LocalGov’s Post

"“School refusal” is fast becoming one of the most challenging areas of education, health and care for children and young people. Parents are put under pressure to ensure their children attend school, whilst professionals seldom have expertise in “school refusal” and, by default, calling education welfare officers or threaten fines. I have written this article as an introduction to school attendance, anxiety, trauma, the recovery and planning for the future. I provide alternative ways of approaching these difficulties in simplistic term sand include reference points for your future (more in-depth) reading at the end." READ HERE: https://lnkd.in/ePAAVgPh #SchoolRefusal #SchoolAttendanceDifficulties

Between only the 1st of February and the 15th of April, the Waterloo Region School Board reported 1,037 violent incidents in elementary schools. This seems to align with data from across Canada, including the infographic we shared last week regarding the Nova Scotia Auditor General's report on the sharp rise in violence towards teachers. The article also highlights significant staffing challenges due to absenteeism across the Waterloo region, noting that 'employee absenteeism can introduce new complexities in supporting complex students when different or new staff interact with them'. These 'complexities' include the fact that new or temporary staff may not be fully familiar with complex students' needs and behaviours, thus creating workplace safety risks. As we stated last week when we reported on Nova Scotia's rise in violence - better supporting teachers means not only recognising the increasing violence but also implementing far more comprehensive protective measures. Read the full article on the Waterloo Region School Board's report below. https://lnkd.in/exfAHRWH #canada #waterloo #schoolsafety #violenceprevention #teaching

Safeguarding children, staff workload, flexible working, and more! Partners in our education team, Jill Donabie and Joanne Davison, break down the latest legal updates you need to know about in your school. Safeguarding, workload & wellbeing, flexible working, academy conversion grants, and significant change guidance . Find out all the details in the full article here: https://ow.ly/znPv50Rqv3F

🇶🇦 Our MENA team are excited to be at the BSME - British Schools in the Middle East conference in #Doha this week meeting #schools and #schoolleaders from across the region. In traditional 'TSA' style our stand is truly unique and represents who we are as an organisation.  We believe in sustainable safeguarding: 🌱Seed Before you plant the 'seed' of safeguarding in your organisation, you must first scan the environment. Is the seed you are planting both culturally contextual and likely to grow in the conditions in which it is being planted? For example will legislation and guidance align to practice. 🪴Roots Consider how you will embed strong safeguarding 'roots' through policies and procedures. What is the protocol should your 'Tree of Safeguarding' encounter a storm? 🪵Trunk Who within the organisation is the 'trunk' of safeguarding, strongly supporting growth. Safeguarding will only work if we work together. Are all stakeholders aware of their roles and responsibilities? For example, in a school, not just senior leaders, but the whole school community must form part of that growth: teachers, parents, children, governors and non-teaching staff. 🌳Branches Safeguarding is much wider than just 'child or adult protection'. What will your 'branches' of safeguarding consider? Some examples could include 'branches' of safer recruitment, governance, mental health and wellbeing, attendance and health and safety. 🍃Leaves How will you ensure your tree of safeguarding will not drop it's 'leaves' too early. Safeguarding has no finish line, and should not only be considered once a year. How will you ensure safeguarding is a priority all year round? When new 'leaves' appear how will you ensure the same level of safeguarding understanding is communicated? When 'leaves' do start to fall how will you ensure they are not left on the ground? For example, how will you ensure you fulfil your duty to share information safely and in a timely manner? You can read more about our Tree of Safeguarding👇 https://zurl.co/7DgY #sustainablesafeguarding #safeguarding #safeguardingchildren #keepingchildrensafe #childprotection #TreeofSafeguarding #SafeguardingTree

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 👋 I am keen to gain further insight on a pressing issue that has been the focus of discussion with many of my clients lately—the challenges faced by local authorities regarding the closure of schools within certain regions of the country. But also in some cases the opposite affect outside of London as people are relocating to external areas due to the rising cost of living.   As you are well aware, the decision to close a school is never taken lightly. It's a complex process influenced by various factors, including but not limited to, educational continuity, and the overall well-being of students, staff, and the community at large.   In recent times, the pressures on local authorities to make such decisions have intensified significantly, placing unprecedented strain on educational institutions. Local authorities are tasked with navigating this uncertain terrain while prioritizing the safety and welfare of all stakeholders.   Furthermore, the ripple effects of school closures extend beyond the educational realm. They impact families, often presenting challenges related to childcare, access to meals, and the digital divide, especially in deprived communities. Local authorities must grapple with these social and economic implications as they weigh their decisions. I am keen to understand if this is something you are facing within your current service / local authority, and what you are doing to combat this issue? Additionally, we have a number of active candidates who are currently seeking their next role who specialise in 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 / 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. Please contact me on 𝟎𝟏𝟏𝟕 𝟑𝟏𝟑 𝟕𝟏𝟏𝟎 or drop me an email on 𝐣.𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬@𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐭𝐝.𝐜𝐨𝐦 to discuss further. #FallenSchools #SchoolClosures #LocalAuthority Baltimore Consulting Limited

Training Resources - Key Worker Skills (Techniques and Support). Suitable for Looked After Children Residential Care Enough resources for single sessions, single aspects or a one day course with workshops. All editable. 13 Files in total (Presentation (in section) , Handouts x 3, Case Studies x 20, Learning Activity documents x 4 and End of Session Multiple Choice Assessments x 4). Each learning activity file has 5 case studies (for those wishing to run workshops). Overall Aim: To equip participants with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to foster a supportive and empathetic environment in residential care settings, ensuring the emotional well-being of both families and workers while maintaining high standards of care provision Learning Objectives: Gain insight into the emotional impact on families and individuals and develop empathy. Acquire techniques for conducting key work sessions and informal activities. Enhance listening skills for effective communication and support. Recognise the significance of personal and professional care and supervision in ensuring quality care provision. https://lnkd.in/epG2D4Nh #hsctraininglink #healthandsocialcare #childrensresidentialcare #keyworkerskills #trainingresources

How does an Independent School catering for 17 youths at £45k each per year, you know how much that is.. do your maths, manage to employ staff without the diligent due process checks, risking harm to youths, inadequate systems in place, lie about absence records, corrupt practices, by falsely using absence codes? These youths presumably having lived with trauma, moving from one crisis to another in unsettled home lives were exposed to presumably unsavoury characters working at the school. Let us hope not for the sake of the youths. It seems there was contemporaneous covering up from one member of staff to the next in leapfrogging the regulatory processes. Surely failing to carry out the appropriate Police checks, if that is the case, should lead to enforcement. I guess the safeguarding and governance training must have missed the school by a longshot.. A private school for children with special needs was ordered to close after a damning inspection found ‘pupils are at risk of harm’. Craig Ormerod Associates School Provision, Outwood Road, Radcliffe only opened in September 2022 and charged £45,000 per pupil per year each youth. It had its first Ofsted inspection in September last year. A pre-opening inspection report in June 2022 from Ofsted said the school was ‘likely to meet all the independent school standards when it opens’. However, the September 2023 inspection found the quality of education, personal development and leadership and management all inadequate. The school had 17 students on its roll, most of whom had experienced difficulties in accessing education in their previous settings. The Ofsted report, said: “The school does not make sure that its pupils are safe. Weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements prevent the school from fulfilling its safeguarding responsibilities effectively. “For example, staff are not well trained in child protection procedures. The school does not promote pupils’ health, safety and welfare. Consequently, pupils are at risk of harm.” After that inspection the Secretary of State for education requested the voluntary closure of the school on September 18 2023. Another emergency inspection was conducted in November because the Department for Education (DfE) was made aware that the school had re-opened. The DfE had also received further complaints about the school. In a report published in late December, Ofsted said the emergency inspection had taken place on November 23. The report said ‘the school does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked’. Inspectors also found evidence that the school had recorded attendance inaccurately by not recording pupils’ absences using the agreed attendance codes. This meant that attendance figures looked more favourable than they actually were. They found that checks were not made to ensure that staff were suitable to work with pupils. An order was made to close the school from November 27.

⚠ The recently released 2023 ACU Principal Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Report continues to highlight a concerning trend of increasing incidents of violence and bullying towards principals, exacerbating their stress levels and impacting their mental health. 🚩 Everyone deserves a safe workplace, and it is simply intolerable that: ⚠ Nearly 50% of principals are facing physical, verbal and cyberbully attacks. ⚠ Offensive behaviour and physical violence towards school leaders has risen by 76.5% since the survey’s inception in 2011. 💪 This is why SASSLA is continuing to advocate for the extension of the Workers Compensation Additional Compensation Scheme to include the education workforce. This scheme is currently available to police, nurses, social workers and other groups providing front line services. 🤷♀️ Why not educators? ✅ This is one of our top employment priorities for 2024. See our website for more information sassla.au

On 2nd January 2024 a press released announced that the new HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills, Sir Martyn Oliver will begin his term with mental health awareness training for Ofsted inspectors. The press released states: “As an immediate priority, the new Chief Inspector will focus on Ofsted’s response to the coroner’s inquest into the tragic death of Ruth Perry. Sir Martyn will respond in full to the coroner’s findings in the coming weeks,….” On 19th December 2023 a prevention of Future Death Report, addressed to HM Chief Inspector for Ofsted, Secretary of State for Education and Chief Executive of Reading Borough Council was published following the #inquest into the death of Ruth Perry. The conclusion reached by the inquest was, suicide, contributed to by an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2022. Matters of concern identified in relation to Ofsted and/or the Department for Education included:  1. The impact on school leader welfare of the current OFSTED rating system which allows a schools which is inadequate in all areas to receive the same overall rating as a school which is good in all areas, but with some safeguarding issues which can be repaired by the time the report is published. 2. Almost complete absence of OFSTED training or published policy in the following areas:  a.Signs of distress in school leaders during an inspection.  b. Practical steps to deal with such distress. c. Pausing an inspection by reason of the distress by a school leader.  d. Who can attend meetings with the inspectors during the inspection process. 3. Absence of a clear path to raise concerns during an inspection if these cannot be resolved directly with the lead inspector. 4. The confidentiality requirement after an inspection. School leaders may fear discussing outcomes with colleagues outside of the school, and mental health professionals, unless this is expressly dealt with in written policy.   5. Timescales for report publication. 6. No learning review of these matters was conducted by Ofsted. There is no policy requiring this to be done. 7. In an Ofsted publication dated 12th June 2023, the Secretary of State for Education was quoted as follows: “We must ensure our school leaders have the support they need, which is why today we are significantly expanding our wellbeing support. This expansion will help make sure headteachers have access to support whenever they need it”. The Ofsted witness was not able to clarify what form this additional support has taken. The PFD report also included concerns addressed to Reading Borough Council #coroners #inquests #PFDreports