Nick O'Brien, Assistant Headteacher at Neatherd High School, is launching a campaign called 'Black Students Matter'. As part of this campaign, he has written an open letter which can be found here: https://platform.organise.org.uk/campaigns/1123

If you would be interested in finding out more, please contact Nick directly at: nick_o'[email protected]

Usually at our last Leadership Update of the year, secondary leaders would agree what they are sharing with the local press in terms of results. This year Educate Norfolk would like to suggest that we do not share any information with the press regarding results. As there will be no performance league tables this year there would seem to be little benefit from doing so. 

With September likely to be a challenging time, we intend to hold a virtual Primary Leadership Update within the first few weeks of term. We will be hearing from Chris Snudden, Kelly Waters, John Crowley and more, with the opportunity to join us after the main speakers for a Q&A session. 

There will be an AM and PM session w/c 21st September.

Full details and booking will be through our website as usual and will go live next Wednesday.  

Earlier this week the government announced guidance to support continuity in delivery of the key stage 1&2 Mathematics curriculum. 

Full details and links to the documents can be found here

In response to this, Angles Maths Hub are hosting a conversation to help support schools understand this new documentation and what it means in practice. The document linked below provides the full details of this. 

Supporting Primary Schools with the new Mathematics Curriculum Guidance Document 10th July

The third highest priority for Norfolk schools was the identification and closing of the potential gaps created in students education as a result of COVID-19. 

Much of the information currently available is theoretical with very few evidence based, practical solutions for leaders to employ in time for September.

As a result, I have created a mini survey where I would ask you to share what your plans/potential plans and areas of uncertainty to be shared (anonymously) this with all leaders via the newsletter next week to give further ideas to others. 

Please find the link to the survey here.

The use of trauma informed approaches from September has been gaining in popularity as a way to help students on their return to school.  

A trauma informed approach is where a school and its staff are able to support students that have suffered from adversity, trauma or mental health issues and removing the barriers to learning that these create.

To help identify adversity or trauma levels in children ACE's or Adverse Childhood Experiences are often used in the form of a questionnaire. The original was created in 1985 and is no considered to be somewhat out dated by some. Resilience questionnaires are increasingly being used to help monitor how a child is overcoming their ACE's.    

In the present situation the thought is that lock down has been traumatic in one way or another on most students and that using this as a whole school approach would be helpful.  

Some Norfolk schools have been receiving training and implementing elements of a trauma based approach over the last year or so, if it is of interest we can look to facilitate some training and guidance on this.  

Included below are some resources that might prove interesting when beginning to investigate this approach.

https://www.traumainformedschools.co.uk/ 

https://traumaawareschools.org/traumaInSchools

https://youngminds.org.uk/media/3091/adversity-and-trauma-informed-practice-guide-for-professionals.pdf

ACE quiz examples:

Online - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean?t=1594307124821

Written - https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/

ACE quiz and resilence quiz - https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores

This week, Sarah & Jonathan are joined by Paul Shanks, the host of The Brick in the Wall podcast, to discuss his career in education, podcasting & York City Football Club.

Listen to it here, or via the button on our app. 

If you would like to be featured in a future episode or have someone you would like to hear from you are welcome to get in touch. 

Below is a summary of the feedback received from the first meetings from the peer support groups. You will note some of this such as the LA Risk Assessment have already been raised and was address by Chris Snudden in her LA Alert earlier this week. Further feedback on the points to be raised will follow next week.

Items to share with other groups:

• Transition ideas for end of this term: picnics, zoom meetings, entertainer & awards event, leavers book, goodbye video from staff
• Governor services questions for Govs to ask re COVID prep
• Cleaning – How? When? Additional cleaners employed? Is the level of cleaning during the day expected to continue – this is having a huge impact on everyone’s budget. 
• Whole school bubble. As our schools are the same size as a year group in other schools, would a whole school bubble be permitted? Many of us have families with a child in each class which will impact on the bubbles. But if there was a case does this mean the whole school has to close? Will this impact on the parental perception of what is safe? Arrivals could still be staggered if it is the volume of parents is the main risk
• A & B groups – stretched out registration until all arrive. Repeated format at the end of the day. Others only able to do staggered end, some not at all.
• Many challenges with wrap around care such as limited space and staffing, concerns regarding lossing children to larger schools and budgetary impact. Some suggestions of using halls/canteen or outside spaces. 
• Lunch and use of corridors also an issue. We cannot manage separate bubbles and cleaning in between. Seperate lunches for large schools is just not possible, different areas rather than times being utilised. 
• Some schools also struggle with less outdoor space, if classes need to be separate this will have an impact on behaviour.
• PPA had been a concern but our understanding of the guidance is where outside providers are used this will be possible again in September

Items to be raised at a local or national level by the Educate Norfolk Executive:

• Inclusion expectations for September 
• Staff and student wellbeing – managing this as things move forward in September.
• H & S – visitors coming into school to carry out audits – this is concerning, is there further detail around this?
• Cleaning - exectations from September and help with the additional cost. 
• LA correspondence – there is a lot!
• RA – When will we have the new one? Before the end of term? Or will we annotate the existing RA?
• Catch up plan using Govt money (want to talk about when we meet in Sept)
• Are whole school bubbles acceptable for small schools?
• There is going to be continued financial strain for all schools but small schools are going to find the cost of additional cleaning in particular a real challenge yet from the guidance it seems we will receive no support for this.
• If we use staggered starts in September can the time not in school be made up through homelearning or does it have to be on site? 
• Norse contracts