Message from the Director of Education re COVID19, Headteacher briefing and other matters 15.09.2021

FAO: All Schools / All Phases

Dear Headteacher/Principal/CEO,

I hope you are well and didn’t get too wet yesterday in the first wet play/break of the year!! Thank you to Jackie Johnstone at St Edmunds for hosting my visit on a very wet day and also to Alex Kingston at Wolfson Hillel on a much drier Monday – both excellent schools. It seems sensible to go ahead with the headteacher briefing tomorrow due to the rising number of COVID cases in schools and also the questions being raised by headteachers. Also there has been the announcement of vaccinations for 12-15 year olds in secondary schools as you know. I need to apologise to any Jewish colleagues who aren’t able to attend as Thursday is Yon Kippur.

a) Headteacher Briefing – 16th September 11am. – Please note the slightly later start time. The draft agenda is below:

  1. COVID update to include current data, school responses & further guidance.
  2. Afghanistan – update on potential families coming to the borough
  3. NPQ information and update - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-frameworks-from-september-2021?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=45e960e9-12e4-4c5a-bf18-54a56ed036e7&utm_content=daily
  4. Independent Social Care Review (In Enfield – 11th to 13th October)
  5. Pupil Premium Accountability – Marc Rowland twilight session.
  6. HEARD event – 30th September at 7pm
  7. Vaccinations of 12-15 year olds
  8. AOB

    b) NPQs (some free to 30 Enfield schools) – As you may be aware NPQs are being run by Ambition and cover NPQs for Executive Leadership, Headship, Senior Leadership, Leading Teaching, Behaviour & Culture, Teacher Development. If your school has a high proportion of FSMs, many of these courses are free to participants. Please contact me if you are unsure if you would qualify for free places. I will shortly send out the link to apply for these course with further information as necessary.

    c) Pupil Premium Accountability – Marc Rowland – Marc Rowland has been working with the DfE on their pupil premium strategy and as you know with over 20 of our schools on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. He has offered to run a twilight session on Monday October 18th at 4pm for an hour on the new requirements covering the guidance, the new templates and worked examples. An invite will be sent out shortly regarding this.

    d) Independent Social Care Review involving Enfield – Enfield has been selected as one of 8 local areas to be part of the review which is looking to improve and change the way that children are safeguarded and protected. This will involve participation from schools and school leaders, Enfield has been chosen to be in the next phase of the Independent Review of Children Social Care that was set up by central government to look at the needs, experiences and outcomes of the children supported by social care. The review was prompted by the year on year increases in demand for children’s social care services, including rising numbers of children in local authority care and children subject to child protection plans. This phase will focus on local design and aims to understand how local systems operate and how they balance resources between early help and crisis intervention. Seven other local authorities have also been selected to assist the review process. The review will be published next “Spring” and will make recommendations to government on a wide range of issues including potential structural change

    There will be a research team of four and they will be visiting Enfield from 11th -13th October 2021.  Their areas of focus will be:

  • Balancing help and protection
  • Children in care
  • Kinship care
  • Teenagers and extra-familial harms
  • Bureaucracy and social work careers
  • Children with complex needs and disabilities
  • Commissioned family support services
  • Non commissioned community based support
  • Schools and education

We are asking for volunteers to be involved in the review to meet with the review team preferably in face to face meetings – if you are interested in being involved, please could you contact Angela Bent on  Angela.Bent@enfield.gov.uk

e) HEARD event – 30th September at 7pm  - this successful parent information event will take place at the end of the month hosted by Laverne Antrobus – publicity on this online event will be circulated shortly.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it.

Best wishes

Peter Nathan

Director of Education

People Department