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- Welcome
- Wellbeing over the holidays
- Teaching School Hubs (TSH), ECF/ECT/NPQ's
- Phishing emails
- Primary Leader Briefings 2021-2022
- Secondary Leader meetings 2021-2022
- Conference
- Inspiring Norfolk
- Autumn Ofsted Webinars
- Apprenticeships Norfolk - Pathways to Work Team - New FREE service for schools, colleges and young peoples' services
As this lands in your inbox there are three weeks left of school, from the 195 days of this academic year just 15 remain, potentially less if you don't have 22nd July as an inset day! There is so much to be proud of in the last 180 days and so much joy still to be had from this last 15.
We don't know what the next academic year will look like but we get to end this one on a high. We get to celebrate the achievements of year 6 as they leave all grown up for high school, breathe a sigh of relief as the year 9's move into year 10 losing the 'middle child' syndrome they suffer from, whilst constantly having to remind Year 10 they are not Year 11...yet!
This time of year is often reflective and helps to remind us why we do this job in the first place. Enjoy the little victories and the chance to slow down and enjoy time with staff and students these last few weeks.
However, we know you will be looking at the Autumn term, you will have heard a great deal in the news about what schools might look like in September. In-school testing of close contacts and losing bubbles has been widely discussed, but we have no detail as yet. We are pushing the LA and DfE to give us more certainty, urgently. As soon as we hear more, we will let you know
Educate Norfolk
Read LessTo put it simply this has been a tough year, the summer holidays may not happen for all and even for those that do they will not be the 6 weeks so desperately needed to help rest and recuperate ahead of next year. There is a lot of support available for you and your staff over the holidays should you need it.
- Headspace is a popular paid for app that is free for school staff. Staff need a school based email address and will be asked to provide a document from the school that has their first and last name on, the school name and the academic year. For further information please see https://www.headspace.com/educators
- If you subscribe to the Norfolk Support Line remind staff of the phone number and that they and you are able to get confidential 1:1 support sessions from a counsellor and they can have help on a range of problems from stress to finance. These sessions are part of the pre paid package provided by the school and come at no additional cost to the individual accessing the support.
- Education Support free confidential helpline for you or your staff 08000 562 561 available 24/7
- Headrest - a free daily telephone support service run by ex Headteachers to support serving headteachers. More infromation is available here: https://www.headrestuk.co.uk/and there are a variety of ways to get in touch to arrange a time to talk confidentially.
There are of course a lot more but we hope this is a helpful starting point.
Read LessTeaching School Hubs (TSH), ECF/ECT/NPQ's
As you know, from September teachers in the first year of their career will now be following the Early Career Framework (ECF) and will be called Early Career Teachers (ECTs).
We have three providers in Norfolk, The Julian Teaching School Hub, The Inspiration Teaching School Hub and The UEA. Details of each are below. Should you have an ECT this September and you have yet to contact a provider please do get in touch with one. You need to select the TSH for your district (unless your in a MAT and a different arrangement has been made) or The UEA.
Name |
Julian TSH |
Inspiration TSH |
Coverage |
Broadland, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and Norwich |
Breckland, Great Yarmouth, South Norfolk and Waveney |
Contact details |
The Julian TSH and Inspiration TSH are hosting an event on 7th July to launch their new NPQ offers for September, the link to book tickets is available below.
NPQ Launch Event Tickets, Wed 7 Jul 2021 at 15:45 | Eventbrite
At the launch event we will:
- Confirm our DfE approved providers
- Outline our high quality provision
- Tell you about the reformed and new suite of NPQs
This is the start of an exciting journey of training and leadership development in Norfolk and the eastern region, and we look forward to further collaboration and dialogue with you over the coming months.
Read LessSchools are increasingly being targeted by phishing attacks.
These are emails which look authentic but are not. Current schemes often see them in the form of an invoice or as a confidential email which requires the user to click on a link or enter their username and/or password. This often leads to further emails being sent from that account to others with out the users knowledge and can lead to a data breach.
There are simple steps all school staff can take.
- Never enter their username or password into an email
- If an email arrives that looks authentic but is unexpected, call the company to ensure it in genuine before opening.
- Delete anything suspicious and report to the person responsible for IT in the school.
- Stickers can be placed on monitors to remind staff and posters in the staffroom or near staff terminals.
- Change passwords regularly. Ideally they should be at least 8-10 characters, have a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters.
- If you believe you have received a phishing email from a colleague in your or another school, tell them immediately.
Things to look out for:
- Requesting personal information such as usernames and passwords
- Have grammar or spelling errors
- Don't have full sender details in the body of the email
- Incorrect sender address
- Not fully personalised e.g. Dear Mrs K Sa
- Unexpected communication e.g. an order of books you havent placed.
- Demand for payment
There is lots of advice and guidance regarding this online as well as posters which can be printed off.
Read LessPrimary Leader Briefings 2021-2022
From September we intend to return to in person, termly leadership updates. These will remain free and open to all. Rather than the 'roadshow' we have done in previous years, we will be offering this in one location only each term, and these will be Norwich, East and West.
In January we began facilitating Tuesday twilight meetings. Initially these were weekly and we have since moved to bi weekly as the need for information has lessened and the focus of these sessions now includes more CPD elements.
For 2021-2022 these meetings will continue at the rate of 2 per half term and will have a specific focus for each meeting. These meetings will remain as Tuesday twilight sessions and will continue to be online via Zoom and to be recorded. the main change is that these will now be free for our members and chargeable for non members.
All the dates are below and calendar invites will be coming out next week for those of you using Office 365 so they automatically appear in your diary and you do not miss out.
If you wish to confirm if you are a member or enquire about membership please contact Becky - [email protected]
Headteacher Briefings, 2 per half term – online via Zoom (Tuesdays)
Autumn term
- 1st September 2021 – 2pm
- 21st September 2021 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 19th October 2021 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 23rd November 2021 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 7th December 2021 – 4pm – 5.30pm
Spring term
- 18th January 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 8th February 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 8th March 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 29th March 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
Summer term
- 3rd May 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 24th May 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 28th June 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
- 19th July 2022 – 4pm – 5.30pm
Primary Leadership Updates, termly at a venue, TBC subject to restrictions
Autumn - 2nd November 2021 – 1.30pm – 4pm – Wensum Valley Hotel (Central)
Spring - 23rd February 2022 – 1.30pm – 4pm – Wensum Valley Hotel (Central)
Summer - 15th June 2022 – 1.30pm – 4pm – Wensum Valley Hotel (Central)
Read Less
Secondary Leader meetings 2021-2022
We hope to be back to 'business as usual' next year and return to in person termly leadership update meetings at Wensum Valley Golf Club in Taverham. Dates for these are below and will come out as calendar invites to you next week. These will be chaired by Jess Balado Chair of Educate Norfolk who will be supported by Jim Adams and Helen Watts as Vice Chairs. As always, if there is anything you want covered or a speaker you would like to hear from at these meetings please do let me know in advance and I will do my best to secure this for you. these are of course subject to COVID restrictions and as such we have Zoom as a back up for each of these.
We also have a Secondary Executive Committee. This is a smaller group of secondary leaders that meet termly to discuss and work on topics pertinent to Norfolk secondary schools. These meetings did not happen last year. This is an important group and ensures the needs of secondary leaders are met and their views shared on the wider Norfolk and national platform.
To reduce your time away from school for meetings we intend to hold these directly following the leadership update. Anyone is welcome to join the Executive Committee and we just ask that you attend the three meetings detailed below and are open to representing secondary leaders on one other board in Norfolk, this can be a shared responsibility if the meetings are frequent.
Secondary Leadership Updates, termly at a venue
Autumn – 2nd November 2021 – 9am – 11.30am - Wensum Valley Hotel
Spring – 23rd February 2022 - 9am -11.30am -Wensum Valley Hotel
Summer – 15th June 2022 – 9am – 11.30am - Wensum Valley Hotel
Secondary Executive Committee, termly meetings – after Leadership update
- 2nd November 2021 – 11.30am – 12.30pm – Wensum Valley Hotel
- 23rd February 2022 – 11.30am – 12.30pm - Wensum Valley Hotel
- 15th June 2022 – 11.30am – 12.30pm - Wensum Valley Hotel
Our annual conference is the 14th and 15th October 2021
at Norwich City Football Club
(Covid restrictions allowing)
We hope to be able to bring you together in person at Norwich City Football Club. Along with NCFC we have planned for all eventualities and to make the event safe for everyone to attend with one way systems, temperature checks and more.
We have two full days of CPD for you with lots of time built in to network and catch up with colleagues. Diana Osagie and James Heale are joining us on day one and Andy Cope and Laura McInerney on day two.
Each day you have a choice of 2 workshops from a selection of 6 with a delicious lunch prepared from a menu selected by Delia Smith and her chefs, with all the refreshments served with a panoramic view of the pitch. On day one you have the option of a 3 course meal in the evening as a further opportunity to spend time with friends and colleagues.
Join us at our Tuesday Twilight session on 6th July for full details on the conference or contact Kirsty separately [email protected] with any questions you may have.
Booking opens 7th July via our website.
Ticket prices | ||||
1 day | Package 1 | 1 day plus dinner | Package 2 | |
Member | £80.00 | Member | £120.00 | |
Non member | £95.00 | Non member | £135.00 | |
2 day | Package 3 | 2 day plus dinner | Package 4 | |
Member | £140.00 | Member | £185.00 | |
Non member | £170.00 | Non member | £215.00 |
Inspiring Norfolk is an education project celebrating living and learning in Norfolk.
The culmination of the work the team behind Inspiring Norfolk have been doing is fast approaching. 27th July marks Norfolk Day, each week between now and then more resources are being added to the site. Every resource is mapped on the Teacher Hub and lets you know which key stage it is relevant to, as well as themes and subject areas it can be mapped to. Within the resources you will find videos/pictures and challenges that can be done in school or at home.
This is a great resource to help families keep active and learning over the summer. The mapping includes whether or not a resource is suitable for family learning and specialised challenges have been created just for this purpose! There are so many resources on there with more to come between now and Norfolk Day, every child will be able to find something to interest them.
Read Less
As you may remember, Lorna Fitzjohn, the new Regional Director for the East of England, explained Ofsted will be running a series of webinars in the Autumn term and asked if there were any topics you would be keen to have a webinar on.
A number of colleagues gave suggestions at the time with a few following this up via email. If there are any further ideas for the topics of these webinars that would benefit you, please could I have them by 12pm Friday 9th July so I can collate these and send them over.
Thank you
Kirsty
Read LessDear Colleagues
Just a short note tell you about the new Apprenticeships Norfolk - Pathways to Work Team – a FREE service that Norfolk County Council are putting in place for young people and their parent/carers in schools, sixth form, colleges and the community. The role of the Team will be to promote awareness and uptake of apprenticeships, traineeships, T levels and other post 16/18 work based options and to support Norfolk’s young people aged 16-19 (to 25 years for SEND) to make successful progressions into apprenticeships and work. The work of the Team will include delivery of the DfE Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme for 2021/22. The Team consists of four Pathways to Work Advisers led by Sam Hollis, the Pathways to Work Coordinator.
From September 2021, the Pathways to Work team will be available to book apprenticeships information presentations, briefings and workshops to help ensure that young people are aware of the range of work based opportunities available to them upon leaving school, sixth form or college. The Team will be available to deliver sessions in a variety of ways including:
- Assemblies
- Class/group presentations
- Targeted group briefings and workshops
- Job search and applications workshops
- Careers/opportunities fairs
- Parents/carer events
- Staff briefings
Delivery can take place either virtually or face to face depending on school/college policy and requirements and upon NCC and Government guidance. Sam and team will be in contact with all Careers Leads, Heads of Sixth Form, partners and stakeholders in the coming months to introduce the service.
To find out more about the Apprenticeships Norfolk – Pathways to Work team or to book the team to deliver sessions in your school/college/organisation during the next academic year with young people in years 9-13, for parents/carers events or for staff training, email Sam Hollis at [email protected] or call 01603 679114. Alternatively you can request support by completing the online ASK booking form
Kind regards
Melvyn Ruff, Provider Strategy Manager
Read Less