staff have commented positively on the well-acted and hard-hitting performance that led to lots of discussions in classes.  Performances were attended by Social Services and the Police in case of disclosures.  Materials were produced for all year groups for use in PSHE lessons and tutor time to ensure all students had the opportunity to learn more about grooming, sexual exploitation, e-safety and healthy relationships. Thank you to schools for supporting this and helping to raise the profile of this issue and we will think about supporting another tour soon.


The Conference Season

Regan Delf and I joined a wide range of multi-agency professionals, parents and young people to begin looking in more detail at how we will implement our integrated models of practice for young people and their families who have Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Social Emotion and Mental Health (SEMH). To stimulate our thinking it was great to hear from three other authorities that had developed innovative models of practice.

As part of our ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of children and young people with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) in the city, Brighton and Hove in partnership with NHS welcomed over 200 delegates to a conference at the AMEX. We were delighted to welcome Baroness Browning, Vice President of the National Autistic Society, who delivered the opening keynote address providing delegates with an overview of key legislation, particularly relevant in the context of the changes to SEND legislation now covering young people up to the age of 25.

This year’s annual EMAS conference on Closing the Gap was a great success. Those who attended were inspired, motivated, challenged and had a good opportunity to build knowledge and understanding of best practice. School staff and partners were given an accurate picture of Brighton and Hove data and the challenges ahead by Sarah Berliner the head of the service. The style of the conference was very powerful with an excellent use of pupil voice and real life experiences. The experiences of young people were heard on video. Congratulations to the two EMAS employees who were stars of the day, speaking with honesty and  passion  about their lives growing up in school. There is nothing stronger than hearing personal experiences.

Photos credited to Charles Mansfield-Osborne, MegapixelMovie.com

     
Let's Dance 

The annual Let’s Dance at the Dome was again a great success, spread over 3 nights with performances from children and young people from across our City schools

The Apprentice Ambassadors hosted the first-ever Apprentice Roadshow and Graduation Ceremony this month.  Many of the council’s current apprentices attended the event and really valued the opportunity to network with other apprentices and to hearing inspiring stories from Corinna Allen, Head of Communications at the council, and Gary Peters, Chief Executive of BrightonandHoveJobs.com. In the afternoon, Penny Thompson, Chief Executive of the council, presented graduating apprentices with certificates and a personalised graduation cupcake.  To find out more about the event from the ambassadors themselves, please check out their blog at http://apprenticeambassadors.blogspot.co.uk/

Hannah Spooner, former Education and Inclusion apprentice now working at YOS as their Court Administrator

Independent travel to and from school

Considerable time has been spent this month leading valuable work to support independent travel at a point when the consulation on a new policy comes to an end and we move into our implementation phase.  I’ve had the opportunity to attend a range of meetings listening to parents, partners and Headteachers views on travel to school and the importance of supporting young people on their journey to independence.  I’ve been really impressed with the work of the Cedar Centre lead by their Headteacher, Lalli Howell, who has introduced a range of activities involving her young people including; independent travel training in tutor times, buddy systems, biking and walking to school, and protective behaviour lessons linking in with safety when out in the community.

Independent travel at Cedar Centre

A lovely quote from one of the young people: When I first went on the bus it made me feel very happy and grown up.  I started to go with two buddies but now I go on my own.  I would never go back on taxis, I prefer buses.  I like it because the other high school kids go on buses and it makes me feel grown up.  A Year 10 student.

World Book Day

World book day was a great success enjoyed by all, including me! Primary age pupils in Woodingdean celebrated by showing off their reading and writing skills to three published authors and getting tips on how to write books.

Daniel Tyler-Dibley - pictured above with his mum Michelle - is one of many pupils who have made fantastic progress through the Reading Recovery scheme  at Woodingdean Primary School .

This was just one event of many across our city schools with days of fun including; fancy dress, drama, art activities and bookmark making all supporting the work schools and parents are doing to ensure reading is the heart of learning and one of the most important skills our children develop.

A new school

In recent years we have had to provide new places for the increasing number of Primary age children. These children are now reaching secondary school age and our School Organisation Plan estimates that we will need up to 300 new places per year group by the end of the decade. One part of our secondary places strategy, worked up in partnership with leading councillors, secondary heads, college principals and the two universities is to explore the possibility of a new school.

This month the council’s Policy & Resources Committee strongly endorsed in principle a proposal from the University of Brighton to develop a new entry secondary school in Brighton. There is a long way to go with this project but we are now positively working with the university to achieve this.

Hello and goodbye

As often is the case at this time of year we have some people leaving us and some new starters.  Derek Trimmer, Headteacher from Hove Park and Charles Davies Headteacher  from Moulescoombe Primary School will be leaving us this week, I wish them well and thank them for the commitment they have made to the children and young people of Brighton and Hove.

Lisa Evans (School Partnership Adviser) will be joining the LA team after Easter.  Lisa has been working as a head of a Primary School in Kent. Her post will fill capacity in the team to deliver our statutory school improvement role and to support and challenge schools.

Lisa Evans

We also say welcome to Henry Kannike, our Interim Head of Admissions, who replaces Jo Miles who left us for East Sussex County Council this month.

Henry Kannike

Happy Easter!
Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter (@JoMLyons)

February 2015

February has flown by, being the shortest month and with several of us taking time off at half term. I had a fabulous time with my family, going to Center Parcs to celebrate our youngest daughter turning two – such a lovely but lively age! I hope those of you who managed to take a break came back refreshed.

Governance – Leading with Moral Purpose

It was a privilege to open and participate in this year’s Governors’ Annual conference at the University of Sussex. The theme was ‘Leading with Moral Purpose’ and was the best attended, with over 120 people giving up their Saturday morning to be there. Rosemary Campbell-Stephens was the keynote speaker, she provoked and challenged us all to consider the impact our leadership can have on individuals and communities across Brighton and Hove (B&H) and society as a whole.  The second half of the morning was a great example of the school led system in action with table top discussions led by governors on themes such as pupil voice, equality and diversity, and school to school support. I look forward to the continued close work with our governing bodies to support and enable school improvement across the city. 

Rosemary Campbell-Stephens - Keynote speaker at the Governors’ Annual conference  

Children’s Services Performance Board

I joined Directorate Management Team colleagues this month to look in detail at performance across children’s services during the last quarter. We were pleased to see that the previous improvements in performance relating to our young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) has been sustained or improved upon. The number of NEETs has fallen to 5.9%, which is significantly lower than last year. We still have further work to do, specifically related to some of our most vulnerable groups but this is clearly a success to build on.

Special Educational Needs Disability and Behavioural Social Emotional Difficulties (SEND/BESD)

The Joint committee of the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Children and Young People’s Committee took place on the 3rd February. Councillors, senior health representatives, parents, carers and young people came together to discuss and approve the strategy to improve and integrate services and provision for children with SEND and BESD. We are looking forward to working closely with you all to implement these recommendations.

Regan Delf presenting the paper in the Coucil Chamber

The Learning Partnership and City Employment and Skills Partnership

We had an effective ‘coming together’ of these two important partnerships this month to explore how we can better impact on outcomes for our young people. It was an opportunity to highlight the work needed to improve Information Advice and Guidance in schools, increase apprenticeships and promote more effective partnership working between businesses, schools, colleges and training providers in the city. I look forward to being part of this new and collaborative approach going forward, helping to ensure our young people leave school with the skills and opportunities to prepare them for a successful working life.

Virtual School Brighton and Hove 

Like all schools, our Virtual School has a board that functions like a governing body and supporting, challenging and scrutinising its work and function. I had the pleasure this month to chair our board meeting, joined by a committed group of internal and external partners to work closely with Mark Storey (Headteacher) and the team to improve our education outcomes for our children in care. It was encouraging to see the progress the school is making in improving the approach to compliance and practice with the launch of the new Personal Education Plan (PEP). I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on outcomes for this important group.

Working as One Children’s Service

A great example of us working together as one children’s service was demonstrated at our recent meeting of the Secondary and Continuing Education Partnership. Attended by our Headteachers, college principals, colleagues from across the council and our two universities. We discussed the very important agendas of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Prevent and Radicalisation. It was an opportunity for us to look at how we might work more collaboratively to raise awareness and improve practice in this very high profile area. It was also pleasing to hear some of the positive findings from the diversity and equalities learning walks we are leading, in partnership with community champions, and how these are challenging schools to improve equality and close the gap in achievement. I urge all schools if they haven’t done so already to take up this offer.

National Apprenticeship Week will soon be upon us (9-13 March 2015). We will be holding one of our regular Apprenticeship matching events on Wednesday 11 March (3pm-4.30pm) at Bedrock in Brighton. These events run every couple of months and are a chance for young people aged 16-24 to access apprenticeship vacancies in B&H and the surrounding areas.  

On Friday 13 March we are also hosting a roadshow and graduation ceremony for all apprentices and apprentice graduates from the Council. The event will take place at the Brighton Town Hall Council Chamber where the attendees will hear from inspirational local speakers, take part in workshops to support their professional development and have a chance to share good practice whilst meeting with fellow apprentices. The idea for this event came from our Apprentice Ambassadors and they have developed the concept and taken charge of the event planning and management. They have also made a film about their experiences as apprentices http://youtu.be/3ZI5GH6ktYM See also
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/apprenticeships, email kirsten.trussell@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call her on 01273 294921.

Our Brighton and Hove Ambassadors

Changes in school and college leadership

It is the first time in B&H that we have been involved in recruiting so many Headteachers and principals at one time across the city. It’s vital we get the very best leaders to replace those we are saying farewell to.

I am delighted to announce that Joanne Smith has been appointed to Rudyard Kipling Primary as the new Headteacher from September, and Zoe Mcguigan will be the new Headteacher at Hertford Infant School. It is fantastic news that Coombe Road governors have asked Stuart McConnachie to remain as Executive Headteacher for another eighteen months. 

Congratulations to Ashley Harrold who has been appointed as the new Headteacher at Blatchington Mill when Janet Felkin leaves us in the summer. Well done to Wendy King who has been appointed as the new Headteacher at the Bilingual Primary School. We also have a new interim principal Monica Box at City College who we are all looking forward to working with.

Derek Trimmer from Hove Park will move to a new and exciting Executive Headteacher position in Kent after Easter. We thank him and wish him well in his new challenge. Austin Hindman will be acting Headteacher whist the recruitment process goes ahead.

We are also currently going through the planning and recruitment processes for new leaders at St Martins, Peter Gladwin, Moulescoomb, Hove Juniors and Bevendean Primary Schools and for Hove Park and PACA.

Ofsted have inspected Peter Gladwin Primary School this month and I look forward to receiving the report and final judgement.

I was pleased to receive the Ofsted reports for both West Blatchington and Coombe Road Primary Schools. West Blatchington secured a Good judgement and were praised for their leadership and partnership working, congratulations to Rachel and her team. Coombe Road received a Requires Improvement judgement but with strong recognition of the new approach to school to school support and capacity to improve. This was a significant achievement for Stuart and the team during a time of substantial change.

Following recent positive inspections I’m pleased to say that 82% of Brighton and Hove Schools are now judged to be good and outstanding which is in line with national average published in the HMCI annual report.

Best wishes

Jo

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter (@JoMLyons)

January 2015

My January blog

Brighton and Hove Schools win national ‘Pupil Premium’ awards

What a great way to start 2015 with schools minister David Laws writing to Balfour and St Bernadette’s primaries saying they are amongst the most improved in the country in terms of attainment and progress of their disadvantaged children since 2011. Both schools have been awarded £1000 for this achievement.

Bevendean Primary School, Coldean Primary School, St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School, St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School also received a letter from David Laws MP, to congratulate them on the improvement in the key stage 2 results of their disadvantaged pupils since 2011.

We are delighted as our top priority for our city’s schools this year is to close the gap in academic achievement for our disadvantaged groups and these schools are certainly setting a positive example.

We were delighted to receive final Ofsted reports on Saltdean, Somerhill Juniors, Hertford Juniors, Fairlight Primary and The Connected Hub, all confirming Good judgements. Well done to those schools and their staff, children and young people.



SoundCity and ‘Our Future City’

I was pleased to attend this month’s board meeting for ‘Our Future City’ and to be part of a six-month conversation across the city that seeks to improve the lives and life-chances of children and young people through cultural engagement and creative skills. Of particular interest was some important work going on with some of our most vulnerable young people and a strong emphasis on supporting wellbeing and resilience through engagement in cultural activities.  Alongside ‘Our Future City’, I also attended the SoundCity board meeting, where we discussed the plan for music education in the city over the next two years.  It was great to hear about SoundCity 3, a performance event which will take place at the Corn Exchange on Saturday 14 March featuring a large number of young musicians from local bands, music groups and secondary schools.

Adoption Steering Group

I was delighted to chair a lively and challenging debate at our January adoption Steering group meeting. As well as continuing to progress our ‘Adoption Passport’ work. We were able to look at the new SEN reforms and how they will support the needs of our adopted children. We are challenging all services across the city to review their practice and ensure they are taking account of the needs of this important group. It was therefore good to hear from the Virtual School and the Educational Psychology Service how they are working in collaboration to develop a city-wide approach to continuing professional development - ‘Attachment Friendly Brighton’.

Secondary School Improvement

Early in January we had a very constructive meeting with Janet Felkin the chair of the Secondary Schools Partnership (SSP) to discuss and review how our important collaborative work is going to drive forward improvement.  We were able to hear more about how effective the Challenge Partner Programme is in those schools where visits have already taken place. It was an opportunity to discuss the forecasts for the current cohorts of year 10 and 11 and challenge the work that is taking place in every school to be sure that all students are on track and the predictions are accurate. To support further improvement in our secondary schools the LA has also commissioned work to review the use of Pupil Premium and provide challenge and support to close the gap in achievement for those with SEN. I look forward to reporting back to you on this work later in the term.

A frequent topic of conversation with schools is how we can improve our communications and access to information. I’m pleased to say our new Services to Schools purchasing and management system, BEEM, will be available to schools later in the Spring Term.  This easy-to-use online portal provides quick access to all our services to schools. From booking training to sharing information, this ‘one-stop-shop’ will support you across many of the day-to-day tasks relating to our services to schools. Keep an eye out in the Schools Bulletin for updates about the new system including details of any upcoming training sessions. Roger Snell, our new Schools Traded Service Manager, will be happy to tell you more.

PE and Sport

There are some important developments happening in individual schools and across cluster partnerships to transform school sport.  To share best practice and drive forward change I have this month brought together leads from schools, sport and leisure and public health to champion this work. It was an opportunity for me to hear first-hand the fabulous work going on at Goldstone and Carden Primary Schools and Dorothy Stringer Secondary. We all agreed that more still needs to be done to ensure there is a consistently good offer in place, we improve personal fitness, pupils are challenged to achieve their very best and that we foster a love of sport. I am passionate about this agenda and truly believe this work will help to instil confidence, improve self-esteem and determination, and contribute to children’s happiness and achievement. I look forward to reporting back on the development of our strategy and the impact of this work in future blogs.

Faith Matters

We took the annual Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) report to Children’s Committee this month. Religious education (RE) makes a significant contribution to pupils’academic and personal development and also plays a key role in promoting social cohesion and the virtues of respect and empathy. Lord Nash has recently written to all LAs about the importance of SACRE in supporting Religious Education and I am pleased to say that our SACRE actively supports RE development and training. It is also keen to support with the development of British values and will be looking at the national guidance with teachers and school leaders to see if there is anything they can contribute.

At the next Secondary and Continuing Education Partnership on the 9 February we will have an opportunity to look at how we work more effectively with faith leaders across the city and our approach to promoting peace and tolerance in connection with our work to prevent the radicalisation of our young people.

Welcome to new members of the team

Bob Griffin our SEN Partnership Adviser has joined us to assist in the work we do to support and challenge special schools and PRUs and raise achievement for our children with SEN across the city.

Congratulations to Sarah Price the new Principal at Kings Secondary School. Important to note also that Peter Merchant is now interim headteacher at PACA and Stuart McConnachie is interim headteacher at Coombe Road Primary.

The service redesign and recruitment in the Behaviour and Attendance team is now complete. I’m delighted we now have the management team in place.  A major focus of their work will be in collaboration with schools and governing bodies providing the support and challenge needed to improve attendance and to tackle holidays in term time, persistent absence and exclusion.

Left to right: Mark Holdaway (Head of Behaviour and Inclusive Learning Team), Allistaire Smedley  (Perfromance Analyst), Ellen Mulvihill (Head of Behaviour and Attendance), Gavin Thomas (Vulnerable Pupil Manager),
Gill Manton (Attendance Manager)

School Governance

This month school governance has been an important focus for me. I have had the opportunity to join a number of governing body meetings in schools across the city to challenge them in relation to their strategic leadership role and receive challenge back on how we support them in the important role they do. Their role is vital in a time of change with the government’s current agenda to encourage them to be smaller, more strategic and more skilled based and locally with our work encouraging them to focus on increasing diversity of membership particularly from BME communities. I’m always so impressed with the commitment and effort that our governors put into supporting improvement in our schools, and the time they give often on top of busy jobs and lives.

I’m looking forward to spending some more time with governors from across the city at our annual governors’ conference on Saturday 31 January, the theme this year couldn’t be more relevant ‘Leading with Moral Purpose’ and I’m excited to hear what inspirational words the key note speaker Rosemary Campbell-Stephens will have to share with us.

Official Opening of Newman College

It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of Newman College the new sixth form of Cardinal Newman School. The event was conducted by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor with some inspirational talks from the young people on the impact of the new building on their learning. I was taken on a tour of the building by the sixth formers who felt privileged to have such an amazing modern learning space.

Left to right: Paul Clingan (Director of Sixth Form), Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Domenica Maxted (Chair of Governors) and Dr James Kilmartin (Headteacher).

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter (@JoMLyons)

Best wishes

Jo

December 2014 - My Christmas Blog

The Primary Schools Christmas concert

Once again this annual event was a great success. Our children and young people did us proud and sang a range of Christmas songs to a high standard. Particular thanks go to Peter Chivers and our Music and Arts Service for their leadership of the event and the support they provided to schools. I was particularly delighted to hear the fabulous input from our special schools this year and the introduction of makaton alongside the music and singing.




The Primary Schools Christmas Concert

Adoption Support

It was a pleasure to chair this month’s steering group joined by adopters, headteachers and professionals across all agencies to develop our Brighton and Hove Adoption Passport. The passport will clearly outline the services available for our adopted children and signpost parents and professionals appropriately. We are challenging all services to review their processes and practice to become‘adoption competent’ and we hope to go live with this new passport in April.

Children's Services Partnership Forum

I joined partners at the Brighthelm Centre for our second Children's Services Partnership Forum to discuss young people and mental health. Richard Chamberlain (Deputy Headteacher, Student Development) from Blatchington Mill School provided us with an open and honest account of the mental health issues faced by young people in school. Partners were able to hear about our developing approach to adolescents. The table top discussions have left us with lots of suggested 'quick wins' and longer term ideas to explore.

Ofsted

Ofsted published their annual reports on 10/12/14; a strong message from Sir Michael Wilshaw that standards in secondary schools nationally had ‘stalled’ and need to improve. More needs to be done to narrow the gap in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Although the quality of teaching in the further education sector was highlighted as an area of improvement, it is not always equipping learners with the skills they need to succeed in work. Locally in Brighton and Hove we still have a way to go to close the gap and to achieve all good and outstanding schools across the city. HMCI concluded that the essential ingredients of success are: strong leadership, a positive learning culture, good teaching, robust accountability and a determination to improve the lot of every child, regardless of background or ability.

Congratulations to Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School for their Ofsted judgement of good. It was good to see the emphasis in the report on strength of leadership. This was clearly evident on my visit to the school this month as was the focus on teaching and learning, and continual improvement.

Safeguarding in schools

At this month’s LSCB I presented on safeguarding in schools. The report was well received, with the chair of the board commenting on the thorough nature and detail covered in the audits. It was fedback how positive it is that all schools are completing the self-evaluation and finding it a helpful process to quality assure regarding appropriate safeguarding practice. It was also agreed that in delivering the audit going forward a greater emphasis on child sexual expoitation would  be welcomed.


Secondary and continuing education partnership meeting

We had the opportunity to look in more detail at our secondary standards and the gaps in achievement for some of our vulnerable groups. Lesley Falmer our regional HMI link also attended to share some of the changes in the ofsted framework. Discussion took place on the initial findings from the SEND/Behaviour reviews. The next meeting is on 9/2/15 and our focus will be child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and our wider equalities work.

Hove Junior School opening event

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the official opening of the Holland road site for Hove Junior School. We were joined by Parents/Carers and friends of the school for some amazing Christmas singing from the children.



Children at Hove Junior School

Cambridge Primary Review Trust

Hilary Ferries (Head of Standards and Achievement), invited all headteachers to the The Cambridge Primary Review Trust event ‘please tell us what the next government should do – or not do – in order to help schools provide the best possible primary education for all the nation’s children’. Marcelo Staricoff (Headteacher, Balfour Primary School) and some of the children from Balfour met with other south region members to discuss this and their ideas have been passed on to Robin Alexander (Chair of the Cambridge Review Primary Trust), to put to the different political parties to try and influence policy.

Brighton Museum Project

One example of providing excellent opportunities for children was the recent project by Brighton Museum where children from some of our primary schools studied the work of Magnus Volks, including the ‘Daddy Long Legs’. Following a day looking at his work which included a ride on the Volks Railway and speaking with local engineers, the children then designed their own craft to take people on the journey from Brighton to Rottingean. Classes have worked with The Toy and Model Museum, Volk Electric Railway, The Keep, Royal Pavilion & Museums and STEM. Some of the models were displayed at the museum for thepublic and are pictured here.

 

Models designed by primary school children

Goodbye

Mandy Miller, School Partnership Adviser, will be leaving our team in the LA at the end of term. Mandy has worked with us for a long time and made such a positive difference to many schools across the city. Liz Owen, PSHE Adviser, is also leaving the Council after 14 years at the end of term. 

 

Mandy Miller (left) and Liz Owen

We wish both of them well and thank them for their commitment to schools and children and young people in the city.

Sparkle disco

This wouldn't be a Christmas blog without a mention of some festive fun. I had the pleasure of joining my five year old at her primary school for the early evening sparkle disco. The children had an amazing time and I don't think I've seen so much sparkle in one room!

Finally, may I take this opportunity to thank everyone for your work over the last year to contribute to continued improvement for our schools and children and young people. My best wishes to you all for the festive season.

Keep in touch and follow me on Twitter (@JoMLyons)

Jo