The Governor - Spring 2023

The Governor

Governance enquiries

Email: governorservices@theeducationpeople.org

Tel: 03301 651 100

Suzanne Mayes Head of Governor Services

03301 651 059 / 07712 301353

Julia Durcan Senior Area Governance Officer (West Kent) 03301 651 055 / 07860 704200

Jude Johnson Area Governance Officer (North Kent and Medway)

03301 651 058 / 07740 183729

Tina Gimber Area Governance Officer (South Kent) 03301 65 1057 / 07712 301352

Lorraine Monkhouse Area Governance Officer (East Kent) 03301 651 061 / 07860 704198

Tom Winek Governor and Clerking Service Business Support Officer 03301 651 062 / 07795 650813

Mary Baker: Governor Services Administration Officer 03301 651 100

We would like to hear from you and welcome your contributions or suggestions for future issues of The Governor. Please email: governorservices@theeducationpeople.org

We hope that your year has started off well. Whatever the challenges that 2023 brings us, be assured that we will face them together and the team here at Governor Services will only be a phone call away to support you through your governance year.

We have been busy securing our Governor and Chair Conferences and I am delighted that on 1 March our Chairs Conference will be face to face this year at Ashford International with a focus on literacy.

The Governor Conference will be a virtual event on 24 March. The theme will be around governing in a financial crisis.

The difficulties in clerking recruitment both in Kent and nationally persist and we are still on the search for people who would like to give back, learn new skills and earn money at the same time. If you know anyone who you feel may wish to join our service and receive all the support from our clerking family, then please point them in Julia Durcan’s direction (julia.durcan@theeducationpeople.org). A reminder that no experience is required, just good organisational and IT skills.

We look forward to continuing our work together to further strengthen governance across both Kent and Medway and we hope to see many of you either face to face or virtually at our upcoming conferences.

Contact Details

North Kent

Ian Watts - Area Education Officer

03000 414302 | ian.watts@kent.gov.uk

Jude Johnson - Area Governance Officer

03301 651 058 | jude.johnson@theeducationpeople.org

District Safeguarding Contact Numbers:

Dartford | 03000 412445

Gravesham | 03000 412445

Sevenoaks | 03000 412445

East Kent

Marisa White - Area Education Officer

03000 418794 | marisa.white@kent.gov.uk

Lorraine Monkhouse - Area Governance Officer 03301 651 061

lorraine.monkhouse@theeducationpeople.org

District Safeguarding Contact Numbers:

Canterbury | 03000 418503

Swale | 03000 418503

Thanet | 03000 418503

South Kent

David Adams - Area Education Officer

03000 414989 | david.adams@kent.gov.uk

Tina Gimber - Area Governance Officer

03301 651 057 | tina.gimber@theeducationpeople.org

District Safeguarding Contact Numbers:

Ashford | 03000 415648

Dover | 03000 415648

Folkestone & Hythe | 03000 415648

West Kent

Nick Abrahams - Area Education Officer 03000 410058 | nicholas.abrahams@kent.gov.uk

Julia Durcan - Area Governance Officer 03301 651055 | julia.durcan@theeducationpeople.org

District Safeguarding Contact Numbers:

Maidstone | 03000 412284

Tonbridge & Malling | 03000 412284

Tunbridge Wells | 03000 412284

Prevent Education Officers

North/West/Medway - Sally Green 03000 413439 | sally.green2@kent.gov.uk

South/East - Jill Allen 03000 413565 | jill.allen@kent.gov.uk

Inclusion Service

Kent County Council launched three fully funded Inclusion Services in September 2021. These services were commissioned in response to priorities identified by headteachers and other key practitioners to embed, improve or enhance inclusive ethos and practice in Kent’s mainstream education settings. They are:

• Inclusion Leadership Programme

• Whole School Nurture Approach

• Supported Employment.

After a year of delivery, 274 primary and 65 secondary schools (60% of all eligible schools) are participating in at least one of the above inclusion offers. This is against a backdrop of significant pressures on schools, as well as the ongoing impact of COVID. Participating schools are reporting positive outcomes as a result of their engagement.

All three services are still actively promoting and encouraging more schools to join future cohorts. There is more information overleaf about each service including contact details should a school be interested.

Feedback from Schools Inclusion Leadership Programme

“Hands down best training and clarity on the Kent Inclusion Leadership programme today. Has given me absolute clarity on what we need to do. I was really impressed with the provider and the training. The main delivery... was seriously impressive [the trainer] absolutely knew her stuff and is so invested in the process (acknowledging the challenges) that it made it all make sense.”

Senior Leader, current Peer Reviewer participating in cohort 1 of the Inclusion Leadership Programme

Whole School Nurture Approach

“I feel the [Nurture] programme fully covers what we need to identify the SEMH and behavioural needs of all children in the school. By ensuring a whole school approach, the profile is completed by staff who know the children well and the resultant targets and strategies will be consistent for all adults working with the child. I also feel it will pick up those children who may be otherwise missed. I also believe the consistent approach and language used will benefit all children in the class, whatever their individual needs.”

Supported Employment

“The programme to date has been brilliant, so informative and helpful. The online delivery was effective, and Mitch and Ben were great course leaders. Communication has been excellent with Charlotte and Jo, and I look forward to implementing the course into our school careers plan.”

Inclusion Leadership Programme

This programme offers two distinct elements for mainstream primary and secondary schools.

1. Inclusion Leadership Development Programmes for School Leaders

A leadership development programme that supports leaders to evaluate their schools’ inclusive culture, identify priority areas for review and take steps for ongoing improvement.

Schools take part in the programme as members of small partnership groups. Through collaboration, leaders are able to share expertise and insights, develop local solutions to shared challenges and build capacity for leadership of inclusion in their own schools, partnerships and local areas.

The programme is delivered over 15 months (to allow for a manageable workload) through a combination of in-person and online workshops. The peer reviews are undertaken by headteachers and a senior leader (often the SENCO). The Inclusion Leadership workshops are open to all staff.

2. Inclusion Leaders of Education (ILE)

The Inclusion Leader of Education designation is a new system leader designation introduced in parallel with the Inclusion Leadership Programme.

ILEs are leaders from Kent schools who have a passion for inclusion and a track record of leading change that improves outcomes for all pupils. Their role is to support the partnerships of schools and individual headteachers as they participate in the Inclusion Leadership Programme.

Please follow the link below for a video recording of KCC Directors of Education, SEND, Integrated Children Services and Corporate Director of Children and Young People Services talking about the Inclusion Leadership Programme as part of the wider commitment to inclusion.

Video recording of KCC Directors on Inclusion

Useful links and contact details for Inclusion Leadership Programme:

• visit the LLSE website

• email inclusion@llse.org.uk

• view the Kent Inclusion Leadership Programme Summary.

Whole School Nurture Approach

This is a structured, evidence-based programme of training and consultancy support over a period of 18 months (with flexibility) to support mainstream primary and secondary schools in implementing their own Whole School Approach to Nurture.

The feedback from schools participating has been overwhelmingly positive. Please use the links below to find out more or to register your interest to join a future cohort.

Useful links and contact details for Whole School Nurture:

• visit the nurture UK website

• email harry@nurtureuk.org and laura.codrington@nurtureuk.org

• view the Nurture Programme Summary (PDF, 165.2 KB)

• view the Nurturing Kent Programme full leaflet

• view updates on staffing, cohort changes and non-attendance T&C.

Supported Employment in Schools

Specialist training and mentoring for mainstream secondary schools to embed the Supported Employment Model into the school careers plans. Adding value and aspirational support for employment by strengthening the existing careers information, advice and guidance programme for SEND students.

Useful links and contact details for Supported Employment:

• further information on the Supported Employment in Schools Programme

• further information on Kent Supported Employment

• Supported Employment in Schools Programme Summary (PDF, 87.5 KB)

• training feedback video: https://youtu.be/F1c-jpMsdyU

• join the Supported Employment LinkedIn group: www.linkedin.com/groups/9174168/

• email charlotte.burford@theeducationpeople.org

Kent County Council Inclusion Commissioning Team:

Please contact the KCC Commissioning Team in relation to any of these services via inclusion@kent.gov.uk

SEND Update

Overview

Following a SEND area inspection in 2019, Ofsted and CQC undertook a re-visit in September 2022. The report, that includes the conclusion that the area has made insufficient progress against all areas was published in November and can be seen here: Ofsted and CQC re-visit. Discussions are taking place with DfE about the next steps and how improvements will be monitored, with a decision due later in the spring term.

Alongside this, KCC has been invited to participate in the DfE Safety Valve Programme as a consequence of the growing deficit in the High Needs Funding Block of the Direct Schools Grant. The LA has submitted a financial recovery plan which, if accepted by the Minister, will result in a financial contribution towards the accumulated deficit. DfE has indicated that KCC will have a response during February 2023.

This article provides an update on the current activity related to SEND.

Strategic Developments

Within KCC, there will be a restructure which will result in the integration of SEND into the Education and Skills division and the formal processes to enable this are well underway. The statutory SEND service continues to carry a high number of vacancies and temporary staff, so recruitment is a priority.

Governance arrangements have changed significantly with a new internal SEND Strategic Transformation Board chaired by the Director of Children’s Services, which receives reports from the new Safety Valve Programme manager , and the chairs of the three SEND Transformation Operational Groups, of which Group 1 focus on Health-related, Management Information Systems, Post 16 & Alternative Provisions, Group 2 focuses on Inclusion Early Years & Mainstream; sufficiency plan, locality-based resources & predictive modelling and Group 3 which

focuses on Parental engagement-related activities, SEN process & structure and communication strategy.

This structure drives the implementation of a range of projects contributing to the Safety Valve recovery programme, and which also contributes to broader SEND improvement. A new SEND Assurance Board is also being established in collaboration with health.

At a policy level, a new SEND strategy will be drafted. The underpinning delivery plans which include The Countywide Approach to Inclusive Education and the SEND Mainstream Core Standards MCS-SEMH.pdf (kelsi.org.uk) were judged to be sound during the revisit so will continue being implemented, though some tweaking may be required in the future to ensure the approaches are fully aligned to the new strategy.

Development of the Education System

A small, dedicated SEND pupil place planning team has now been appointed to work with the area education officers to enable more strategic, evidence-based decisions about the establishment of school places across the county to meet SEND need. The model is based on the majority of children and young people having their needs met in a mainstream school through effective quality first teaching and this is explained further below. A proportion of children will need additional support from a Specialist Resource Provision and a smaller number need more intensive support from a Special School Satellite which is co-located on a mainstream school site. The aim is to move to a position where children with the most profound and complex needs are educated in a special school.

The mapping and pupil projection work which is underway means the LA will soon be in a position to plan more strategically for co-ordinated provision across the county from early years to post 16.

One example of how this development work is being used is in the post 16 sector. Pathways for All is an evidencebased report and recommendations launched last year and taken forward through an independently chaired board. Improving provision for vulnerable learners including those with SEND is a priority and a range of projects are being rolled out in this important area. The SEND Post 16 Pathways to Independence project is underway and key stakeholders have met to gather all the available information to identify effective practice and gaps under five key headings: demand modelling, supply analysis, gap analysis, parent and young person voice, and stakeholder engagement. A group of key contributors (both from within KCC and the wider Post 16 field) has been identified to support this work.

By the end of the project, the intention is to develop district ‘maps’ to inform young people, schools, colleges and other providers, of the pathways available locally for young people with SEND. Communications with parents and young people will also form part of this project plan in order to better develop their confidence in pathways available locally. Using the evidence base gathered, there will be a strategic plan for the development of appropriate pathways locally, where gaps are identified, in order to better provide greater equity of provision across the County.

Inter-related work includes a review of SRPs to identify effective practice to inform the development of a consistent commissioning framework. Once the commissioning model has been agreed we will be developing a comprehensive network of SRPs to support pupil pathways from primary to secondary across Kent. A second related project is focused on working with special school leaders to review their curriculum pathways and admissions criteria. Kent has high quality special schools, and it is important that this valuable resource is used to educate the children and young people with the most challenging needs.

Transition is clearly a really important time for all pupils but particularly for those who are identified as vulnerable, whatever the reason. Education leaders from all phases have been recruited part-time to form a Transitions Team whose role to support schools and the LA to improve early years to primary, primary to secondary and secondary to post 16 transitions by implementing the Transitions Charter

SEND Inclusive Mainstream Education Provision

Inclusion, a global movement, is described as the practice of ensuring that people feel they belong, are engaged, and connected. It is about valuing all individuals, giving equal access and opportunity to all and removing discrimination and other barriers to involvement. In relation to our Kent education system, we want to ensure that whatever their circumstance or ability, our children and young people have a sense of belonging, feel respected, are valued for who they are and develop the knowledge and skills required for adult life. In doing so, we strive to achieve a continuous improvement in standards, a significant narrowing of achievement gaps for vulnerable groups of learners and a wholly inclusive education system which ensures the following.

• Equitable access for all. Sufficient, appropriate, quality education provision is available for all children and young people in Kent.

• No child is left behind. All children and young people are supported to be engaged fully in their education.

• Effective collaboration. There is collaboration and multi-agency working providing a selfimproving, sustainable system which supports the education of all.

This is explained effectively in the Education Endowment Fund’s publication Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools: Evidence Review (March 2020) which addresses the over-arching question: What is the best available evidence about approaches to supporting and teaching pupils with SEND that are effective in improving these pupils’ academic, social and emotional outcomes in mainstream schools?

It is also the approach in Kent’s own CATIE (see above). Kent has many inclusive mainstream schools, and we are drawing on that existing good practice to inform a wide range of professional development opportunities. We are really pleased that 75% of schools are participating in at least one SEND related training opportunity. The high-quality support in place includes the following.

SEND Inclusion Leadership Programme which develops peer review skills, provides opportunities to work with and visit a cluster of schools, helping to identify effective practice and areas for development. Feedback from participants is really positive and there are a few places left in the next recruitment round of this fully funded programme, more information is available from inclusion@llse.org.uk.

• NurtureUK accreditation (now fully recruited to).

• Developing Support for Pupil Employability (a bespoke careers development programme open to all secondary schools).

• Mainstream Core Standards training for school communities.

• Termly SENCO phase specific briefings.

• Whole school approach to Speech, Language and Communication, The Balanced System, a health-led accredited programme. One sixth of schools are currently participating with an implementation plan to include all schools.

• SENCO Conference – for primary and secondary SENCOs, 23 March 2023 at the Kent Event Centre, Detling. The conference will include input from experts in the field and best practice, to ensure that SENCOs are operating with all the relevant information they need in this rapidly changing environment.

In addition, during this year the Autism Education Trust will start rolling out a training and development programme for mainstream schools and KCC is working with the Social, Emotional and Mental Health Special Schools to develop guidance for mainstream schools.

The Role of Governors

Governors have key responsibilities towards pupils with special educational needs and should, with the headteacher, decide the school’s general policy and approach to meeting pupils’ special educational needs. They must set up appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and oversee the school’s work.

In particular, the Governing Board has a legal duty to do the following.

• Ensure that the SEND Code of Practice is followed.

• Do its best to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs are appropriately catered for.

• Appoint a ‘responsible person’ to oversee the assessment of individual pupils’ needs and to make sure that all staff likely to teach pupils with special needs are aware of those needs.

• Ensure that all teachers are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for any pupils with special educational needs.

• Ensure that pupils with special educational needs have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in all aspects of school life.

• Ensure that parents are notified of a decision by the school that their child has special educational needs.

• Establish a SEND policy.

• Report on how the school’s SEND policy is being implemented and how resources are allocated in the Governing Board’s Annual Report to Parents.

The majority of Governing Boards have delegated some of these responsibilities to a named SEND Governor who reports back to the Governing Board on a regular basis.

Update from the Primary School Improvement Team

|

Advisers continue to support all inspections and recently we have seen some subtle shifts in the implementation and interpretation of the Education Inspection Handbook (EIF). This has caused some challenges during inspection and as always, we want to ensure you are aware of any potential inspection ‘trip hazards’.

Ofsted Strategy

There is an accelerated inspection cycle so that all schools are inspected by July 2025.

• In 2022/23 academic year, Ofsted are likely to inspect good schools only, 3 to 4 terms later than usual (so no more than five years after their last inspection). The first inspections for RI and inadequate schools since the pandemic began are currently extended by 5 to 6 terms.

• There is a shift in how we are seeing EYFS reviewed. The EYFS (educational programmes) provides the framework that leaders build on. Leaders decide what they have identified as essential knowledge and skills that children to learn and develop, in other words your curriculum progression.

Inspection and Reading/Phonics

HMI recently presented at The Education People Show. Messages around phonics and early reading were clear and we are already seeing this translate through to inspections with even greater focus than before.

Reading fluency is clearly the priority with an expectation that pupils are taught through the knowledge of phonics and the alphabetic code. The presentation stated that it is only pupils with severe cognitive difficulties who cannot be taught the code, the curriculum (phonics) does not change but the resources and activity might. Discussion suggested that if pupils do not achieve the expected phonic knowledge in Year 1 this should be the priority in Year 2 and on into Year 3, 4 ,5 and beyond, with phonics taking precedence over other things. Ofsted view phonics as a bank of knowledge not a pedagogy, the most important bank of knowledge a pupil requires to fulfil the demands of the secondary curriculum.

Some schools have already experienced challenges at inspection linked to their teaching of reading and phonics. The following points link back to those challenges.

• Are all staff delivering phonics well trained and are we confident that all phonics lessons and interventions are delivered effectively? Issues were raised where inspectors saw an individual lesson or intervention that did not go well.

• How do we ensure phonics is a priority in Year 2 and 3 where pupils have not already acquired the phonic code?

• Do texts link directly to phonics, are they decodable? What about in reading areas? What about in EYFS? What about in Year 3? What about home readers?

Inspection and Safeguarding

Safeguarding continues to be a vulnerability for some schools. Issues include conscientious staff members (often a FLO or SENCO) maintaining their own records of concern about pupils they work with rather than adding all concerns to a single point of recording such as CPOMS.

A second issue is where leaders have not been sufficiently robust in recording how records and concerns have been followed up. Examples include leaders not chasing referrals or not chasing information on the outcomes of referrals. Despite consistent reminders we are still finding schools with safeguarding gaps, for example in their single central records (SCR), with references and with training. Even more surprisingly there have been an increasing number of schools who are not following up robustly on most recent employer references and gaps in employment. This has led to a number of tricky HR situations, the responsibility for which sit with the headteacher and governors.

You may also find this presentation on effective culture of safeguarding in schools by two senior HMIs useful – click here for link

Inspection and Curriculum

Curriculum progression continues to be a priority. The EYFS is an increasing area of focus with the expectation that leaders have identified and mapped the essential knowledge and skills that children need in their school to learn and develop and this links to the wider curriculum progression. Lots of schools are finding this a challenge so Polly Sharman (Senior Adviser West and EYFS lead) is currently working with a national expert and a group of headteachers on an Early Years curriculum resource. Polly will also be leading a conference on Understanding and Supporting STEM in the EYFS in February.

Across KS1 and KS2 the transitional arrangements around curriculum progression have been removed, school leaders should ensure there is sufficient detail in the curriculum to demonstrate an explicit progression from one term to the next.

New Addition to the Primary School Improvement Team!

Last term we welcomed a new adviser Mark Rivers to the Primary School Improvement Team. Up until December 2022 Mark was a serving headteacher, seconded to our team on a part time basis. As from January, Mark has joined the team as a full time Improvement Adviser, working with schools across Kent but mainly in the North and West.

We are absolutely thrilled that Mark has joined us, he is currently working with Ofsted and this work will continue, bringing a huge bank of first-hand knowledge and experience to the team. Mark’s leadership was recently judged by Ofsted to be outstanding, they noted how he has brought about significant positive changes to his school, highlighting curriculum and reading as particular strengths. Mark has been working closely with the team over the autumn term and leads on new headteacher induction. We have had fabulous feedback from the new headteachers who report feeling very well supported.

For those schools lucky enough to have Mark as their adviser, he will be in touch soon to arrange visits.

Become a Reading Volunteer

The pleasure of reading is a means of escaping, a boost to mental health, a joy like no other but not everyone has access to it. Literacy is a fundamental human right, however, at the moment, one in four children in England are leaving primary school unable to read well and this is set to increase without drastic action. Too many schools aren’t able to resource a dedicated reading space let alone a library, and almost one in five children in England aged five to eight do not have a book to call their own at home. This is deeply worrying.

The Fair Education Alliance Report Card 2022 showed that regional disparities are widening and that the disadvantage gaps today are just as wide as they were in 2012. While the Autumn Statement investment in education for 2023 and 2024 is positive, the current cost-of-living crisis and funding issues mean that across the country staff to pupil ratios suffer and teacher development is deprioritised, so the ability for highly trained staff to provide small group and one-to-one support for pupils that need it most, is at risk. All this in the wake of the pandemic, when a generation’s education has already been disrupted in such a detrimental way.

As CEO of children’s literacy charity Bookmark Reading, I want to express my gratitude to our local volunteers who give up one hour a week to help a child read one-to-one through our reading programme. Demand from schools is higher than ever and we now have over 400 children waiting for a reading volunteer. With reading for pleasure being the greatest determinant of future success for a child, please can I ask your readers to consider helping us change a child’s story, and give them the gift of time as a reading volunteer this year?

https://www.bookmarkreading.org/volunteer

Five Years on Since the Introduction of Apprenticeship Reforms

It has been five years since the government introduced the biggest reform to the field of apprenticeships by placing employers at the forefront of this agenda.

The old apprenticeships frameworks were replaced by the new apprenticeship standards, which involved businesses in their design to make them better suited for the needs of the employers. We have seen 808 new standards either been approved or being developed – to look at the different standards available please visit www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards

The apprenticeship levy was introduced and all employers in the UK with an annual pay bill over £3 million are required to pay the apprenticeship levy. The levy is charged at a rate of 0.5% of an employer’s annual pay bill. Eligible employers report and pay the levy to HMRC through the PAYE process. You can only use the funds to pay for the cost of approved apprenticeship training and assessment. You cannot use the funding for wider costs such as salaries. Read the apprenticeship funding rules for full details.

How Does the Apprenticeship Levy Apply to Schools?

The way in which the levy applies to schools depends on the type of school and the overall employer.

Voluntary-aided and foundation schools - For voluntary-aided and foundation schools, the Governing Body is the employer. If the Governing Body’s pay bill is more than £3 million, then it will need to pay the levy.

Community and voluntary-controlled schools - For community and voluntary-controlled schools, the Local Authority is the employer, and so is responsible for payment of the apprenticeship levy for schools under their control. Each Local Authority with a pay bill of over £3 million will pay the levy.

The Local Authority will advise its schools on whether they need to take account of the apprenticeship levy in their annual budgets.

Digital Apprenticeship Account

Introduction of the Digital Apprenticeship Account has made it easier for employers and training providers to secure apprenticeship funding. If you are a community and voluntary-controlled school your Local Authority will help you access funding.

As part of our ongoing support our Skills and Employability Service have a team of experts who are able to help you understand the process, support you in gaining access to funding for your school and help your students apply for an apprenticeship. For more information, please contact the team:

Telephone – 03301 651 090

Email: ApprenticeKent@theeducationpeople.org

Education Safeguarding Service

On 1 September 2022, the latest version of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) came into force, setting out what schools must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18.

The Education Safeguarding Service continues to recommend that governor’s access and read KCSIE 2022 in full and ensure that their schools safeguarding training and practice is in line with current statutory requirements and reflects the local Kent partnership arrangements.

Safeguarding Training for Governors

Part two of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ was updated in September 2022 to include a new requirement that governors/trustees should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) training at induction, which is updated regularly. This training should provide governors with the knowledge to provide strategic challenge so they can test and assure themselves that their school’s safeguarding policies and procedures are effective and support a whole school approach to safeguarding.

Currently the Education Safeguarding Service provide safeguarding training for governors on Zoom in partnership with Governor Support Services, however, we are delighted to share that we are currently developing an E-learning course specifically for governors which we aim to have available by the end of term four.

The E-learning course will be suitable for induction, as well as for regular updates, and will enable governors to develop an understanding of their statutory safeguarding responsibilities as outlined by national guidance and legislation. The course will signpost governors to supportive resources and will explore questions governors can ask Designated Safeguarding Leads and leadership teams to reassure themselves that effective safeguarding practice is in place

in their schools. Further information will be shared with schools and governors about how to access the E-Learning once it has been published.

The service will continue to provide safeguarding training via Zoom and once the E-learning is available, chairs of governors and governors with a lead responsibility for safeguarding should continue to attend this training in addition to the E-learning course. This approach will enable chairs of governors and governors with a lead responsibility for safeguarding to build upon their knowledge, enhance their understanding of their specific roles and responsibilities and explore ways to challenge and support their schools to develop and implement effective safeguarding practice.

The Education Safeguarding Service can be commissioned to deliver bespoke safeguarding training for governors and staff groups. We also continue to provide a number of template policies, training and commissioned services which can support governors, leaders and DSLs in ensuring their schools practice is in line with current statutory requirements.

Staff Matters

Our colleagues in the Education Safeguarding Service appreciate the many challenges school staff have encountered over the past three years, both at the height of the pandemic and in dealing with the fallout since. These challenges continue to affect both staff and pupils and it is vital that leaders and governors stay alert to any signs of distress or difficulties experienced.

The service and their County LADO colleagues are seeing an increase in staff across the children’s workforce exhibiting ‘low level concerns’ (as defined on page 99 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022), which are sometimes due to mental ill health or distress. Because this has not been recognised and/or addressed in the most appropriate manner by employers, concerns have escalated into those which may meet the ‘harm threshold’ (p86 KCSIE 22). In some of these situations, it is apparent that had support and guidance been offered to staff at the earliest opportunity, including referrals where appropriate for an Occupational Health assessment, issues could have been resolved.

We would urge you to refresh yourselves with the information in KCSIE on how to deal with low level concerns which includes the advice to develop a low-level concerns policy, in conjunction with your staff Code of Conduct, and to keep a record of concerns. Both the County LADO and Education Safeguarding Services advocate for education to have a culture in which all concerns about adults are shared responsibly and with the right person, recorded and dealt with appropriately.

If you need help in evaluating low level concerns, these can be shared with the LADO Enquiries Officer on 03000 410 888 who will help you in your decision making. This permits concerns to be evaluated objectively and to ascertain whether similar concerns may have been raised by a previous employer.

How you deal with low level concerns does not negate your duty to refer, within one working day, to the County LADO Service where an allegation or concerns are being made or raised by a child or parent/carer about an adult who works with children and/or holds a position of trust. This is irrespective of whether you have a view as to whether it has happened or not. In these circumstances, the LADO will triage your referral against the LADO Harm Threshold, where a member of staff may have.

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or may have harmed a child.

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child.

• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicated they may pose a risk of harm to children.

• Behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

The LADO will provide advice and guidance on next steps ensuring that the child concerned is protected. This also involves enquiring whether appropriate action has been taken to safeguard other children whilst an investigation is undertaken. Referrals for staff within the children’s workforce are overseen by the LADO in the area where they are employed. Further details and guidance can be found on the KSCMP website along with leaflets, contact information and additional guidance.

If you are not clear about whether a member of staff or volunteer should be referred or whether there are low level concerns, you can seek advice from the LADO Enquiries Officer on 03000 410 888. You will be able to discuss the situation, without disclosing confidential information, and obtain advice on whether a referral should be submitted (where details of the member of staff will be needed) or be signposted to another service.

The Education Safeguarding Service and the County LADO Service are planning to hold a conference later this year to explore some of the areas which have been highlighted over the past few years as often developing into protracted and delayed completion of allegation management. Cases often become embroiled with complexities and HR/employment matters which could have been resolved at a much earlier stage. The proposed content includes:

• LADO Fourth harm threshold around suitability

• process and guidance available

• whistleblowing

• HR advice, disciplinary processes and settlement agreements.

Please look out for further details of the conference and we look forward to meeting with you.

Emergency Planning, Immediate Actions, and Business Continuity

In October 2022, the Government published new guidance for schools that requires schools to take proactive measures to prevent or mitigate emergencies. The guidance is here ‘Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings - October 2022’. As outlined in the GovernorHub Knowledge base, governors can play a key role in critical assessment and improvement of a school’s capacity to manage during an emergency. This provides a safer setting for children, staff and visitors.

Overview

How would your school deal with some of the incidents, emergencies, tragedies, and disasters that have befallen many schools in recent years?

• Emergency Planning

• Immediate Actions

• Business Continuity can perhaps be summed up as the following.

• Planning to reduce the likelihood of an emergency occurring, or if it does occur, ameliorating the effects of the emergency.

• What to do when an emergency occurs.

• Developing a culture of being able to continue to function as a school, during an emergency.

Many schools have highly developed emergency planning and resilience systems in place. However, too many schools do not. Have you queried how your school is preparing for an emergency?

Emergency Planning Webinar

Recently, Kent County Council held an open webinar for all state maintained, VA, foundation, and academy schools in the KCC area. It can be viewed here: KCC Emergency Planning, Business Continuity and Prevent Webinar

Over 170 schools attended. A very good turnout, but still less than a third. Do you know whether your school attended?

Emergency Planning for Kent Schools 22/23

The Emergency Planning for Kent Schools Guide is the go-to for schools to find out how to prepare for, to mitigate the risk of and to manage any of the hundreds of emergencies that can befall a school.

A copy is sent to every school any time a new edition is published, but sometimes we still do hear of a school that either has not heard of it or has not the most up to date copy. We know schools get a lot of communication, but you might want to check that your school is using the 2022/2023 edition. If not, contact your area education officer and have one sent.

Note that it contains sensitive information and advice about school security practices, so is not available on Kelsi, or anywhere on the internet. It can only be received via email from us.

Emergency Planning Learning Modules

KCC has produced three online learning modules:

• Introduction to Emergency Planning

• Grab Bag and Managing a Local Emergency

• Intruder, Incursion and Lockdown.

These were previously chargeable items, but it has now been decided that these will now be issued FREE to schools, and KCC is working with The Education People to make these resources freely available.

Winter Guidance

Extreme bad weather can cause widespread and prolonged disruption. Schools are often affected, and it can be difficult to maintain an education service.

In addition to the main Emergency Planning guide, KCC provides a guide to severe weather every year. Other factors that may exacerbate the challenges, eg epidemics, traffic disruption, industrial action, etc, are included.

The Winter Guidance provides advice for headteachers about the risks that schools may face, some preventative strategies and advice on how to communicate a school closure to parents, stakeholders, and the Local Authority. The guidance was issued in November 2022. Did your school implement the advice that was provided?

Kent Closures

KCC provide a free online service to send notifications following the emergency closure of a school site or setting. It allows schools, PRUs, early years settings and colleges to send notifications out to parents/carers and other users, by email or smartphone ‘push’ notification.

The system was overhauled in early 2022 and guidance was sent out to schools in different media several times from July 2022. The guidance requested that schools test their login details before there was a need to.

However, the recent cold snap resulted in a flurry of frenetic activity as schools found that they could not log in. The most common issue being that schools did not know who in the school knew their passcode, input their passcode incorrectly or had not read the instructions. This resulted in hundreds of complaints to KCC from parents/carers. In future, KCC will have to refer all such complaints to schools, so you are asked to enquire whether your school understands the new system, and undertake regular testing every three months, to be confident that their login is functioning.

We will be writing to headteachers about this issue, but we do need your support to ensure that Kent Closures is an effective tool. Currently there are 337,000 registered users in Kent. Even allowing for a number of expired users, that is a lot of people who depend on the system for notifications.

If there are any questions about any of this, please contact KCC Schools Emergency Planning on: schoolsemergencyplanning@kent.gov.uk

Top Tips for Governors Relating to Finance

Governors are expected to know a great deal about a number of different things, and the area of finance is certainly no exception to that. The role of the governor in relation to finance related matters is one of the most important responsibilities within the Governing Body. The role includes ensuing financial compliance, probity, value for money, and as set out in the Governance Handbook “Overseeing the financial performance of the school(s) and making sure that money is well spent.”

If you’re new to this role, you might be asking where do you start with all this, or you might just be wondering how do you know if you’re following the right guidance and regulations? Hopefully, my top tips will help guide you, regardless of your experience as a governor, professional background or level of school experience.

1 2 3

Start with training - Strategic financial training will provide you with the foundations with which to develop your understanding and knowledge of finance and Governing Bodies. Or it may act as a welcome refresher to your knowledge bank. This training might be done by the school, Schools Financial Services (SFS) or Governor Services.

Get to grips with The Scheme for Financing Schools - This is an absolutely key document as a governor as it sets out the financial relationship between the Authority and maintained schools. It outlines the requirements pertaining to financial management of the school for both the Authority and the school. KCC’s Scheme can be found on Kelsi here

Take time to understand the Financial Controls - The Financial Controls underpin and provide further detail on the controls in the Scheme for Financing Schools. All Governing Bodies must operate within these controls. They are more of a day-to-day guide for putting in place robust internal financial controls. Schools will have a financial compliance visit undertaken by SFS at least once every four years to ensure schools maintain accurate records and adhere to these controls. Here is a list of the controls on Kelsi

Have you read your Finance Policy? - The schools Finance Policy is extremely important as it outlines the finer details and delegation pertaining directly to your school. This policy should be reviewed annually. Make sure any staff with financial duties or responsibilities at school are also aware of this document.

Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS) - An annual return made by schools to the Authority. It’s self-assessment and associated guidance helps schools to meet the basic standards for good financial health and resource management. The SFVS asks a number of questions of Governing Bodies. These questions can be used to identify areas of risk or where resource, training or improvements may be needed.

Make the most of your SFS Compliance Visit - Each Kent maintained school will have a compliance visit undertaken by SFS at least once every four years. The compliance visit looks at a broad spectrum of finance related areas. As a governor, you should have access to the compliance report. The compliance report should be discussed at a board meeting, but it is also a very helpful tool for governors to review their internal controls at school.

Prepare for meetings - As best you can, make time to adequately prepare for your governor meetings. That means making sure you have all the finance documents to review before hand, such as the latest monitoring or budget plan. If the documents are not forthcoming from school leaders, then direct your request via the chair and clerk. It’s quite straightforward, but it goes a long way to making the meeting a productive and successful one.

Ask questions - Don’t be afraid to ask questions. In preparing for your meeting, you may produce a number of questions to ask, by asking them you will build on your level of knowledge but also hopefully provide meaningful challenge. If you’re unsure what a figure or comment relates to on the latest budget monitoring report, then ask at the meeting, even if you think it’s a silly question, it’s always best to ask. Don’t rely on someone else asking what you’re thinking.

Be aware of your schools financial position - Are you seeing regular monitoring reports, do you understand them? Are you confident the budget can meet the targets outlined in the school development plan? Are staffing decisions taken with an understanding of what impact they will have on future years? Knowing where school is financially is the bedrock to so many other decisions that you as a school governor will have to make.

Undertake monitoring visits (?)If you have time to do this then I would recommend it as it will deepen your understanding but also provide you with first hand assurance. Maybe shadow the staff and headteacher undertaking the monitoring, or ask to see the record of orders and invoices etc. Whatever you choose the purpose of doing so is to build on your understanding but also to spark discussion and if necessary, challenge, for the Governing Body. Remember your role is strategic and not operational, so the aim is to observe.

Hopefully these hints will help you in your role, but please don’t forget that as a Governor you are always welcome to use our Helpdesk for any finance related queries you may have. You can contact us on 03301 651 001 or via schoolsfinancialservices@the educationpeople.org

Other Important Finance Updates

Deadline dates: Key Financial return deadline dates can be found on our timetable on Kelsi

• Early Returns (for the Chief Accounts Team) - 28 February 2023

• Financial Closedown documents - 23 March 2023

• Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS) - 31 March (each year)

• Three Year Budget Forecast - 31 May (each year)

With regards to the Three-Year Plan deadline and planning your Full Governing Body meeting dates – if your school buys a finance contract from us, then we advise you have the meeting towards the end of May. This will allow our staff and your school staff the time needed to gather and compile the Three-Year Plan and ensure you have it in good time prior to your meeting.

Anti-Fraud Policy for Schools

It is a good idea to check to see if your school has an Anti-Fraud policy. Unfortunately, schools are increasingly being targeted for fraud. Within the Scheme for Financing Schools, it states: All schools must have a robust system of controls to safeguard themselves against fraudulent or improper use of public money and assets.

Currently this is not a mandatory policy, but we are aware that KCC’s Internal Audit team are reviewing this. There is a template policy on Kelsi. You could take this opportunity to get ahead of the game.

Active Kent & Medway

Development Officer, Kent County Council Primary School PE Conference - Survey & Prize Draw

We are pleased to announce that in 2023 the Primary School PE Conference will be held on Tuesday 16 May.

This year we want to hear from you!

What would you like to see at the conference? Have your say and let us know by filling out this quick survey for the chance to win a free athlete visit for your school.

Well Schools Podcast

Youth Sport Trust are back this academic year with their Well Schools podcast.

The podcast provides a series of discussions with school leaders who are improving educational outcomes by placing wellbeing at the heart of their school. Recent episodes include a look into ‘The Power of Active Learning’ to create a positive, engaging and fun approach to learning.

You can sign up to join the Well School community and get FREE access to:

• school-led practice and examples

• guidance and support from experts and leaders

• conversations with like-minded experts and practitioners

• training, resources and support from partners. Well Schools Podcast

Active Lives - Latest Figures

“Children and young people’s activity levels return to pre-pandemic levels.”

The latest Active Lives Children and Young People Report from Sport England shows that nationally 47.2% of children and young people are achieving the recommended 60 minutes of sport or physical activity a day. This means that 3.4 million are benefitting from being active.

However, there are still over 52.8% of children and young people who are not active enough. There are also still inequalities across demographics, but active children are happier, worry less and feel less lonely.

Children with Asthma

“As long as your child is managing their asthma well, research shows exercise can reduce their risk of asthma symptoms.”

Asthma + Lung UK charity has lots of great information and advice on their website, including how to help children with asthma achieve the Chief Medical Officer guidelines for all children to do 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Get Involved in Active Lives

Do you want to find out how you can get involved with the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey

Join us online on Thursday 26 January, 4.15pm to 5pm.

Delivered in partnership with Bubble & Scruff, we’ll showcase the benefits of taking part in the survey, including bespoke school reports, access to a Healthy School Rating Scheme and equipment vouchers. This webinar is suitable for primary and secondary schools.

Sign up to the Active Lives demonstration webinar

NHS England and Improvement have commissioned free training for anyone involved in the care of children and young people with asthma. The Tier 1 training provides a basic awareness of asthma, it’s impacts and knowledge of when and to whom to signpost, and is ideal for education providers, sports coaches etc.

Access the Resources

Youth VoiceWebinar Recording

Active Kent and Medway recently delivered a webinar to support organisations developing activities for the least active young people. In addition to presenting the learnings from our recent consultation with young people, the webinar also included special guest speakers from the Youth Sports Trust and St Gregory’s School in Tunbridge Wells.

https://youtu.be/Em-Tu3POYIA

We have made every effort to accurately transcribe the slides, however if there is any information that is unclear or if you have any queries, please contact activekent@kent.gov.uk

Safeguarding - Listen Up, Speak Up

Half a million children suffer abuse and neglect each year in the UK. A new campaign from the NSPCC aims to give everyone the knowledge to help keep children safe.

Listen Up, Speak Up is encouraging every adult in the UK to complete their free 10-minute digital training, empowering every adult to know what to do if a child needs help, and where to go if you need support yourself.

Government Announces New National Plan for Music Education

The new national plan for music education 2022-30 was launched on 25 June last year. It is much more focussed on schools than its predecessor, indeed one of the three sections is entirely devoted to schools.

Those of you who have read my previous articles will know how passionate I am about the importance of music in schools. It’s a national curriculum subject at Key Stages 1, 2 & 3 and where music is strong in a school it tends to perform well overall.

The national plan stresses the importance of music in schools and encourages stronger links between music hubs and multi-academy trusts. Schools and trusts are expected to have a music plan and there is a proposal to create lead schools to support the development of music in schools.

Kent Music is the lead partner for the music hub for Kent. We are putting greater emphasis on supporting schools through a programme of funding and bespoke support. We are encouraged to see that the government is continuing to recognise the importance as an academic subject and also that they understand how important it is for children and young people to learn to play musical instruments and to play in groups and sing in choirs

Meanwhile, I would encourage you to download and read the plan and come along to my governor briefing on Tuesday 7 March at 6pm online to find out more.

Governor and Clerk Training Programme Until July 2023

In planning your annual governance activities for the forthcoming year, please remember to plan and include your own professional training needs to effectively carry out your governance responsibilities.

For Governors - An Introduction to Supporting Refugees and Newly Arrived Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in School

It would help us to plan and manage the training programme effectively if you could reserve your place and manage your bookings for any of the training events on GovernorHub. Please remember to cancel any training event you cannot attend to avoid any cancellation charges and to enable anyone who is on a waiting list the chance to attend the event.

Governor Training Booking Enquiries: governorservicestraining@theeducationpeople.org