Education Bulletin 6 October 2022

Updated 6 October 2022

From Ming Zhang
Service Director of Education, Participation and Skills

Dear colleagues,

In September, the National Statistics updated the KS2 provisional outcomes. I would like to share with you further the city's latest position in this important stage of education.

KS2 Updated Provisional Outcomes

To bring you up to date, September's updated Key Stage 2 provisional outcomes shows an

achievement in terms of Plymouth's ranking nationally despite the impacts of Covid-19. For the first time, the percentage of Plymouth pupils who have achieved the combined expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths is better than both South West and the national average. This is quite something in the context that for many years Plymouth have very low Key Stage 1 baselines that have been below the national average.

While there is not yet a national data release on the outcomes of Secondary schools' assessments, our South West partnership's local collection of the information indicates that there is a significant improvement in both Achievement 8 and Progress 8 among Plymouth schools, consolidating the progress made last year.

I would like to thank all school leaders, staff and students for their incredible hard work recovering from Covid-19, to reach the first milestones of achieving our ambition of world-class education in

Plymouth. There is still a long way to go and we know that nationally there has been a drop in primary schools' outcomes.

Support for Schools with Below 'Good' Rating

Last year, the city utilised the TSI support to help the schools that have two or more consecutive Ofsted RI ratings or anything below 'Good'. That offer has since been extended to the schools that have one most recent rating below 'Good'.

From 1 September 2022 new powers were introduced that enable the Secretary of State to intervene where schools have two or more consecutive Ofsted ratings below 'Good'.

The DfE will shortly be writing to governing bodies and trusts with schools meeting the legal scope for intervention, except the following schools, to which general exemptions from intervention apply:

a.             2/3/4RI schools that have not been inspected by Ofsted since May 2021;

b.            Academies not yet inspected in their current trust.

The Department will be prioritising their activity with those schools that sit within the 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs) and in all cases will be inviting representations from trusts or other appropriate bodies before making an assessment of whether the school has the necessary capacity to achieve rapid and sustained improvement and whether intervention is required. I am sure that the governing bodies and the Trust that meet the intervention threshold will welcome the support.

Children's Services Gateway

In response to the feedback from schools and settings regarding delays experienced in making contact with the Gateway, we have developed a Professional Enquiry Form. This form is designed for professionals to be used where there is a non-urgent request for contact from the Gateway or the child's allocated worker and you will receive a response within one working day. The form can be found on Plymouth City Council's website.

We are also in the process of developing an Early Help Call Back arrangement and more details about this will follow shortly. This will enable professionals and families to book a time to speak to a professional in the Early Help team to get advice and support for children and families.

The Mayflower Museum Offer

It has been one of my priorities to connect our school education with the skills and cultural opportunities afforded by our local businesses, creative industry and cultural venues so that our learners are well exposed to the world of work and acquire the soft skills and knowledge for their future in the competitive 21st century. Nationally, following on from campaigns introduced earlier this year to support learners to develop the skills needed to get good jobs and improve productivity at a local and national level, the DfE has already launched four new campaigns.

Locally, the Mayflower Museum on the Barbican re-opened in July, following a major refurbishment and explores the Mayflower story in new ways.

The Museum would like to invite teachers and group leaders of settings and schools to view the exhibition free of charge to familiarise themselves with what is now available so that they can explore how to collaborate with the venue for children's participation. The exhibition is spread over three accessible floors and can accommodate group visits.

You can either email them directly at barbicantic@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 306330 and let them know when you are visiting, or just pop in if you are in the area and introduce yourself to the team at the welcome desk. They recommend 45 minutes for a visit.

Kind regards.

Ming

Education updates

Raising Awareness of DLD

Developmental Language Disorder is a hidden but common disability that affects 1 in 14 people causing difficulties understanding and using language for no known reason. The 2022 DLD day theme is Growing with DLD, highlighting that DLD is a lifelong, permanent disability. People do not grow out of DLD but with individualised support, that can include regular speech-language therapy and educational adjustments, they can thrive.

There are information packs, posters, factsheets, stickers and videos on the RADLD (Raising Awareness of DLD) website. Why not take a look and be ready to raise awareness on DLD day on the Friday 14^th October!

https://radld.org/dld-awareness-day/resources-media-ideas/

Laira Green Primary School wins prestigious Award

Laira Green Primary School is the only school in Plymouth to be awarded the Primary Science Quality Mark Gilt.

It is a huge acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of the school team especially during an extremely challenging time. All the reviewers were very impressed by the high quality of the submissions they received. The commitment to leading science over the last year has been outstanding and the positive impact on teaching and learning is very clear.

Plymouth Young Photographer of The Year 2022

Plymouth Young Photographer of the Year,open to young people age 13-25.

We are seeking your view of Plymouth. What has the year been like. What are the memorable moments.

Let's see your best photographs on the theme 'My City - Interpretations of Plymouth'

Submit a digital image, or images from your Smart Phone or Camera. Prizes for those across the age categories.

ENTER you photographs here www.bit.ly/3rfnkNb Closing Date for Entries is Monday 31st October 2022 More info: youth@fotonow.org

Health and wellbeing updates

Health Protection in Education and Childcare Settings (Published October 3 2022)

This link Health protection in children and young people settings, including education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) takes you to updated information and guidance in respect to Health Protection in Education and Childcare Settings (this includes COVID related information). This is essentially a web based spotty book.

There is a lot of information here with some really helpful links that flow from this site. Below are some key links that we have identified (remember there are many more). We have also attached some resources to this bulletin for ease of access.

• HPECS Guidance Exclusion table: information advising how long a child should not attend a setting
• UKHSA Managing cases of infectious diseases in schools - staff practical guide - poster / leaflet promoting use of site
• UKHSA should I keep my child off school poster Some key links

Managing outbreaks and incidents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Preventing and controlling infections - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Supporting immunisation programmes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Managing specific infectious diseases: A to Z - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Find your local health protection team in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Looking through all the information via the main site will take some time. However it is advisable that at least one member of staff has a look at what is available via the site through just checking areas covered and awareness of links that flow from the site.

Free school meals

We are running a campaign to encourage families who qualify to apply for free school meals. We have put information out on social media and in the Plymouth Residents Newsletter. The City Council's education team are promoting family's take up of free school meal entitlements. Amid the current concern about the current cost of living, I would particularly urge colleagues to promote the FSM take up among the parents who have not done so, while their children are entitled to it. Below is the wording that City Council have put out to residents, please feel free to send it out to all of your families via your school networks using your digital platforms or via alternative methods for those less likely / unable to use digital platforms.

"Is your child eligible for free school meals?

Getting ready for children to go back to school? Make sure you check if your child is eligible for free school meals.

If you receive certain benefits, such as Universal Credit, then your child may be entitled to a free lunch at school. Schools receive extra funding for children entitled to free school meals which means it's important to apply if you can, even if your child is in reception, year 1 or year 2 and so already receives a free lunch.

It's easy to apply, just complete the form on our website and we can check your eligibility online.

You'll then receive an email confirming the outcome of your application, which is also sent directly to your child's school.

Check the criteria and apply https://new.plymouth.gov.uk/free-school-meals-0"

Flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster

Everyone who is eligible for a free flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster is being urged to take up the offer as soon as they are invited to do so. It's because cases of coronavirus are already beginning to rise across the UK, and in Devon, and natural immunity against flu is relatively low, because despite it being present last winter, coronavirus restrictions helped protect people from catching it.

Who can have the NHS flu vaccine?

At the moment, the flu vaccine is being given free on the NHS to adults who:

• are 65 years old and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2023)
• have certain health conditions, such as asthma and diabetes
• are pregnant
• are in long-stay residential care
• receive a carer's allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
• live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
• are frontline health or social care workers

From mid-October, people aged 50 years old or over (including those who will be 50 years old by 31 March 2023) can also have a free NHS flu vaccine.

All primary school and some secondary school children are eligible for the flu nasal spray this year, which is usually given at school. GP surgeries are also inviting children aged two and three years old (age on 31 August) for their nasal spray vaccination at their practices.

Where can I get the NHS flu vaccine?

If you're eligible for a free flu vaccine, you can book an appointment at your GP surgery or a pharmacy that offers it on the NHS. You may also receive an invitation to get vaccinated, but you do not have to wait for this before booking an appointment. Everyone who is eligible for the free flu vaccine will be able to get it.

GP surgeries and pharmacies get the flu vaccine in batches throughout the flu season. If you cannot get an appointment straight away, ask if you can book one for when more vaccines are available.

Who can have the seasonal COVID-19 booster?

At the moment, those being prioritised for a seasonal booster dose (autumn booster) of the COVID- 19 vaccine include people who are:

• aged 65 years old or over
• pregnant
• aged 5 years old and over and at high risk due to a health condition or weakened immune system
• aged 5 years old and over and live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• aged 16 years old and over and a carer, either paid or unpaid
• living or working in a care home for older people
• a frontline health and social care worker

Other people, including those aged 50 to 64 years old who are not at higher risk, will be able to get the booster jab later in the autumn 2022.

Where can I get the seasonal COVID-19 booster?

To get a seasonal booster (autumn booster) dose you can:

• book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online for an appointment at a vaccination centre or pharmacy
• find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site to get vaccinated without needing an appointment

You can have your seasonal booster (autumn booster) if it's been at least 3 months since you had your previous dose.

If you have not had a 1st or 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine yet, you should have them as soon as possible. If you have a severely weakened immune system you should get an additional primary dose before you get a booster.

If you have COVID-19, or symptoms of COVID-19 but have not had a test, you should wait until your symptoms are better before you get the vaccine. You should ideally wait 4 weeks (28 days) if you're aged 18 or over or 12 weeks (84 days) if you are aged 5 to 17 years old. This starts from the date your symptoms started or from the date of a positive test, whichever was earlier.

Do you care for someone?

When caring for someone, you may worry about what would happen if you suddenly became ill. How would you cope? What impact would this have on the person you care for?

Flu can force people to take to their bed for several days, and if the infection coincides with COVID- 19 it can be life threatening, so as a carer, it would be extremely difficult for you to continue to look after someone else, which could be very distressing and potentially dangerous in some circumstances.

If you're receiving Carer's Allowance or are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person who may be put at risk if you became ill, you are eligible for a free flu jab on the NHS and the COVID-19 autumn booster.

Please get them as soon as you are offered as they are vital to protect yourself and those you care for, as well as help reduce hospitalisations during a time that will be especially busy for the NHS and social care services.

Book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online or find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site. And speak to your GP or local pharmacy about getting your NHS flu vaccine.