LA /ESSEX PRIMARY HEADS’ ASSOCIATION SOUTH AREA
WEDNESDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2012
MEETING SUMMARY: ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Agendas and minutes for these meetings available at www.essexprimaryheads.co.uk
Attendance List
DISTRICT AND EPHA AGENDA (a.m.)
(Notes below)Sue Faulkner, South Area Improvement Manager
Brenda Dalley, South Chair
The new Ofsted Framework -feedback
RSPB presentation
Workshops:
· Human Resources surgery
· Practical phonics
· EYFS update
· “Know your school”
SEPHA meeting / New Headteachers welcomed
Hasan Chawdhry Holt Farm Juniors (Interim)
Liz Mulcahy Felmore Primary
Paul Parascandolo Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary
Farewell to the following Headteachers:
Monica Dimmock Glebe Infants and UHI
Lynette Higgins The Len Wastell Infant School
Phil Manterfield Ingatestone and Fryerning Juniors
Harriet Phelps-Knights, Huma Karim, Lou Reck, Glenys Jones, Lisa Wright
Hannah Chisholm
Nicki Harris, Steve Ball
Kathy Ewers
Karen Musgrove & Kath Hardy
Linda Kilmurry, KYSS & Jenny McCutcheon, Fairhouse Juniors
Brenda Dalley
p 1* / AREA AGENDA
Welcome, introductions and update / Terry Reynolds, Director for Learning
p 2 / Working together – a vision for schools, children and families (West meeting) / Dave Hill, Executive Director Schools, Children and Families
p 3-5 / Essex Schools and Education Strategy – services to schools and the SEN/AEN strategy / Terry Reynolds
p 6-8 /
Achievement for All – national and local roll out of the programme
/Alison Fiala, Head of Primary Improvement
Carey Bennet, Regional Lead Achievement for All (3As) Ltd.School input from the AfA local pilot
p 8 -10 / Human Resources update (North East meeting) / Nigel Sawyer, HR Senior Consultant
p 11-13 / Social Care: Local Area Update Safeguarding update – toolkit to support schools’ safeguarding audit of practice / Mark Stancer, Head of Local Delivery South Quadrant
p 13-15 / Statutory Assessment – EY, KS1 & KS2 / Seona Ford, Senior Adviser for Assessment
p 15 -16 / School budgets 2012/13 / Yannick Stupples-Whyley, Finance Business Partner, Finance Professional Services
p 16 / Briefing papers:
· Equality Act 2010 & Public Sector Equality Duty 2011
· Services to Schools
· Early Years Foundation Stage
p 17 /
Key dates
/ SOUTH meetings with the Local Authority officers 2011/2012 -at The BelvedereWednesday 13 June 2012
Headteachers’ Annual Conference 2012
Friday 16 March 2012 Stock Brook Country Club, Nr Billericay
Deputy Headteachers’ Annual Conference 2012
Friday 12 October 2012 Weston Homes Community Stadium
*Page numbers refer to the full minutes (posted on the website) of the Spring term Area meetings with LA Officers and Headteachers.
LA /ESSEX PRIMARY HEADS’ ASSOCIATION SOUTH AREA
DISTRICT AND AREA MEETING
WEDNESDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2012
ATTENDANCE
Present / Rochford/RayleighBasildon/Billericay/Wickford / Hasan Chawdhry / Holt Farm Juniors
Tracy Ahern / The Phoenix Primary / Brenda Dalley / Hadleigh Infant & Nursery
Alison Blant / Pitsea Juniors / Monica Dimmock / Glebe Infants
Ronnie Branch / Sunnymede Juniors / Richard Green / Grove Wood Primary
David Bridge / The Willows Primary / Robin Goodier / Holt Farm Infants
Luke Bulpett / The Kingswood Junior School / Melissa Heatherson / Hockley Primary
Gill Chapman / Leigh Beck Infants & Nursery / Andy Howe / Rochford Primary
Jean Clark / Ghyllgrove Infants / Peter Malcolm / Rayleigh Primary
Vaughan Collier / Buttsbury Juniors / Travis Martinson / Glebe Juniors
Melissa Eades / Sunnymede Infants / Caroline Miller / Edward Francis Infants
Tim Eastwell / Lincewood Primary / Hayley O’Dea / Great Wakering Primary
Jo Farrow / Greensted Infants & Nursery / Paul Parascandolo / Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Pri
Wendy Foster / Millhouse Infants / Lorna Pigram / St Nicholas CE Primary
Jude Gibbon / Ghyllgrove Juniors / Lou Reck / Down Hall Primary
Marilyn Hampton / Bardfield Primary / Maureen Sealeaf / Stambridge Primary
Glenys Jones / Fairhouse Infants / Gary Soars / Edward Francis Junior
Huma Karim / Noak Bridge Primary / Nikki Stevens / St Teresa’s Catholic Primary
Debbie Loveless / Kingswood Infants / Marion Still / Barling Magna Primary
Jenny McCutcheon / Fairhouse Juniors / Dale Watson / Wyburns Primary
Liz Mulcahy / Felmore Primary / Dave Walton / Woodham Ley Primary
John Peoples / St Peter’s Catholic Primary / Rachel Welch / Waterman Primary
Penny Pepper / Eversley Primary / Canvey Island/Castlepoint
Diane Pilgrim / Briscoe Primary & Nursery / Jacqui Gosnold / William Read Primary
Harriet Phelps-Knights / Janet Duke Primary / Stephen Harris / Winter Gardens Primary
Cristina Portoles / Laindon Park Primary / Annette Keeney / St Katherine’s CE Primary
Hannah Robinson / Cherry Tree Primary / Michael Thomas / Kents Hill Juniors
James Rogers / Vange Primary & Nursery / Brentwood
Angela Russell / St Anne Line Catholic Infants / Margaret Cooper / Doddinghurst CE Juniors
Sean Tobin / Merrylands Primary / Karen Gibbons / Blackmore Primary
Alison Waite / Hilltop Juniors / Shelagh Harvey / Ingatestone Infants
Lisa Wright / North Crescent Primary / Paula Masters / Holly Trees Primary
Jayne Young / Northlands Infants & Nursery / Matt O’Grady / West Horndon Primary
In Attendance / Keeley Pullen / Doddinghurst Infants
Pam Langmead / EPHA Manager / Louise Putt / Bentley St Pauls CE Primary
Mike Blant / EPHA Liaison Officer / Helen Craig/Sue Wilson / Downham Primary
Pat Brown / Schools Facilitator
LA Officers / Apologies
Terry Reynolds / Director for Learning / Lynette Higgins / The Len Wastell Infant School
Alison Fiala / Head of Primary Improvement / Debbie Rogan / Wickford CE Infants
Sue Faulkner / South Area Improvement Manager / KevinWatts / Northlands Junior School
Mark Stancer / Director of Local Delivery South Social Care / Linda Kilmurry
Hannah Chisholm / KYSS
RSPB
Steve Ball
Nicki Harris / ECC Human Resources
ECC Human Resources / Carey Bennett
Seona Ford / Regional Lead Achievement for All
Senior Adviser for Assessment
Karen Musgrove / Early Years
Kath Hardy / Early Years / Yannick Stupples-Whyley / ECC Finance
Kathy Ewers / Teaching and Learning / Paul Yates & Mark Payne / 4MySchools
Note: If your attendance or apologies have not been noted please contact the EPHA Manager at for amendment.
SOUTH EPHA DISTRICT MEETING MINUTES 29 February 2012 /1. /
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Brenda Dalley, Chair of SEPHA, and Sue Faulkner, the South Area Improvement Manager, welcomed headteachers to the district and area meeting. /2. /
OFSTED FRAMEWORK JANUARY 2012 – UPDATE
A number of headteachers, including Harriet Phelps-Knights (Janet Duke Primary), Huma Karim (Noak Bridge Primary), Lou Reck (Down Hall Primary), Glenys Jones (Fairhouse Infants) and Lisa Wright (North Crescent Primary), fed back their experiences of the new Ofsted framework, introduced in January 2012.It was generally felt that, as expected, the approach to all inspections was largely driven by RAISEonline data; in some cases the heads felt that inspectors were unwilling to change their initial judgement of the school, which was based wholly on RAISEonline. On the whole, inspectors seemed to focus considerably more on attainment outcomes than progress data.
One phrase used by an inspector was the expectation that “all senior leaders at all levels communicate with each other regularly” and this was followed up during the inspection. There was a general feeling that all leaders, including governors, will have a comprehensive understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are working together to address issues. At Noak Bridge Primary this was a problem as the Senior Leadership Team has not been in place for some time and the headteacher has been leading the school largely on her own.
There was a mixed picture about the inspection of phonics: in some of the inspections it was barely considered, whilst in others there was a strong focus on inspecting phonics. In all inspections the inspectors did listen to a small number of children read and they determined which children they would hear.
There was a consistent feeling that the bar has been raised considerably and for most the inspection process was an ordeal, though some were more positive than others, depending on the team’s approach. /
3. /
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS (RSPB)
A presentation by Hannah ChisholmThe RSPB was formed in 1889 to protect birds from being hunted, mainly for their feathers. There are nature reserves across the country and the RSPB also works internationally in 120 countries.
The association has a strong tradition of community outreach and working with schools. In Essex there are a number of key projects, including Wallasea Island and the Bowers Marsh Nature Reserve
Hannah referred to a research document, Every Child Outdoors, which pulls together key evidence of the importance of children working and playing outside (available on the EPHA website
http://new.essexprimaryheads.co.uk/info-and-documents/good-practice)
The RSBP offers various opportunities to schools including visits (both in school and on nature reserves) and give advice on setting up wildlife and bird watching areas on school premises. These are available at a reasonable cost:
Mini visits are £50, ½ a day £100 and a full day £180. The RSPB will also offer coach subsidies to schools.
Wildlife Action Awards
This award scheme is all about finding out about wildlife, doing practical things to help and telling other people.The scheme gives schools the opportunity to achieve a bronze award, a silver award and a gold award; the activities required to achieve them are divided up into four sections:
· Finding out what’s there
· Helping wildlife
· Being environmentally friendly
· Spread the word.
There are33 tasks in the award scheme and you get one point for each. However, two of the activities (making a pond and making a wildlife garden) are worth double points.
Bronze award
To get the bronze award, the school needs to complete six activities, including at least one from each section. (But only five activities if one of the activities chosen has double points.)
Silver award
For a silver award, the school needs to do another six (making a total of 12), including at least two from each section.
Gold award
For a gold award, the school needs to do another six activities (making a total of 18), with at least three from each section.
More information from
http://www.rspb.org.uk/waa
Hannah Chisholm
South Essex Education Officer
The RSPB
Wat Tyler Country Park
Pitsea Hall Lane
Basildon
Essex
SS16 4UH
Tel: 01268 498629
Mobile: 07540013184
E-mail:
E-mail: /
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D. / WORKSHOPS:
HUMAN RESOURCES
Presentation by Nicki Harris and Steve Ball
Teacher’s Pensions
Headteachers were reminded that there will be a change to the contributions made to teachers’ salaries, which will increase from 6.4% to a variable rate of 6.4% - 8% of salary.
ECC will be writing to all members of the Teacher’s Pension Scheme and these letters will be distributed via schools; headteachers were asked to forward these to their staff. The letters will indicate the banding rather than individual salaries. It was noted that Academies will need to write to their own staff.
If schools are using the ECC payroll system the changes will be automatic, but if schools are using an alternative provider it will be necessary to ensure that those payroll services have made the relevant changes to contributions.
Department for Education consultations and decisions
National Professional Qualification for Headship
Headteacher were reminded that it has been proposed that the requirement for a new headteacher to have NPQH will no longer be mandatory. Revocation of the NPQH is subject to the parliamentary process, and until that takes place the regulationsstill stand and the NPQH is still required. The department estimates that the parliamentary process will be completedby the endof February.
Governing Bodies may still decide that NPQH is a requirement for headship in their school, but it will not be a statutory requirement.
Qualified Teacher Status
There is currently a consultation considering whether qualified teachers from America, Australia and New Zealand should automatically be granted QTS. The decision should be made shortly and it is anticipated that the new status would be introduced by the 1st April or 1st August. There is also a consultation around giving FE teachers who hold QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning Skills) automatic QTS.
General Teaching Council
The GTC will be closed from 31 March 2012 and will be replaced by The Teaching Agency. This body will take over the role of the GTC, regulating the standards in the profession. The Teaching Agency is a new executive agency that will be responsible for ensuring the supply of high quality teachers and training, and for teacher regulation. It will open in April 2012 and take on some key functions currently carried out by the Training and Development Agency for Schools, General Teaching Council for England, Children’s Workforce Development Council and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency subject to the necessary parliamentary approvals.
The agency will support teachers, instructors, early years’ workers, classroom-based support staff, SENCOs, educational psychologists and examination officers.
Subject to parliamentary approval of related legislation, the Teaching Agency will be responsible for three key areas of delivery
· supply and retention of the workforce
· the quality of the workforce
· regulation of teacher conduct.
Performance Management and Capability procedures
Headteachers were reminded that, from September 2012, schools will be free to adopt their own procedures for performance management and capability, in accordance with new regulations, The Education (School Teachers Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2012. The Department for Education has produced a combined model for performance management and capability, Teacher Appraisal and Capability.
The Appraisal Regulations set out the principles that apply to headteachers and teachers in all maintained schools and unattached teachers employed by a local authority, in each case where they are employed for one term or more. They retain the key elements of the 2006 Regulations but allow schools more freedom to design arrangements to suit their own individual circumstances. They provide the minimum national framework within which schools should operate and say nothing, or very little, on many subjects on which the 2006 Regulations made detailed provision. If they wish, schools may include in their own policies details that are no longer covered by the Appraisal Regulations.