School Updates Finance Update
Events and Resources
Continuous Professional Development
Department for Education News
Click on the links above for more information
School Updates
- Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- Education Essex Services
- Education Essex and Essex Schools Infolink Questionnaire – Share Your Views Update
- Changes To Personal Education Plans For Children In Care
- TRANSPORT & FREE SCHOOL MEALS LISTS AVAILABLE SHORTLY ON INFOLINK
Audience: Headteacher/ SENCO
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
Please find attached a letter from Tim Coulson, Director of Education and Learning, regarding provision and performance for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Education Essex Services
Audience: Headteacher
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
Please find attached a letter from Tim Coulson, Director of Education and Learning, regarding Education Essex Services.
Education Essex and Essex Schools Infolink Questionnaire – Share Your Views Update
Audience: All Staff
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
Action required: Share your views by 15 March 2013
Thank you to all colleagues who have completed our brief online survey so far. Your ideas, feedback and comments are already providing us with useful information on how to improve Education Essex and Essex Schools Infolink. Thank you especially to those colleagues who have provided us with an insight in to what they find useful and what they would like to see more of including ideas for new features. We will consider all feedback when planning further improvements.
A range of colleagues in a wide variety of roles have responded to the questionnaire which is encouraging that so many of you are regularly accessing Education Essex and Essex Schools Infolink. Please continue to share our link with all colleagues who access information on Essex Schools Infolink or through Education Essex.
We have already received informative feedback regarding layout and content of the newsletter including new features and information you would like to hear more about to support you in your role. If you haven’t shared your views already, please complete the survey by 15 March 2013 and make your opinion count.
You can access the questionnaire by clicking here, or alternatively, please share the following link with colleagues:
Changes To Personal Education Plans For Children In Care
Audience: Headteacher
Phase: EYFS KS1 KS2 Primary Secondary Special Schools
School Type: All
Action required: Termly completion of a PEP 1 form on CLA Tracker for every Child in Care looked after by Essex Local Authority.
After consultation with Teachers, Social Workers and young people, there is a new approach to Personal Education Plans for Children in Care. Training events ran throughout January to support Designated Teachers and Social Workers in implementing the changes.
Further training will be held at the end of March:
22 March (1.30 – 3.00) Colchester Wilson Marriage Centre
25 March (1.30 - 3.00) Wickford Curriculum Development Centre
Places can be booked by email to or phone on 01245 434957
For Designated Teachers to fulfil their statutory obligation in relation to Personal Education Plans (PEP), it is necessary to complete a PEP 1 on CLA Tracker. The form is simple and contains pre-populated information. The Designated Teacher will need to add attainment levels, the learning objectives and interventions to support the learning. This should be completed termly.
There is a suggested agenda for the PEP meeting that focuses on the effectiveness of the support currently in place to enable the child /young person to achieve their educational targets. The meeting gives the opportunity for all stakeholders, including the young person, to agree actions to support success.
After the meeting, Social Workers complete a PEP 2 form which contains relevant information on the young person's placement and captures the discussions and agreed actions. Schools will be able to view all PEP 1 and PEP 2 forms on CLA Tracker once they have been completed.
Further information on the new approach to Personal Education Plans will be available by April on .
TRANSPORT & FREE SCHOOL MEALS LISTS AVAILABLE SHORTLY ON INFOLINK
Audience: Administration and Finance
Phase: KS1 KS2 Primary Secondary Post 16 Special Schools
School Type: Academy Maintained Schools Further Education CSS
Action required: Please ensure that your Free School Meals administrator has access to an Infolink account including the password.
From the 15 April 2013, the new free school meals and home to school transport lists will be available via Infolink. All existing school accounts will have a new menu option titled 'Transport and Free School Meals lists' visible. A list of all their pupils currently active on home to school transport will be visible for all Essex schools, and a list of their pupils eligible for free school meals will be visible for those schools for whom Essex County Council administers meals applications.
If you require any new accounts, please complete the EIS Secure Area Nomination form to request one. You can find the form on the secure area of Essex Schools Infolink. If you have any password queries for an existing account please email .
The online lists will be updated overnight, giving schools access to the most recent data held. A full explanation of the free school meals information is given on the Transport and Free School Meals lists homepage which we hope is self-explanatory.
You will have received your FSM list by email on 1 March 2013 as usual, and we shall be sending a final FSM list by email on Thursday 28 March 2013.
To allow the migration of data from our current IT system to the new one, we are suspending the processing of FSM applications from 12pm on 26 March until 2 April 2013.
Despite our best efforts, as with any migration of information, there may be some issues with data transferring across. We recommend that you check your FSM list on Infolink carefully and contact the Education Transport & Awards Team on 0845 603 2200 or email if you think any pupils are missing.
For further information or if you should have any questions:
Contact: Education Transport & Awards
Email:
Telephone: 0845 603 2200
Password Enquiries:
Events and Resources
- SONY Movellist of the Year competition
- The School Food Plan
- PhunkyFoods gets Creative with the Curriculum
- Easter Event At The Essex County Parks Including Free Parking Voucher
- Don’t miss out – contribute to Your Essex today
- Children and Families Bill 2013 Online Resource
Audience: Headteacher
Phase: Secondary Post 16 Special Schools
School Type: All
This is an incredible opportunity for a talented young writer aged 13 -19 to win a publishing contract with Random House. Movellas, Random House, Sony Reader and the Reading Agency have joined forces to find the best young writing superstar, while Reading Agency ambassador Malorie Blackman OBE will be judging the competition. The overall winner will be offered the opportunity to sign a publishing contract with Random House, including a £2,000 advance.
You can find out more about the competition here.
For more information and to register:
Visit:
The School Food Plan
Audience: All Staff
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
The Department for Education along with a variety of charities and food agencies have launched The School Food Plan to increase the number of children eating good food in schools, and to determine the role of food, cooking and growing fruit and vegetables in schools.
The School Food Plan will provide:
•A clear vision of what good food in schools looks like, simply expressed and widely communicated. This will be in online resources which headteachers or cooks can easily access.
•Lots of examples of what works well, and how to overcome common obesity obstacles, so that schools can learn from each other.
•A detailed action plan to get all school children eating – and appreciating- good food.
The School Food Plan is looking for cooks, headteachers, staff and governors to share what is working well in their school. You can send email, send videos or pictures through any form of social media or by contacting The School Food Plan directly. You can even request the team visit your school to film what you are doing to promote good food. There are also events for parents and children to get involved.
Links to a wide variety of supporting agencies, business and charities are available, including PhunkyFoods, where you can access advice, information and resources to help your school promote good food and The School Food Plan.
For more information and to get involved:
Visit:
PhunkyFoods gets Creative with the Curriculum
Audience: PSHE Co-ordinator/Healthy Schools Co-ordinator
Phase: EYFS KS1 KS2 Primary Special Schools
School Type: All
PhunkyFoodshas launched a new lesson planning tool which enables primary school teachers to link healthy lifestyles messaging to their pre-existing topic planning; meaning that embedding healthy lifestyles messages into mainstream education is a doddle and making teachers planning quick and simple! Healthy lifestyles messages are given through activities linked to topics as wide-ranging as World War II, Fairytales, Puppets, My local area, Growing, Planets and many more.
The aim of the PhunkyFoods programme is to help UK primary schools in meeting healthy lifestyle curriculum requirements by delivering key, consistent health messages to their children; either by helping teachers to incorporate new activity ideas through the existing curriculum/topic areas or via new PhunkyFoods breakfast or after-school clubs. The programme focuses on helping schools to deliver a whole-settings approach to healthy lifestyles and to engage with all children, and their families, in promoting tangible health behaviour changes in a fun, lively and positive manner.
To-date PhunkyFoods has reached over 1500 schools since the programme was launched in 2005. For more information and additional case studies:
Visit:
Easter Event At The Essex County Parks Including Free Parking Voucher
Audience: Pupils and Parents/ Carers
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
Action required: Please share the information regarding accessing the free voucher to ensure all parents benefit from free parking when attending events.
FREE CAR PARKING this Easter at one of the Essex Country Parks
Please download a voucher from and email it to to receive a free parking voucher.
Across the county if you are looking for green space to enjoy during the Easter break you really will be spoilt for choice. Visitors to the Essex Country Parks can find open-air entertainment in over 550 acres of woodlands, lakes and grasslands, as well as a variety of footpaths, tracks and bridleways.
Altogether, Essex Country Parks make up seven parks across the county, and alongside the usual self-led activities like picnics or walks, this Easter Essex Country Parks will be hosting some egg-tastic trails and activities to keep visitors busy this holiday!
Some of the egg-tastic activities at the Essex Country Parks this Easter include:
- Easter Hopalong - Thorndon (South) Friday 29 March
- Easter Egg Extravaganza – Weald, 29 March to Sunday 14 April
- Shake, Rattle and Roll – Hadleigh, 1 April
- Go Bonkers – Great Notley, 1 April
- Wild Wednesday – Danbury, 3 & 10 April
- The Lost Dinosaur – Thorndon (North), 5 April
- Snakewatch – Cudmore Grove, 7 April
Some events will need to be booked in advance, please click here for details.
Please see the attached leaflet for more information which we are happy for schools to display.
For more information or if you have any queries:
Contact: Emily Patel
Email:
Telephone: 01245 433366
Visit:
Don’t miss out – contribute to Your Essex today
Audience: Headteacher/ Teaching Staff
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
We would like to tell you about the exciting new education section in Essex County Council’s free online Your Essex e-magazine and to invite your school to contribute news and pictures.
The new section in the magazine, which is emailed out to Essex residents, can feature anything from a guest school to general news or forthcoming events. Content could be provided by teachers or pupils - we would be happy to be led by you. If there is enough interest we could also involve pupils in editing this particular section as a small project.
This issue we feature Hilltop Infant School in Wickford which is leading the way when it comes to using digital resources and support to improve life in both the classroom and daily school activities for children, staff and parents.
The magazine also features a range of different sections, such as What’s On, Local News and Good for Essex volunteering opportunities, plus a section highlighting the community spirit in Essex towns and villages.
Those of you who sign up will have latest Essex news and features delivered straight to your inbox. In each issue we run a fabulous subscribers’ competition so there is always a chance of winning something for either yourself or your school.
Essex County Council has stopped printing its residents’ magazine with the quarterly e-magazine and associated newsletters saving taxpayers more than £400,000 annually.
To subscribe to Your Essex please click here. Please feel free to pass this invitation on to anyone in your school, including parents, who might be interested.
We look forward to welcoming you all as contributors and subscribers.
Further information:
Contact: Sharon Asplin, Magazine Editor
Contributions, Feedback and Ideas: or
Visit:
Children and Families Bill 2013 Online Resource
Audience: Headteacher/ Teaching Staff
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
If you are a twitter and social media fan and would like to keep up with the latest Department for Education news regarding the Children and Families Bill 2013, you will enjoy this resource created by the Department for Education (DfE). Through visiting the page you can find links to all the latest information, speeches, updates and news regarding the Children and Families Bill 2013, as well as, the opportunity to comment whilst the Bill is in the public reading phase.
Additionally, follow the Department for Education through twitter to be the first to receive the latest news and updates regarding all information posted by the DfE. The DfE page does not require you to log in to view it so even if you are not a member of Twitter but would still like to access the page you can use the following link
Continuous and Professional Development
- Schools’ Learning and Development Newsletter
- SENCO Bulletin – 5 March 2013
Audience: Headteacher
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
The latest Schools’ Learning and Development newsletter is now available. The newsletter provides your half termly update on what’s coming up this term; what’s new, what not to miss and reminders to help ensure you make the most of the learning and development opportunities available.
Click here to view the Schools’ Learning and Development Newsletter.
For further information:
Contact: Schools’ Learning and Development Team
Email:
Telephone: 01245 434300
Website:
SENCO Bulletin – 5 March 2013
Audience: SENCO
Phase: All Phases
School Type: All
It was good to see so many SENCOs at the recent Updates – nearly 200 of you managed to join us at one of the 5 meetings. If you missed out, make sure you put the dates for the summer conferences in your diaries (see bulletin for details).
In this week’s SENCO bulletin we bring you news of:
- The draft of the new National Curriculum
- Recommendations from the Parliamentary Select Committee following their scrutiny of the draft legislation relating to SEN plus a government fact sheet to help explain some of the proposed changes
- An updated version of the Early Support Developmental Journal
- How to be involved in the consultation over the proposed new SEND strategy for Essex
- Material to support you in delivering the Year 1 Phonics Check to pupils with speech and language difficulties or developmental delay plus a course which will help SENCOs ensure that the check is used as a diagnostic tool rather than just a summative assessment
- The Fine Motor Skills course run by members of the County’s specialist teacher team
- The latest Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Partnership newsletter
- Activity Loan Boxes available from Parliament
- Primary SENCO conference dates for the summer term
For further information:
Contact: INSET TEAM
Email:
Telephone: 01268 632360
Finance