Daily Update 24 April 2020 24 April 2020 Ref: TP/2404 Dear colleagues, Past daily updates and key national and local guidance is being updated daily via: https://link.walsall.gov.uk/Local-Authority/Walsall-Public-Health/Coronavirus- COVID-19 To aid accessibility the title bar for each article will be colour coded as follows: National guidance or updates Key safeguarding guidance/ updates Walsall guidance/ updates Letter from Secretary of State for Education Yesterday, Gavin Williamson wrote to schools and education providers to “reiterate my gratitude for your efforts in supporting and caring for our most vulnerable children and young people, and particularly for making sure that they, alongside the children of critical workers, can continue to attend school, nursery or college”. In terms of attendance the letter re-iterated the intention that: Children and young people who have a social worker should be encouraged to attend an education setting unless their social worker decides that they are at less risk at home or in their placement. Children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan should have a risk assessment in consultation with parents/ carers to determine whether their needs are best met at home or in an education setting. For children and young people who are otherwise vulnerable the school will know their circumstances best and hence discretion should be used to encourage attendance if it is deemed they are safer if attending school. 1 National parent helpline StarLine, a national telephone advice service for parents has been launched by Star Academies Trust. The service is run by qualified teachers and education and parenting experts from schools, trusts and national organisations. The service states that it is able to offer confidential advice to parents/ carers on academic progress, behaviour management, transition and emotional wellbeing. Telephone calls are charged at local rate and the helpline number is – 0330 313 9162. Further information can be obtained from the link. School Admission Appeals The legislation has now been passed in regard to the administration of school admission appeals. This legislation will remain in force until the 31 January 2021. The regulations: disapply the requirement that appeals panels must be held in person and instead give flexibility for panel hearings to take place either in person, by telephone, video conference or through a paper-based appeal where all parties can make representations in writing relax the rules with regard to what happens if one of the 3 panel members withdraws (temporarily or permanently) to make it permissible for the panel to continue with and conclude the appeal as a panel of 2 amend the deadlines relating to appeals for the time that the new regulations are in force Changes to appeal deadlines The new regulations also revise the deadlines for the submission of appeals as follows: at least 28 calendar days’ written notice of a new appeal deadline at least 14 calendar days’ written notice of an appeal hearing (although appellants can waive their right to this) The hearing of appeals should be “as soon as reasonably practicable”. Decision letters should be sent within 7 calendar days of the hearing, wherever possible. Parents will be able to lodge a complaint if they have evidence of maladministration, as now. The updated guidance can be accessed via the link. The legislation itself can be accessed via this link. Walsall Council are in the process of providing practical guidance and advice including the effective use of virtual technology systems etc. Further updates will be issued in due course. Please ensure that any letters, information or paperwork 2 sent to parents or posted on your websites reflects the new legislation so as to minimise the risk of challenge on a technicality and that your Clerk has been trained in the new legislation. Hub Provision The Department for Education have today (24 April 2020) issued new guidance on hub/ cluster schools where a school or setting takes pupils from other schools during periods of closure. The DfE states that it “understands that shared provision through multi-school or provider cluster or hub arrangements may be considered”. It goes on to say however that “hubs may increase the public health risk”. Greater numbers of pupils and staff means greater risk of spreading COVID- 19. Provision at a child’s school is always the preferred option because they know the environment, staff and routine during what is already a very unsettling time. The guidance is clear that schools and other settings should not close to all pupils until arrangements for continued provision for vulnerable and key worker pupils has been made. Early years settings that have no option but to close should liaise with their local authority to ensure other arrangements are made for their children. Where closures are inevitable then provision at a school in the same locality should be explored “in the first instance”. In terms of activities the DfE are clear that “the most important thing is that children of critical workers and vulnerable children and young people are supervised and properly cared for at education settings. We trust the judgement of teachers and staff on how to effectively teach and care for children and young people under difficult and changing circumstances”. The full guidance can be accessed via the link. Walsall Council’s Working Together guidance developed in response to COVID-19 does include at stage 3, hub resilience settings. The Council’s stance is that it will not direct schools to open as hub settings but rather hub schools will be agreed amongst head teachers in a locality and align with the principles set out in the Department for Education guidance. Google and Microsoft Learning Platforms The government are negotiating government funded access for schools to Google G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education. Support will be provided to enable schools to determine which platform will best meet their needs. The DfE are also seeking applications for the second round of edtech schools where schools share their expertise with other schools and colleges in regard to the use of technology for learning. The deadline for new applicants is 7pm on 3 Wednesday 29 April 2020. Successful applicants will receive between £70,000 and £150,000 to support delivery of the programme, which will start in May and run until the end of March 2021. Schools will have to be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ and “satisfy the DfE that they have “robust financial controls, including financial reserves”. Investment in support services The government has announced further funding for services providing support to vulnerable children and young people including: Various programmes around the country to build lasting support networks for children and families in the care system including foster parents, to prevent social isolation at this time, as well as finding homes for young people leaving care; Better data sharing between all safeguarding partners, making sure the NHS, police, social workers, school nurses and health workers have the information they need to protect children at risk of abuse; New teams of Department for Education and Ofsted staff leading work around the country to gather data on vulnerable children’s attendance at school or other settings, providing a overall picture of the risks facing these children so that councils can follow best practice; the Staying Put programme, supporting young people leaving care to continue living with their foster parents past age 18 and preventing the risk of becoming homeless, and a further £9 million to provide personal adviser support for care leavers through to 25, helping them into employment, education and training. Keyworker testing Essential key workers who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 are as of today able to self-refer for a test to determine whether they have the infection. Essential workers can also book tests for members of their household at the same time. The list of essential workers includes education and childcare workers (e.g. support and teaching staff, social workers and specialist education professionals). The site to apply for the test can be accessed via the link. The system did go down on its first day with self-testing kits and available slots for testing running out quickly on the first day of operation. 4 Early Years Funding Councils yesterday (23 April 2020) were given greater freedoms in regard to funding for free childcare entitlements in exceptional circumstances. Councils will temporarily be able to use the funding they receive for the free entitlements for two, three and four-year-olds differently, redistributing it to make sure sufficient childcare places are available for vulnerable children and those of critical workers where absolutely necessary for the benefit of critical workers and the parents of the most vulnerable children. The full press release can be accessed via the link. Ramadan Observance Those observing Ramadan are being advised by Public Health England to adapt their observance and remain at home. The call is being endorsed by the British Board of Scholars and Imams to help control the spread of infection. Those with serious symptoms are also being advised not to fast. 5 BBC One’s The Big Night In raises £27,398,675 I Colleagues these are indeed unprecedented times and I like many of you may well have watched The Big Night In, last night. For the first time ever the BBC’s biggest charitable partners, BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief, came together for a special night of television and raised £27,398,675 in the process. The three-hour extravaganza hosted by Davina McCall, Lenny Henry, Matt Baker, Paddy McGuinness and Zoe Ball featured an incredible array of famous faces who offered some light relief and entertainment whilst celebrating and rewarding those going the extra mile to support their communities in these troubled times.