School UpdatesFinance UpdateFacilities Update
Continuous Professional Development and Events
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School Updates
- School Workforce Census Statutory Return
- Important Computer Virus Alert
- School Census 2013
- SENCO Bulletin
- Teaching Aid for National Anti-Bullying Week
- Number Map
Start Date: 6 November 2012
Please submit by: Friday 30 November 2012
Please ensure all sickness absences from the 1st September 2011 have been recorded in your information management systems for census.
For the last four years the most common error has been that the head count for Occasional Teachers has not been filled in on the declaration pages of your return. The way to avoid this on your census is:
- Complete the head count for Occasional Teachers in school on the census reference date 6 November, remember that this category is split into ‘Qualified/Unqualified/Not Known.’
- A count is required for each category of Occasional Teachers, and a zero count should also be returned where appropriate.
Please make sure your data is error free – although queries are acceptable, they will need an explanatory note on them. For guidance to how to write a note in COLLECT click here
The live COLLECT SWF blade can be found at: here.
If you require further information please go to Essex Schools info link, School Workforce Census here.
Important Computer Virus Alert
We have been notified of a virus which is currently appearing to only affect Essex schools. A few schools have reported receiving emails which appear to be from ‘Royal Mail’. The email sent has an attached file and when opened installation of MalWare begins. It is important to approach these emails with caution and for more information about Malware and system progressive protection please click here.
As part of the schools broadband service, antivirus software is available at no additional cost. Please click here to find out about this service.
School Census 2013
The DfE has published details of the 2013 School Census. The main changes from 2012 are summarised below.
Free School Meal Eligibility
The start and end dates of any period(s) of FSM eligibility since the previous census will now be collected, instead of just eligibility on the census day itself. This will enable pupil premium allocations to take into account eligibility between census dates.
Attendance Data
1. Each census will now collect attendance data for pupils aged 4 (effectively reception year pupils). This data is required for pupils on roll at the census date, plus any that have left but who were on roll during the previous term.
2. Attendance data for the second half of the summer term will be collected from all schools (except nursery schools) in the Autumn census.
Learner Support Code (new data item)
The Learner Support Code will show which pupils have received financial support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund since the beginning of the current academic year. Information about the Vulnerable Group and Discretionary Bursaries will be collected in the spring and summer censuses.
Other Changes
Pupil disability, previously collected on a voluntary basis, will not be collected in the 2013 census.
The Connexions Agreement data item will now be known as the Youth Support Services Agreement.
More detailed information about these changes, and the 2013 School Census generally, will be available shortly on the School Census page of the Essex Schools Infolink.
SENCO Bulletin
This year’s ‘Communication Connects’ conference, with its focus upon dyslexia brought together an audience of school staff and specialist teachers who had their understanding and pre-conceptions challenged by our expert visiting speakers. Following a morning which looked at using formal and informal assessment to match provision to individual needs, we spent the afternoon addressing one of the key challenges facing those teaching literacy skills to children – why don’t children’s phonic skills translate into reading comprehension, and what can we do about it? To read a brief outline of the issues click here. We are hoping to be able to draw further on the expertise of Wayne Tennent (Senior Lecturer at University of East London) in developing provision to support schools in meeting this challenge – so watch this space!
We continue to discover further ‘hints’ of what the new SEN landscape might look like, in the light of the draft legislation we shared with you at last month’s SENCO Updates. For those wanting to read a little further, we found the NAHT Education Leaders’ Guide to the SEN Green Paper to be interesting. Although it is a response to the Green Paper which preceded the draft legislation, rather than a comment on the draft itself, it does explain the direction in which we appear to be moving in language that is easier for us non-lawyers to understand!
There are many upcoming courses and conferences taking place around Essex. Upcoming events include:
- Information on the next Secondary SENCO conference
- Working with pupils with Autism course
- Student Finance Evening for Secondary SENCOS.
- Information about the Parent Helpline provided by Essex Education Psychology.
- INSET programme course details for SENCOs, Teachers, LSAs and TAs or click here.
As you can see from the above, word is gradually getting around that if colleagues and other teams want to reach a wide audience of SENCOs then this is the place to do it! However, we have found from speaking to SENCOs that many are still unaware of Education Essex and how to find it. Please do what you can to spread the word! Perhaps it could be an item on your cluster group agenda or you could ask your head teacher to mention it at the next LDG meeting.
Teaching Aid for National Anti-Bullying Week
TOPSY TREADLIGHT BEATS THE BULLIES
A short story, mainly for primary schools, that you may find useful for your participation in the anti-bullying awareness week.
Number Map
The Number Map gives parents,and teachers, a means of working with a child who is one of that large group not able to keep up with current teaching in their class.As you know, it is quite common for some children to be capable of working as much as two years ahead of their presentclassroom mathematics. Equally, quite a number in that class cannot take in, or remember, what they are currently being taught.
Dyslexic children, struggling with reading and writing, nearly always benefit from visual/spatial learning activities, hence the design of the Number Map. Learning success can greatly improve their self-esteem, something we are all aiming to contribute to.
Click here to access Numbermap for free. The attached 'Useful letter' is a brief record of its history.
For further information please contact Gillian Shackleton Hawley at
Finance Update
- Important Notice regarding Christmas closure dates for Central Payment schools only
- Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) grant allocations 2013 -2014
- Insurance Programmes for Academy Schools
Important Notice
Christmas & New Year 2012-13 Payment Processing Arrangements
Please ensure this information is passed to all relevant staff to ensure that payment requests, and batched invoices for processing, are received by the Central Payments Team by the date given below.As always, please help us by sending payment requests, petty cash claims and batched invoices on a regular basis, to provide an even flow of work.
Payments to be processed before the Christmas bank holiday must be received by Central Payments Team no later than:
5pm Monday 10th December 2012
Please continue to send payment requests, petty cash claims and batched invoices after this date and they will be dealt with in the date order that they are received, although we cannot ensure that they will be processed before the Christmas holiday.
Electronic FDI Batches must be submitted by Wednesday 19th December 2012 for certification by 6pm Thursday 20th December 2012, to meet the last payment run before Christmas.
Last Payment Run Date / Cheques Despatched / BACS credits to bank accounts
Overnight Thursday
20th December 2012 / Friday
21st December 2012 / Thursday
27th December 2012
During the period between Christmas and New Year there will be two payment runs,
Payment Run Date / Cheques Despatched / BACS credits to bank accounts
Overnight Thursday
27th December 2012
Overnight Friday 28th December 2012 / Friday
28th December 2012
Monday 31st December 2012 / Wednesday
2nd January 2013
Thursday
3rd January 2013
Normal payment processing will resume overnighton Wednesday 2nd January 2013, BACs payments will credit bank accounts on Friday 6th January.
Lin Sanderson, Processing Manager, Central Payments Team, Purchase to Pay
For further guidance, please contact the Customer Service Helpdesk on: 01245 431642 or ednet 21642
Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) grant allocations 2013-14
We have recently received confirmation from the Department for Education (DfE) that notification of schools’ devolved formula capital allocations will not be available until the end of January 2013. We will therefore be unable to give you an indication of your 2013-14 DFC allocations before then. Once we receive further details from the DfE, we will, of course, pass this information onto schools.
Note: Academies receive DFC directly from the Education Funding Agency.
For further information, please contact the Infrastructure Delivery Team by email:
- Donna Cooknell (Thursday and Friday)
- Jane Lewis (Monday, Tuesday and Friday)
- Deborah Nelson (Monday – Friday)
Risk Management Consultancy Services (RMCS) is pleased to inform you that we can now offer a comprehensive insurance programme for Academy Schools. If you are thinking of converting to an academy and would like to obtain a quote or discuss in more detail please see the attached flyer or please contact Karen Gooch, Insurance Risk Manager, on 01245 430247 or by e-mail
Continuous Professional Development
- SEN Law Talk by Jane McConnell, IPSEA on Thurs 7th Feb 2013
Jane McConnell, Chief Exec of IPSEA
will be speaking on SEN Law
Thurs 7 Feb 2013, 10am-3pm
Rhodes Arts Complex, Bishop's Stortford
in association with Grove Cottage, Bishop's Stortford Mencap
The cost is £55
Contact:
07887 731563
Book early to avoid disappointment
This is a rare opportunity to learn and ask questions about the educational support system for children with Special Educational Needs from an expert in this field.
As well as parents, this will also benefit pre-school and primary/secondary school SENCO’s.
Pleaseforward thisinformation on to all those involved in SEN, particularly parents and school SENCO’s.
Places are limited so booking early is strongly advised.
IPSEA provides training to Parents Groups, Schools, Local Authority SEN Teams, Parent Partnership Schemes and other charities. You can find out more by visiting IPSEA homepage.
Education Essex is written by the SCF Communications team. If you have any comments or would like something included in a future edition of Education Essex please contact us:
Telephone: 01245 438508 Extension: 22508
Email:
Previous editions of Education Essex can be found on the Essex Schools Infolink website by visiting the Home page > General Information > Education Essex
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Useful Links
Department for Education
- Essex County Council website
- Professional Learning and Development website
© 2012 Essex County Council