BASG February 2021 Newsletter No.2

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AGM
We were delighted to welcome over 70 governors at our AGM on 14 January 2021. Our Chair, Paul Randall, led
the meeting on MS Teams to report on the annual accounts, elections to the Executive Committee and the
considerable volume of BASG activity during 2020. With great pride and respect we welcomed the keynote
speaker, Emma Knights OBE, Chief Executive of NGA, who spoke with passion and understanding about the role
of governors in today’s world. Emma answered a variety of questions from attendees, covering topics linked to:
• Recruitment
• Funding
• Diversity of Boards
• Localism
• Safeguarding
• Academy Conversions
• Remote Education
• Service Providers

The AGM extended a warm welcome also to two new members of the Executive Committee, Andrew Brown and
Martin Baxter. Andrew has served on Governing Boards in Buckinghamshire Schools for over 20 years. Currently he is Chair of Governors at Chiltern Hills Academy in Chesham. He is a member of the School Governance
Consultative Board at Buckinghamshire Council and in his spare time he enjoys singing in choirs and Scottish
Country Dancing. Martin is Chair at Turnfurlong Junior School and a Trustee of the Aylesbury Learning
Partnership, a co-operative trust of maintained schools. He taught in two schools before a career in several local
authorities, mostly concerned with teaching and school improvement. Martin has engaged in UK and
international projects on school leadership and curriculum development and has seen governance from many
angles. Both Andrew and Martin are passionate about governance and we look forward to the valued
contributions and expertise they will bring to BASG.

BASG Activity 2020
To capture just some of the work taking place to support Governors across the County:
• Regular scheduled meetings with members of the Buckinghamshire Council Education Team
• Ensuring that Local Authority communications linked to Leadership & Management in schools are sent
directly to Chairs of Governors to share with their Boards
• Working with the Local Authority to continue the fully funded membership of NGA for all maintained
schools, providing governors with immediate access to this professional organization for guidance,
training and governor support
• The launch of our new website http://www.bucksgovernors.org/, with a special thank you to Tomas
Pukalski, Director of Framework Digital in Aylesbury, who made this possible
• Keeping up our social media presence on Twitter @BucksGovernors and Facebook, for which we are
grateful to our dedicated Duke of Edinburgh’s Award student, who also happens to be the daughter of
the Chair. Please give us a follow and like, share and comment on our posts. Join the Facebook group and
sign up to our mailing list via the website to stay fully connected to the governor community
• Highlighting training needs for governors, resulting in on-line training sessions led by Local Authority
specialists. The sessions have been very well attended and will continue into 2021
• BASG representatives continue to attend the School Governance Consultative Board, which meets
quarterly and is attended by senior LA officers and elected Members. The SGCB is currently chaired by
Peter Lerner, Safeguarding and Equalities governor at Lane End Primary School
• Representatives from BASG also attend Side by Side meetings to support the Local Authority in the drive
for school improvement in Buckinghamshire
• Organising and chairing the Local Networking Groups, which although can no longer meet face to face,
continue to flourish via Zoom or MS Teams
• It is hoped that mentoring for new Chairs will launch this year to develop further robust, effective and
passionate governance throughout Buckinghamshire.

BASG Executive Committee hard at work at our most recent meeting on 1 February:

 

Visible Governance
“Good governance is not just an insurance policy that picks up the pieces when things have gone wrong; it is a
central component of a successful organization”. (NGA)

With over 300,000 governors in the UK, NGA is promoting a campaign to bring governance further into the
limelight. Please use the link below to find out how you can support this campaign to achieve a higher profile
and better understanding of governance, and further improve the lives of children and their communities.
https://www.nga.org.uk/Membership/NGA-Magazine/PDFs/2020/March-2020/Making-Governance-Visible.aspx

Networking Groups
As mentioned above, Local Networking Groups continue across the county. Governors come together to discuss
issues and to share thoughts and concerns on local and national agendas. We aim for a member of the BASG
Executive Committee to attend each meeting so that key points can be dovetailed into other meetings such as
the School Governance Consultative Board. The following dates remain for this term:

• 17 February 2021: the newly resurrected Chesham, Amersham, Wendover and Great Missenden group
for chairs and vice-chairs will meet from 19:00 to 21:00 via MS Teams. Please contact Andrew Brown
abrown1@chacademy.co.uk if you would like to attend
• 20 March 2021: South Bucks area group (known as Jordans) for chairs, vice-chairs and committee chairs
will meet at 10:00 via MS Teams. Please contact Anne Sheddick anne.sheddick@gmail.com to attend
• 23 March 2021: the Aylesbury group, open to all governors, will meet at 19:00. Please contact Martin
Baxter mbaxter@turnfurlongmiddle.bucks.sch.uk to attend

At the last Aylesbury networking group, discussion took place on how challenging it is to address the ‘Wellbeing’
need in schools when we are remote, it being more difficult to pick-up the vibes. One school had established a
COVID committee and in another, governors had online discussions with middle leaders to gauge a sense of
wellbeing and how the school had adapted to new expectations. We ask governors to reflect on the culture of
Wellbeing that exists in their school or Trust. The NGA has provided an evaluation tool which invites participants
to reflect on the approach taken towards staff wellbeing at both board and operational level:
https://www.nga.org.uk/Knowledge-Centre/Best-use-of-Resources/Staffing/Teacher-workload-andwellbeing/Promoting-wellbeing-an-evaluation-tool-for-governi.aspx

Governor Training and Events
The training events provided by Buckinghamshire Council have been very well attended and further sessions are
in the planning as we speak – dates will be posted on our website as soon as they are available. Other upcoming
events are already available to browse on the website – please take a look http://www.bucksgovernors.org/

NGA
As mentioned above, we are delighted that Buckinghamshire Council has again funded membership of NGA for
all maintained schools, with a reduced price option for academies. Membership includes:

• copies of Governing Matters magazine sent to the home of three governors and a copy to the school
• a weekly e-newsletter featuring the latest education news and policy updates
• full access to members-only content in our online Knowledge Centre containing a wealth of governance
resources
• NGA guides available at a discounted rate
• a free place at NGA member conferences and events which draw high-profile speakers
• Learning Link that provides comprehensive training for governors, trustees, chairs and clerks on the full
range of their responsibilities

This year there have also been on-going additions of webinars to further support governing boards:
https://www.nga.org.uk/News/Webinars.aspx

NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs)

Back in September last year, NASEN announced an exciting change to their membership offer in that it was to
become FREE for all individuals across the UK. We are delighted to confirm that this free membership is now
available! To access the new offer, you just need to activate your account
NASEN are committed to ensuring that expertise in SEND is available to each and every school and setting across
the UK. This is more important now than ever before as the impact of the pandemic creates continued social
upheaval for families and the education workforce. Benefits of membership include:
• Up-to-date knowledge and support rooted in research and evidence-informed best practice to empower
the workforce to become effective, inclusive practitioners
• Exclusive online access to NASEN Connect magazine six times a year, packed with advice and analysis
impacting on the SEND workforce
• Updates from the Whole School SEND Consortium, hosted by NASEN, including access to free resources
such as the Whole School SEND Review Guides, research, ‘What Works’ signposting and CPDL training
programme, including webinars
• Easy-to-access information through NASEN’s e-communications, developed by the specialist in-house
education team. This includes a monthly member newsletter, resource news blasts, sector newsflash,
topical resources, articles and discounts on training and CPDL
We would recommend a visit to the NASEN SEND Gateway www.sendgateway.org.uk, which has recently
received a makeover and continues to be the one-stop shop for all things SEND. To find out more, visit www.nasen.org.uk or e-mail membership@nasen.org.uk

Competition!
NASEN have published an excellent new handbook and practical guide to support Governing Boards, SEND
Governors and SENDCOs; essential reading for all SEND Governors.

“The Governance Handbook for SEND and Inclusion” By Adam Boddison, Routledge, 2021

Four free copies of the book are available on a first come first served basis, thanks to the generosity of Emma
Knights at the NGA. To win a copy, please send an email to Paul Randall pauljrandall@btinternet.com, giving
details of your role as a Governor, the school(s) where you serve and your home address. The first four people
to email will receive a free copy of the book via Amazon.

Acknowledging the work of schools
As a final item, we think it is important to dedicate a few words in recognition of the efforts of all those working
in schools this past year. Leaders have shown clarity and care in prioritising the well-being of the school
community, taking potentially life-saving decisions based on rapidly changing information and guidance. The
teaching and learning support staff have risen to the challenge of managing on-site provision for children in
attendance whilst working incredibly hard to provide learning materials for the children at home. It goes without
saying that schools have only been able to stay open at all thanks to the commitment of site teams and nonteaching staff in keeping the school environments safe, clean and running efficiently. There cannot have been a
more difficult time through which to update and reassure parents, children and colleagues – the circumstances
have been anxious for all concerned and emotional energy has been stretched thinly. As governors, we are
proud and inspired by the professionalism and dedication of the school community and we remain committed to
supporting them in the work they lead.

Schools Forum Elections February 2021

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Sent on behalf of Christina Beevers, Senior Member Support and Development Officer

Dear Headteachers and Chairs of Governors,

The Schools Forum, an advisory body for matters relating to schools budgeting, is now looking for new members from the following schools:

  • Primary Academy
  • Primary (Junior) Maintained
  • Primary (Infant) Maintained
  • Secondary (Upper) Academy x2
  • PRUs x2

Instructions, checklist and timeline, along with the nomination form are attached. If you would be interested in joining us please complete the attached nomination and return to democracy@buckinghamshire.gov.uk form by Friday 26 February 2021

1. Checklist and timeline

2. article

3. Nomination Form

Kind Regards,

 Christina Beevers

Senior Member Support and Development Officer

 Democratic Services

Deputy Chief Executive Directorate

Buckinghamshire Council

Funding for Digital Devices

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SENT FROM GARETH DRAWMER- HEAD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND LEARNING

Dear Colleagues,

We appreciate that, despite the DfE laptops scheme and the support currently being offered to Infant pupils through the funding from the Rothschild Foundation, some pupils in your school still do not have sufficient access to a digital device in their home to enable them to participate in the remote education provided by your school.  Thank you to those schools that provided information as to the size of this cohort through the PEB/BASH survey on the 26th January.

Buckinghamshire Council has funding to provide up to a maximum of £100 per eligible pupil for your school to purchase a digital device for these pupils still in need, and up to a maximum £20 per eligible pupil for a 4G SIM card for these devices for those pupils without internet access in their homes.

Eligible pupils must fit all four of the below criteria:

  1. do not have ‘sufficient access’ to a digital device to enable them to fully participate in the remote education provided by your school (by ‘sufficient access’ we mean the following; the pupil does not need to have their own device, but they have sufficient time/access to a digital device to enable them to undertake all work and access all remote learning as required),
  2. have not already had a digital device or funding for a digital device provided by an alternative source (DfE laptop scheme, Rothschild Foundation funding for infant devices, other donations etc),
  3. do not have a school device that has been loaned to them during this period of remote education,
  4. are not attending school.

825LLLL_825xxxx_Remote Learning Support (002)

Please can you provide details on the spreadsheet above of which pupils you will be claiming for and confirmation that they meet the four criteria above. Once complete, please save your file with the filename 825LLLL_825xxxx_Remote Learning Support.xlsx, where xxxx is your school number, then upload the file to AnyComms Plus selecting “Remote Learning” as the file type. Apologies for the fast turnaround, but please can you send back by end of school day on Wednesday 10th February

We will then confirm the number of eligible pupils and the maximum amount of funding available for your school and provide more details on how to process your claim on Thursday 11th February.  To participate in this scheme, all claims must be made by Friday 26th February.

 Kind regards and thank you for your support,

Gareth Drawmer

Head of Achievement and Learning

BASG Executive Minutes 1st February 2021

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Meeting: BASG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 
Date & Time: 1 February 2021 at 5.00pm

 
Location: Virtual meeting via Zoom

 
Present:

 

 

 Paul Randall (Chair), Anne Sheddick (Vice Chair), Maggi Bull,

Joanne Marchant, Peter Learner, Bernadette Allison, Jo Pearce, Martin Baxter, Andrew Brown, Gwyneth Langley (Secretary)

 

   

Agenda Item

 

  

Action
1. Apologies for Absence  
 

 

  

There were no apologies for absence

 

  
2 Notification of Any Other Business  
   

It was agreed that the following would be discussed under Any Other Business:

–       BASG Website

–       Clerks Well-Being

–       BASG Bank Accounts

 

  
3 Declarations of Interest  
 

 

  

Gwyneth Langley – BEP

  
4 Approval of Minutes From the Meeting Held on 11 January 2021  
 

 

  

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2021 were approved.

 

Matters arising within the minutes including follow up actions are covered within this agenda.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 
5 Local Networking Groups  
 

 

 

 

  

Aylesbury Group

The Aylesbury networking group had met on 20 January 2021.  This had been Chaired by MB and AS / PR had attended.  There had been a useful and wide ranging discussion which had included:

–       BASG

–       Lack of face to face contact with schools

–       The difficulties of parental engagement with home learning in some cases

–       Lateral flow tests

 

PR had received feedback from a Chair that the meeting had provided very useful support.

 

It was agreed that all schools were doing remarkable work in the area of home learning. The importance of blended learning was discussed as the amount of screen time could be an issue for all age groups.     It was agreed that schools needed to do what was right for their community.

–       AB shared his experience of secondary home learning where a shortened timetable had been introduced on one day in the week to support students and teacher well-being.

–       MB shared messages from a seminar recently attended and highlighted the importance of considering learnings from this period and what should kept, lost and developed going forwards.

–       PL shared experience of the Working Group on Covid-19 at his school. Communication was acknowledged to be key as well as thanks and encouragement to staff.

 

AS highlighted the implications for governors and monitoring. It was important that governors understood what was being done, what elements of the curriculum were currently being delivered and the impact of this.

 

Jordans Networking Group

The group would meet on 6 February 2021.  25-35 attendees were expected.

 

Chesham, Amersham, Great Missenden and Wendover Group

The group would meet on 17 February 2021.  17 people had confirmed attendance so far.   AB would be using breakout rooms during the session.

 

It was agreed that a strong communication flow from local networking groups to the Local Authority was essential to ensure that issues were captured and raised.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
6 Governance Consultative Board  
   

PL gave an update on the December 2020 meeting of the Governance Consultative Board.  There had been good discussion and interaction between governors and members of the LA.  Progress appeared to be being made in a number of areas and it was important that this continued.

 

The next meeting of the Consultative Board would be on 17 March 2021 and potential issues to raise would be discussed at the next BASG meeting (1 March 2021)

 

It was noted that there was no direct link with Schools Forum on either BASG or the Consultative Board. PL had raised this at the Consultative Board and there was likely to be a report from Schools Forum at the next meeting.

 

It was noted that there had been no national decision as yet whether local elections scheduled for May 2021 would take place or would be postponed to the Autumn 2021.    MB raised concerns that schools may be asked to close for a day to act as a polling station.  JM highlighted that they did not need to close if they were able to operate safely during an election but schools may not be aware of this.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agenda 1  March ‘21

7 BEP  
 

 

 GL gave a brief update on BEP services going forwards:

 

–       The Key would now be offered as an option as part of BEP subscriptions.

–       BEP would be recruiting for an additional Governance Adviser for Bucks services and this may be an opportunity for a Governor or Clerk in the County.

 

A number of concerns had been raised by Chairs and Clerks around the quality of investigations, particularly HR investigations, some carried out by members of the LA HR team.   In some cases there appeared to be a lack of clarity around the role of governors in these processes.

 

Concerns around HR investigations were discussed.   Poor investigation processes and lack of understand regarding the role of governors could put all parties into difficult positions and be extremely expensive to resolve.

 

It was agreed that this issue should be raised at the Consultative Board.  PL proposed a paper to summarise key issues. AS had already progressed a draft paper and would speak to other members of the group to seek input on this.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AS

 

 
8 BASG AGM  
  The minutes of the BASG AGM held on 14 January 2021 were approved.

 

AS had sent an Amazon voucher to Emma Knights thanking her for her participation at the event. Emma had kindly donated this back to Bucks governors. It was proposed that this be spend on a number of books.  Potential mechanisms for distributing the books were discussed and this would be progressed.

 

  

 

 AS

 
9 Communications with Bucks Council  
 

 

  

This has been discussed under item 6.

 

PR considered it positive that Gareth Drawmer had sought the views of BASG during the decision making period on school re-opening at the beginning of January 2021.

 

  

 

 

 

 
10 BASG Newsletter  
 

 

 The aim was for this to be circulated by February half term.   JM and BA continued to work on this.   The newsletter would be circulated to all those who have signed up via the BASG website.  Hazel David would also be asked to circulate this to Chairs and Clerks.

 

AS would forward details of a recommended book for inclusion.

 

MB would forward a handout on governance of SEN.

 

AB and MB would forward mini-biographies to JM / BA for inclusion within the newsletter and on the BASG website.

 

The frequency of the BASG newsletter would be discussed at the next meeting on 1 March

  

 

 

 

 

AS

 

MB

 

AB / MB

Agenda 1 March ‘21

 
11 AOB  
  BASG Bank Account

The issue with bank account signatories had now been resolved.   JP / PR would arrange to make any outstanding payments.

 

Clerk Well-Being

The importance of including Clerks within discussions on well-being was highlighted.  This was suggested for possible inclusion within the BASG newsletter.

 

BASG Website

It was noted that some items on the BASG website were hard to find due to the stacking arrangements.  PR would ask Tomas Pukalski about this.

  

 

JP / PR

 

 

 

 

 

 

PR

 

 
12 Dates / Times of Future Meetings  
 

 

 

  

Dates and times for future meetings were agreed as follows:

 

Monday 1 March 2021 5pm

Monday 19 April  2021 5pm

 

To note next meeting of the Governance Consultative Board 17 March 2021

 

  

Teacher bulletin: mental health and wellbeing, remote learning resources and celebrating teachers

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Teacher Bulletin

 

Thank you for the great efforts you are making to support pupils’ mental health throughout the pandemic. We know that while the majority of children are learning from home, this is impacting the mental wellbeing of children, young people and adults in different ways. While we raise awareness of children’s mental health this week, it’s really important that staff look after their own wellbeing at this time too.

We’ve brought together some resources to support you, your colleagues, parents and pupils so that you have the information and support you need, when you need it. We also have some new resources to support remote learning as well as opportunities for you to celebrate the brilliant work happening in schools and colleges.

Children’s Mental Health Week 2021

  • For staff, parents and young people: find useful tools, apps and websites in our comprehensive list of mental health resources including support for young people who feel particularly overwhelmed by the pandemic.
  • For teachers: The charity, Education Support Partnership, offers advice and counselling to help you look after yourself and your staff. Visit their website for information on keeping a good work-life balance and dealing with stress, anxiety and depression. They also offer a free 24/7 helpline for staff: 08000 562 561.
  • For pupils: a new module has been added to the RSHE curriculum for primary and secondary schools, specifically designed to focus on mental health for children and young people.

Educating Mental Health: Mind’s inquiry into mental health

Take part in Mind’s short online survey into mental health in secondary schools to share your experience of working with children and young people throughout secondary school – from year 7 to 11, plus sixth form.  

And in case you missed it…

 

Tutoring and remote education support

Subsidised tutoring available

The National Tutoring Programme continues to support pupils through lockdown, with Tuition Partners offering online tutoring for disadvantaged pupils at home, as well as continuing to offer support to vulnerable pupils in schools.

To hear directly from Tuition Partners and learn about the programme, sign up to the webinar on Wednesday 10th February at 4pm.

 

Online event: get help with remote education and catch-up provision

Watch recordings from sector-led online events, featuring:

  • examples of the best approaches to remote education
  • advice on delivering the curriculum virtually, featuring Oak National Academy
  • top tips on maintaining wellbeing, motivation and keeping pupils safe whilst delivering remote education

You can find a wide variety of information, guidance and support on our Get help with remote education website.

 

Celebrating teachers

Teaching Awards: deadline extended to 12 March 2021!

You now have more time to nominate a special colleague from your school or college for one of this year’s 14 Teaching Awards, including teachers of the year and lifetime achievement awards.

The Teaching Awards’ have also launched a newsletter, where you can find interviews with previous winners sharing advice and tips.

 

Get involved in the #ThankATeacher campaign

Show a special member of staff how much their work is valued by encouraging your pupils, staff and parents to send a free Thank a Teacher card. Find more information on how schools can get involved with the campaign here.

 

 

Has this Bulletin been forwarded to you?

We send out this Teacher Bulletin a few times per half term. It brings together some of the recent advice and information we’ve published. If you’ve received this Bulletin because a colleague has forwarded it to you and you’d like to get it directly, you can subscribe by following the link below.

Closing the Gap Conference Agenda – Parental Engagement, 12th Feb 2021

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Dear Colleagues,

Further to my recent message, we are pleased to advise you of the full agenda for the Closing the Gap in Buckinghamshire conference on Friday 12th February 2020 at 1.30pm. The focus will be Parental Engagement and confronting the barriers faced by vulnerable pupils.

We have secured excellent presenters as detailed below:

Dr Lindsey Cameron, Reader in Psychology,

Director of Undergraduate Student Experience and Student Success, Kent University

Her area of research is social developmental psychology

Suma Din, Author, researcher, and educator. She has worked with parents in the Adult Learning sector for many years alongside running workshops and courses related to her books. Suma  has also served widely in the voluntary sector as a parent governor in two schools, a former SACRE board member and teacher in the supplementary sector

Marc Rowland, Adviser, Unity Schools Partnership and the Education Endowment Fund

Marc is currently working with the Education Endowment Foundation’s national Research School Network on the roll out of their national Pupil Premium training programme

CTGap in Bucks Conference Feb 2021 Agenda

To book your place please use the link HERE

Regards,

Hazel David

School Improvement Team

Children’s Services

BEP Recruitment – Governance Adviser

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Dear All,

We have a fantastic opportunity for someone to join the Bucks Education Partnership team as a Governance Adviser.   Full details of the role and application information can be found below:

Governance Advisor (BEP) – Job Outline 2021

Herts for Learning Ltd Application form

Herts for Learning Ltd Supporting Statement

As governors ourselves we are particularly keen to hear from those within our governance community.   If you would like to understand a little more about the role please do feel free to contact us.

Best Wishes

The BEP Team

Remote Education

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SENT ON BEHALF OF GARETH DRAWMER, HEAD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND LEARNING

Dear Colleagues,

In these unpredictable times, circumstances and contexts are ever-changing. We hope that the adapted DfE document and support material attached will give a useful platform to review, reflect upon and adapt your remote education offer as and when you need to. In addition, the adapted document invites discussion of lessons learned through  your experiences of remote education that can inform planning for the re-opening of your school.

The package of support material and the adapted template itself are offered to you and your schools in the spirit of support, collaboration and openness. It is not intended that this should be burdensome, judgemental or threatening. A group of Headteachers and senior leaders trialled the original DfE template and have been instrumental in supporting the creation of both the package of support material here as well as the adapted template. Thank you so much to The Grange School, Great Kingshill School, The Disraeli School and Sir William Ramsay School for their time, consideration of and invaluable contributions to this initiative.

The adapted DfE document can be modified to suit the requirements of different leaders/schools at different stages of the remote journey and beyond. Please be aware that there is no statutory compulsion to use either the DfE original or our adapted version. However, we share with you our honest opinion of the inherent usefulness of this material, for your consideration.

Remote Education – Review and Reflect

Kind Regards

Gareth Drawmer

Head of Achievement and Learning

OfstedNews

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OfstedNews

Our free monthly newsletter

Issue 97 | January 2021

Sections

 

COVID-19 updates
Ofsted: COVID-19 rolling update – This sets out our guidance and information relating to COVID-19 (coronavirus) for schools, early years, children’s social care and further education and skills providers. We are updating it regularly. If you need to see what we’ve added since you last checked it, you can select ‘history‘ on the page and this lists all the updates.
COVID-19 briefing notes – We have published what we found on our visits to education and social care providers as part of our phased return to routine inspection. These are the recent publications in this series:

All Ofsted
Annual Report 2019/20: Ofsted warns of risk to children ‘out of sight’ during pandemic – Ofsted’s HMCI has warned that the invisibility of vulnerable children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic should be a matter of national concern. Read the Annual Report and the transcript of Amanda’s speech at the launch event. We have also published the social care data and stuck schools data to accompany this year’s Annual Report.
Ofsted: phased return to inspections – Ofsted’s return to inspection in 2021 will happen in phases, with no graded inspections for education or social care providers planned before the summer term. Our follow-up news story confirmed that planned inspection activity will be carried out remotely until after the February half term. We have also updated our deferral policy to reflect our inspection activity from January 2021 onwards. We have published an equality, diversity and inclusion statement, which details how Ofsted’s return to routine inspection activity enables us to fulfil the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
Press release: Ofsted publishes short guide to what works well in remote education – Ofsted has published some advice to help school and college leaders and teachers develop their remote education offer. You can read the remote learning short guide online.
Press release: Ofsted research finds pupil motivation around remote education is a significant concern for parents and school leaders – A new report from Ofsted has found that pupils’ engagement and motivation remain a significant challenge for schools providing remote education. You can read the full remote learning research report online.
Ofsted’s equality objectives 2016 to 2020 – Added the equality objectives progress review for 2019 to 2020.
Ofsted pen portraits of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) – Updated information for the South West.

Schools
January 2021: maintained schools and academies – An operational note for inspectors carrying out inspections in state-funded schools from January 2021.
January 2021: non-association independent schools – An operational note for inspectors carrying out inspections of non-association independent schools from January 2021.
Risk assessment methodology: initial teacher education (ITE) – The risk assessment process that Ofsted uses to assist in scheduling inspections of ITE partnerships.
ITE inspection framework and handbook – Added a note confirming that Ofsted plans to carry out full graded ITE inspections from April 2021.
Inspectorates of British schools overseas: annual Ofsted report letters – Due to COVID-19, it was not possible for Ofsted to complete the annual commission for quality assuring the work of the inspectorates of British schools overseas in 2019/20. Therefore, the corresponding letter will not be published as usual this year.
School inspection data summary report (IDSR) guide – Guidance amended to reflect the latest version of the IDSR, including example reports.
Pre-registration advice notes for free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges 2020 – Advice notes from pre-registration inspections of proposed free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges that Ofsted carried out in 2020 at the request of the Secretary of State for Education.
Data on COVID-19 visits: schools – Published transparency data to 4 December 2020.
State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information – Published management information as at 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2020. Also, release schedule has been updated to show publication dates up until June 2021.
Non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes: management information – Announcement that management information will not be published in January 2021.

Children’s social care
Press release: Joint working improving children’s access to mental health services – A new joint report shows that more children with mental health needs are getting the right support at the right time. You can read the full joint report from Ofsted, Care Quality Commission (CQC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation online.
Press release: Inspectorates – urgent action needed at Rainsbrook – Ofsted, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and CQC have issued an urgent notification for Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre (STC). You can read the full letter from Amanda Spielman to the Secretary of State for Justice setting out the intention to invoke the urgent notification process for Rainsbrook STC, along with findings from recent visits, online.
Ofsted’s social care blog: Ofsted ratings and ‘hard to place’ children – Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s National Director for Regulation and Social Care, discusses how the best providers support ‘hard to place’ children and children admitted in emergencies.
Social care questionnaires 2020: what children and young people told Ofsted – Ofsted uses questionnaires to capture views about social care settings, including children’s homes, boarding schools and living with foster carers and adopters.
Inspecting local authority children’s services (ILACS) from 2018 – Changes made to the guidance on inspecting ILACS focused visits during the restart of routine inspection (see summary of changes for more information).
Future inspection of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) from 2021 – The publication date of the Cafcass consultation outcome and the new inspection framework has been revised from February 2021 to March 2021.
Fostering in England 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 – The underlying data has been updated to include the data for two local authority trusts that had previously been omitted.
Local authority and children’s homes in England inspections and outcomes – autumn 2020 – Dataset updated to include some inspection outcomes that had been left out incorrectly.

Further education and skills
January 2021: further education and skills providers – An operational note for inspectors carrying out inspection activity of further education and skills providers from January 2021.
Ofsted to carry out thematic survey on T levels – Ofsted will carry out a survey to report on the implementation of T levels and the T-level transition programme in their first two years of operation.
16 to 19: IDSR guide – Guidance updated to include new report information section, destinations data and inclusion of 2019 retention and completion and attainment measures.
Further education and skills inspections and outcomes: management information from September 2020 to August 2021 – Uploaded management information as at 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Early years and childcare
Assurance inspections 2021: registered early years providers – An operational note for inspectors carrying out assurance inspections of registered early years providers.
Childcare providers: telling Ofsted about significant events – From the end of January 2021, childminders, nurseries and all other childcare providers must use an online notification form to tell us about significant events.
Publication of statistics on childcare providers and inspections – A consultation seeking your views on proposed changes to our statistical release on childcare providers and inspections.
Guidance on writing complaint and compliance action outcome summaries – ‘Principles for publishing an outcome summary’ section updated to reflect that, as part of our focused additional regulatory ‘consider at next inspection’ (CANI) work during COVID-19, we will publish outcome summaries in cases where we raise actions for the provider to take to meet requirements.
Reported COVID-19 notifications by registered early years and childcare settings – Added data for weeks beginning 16 November 2020, 23 November 2020, 30 November 2020, 7 December 2020, 14 December 2020, 21 December 2020, 28 December 2020 and 4 January 2021.
Consented addresses for childminders and domestic childcare – Updated consented addresses for childminders and domestic childcare as at 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2020.
Joiners and leavers in the childcare sector – Published data on joiners and leavers in the childcare sector in November 2020 and December 2020. Also, the release end date has been updated to July 2021.
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© Ofsted 2021

Jordans meeting Saturday 6th February, 2021

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Dear Everyone

Our next networking meeting for the ‘Jordan’s group’ will be held on Saturday 6th February from 10-11.30 am. All Chairs of Boards, Board committees are welcome.  Please contact anne.sheddick@gmail.com  if you would like to come.

The meeting will be held via MS Teams: Click here to join the meeting

Here is an outline of suggested topics; but as usual this can be added to and updated as events and members interests, and concerns define.  Just email with any comments and suggestions.

As usual, although the meeting will be informal and follow Chatham House rules and no formal notes will be issued, Paul and I will take any key issues you raise and feed them back to the LA through BASG and the School Governance Consultative Board.  We can also feed-back on your behalf to NGA.

  • Information updates
    • DFE
    • NGA
    • LA
    • EEF
  • Staying strategic– managing meetings and agendas etc- sharing what is working.
  • Wellbeing– and staffing
    • how we can support senior leaders and ourselves
    • staff availability in school
    • workload
    • recruitment
  • Safeguarding– issues arising
  • E-Learning-
    • what is going well?
    • Kit and data access issues
  • Disadvantaged support
    • Pupil Numbers in school
    • SEND issues.
    • Remote/E learning – workload and engagement
    • FSM- including half term and holidays.

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you all on Saturday week.

Meanwhile keep safe and well

Anne Sheddick

Convenor Jordan’s Governors network Group