Suffolk Headlines Tuesday, 4 February 2020
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View this email in your browser. The weekly bulletin presenting information for all schools from Suffolk County Council Tuesday, 4 February 2020 Coronavirus Advice FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS You will be aware of the current and ongoing situation regarding the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China as well as across the world. Most reported cases are at the mild end of the spectrum and currently in the UK there are two confirmed cases being treated in line with robust infection control measures. For advice and guidance on this outbreak, visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus. This is being updated nationally and should be the only source of information you need to access. A UK wide information campaign has now been launched to provide practical advice and guidance on how to protect yourself from infection. As we would always advise to help stop the spread of viruses such as flu during the winter, you should; • always carry tissues and use them to catch coughs and sneezes, and bin the tissue; • wash hands with soap and water, or use sanitiser gel, to kill germs. A short video on advice can be found here, and a poster can be found here. Although we have no specific threat of an outbreak of 2019-nCoV in Suffolk, Public Health Directorate colleagues are working with all local, regional and national stakeholders to ensure that we are as prepared and ready as possible to respond to any situations in Suffolk, should they occur. Suffolk SEND strategy 2020 – 2023 – “Time to listen… about SEND” FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS Improving outcomes for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) is a top priority in Suffolk. Over the last three years partners across education, health and care have worked together to deliver Suffolk’s first SEND Strategy following our poor SEND inspection in 2017. It is now time to develop the next 3 year strategy. Our first 3 year plan has resulted in some improvements in services, but we know that there is still much more to do. Our new SEND Strategy for 2020-2023 will set out our shared plans to make this next set of changes. Between February and April we want to involve as many people as possible to shape these plans, because if we want to achieve our ambitions for Suffolk children and young people we need to get everyone involved. We need SEND conversations in as many places as possible – in meetings, in playgrounds, over coffee, in your team, with your friends – could you help these conversations to happen? We plan to call this conversation “Time to Listen…about SEND”. If you could help us to gather feedback from conversation please let us know at [email protected]. Once you have contacted us to confirm your commitment, we will share some more information about how to gather feedback and how you can encourage others to act as SEND strategy champions. We very much look forward to working with you. SEND Programme Board Continuing to develop Specialist Units Attached to Mainstream Schools FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS Suffolk County Council is interested in mainstream schools across Suffolk expressing an interest in developing the new school based SEND units we are continuing to create over the next four years as our local offer grows to meet increasing demand. Click here if you would like further information and to submit an application. As part of the application process, we require providers to send in their presentation to [email protected] Special Educational Needs Units - Frequently Asked Questions Read more Revised Deadline for Free School Presumption Competitions – Communication and Interaction (C&I) School, Bungay and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) School, Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS The local authority is seeking proposals from appropriate sponsors to open two new 80-place special schools: one school for children with C&I needs in Bungay to open in September 2021 and another school for children with SEMH needs in Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds to open in September 2022. Further details, including application form can be found here • SEMH School (Bury St Edmunds) Revised timetable for applications • Communication and Interaction School (Bungay) Revised timetable for applications Contact: Joy Stodart, 01473 265331, 07515 190911 Policy Development Panel (PDP) for Alternative Provision (AP) FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS Suffolk County Council are in the process of carrying out a review on the Alternative Provision (AP) within Suffolk and would like to request your help. A Policy Development Panel (PDP) has been established to undertake a strategic review of the current AP offer in Suffolk and determine future policy for the provision of AP. This is now underway and Panel members would like the views of mainstream schools who utilise our Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) within Suffolk. They have devised a set of questions that they would be grateful if you could consider and feedback to us. We have received a small number of responses from mainstream schools, however we would like to hear from more of you to gain a greater understanding. If you are interested in sharing your views on Alternative Provision within Suffolk, then please fill in the survey which you can find in the following link: Access the survey here This survey will be open until Friday 6th March 2020. New Lease Accounting Standard (IFRS16) FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS In 2020/21 a new accounting standard (IFRS16) is being adopted by all Local Authorities. This new accounting standard will change how lease and hire transactions are reflected in the Council's Statement of Accounts. It is important that Suffolk County Council has accurate data in order to comply with this accounting requirement and therefore it is requested that schools complete a short questionnaire regarding their lease and hire arrangements. The survey will take approximately 1-5 mins to complete and will close on Friday 28th February 2020. Take the survey here If you have any queries regarding this survey please contact the Schools Accountancy Team [email protected] English Touring Opera: The Extraordinary Adventures of You and Me FOR INFORMATION | ALL PRIMARY SCHOOLS Meet the hero Mackenzie and get ready to travel through time and space. On a school trip to a museum, Mackenzie discovers that their pencil case is full of magical worlds. Who knows who you will meet and where you will visit along the way, so take a deep breath and expect the unexpected. An interactive opera for for children and young audiences. The Extraordinary Adventures of You and Me, follows English Touring Opera’s success in creating fun, engaging and interactive operas for children and young audiences as well as SEND audiences. Recommended age 2-5 Ruth Mariner writer & director with music by Omar Shahryar Name and contact: Snape Maltings Concert Hall Box Office 01728 687110 Snape Maltings website Top titles for LGBT History Month FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS February is LGBT History Month. Suffolk Libraries will be celebrating with a brand new list of books that promote understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals and families. In celebration of LGBT History Month, Suffolk Libraries have selected titles that feature an understanding of LGBTQ+ subject matter in a meaningful and enlightening way for all to enjoy. Children’s titles Young Adult titles All of these titles can be reserved on the Suffolk Libraries catalogue for free. Don’t have a library card? Sign up here! For more information, contact [email protected] Contact: Hannah Foulstone, [email protected] Suffolk Children’s University Expressions of Interest Invited for 2020/2021 Academic Year FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS “I feel like I’m growing branches” Year 5 Children’s University Learner There are so many reasons to get your school involved in Children’s University. The Education Endowment Foundation has Children’s University listed as a promising project; our focus on activities beyond the classroom is a great fit for Ofsted’s new focus on character development; and our digital platform, Children’s University Online, can support your school with skills development and reporting against the Gatsby Benchmarks. Read more Contact: Debbie Bennett, [email protected] Spring Conference Friday 20th March 2020 Bury St Edmunds FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS Please use this link to access the new enewletter you will find the booking form on there. Confirmed speakers are Charlie Contender and Kerry Scott, Headteacher Ainslie Wood Primary School, London… there will also be an “info hour”. Contact: Jacqui Frost, [email protected], 07879491093 SENDAT Special Education Careers Fair FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS SENDAT is holding a Careers Information day to find out what it’s like working in special education, Tuesday 18th February 2020 10am to 3pm. This is a free event open to anyone in or outside of education. Please book via Eventbrite. Come and join us to find out more about teaching, classroom support staff, admin, premises, catering and cleaning across our provisions. Contact: Sue Prickett, [email protected] The Purpose of Supervision – using a Coaching Approach 3rd March 2020 – 1pm -2pm FOR INFORMATION | ALL SCHOOLS 3rd March 2020 – 1pm -2pm – Highfield Nursery School The Purpose of Supervision – using a Coaching Approach A one-hour session looking at the purpose of our supervision conversations. • What should supervision achieve? • How can we make it more effective? • How do we share the organisation’s vision through our supervisions? Using a coaching approach, this session looks at refining the supervision process so that it is effective and rewarding for all. Comparing current practice and sharing ideas across settings, the aim is to make supervision more meaningful and successful.