For action - by 16 December 2011

The council has a duty to ensure that all Community schools carry out their delegated Health & Safety duties, which includes statutory tests and inspections - i.e. asbestos, legionella, fire, gas etc.

In order to monitor complainace, please can you supply the following information to Rachel Williams (rachel.williams@barnet.gov.uk) by 16 December 2011:

1. Who is your designated Premises Manager/Controller, responsible for ensuring that statutory tests and inspections are carried out and that remedial action is instigated. Where there is no designated person, the duties automatically defaults to the Headteacher.
2. Who is your designated person for implementing the schools asbestos management plan (checking the condition of asbestos, etc.) This may be the same person as above.

Mike Koumi
Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing

For information

The 2012 elections for the UK Youth Parliament will be taking place in February 2012.  Young people aged between 11 and 18 in Barnet will again have the chance to stand for election as a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP), representing their peers on a national scale.  Four young people will be elected - two MYPs and two deputy MYPs who will go on to represent the young people of Barnet at regional meetings and the annual sitting (a weekend residential).  

All young people will have the opportunity to vote from 30 January to 10 February by obtaining a unique voter card from their school - these will be distributed to schools in January.  In the 2011 elections nearly 6,000 votes were cast, representing 24% voter turnout and we're aiming to beat this in 2012.

Any young people who are interested in standing as a candidate or want to find out more should email ukyp@barnet.gov.uk for an information pack.  Registration closes on 10 January 2012 and there is an information session for candidates on 5 January 2012.

Suzy Naish
Voice of the Child Coordinator 

For Action - 16 December 2011

We are now inviting claims from schools for Special Leave and Salary Safeguarding funding for the financial year 2011/12. If you wish to claim funding for any members of staff who are on protected salaries (as formally agreed with HR) or spend some of their working hours on union or magistrates duties you should complete the form which you can download from our website www.barnet.gov.uk/school-funding

Please return the form to Sarrosh Malik (sarrosh.malik@barnet.gov.uk) in the School Funding Team by Friday 16 December.  We will inform schools individually of the funding due and the adjustment will appear in the final end of year funding adjustment.

If you are claiming for a member of staff for the first time, please provide documentary evidence of eligibility (e.g. a letter from HR).

Carol Beckman
School Funding Manager

SEN Contingency Panel results - October 2011

For information - the SEN Contingency Panel met in October 2011 to distribute the first half of the SEN Contingency budget. The results from this meeting are now available to download from our website. Please click here to view the results.

Applications to the SEN Contingency Panel - January 2012

For Action - response required by Friday 16 December 2011
Requests are invited for funding from the next SEN Contingency Panel. The panel will be meeting in January 2012 to distribute additional SEN funding to Nursery, Primary and Secondary mainstream schools who feel they have a child with exceptional and unforeseen need which the school feels is not met by existing SEN funding streams. Funding will only be given for the current financial year (2011/12) and will not be given for a child whose level of need was known before the school's 2011/12 budget was agreed.
If you wish to apply please complete the application form and send it, together with brief supporting evidence (where appropriate), to Sarrosh Malik (tel: 020 8359 7816)  in the School Funding Team. You can send the form in by: 
- Fax (0870 889 6799)
- Post (School Funding Team, Building 4, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1NP)
- USO-FX 
Please do not email your application as email is not secure for personal data.
Please ensure that your application is received by Friday 16 December 2011 as time is needed for the information to be collated and passed to the panel members before the meeting. Please download the application form from our website.

SEN Contigency Panel

We urgently need Headteachers to sit on the SEN Contingency Panel. If you would like to volunteer for this or future panels Sarrosh Malik would be very pleased to hear from you.

Carol Beckman
School Funding Manager

For information

As you are aware benchmarking is a very useful tool in reviewing the school's financial performance and is part of the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS). We have been advised by the DfE of the following change.

'The url to the Schools Financial Benchmarking Website has now changed.  It is now https://www.education.gov.uk/sfb/ and your passwords remain the same.  Please save the new url in your bookmarks or favourites section and note that if you click on the "teachernet" url you will get a certificate error message.  When this happens please click on "continue to this website (not recommended)" and it will take you to the new url which is a secure website.  We are looking into making the redirect clearer because we know that the error message is causing a few concerns.
Please ensure that the new url is used and please be reassured that it is a secure website.'

Nick Adams
School Finance Service Manager

For information / action by 16 December 2011

The closing date for schools to apply to become part of the Get Set Network (the official London 2012 education programme) is Friday 16 December 2011.  After this date no applications will be considered. 

If your school is not already registered please go to the following website: www.getset.london2012.com 

What is the Get Set network?
The Get Set network is a special community of schools and colleges who are:
- demonstrating a commitment to the Olympic Values (friendship, excellence and respect) and the Paralympic Values (inspiration, determination, courage and equality)
- using the London 2012 Games to inspire learners of all ages to get involved in Values-based projects and activities.

Any school or college in the UK can become a member of the Get Set network and receive rewards and recognition from London 2012.

Alison Sharpe

• Health Protection Agency - information on infection control
  All Schools
  

  This poster is a useful guide to infection control in schools and settings, and how and when to notify the HPA about any illnesses. It is suggested that you print this document in colour and on to A3 paper.Please click on the above link for further details.

• Primary MFL Eurovision Song Contest 2012
  All Primary Schools
  Response required by: 10 February 2012

  Details of how to enter Barnet's Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Please click on the above link for further details  

Please click the relevant links below for all of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Flyers.

All CPD Flyers organised by Programme Strand

CPD Flyers organised by Issue Date

Early Years' Training & Development Guides

Barnet Partnership for School Improvement (BPSI)