Message from the Director of Education re COVID19 and other matters - 21.04.2021
FAO: All Schools / All Phases
Dear Headteacher/Principal,
I hope the start of the summer term is going well for you and this April sunshine is really welcome of course. I have attached the latest local COVID19 data which continues to show good news with low numbers of infections, low hospital admissions and below average excess deaths. The current concern relates to the South African variant and the possible need for surge testing which the council is preparing for if needed. In terms of vaccinations, approaching 50% of the population of Enfield have had a first vaccination. On a different subject, tomorrow is “Stephen Lawrence day” and I am sure that many schools will be remembering the sorry loss of a life cut short - https://stephenlawrenceday.org/stephen-lawrence-day-foundation/ is the link to the website that provides information and resources to support schools that are commemorating his life.
i) OFSTED inspections - as mentioned in my last email, Ofsted will be going back to their normal inspection regime from September but will actually be restarting inspections from May 4th in primary schools and from 21st June for secondary schools (except in exceptional circumstances) – the full guidance is here Ofsted: coronavirus (COVID-19) rolling update which you should read if you are or were expecting an inspection. There are some changes to the inspection framework which have been summarised in this article - https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsteds-covid-inspection-changes-everything-you-need-to-know/ . We will be looking at these changes at the headteacher briefing.
ii) Headteachers briefing 26th April 1:30pm – There is a full agenda for this meeting which will include the latest updates on COVID19 (local information, testing and vaccination updates etc. Gill Bal CEO from the Wembley High Schools Academy Trust and now Teaching School Hub will be coming to talk about the NPQs, Early Careers Framework and CPD commissioning. There will also be an update on the new Enfield Professional Learning website, school data profiles and information sharing, transition, primary admission numbers (and implications) and also the Holiday & Food fund.
iii) GDPR/Data Officer – at the Headteacher briefing there will be an opportunity to meet the Rezaur Choudhury who is our new Data Protection Officer (DPO). Rezaur has come to us from Tower Hamlets where he was deputy DPO and he previously worked in information governance and prior to that in school admissions.
iv) Inclusion Charter workshop (Dame Christine Lenehan) - one of the key recommendations from the SEND high needs budget review last year was the development of an inclusion charter to support greater inclusion in schools. An after school workshop will be taking place on 12th May starting at 3:30pm and we are lucky enough to have Christine Lenehan in attendance. We are looking for some headteacher representation preferably one special school headteacher and two primary and 2 secondary headteachers although if headteachers aren’t available, a deputy could attend. If more wish to attend, that is not a problem as this is an online meeting. Please could you let Lucy Nutt know if you can attend on lucy.nutt@enfield.gov.uk
v) COVID Winter Grant extension - this grant has now been extended until mid-June and Enfield has now been allocated an additional £270K. The grant has also been renamed the COVID local grant scheme. This is likely to mean (tbc) that there will funding available to provide a free school payment (as at Easter) either through Edenred or other provider. Cheryl Headon will make contact with schools shortly as has happened before.
vi) Holiday & Food grant (HAF) – this scheme ran successfully in some parts of the borough over Easter. Schools will be contacted shortly regarding the possibility of running summer holiday play schemes with funding available for those children eligible for free school meals. Sharon Davies will provide more details on this at the Headteacher briefing next week.
vi) CLC Justice letter - a number of schools have received letters from this organisation threatening possible legal action regarding testing and mask wearing. Our council legal team are replying to this email which will be shared once sent but it basically says that schools are following government guidance based on health advice.
vii) The Big Ask – this is the largest ever consultation with children aged 4 to 17 in England. It aims to find out children’s concerns and aspirations about the future, so that we can put children at the heart of our country’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Many schools have already publicised this and supported pupil’s engagement – the link is here - The Big Ask
viii) Girls safety and sexual harassment – having a young daughter as I have and many of you may have, one is always worried about their safety and this has been highlighted by the murder of Sarah Everard and also by the more recent “Everyone’s Invited” website reports/testimony. Schools can’t be held accountable for the mores of society but we can play our part of course particularly in educating children and especially boys to help make schools and society a safer place. I am sure you will have responded to this issue and reviewed what more you can do.
ix) Headteacher reps/LA meeting – this is taking place this Friday so if you have any issues you wish to raise, please can you let your representatives know or contact myself or Lucy Nutt.
I really hope that you have a great summer term which we all hope will be relatively normal. There are no exams of course but secondary schools will face considerable work and pressure over GCSE and A-level grading. The positive news is that the government’s roadmap is on course to open up society more and more and hopefully we can move away from box set binging and enjoy the summer much more – I do want to see the Kaiser Chiefs in September for example!!!
I look forward to seeing you next week at the headteacher’s briefing on Monday,
Best wishes,
Peter Nathan
Director of Education
People Department
Enfield Council