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April Stress Awareness Month
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HBC Funding Bulletin – April 24
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Early Years transition event
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Working Together Guidance
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Do something big
April Stress Awareness Month
For Stress Awareness Month the Health Improvement Team have designed a short training session to help individuals to recognise what stress is and introduce a number of practical tools available to build resilience and reduce stress.
This training will cover:
- What is stress and why do we need to tackle it
- Understand how the body reacts to stress
- Introduce a number of practical tools you can use to reduce stress
To book your school a place please email: maria.mcnulty@halton.gov.uk
We also delivering Free Staff wellbeing Training
This training is 1 hour and will cover:
- Understand the meaning of wellbeing and why it is so important
- Tips for looking after your own wellbeing- take time to reflect using self-care strategies
- Look at how school can priorities staff wellbeing
- Signposting to Mental Health and Wellbeing resources and sources of support
To book your school a place please email: maria.mcnulty@halton.gov.uk
HBC Funding Bulletin – April 24
Please find attached the latest monthly Funding Bulletin as produced by Halton Borough Council’s Programmes Office.
Early Years transition event
Message from Sarah Campbell Early Years Team Lead
This year we will be holding an Early Years transition event at the DCBL Stadium in Widnes on 20th May 2024. Runcorn settings will be invited to the morning session 9-11am and Widnes settings will be invited to the afternoon session 1 – 3pm. The intention of the event is to provide a transition process for children moving into reception who might be considered vulnerable or may have additional needs. Attached are the PowerPoint slides from our recent SENCo network about transitions and the Early Years transition form. The transition form has been put together by the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service with input from our Early Years providers. This is not a form for every child in your setting and this is not a form for children with an EHCP. Children with EHCP will already have a transition plan in place for starting school.
We are asking you to complete this form and bring it to the transition event for any child who:
- You may have initial concerns about but have not yet started the graduated approach.
- Are currently on a SEND support plan.
- You have applied for top up funding.
- You are making reasonable adjustments for the child in nursery and feel they may need similar adjustments in school.
You will need to have parent consent to talk about their child at the transition event, there is space on the form for a parent signature.
At the Transition event you will have opportunity to speak to the child’s receiving school, to discuss their individual strengths and needs. Given numbers and time restrictions we estimate you will be able to fully discuss 3 children at the event. Any additional completed forms can be handed over to the school for the reception teacher to read. Please could you email the names, dates of birth and the name of receiving school of the 3 children you wish to discuss to Mike.Stapleton-Chambers@halton.gov.uk by 30/04/24. We do not need you to email the form, please bring that to the event with you. At the event there will be other professionals available to talk to including health professionals, representatives from the Family Hubs, Speech and language and Wellcomm support from Early Years team. We are hopeful that this joined up working will help to prevent children’s needs being missed. A member of the Early years team will be in contact with you to arrange a visit to support your setting with the transition forms and processes.
Reminder of key dates:
Parents are informed of their child’s school place on 16/04/24.
Please email names, date of birth and name of receiving school for the 3 children to be discussed to Mike.Stapleton-Chambers@halton.gov.uk by 30/04/24
Transition event 20 May 2024
DCBL stadium
Runcorn settings 9 – 11am and Widnes setting 1 – 3pm.
Finally, I wanted to thank you in advance of your support to help build our transition processes for children in Early Years. The valuable knowledge you hold about the children in your care will make the difference to a positive transition into school for the children who may need an extra supported handover.
Kind regards | Sarah Campbell | Early Years Team Lead
Working Together Guidance
The Governments revised Statutory Guidance , Working Together to Improve School Attendance, was published on 29 February 2024 and will replace the current Guidance from 19 August 2024.
The changes in the new Working Together Guidance are highlighted below:-
- Be clearer on the link between improving attendance and wider school culture, including the importance of working in partnership with families to find supportive routes to improve attendance.
- Reflect changes to the law on keeping school attendance and admission registers including a revised set of codes, granting leaves of absence and access to, and sharing of, attendance information introduced through the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024.
- Set out the new National Framework for issuing penalty notices and reflect changes to the law introduced through the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
- Change ‘parenting contracts’ for attendance to ‘attendance contracts’ to better reflect the agreement between parents, schools and/or local authorities.
The expectations of schools have been updated to:
- Update the section on pupils who are prevented from attending school due to physical or mental ill health to be clear where schools’ role starts and ends, provide further clarification around medical evidence, additional support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and part-time timetables.
- Explain the new requirements for schools on data sharing introduced through the Education (Information about Individual Pupils) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
- Provide clarification of the expectations of schools’ senior attendance champions.
- Expect schools to inform a pupil’s youth offending team worker of any unexplained absences.
The expectations of local authorities have been updated to:
- Provide further detail to clarify additional attendance services that may be traded with schools, local authority responsibilities in relation to cross-border pupils and how to hold effective Targeting Support Meetings.
- Allow flexibility in how local authorities work with independent schools to better suit the needs of different local independent schools.
- Provide further detail on cross partnership ownership of attendance improvement.
Do something big
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#DoSomethingBig start a career in early years in Halton right now and receive a £1000 incentive.
Working with small children is a big deal. It’s a job that makes a difference by helping to give children the best start in Life.
And, when you start your career in early years in Halton, you’ll receive a £1000 incentive.
Search for current vacancies here
#DoSomethingBig
