Included in this week's noticeboard:

• Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Strategic Director for Children and Families
• Oracle Finance, Payroll and HR System
• Budget Management Training
• Update from School Admissions
• Department for Education - Condition Data Collection Programme
• Elective Home Education Referral Forms for Schools
• Summer Term WellComm Data Return.
• Early Help: Payment for Historic Family Outcomes
• School Unofficial Funds Audits
• Health Related Absence Referrals for School Nursing Service
• Nitrous Oxide Research Support

Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Strategic Director for Children and Families

Dear colleagues

We’ve reached the beginning of July, which is on average the warmest month in the UK, but let’s wait and see what the coming weeks bring. Hopefully you’ll enjoy some good weather for your planned sports and activity days.

Last week, council colleagues were delighted to attend the Special Headteacher Conference. I was pleased to hear from Helen Ellis, Director for SEND and Inclusion that the event was exceptionally well attended and provided a great opportunity to hear from some excellent speakers, not least of all Viv Grant from Integrity Coaching, as well as providing the chance to network with like-minded colleagues.

Schools will have received notification that the government funded Holiday Activities and Food Programme will once again take place, providing much needed support to our most vulnerable children and families during the school summer holidays. It means that children and young people who are aged between 4-16 and eligible for benefits related free school meals are entitled to access Bring it on Brum! holiday clubs for free during the period 24 July to 3 September 2024 (excluding weekends and bank holidays). A range of fabulous activities are on offer, designed to provide a safe and stimulating environment for children and young people during the holidays and bookings are now open at www.bringitonbrum.co.uk. There are also free home activity packs available for those unable to access the face-to-face activities and families can register for these here: Bring it on Brum! Activity Packs. It’s so important for our vulnerable families to be supported during the school holidays which, for many, are real pressure points and for some can lead to a holiday experience gap. I’m looking forward to being able to attend a few of the activities to meet with our providers and see what the children and young people are getting up to. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this programme.

The Children and Young People’s Travel Service continues to do a great job in supporting our young people with special educational needs gain travel independence. Over the past few months, 118 students have successfully been transferred from solo occupancy transport onto shared transport. This is such a wonderful achievement for those students who are now able to travel with their peers and is a fantastic step on their personal development journey as they work towards independence. The testimonials received from parents/carers are such a pleasure to read and really show the impact the Independent Travel Training Programme is having on the lives of our young people. I’m delighted to share a couple of them with you today:

“…watching my vulnerable young person gain independence through the travel training programme has been incredible. Before the training, she was very naïve and anxious about using the buses on her own. From the very beginning, her travel trainer, put her at ease, and was patient and thorough, teaching her everything from reading bus schedules to planning routes. Now, she confidently takes buses to get to her work placement, meet friends in town, and go shopping independently without relying on me or others to take her. This programme has given her a new found sense of freedom and self-assurance. I couldn’t be more grateful for the positive impact it has had on her life, and I highly recommend it to other parents looking to help their children become independent.”

“…Thank you so much to you and your team. We are both so grateful. He is very excited about going by himself in the mornings and being independent. He gets up early (6am) and needs to be encouraged to go back to bed until it is time to get up. I suspect that in the mornings, he might be ‘running on adrenaline’ and needs to calm down to listen to instructions and take in the observations. He so wants to do this. Your work means a lot to him in terms of his enablement, independence and self-confidence. For me as a carer, your work and the positive outcomes provide me with some stability, confidence and routine in order to arrange my own life and ease my own anxiety and mental health issues, which are not inconsiderable as his carer. I cannot thank you enough for the work that you do.”

The much anticipated general election takes place today, as well as by-elections in two wards in Birmingham, and I hope you manage to take the time to cast your vote. Thank you to our schools who accommodated the polling stations activity, and I hope that any pre-made plans weren’t disrupted too greatly.

I do hope you enjoy your well-deserved weekend when it arrives, allowing yourself a chance to rest and recharge.

With my personal thanks and best wishes as always

Sue

Oracle Finance, Payroll and HR System

A refreshed version of the Update and Q&A document is now available.

Please note the last of the informal drop-in sessions via Microsoft Teams with Chris Etheridge and council officers is planned for Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 10:00. This session will have a focus on gathering the voice of schools in terms of their requirements from any future solution. Details of how to prepare for the session and the Teams link can be found in the Update and Q&A document.

Recordings of previous webinar sessions can be found at this link Recordings and presentations from school webinars, and schools can continue to reach out to the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk.

With many thanks for your continued support.

Budget Management Training

FAO: Headteachers, School Business Professionals, Governors

We will be running Budget Management Training in the Autumn Term 2024. This successful training course has been rewritten and will include many new areas.

The training will also have a focus on cheque book schools and will be useful for schools who are considering moving to full cheque book status. We envisage demand for this training to be high.

The price of the training will be £495 per delegate.

Please register your initial interest with Linda Brighton at linda.a.brighton@birmingham.gov.uk. Once the date and venue have been confirmed we will then open up bookings.

Update from School Admissions

As we approach the end of the academic year, please see key information below from the School Admissions Team:

Closure of admission rounds – September 2024 intake

Parent/carers will no longer be able to submit late applications or a change of preference(s) for Reception Class, Year 2-3, secondary transfer or Year 10 from 11.59 pm on 31 July 2024. School Admissions will continue to process any applications that have been submitted prior to the end of July 2024. Any applications received after this date will be managed via the in-year admissions process. Important – As we continue to process late applications and change of preferences throughout the summer, schools should view or download an updated list of their offers via the Schools’ Portal at the end of August 2024 in preparation for the start of the new academic year.

Transfer to secondary school in 2025

Next week all Birmingham maintained Primary, Junior and All-Through schools will be sent a letter which should be distributed to their current Year 5 pupils that do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). There is key information included regarding deferred entry and children being taught outside of their normal year group, so it is important that this letter is shared with all children attending your school born between 01/09/2013 - 31/08/2014.

Parent/carers that reside in Birmingham will be able to submit an online application from 1 September 2024 and are urged to apply for their child to transfer to secondary school by the national closing date of 31 October 2024. Further Information about the application process will be available on the Birmingham City Council website from 1 September 2024. Parent/carers that reside outside Birmingham should check the website for the Local Authority that they pay their Council Tax to for details of when their applications open, the national closing date is 31 October 2024. If they are unsure which Local Authority they should apply to they can find details here: Find Your Local Council

We would be grateful for schools' support in publicising the process and, where necessary, assisting those parents/carers who may find the application process difficult. We also ask that you ensure that there is accurate and up-to-date information about your school on your website, such as your prospectus and details of any open days, evenings, or online events. Please ensure that you liaise with neighbouring schools, so your open sessions do not clash, and be sure to arrange them before the final closing date for applications, 31 October 2024.

Department for Education - Condition Data Collection Programme

We have recently been made aware of low flying aircraft circling some schools and causing concern.

Having been in touch with colleagues at the Department for Education (DfE) we have been advised that this is part of the England-wide Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme which requires aerial photographs to be taken of each school site, including school building roofs. The programme has been running from 2021 and will continue into 2026, with over 70% of schools in England already being included.

The DfE has confirmed the low-flying aircraft seen on Friday, 28 June formed part of this legitimate exercise and is therefore nothing for schools to be concerned about.

We have requested the DfE provide full details of future CDC related aerial photography activity so we can inform schools in advance and prevent any further concern.

We hope this has provided adequate reassurance, but if any schools do remain concerned, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at school.support@birmingham.gov.uk and they will be pleased to assist.

More information on the Condition Data Collection Programme can be found at this link.

Elective Home Education Referral Form for Schools

The Elective Home Education Team has launched a new School Referral Form for all schools to complete when referring a child on their school roll for Home Education. The form can be downloaded at this link.

The new form provides a greater opportunity to provide as much information as possible concerning the current details of the child and other agencies that may be working with the child or the family.

It is vital that all areas of the form are completed as fully as possible to ensure that all the required information is captured. If vital information is not included, the form will be returned to the school.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the Home Education Team at home.education@birmingham.gov.uk if you require any assistance in completing the form, or have any queries.

With many thanks for your support

Summer Term WellComm Data Return

FAO: Primary Schools and Nursery Schools

Thank you for using the WellComm Toolkit to improve Speech-Language and Communication (SLC) outcomes in your school or setting. The WellComm data collection returns are demonstrating that targeted interventions offered by early years providers have improved children's level of SLC development. Therefore, we request that every early year's provider returns their Summer Term WellComm screening results by 31st August 2024.

If you have not had the capacity to screen all of your children during the term then, please, send us the results that you have.

Complete the survey by following this link.

Early Help: Payment for Historic Family Outcomes

Birmingham Children’s Trust and Birmingham Education Partnership are launching a new way to evidence family outcomes for families that schools have completed early help work with historically.

Current Early Help work should still be recorded on ECINS. Historic work can be submitted by completing an Excel Spreadsheet. The spreadsheet available is blank, and you may submit up to 30 families per sheet and return to TFData@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk.

There is also a partially completed mock template, so you have a guide of how to complete the form. For more information and to access the spreadsheet, visit the Birmingham Children's Trust website.

School Unofficial Funds Audits

Schools Financial Services are available to carry out the audit of your Unofficial Funds (School Funds) from now and during the summer holidays.

If you wish someone to collect your School Fund records to be audited, contact your Finance Officer for further details. Alternatively, email Elaine Leith at Elaine.A.Leith@birmingham.gov.uk for collection arrangements or for further details.

Also, if you require additional cover during the autumn term, get in touch and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.

Health Related Absence Referrals for School Nursing Service

FAO: SENCOs, Teachers and Attendance Managers

Following consultation with the Lead Attendance Officer from Birmingham Attendance and Inclusion Team it has been agreed that Birmingham School Health Support Service will not accept referrals for health-related absences for this academic year after 0700hrs on Monday 8th July 2024 as they will be unable to process the referrals before the end of the summer term. Referral for health-related absence will resume as normal from 2nd September 2024.

If schools have children who have health related absences, below 85% and were planning to refer them to the school health service, please complete the referral form, to meet the deadline.

Referrals that meet the Birmingham School Health Support Service’s other criteria will still be triaged and assessed as normal.

Any queries should be directed to Rukshana Ali at Rukshana.Ali3@nhs.net

Nitrous Oxide Research Support

Nitrous oxide use by young people has become more prevalent and carries a range of potential harms, including neurological damage and paralysis in serious cases.

To help to tackle this issue, Birmingham Public Health have commissioned engagement experts, Participation People, to research the subject and deliver recommendations about the best approach.

As part of this work, they need help to understand nitrous oxide use among students in Birmingham.

Could schools please share the anonymous survey with their students. It should take no longer than 5 minutes per student to complete, and they have the chance to win vouchers by taking part.

Your support is key to helping us address this issue and keep our community safe.

Birmingham City Council Nitrous Oxide Youth Engagement survey.