For Action
(Follow up from COE / Headteacher meetings in June 2006)

All schools and other public authorities are required to produce a Disability Equality Scheme. Production of the scheme will require a process of engagement with a range of disabled children and adults.

Secondary schools (except special schools)  must produce a scheme by  4 December 2006 and all other schools and settings by 3 December  2007.

Briefing sessions to support schools have been arranged between 4-6pm on the following dates :

Tuesday 26 September       -  NLBP

Thursday 5 October             -  NLBP

Tuesday 10 October            -  Avenue House, Finchley

Headteachers or other senior staff with responsibility for producing the scheme are invited. Further briefing sessions will be held in Spring Term 2007.

Please contact barbara.suleyman@barnet.gov.uk to book a place

Graham Durham

Assistant Chief Education Officer (Standards and Inclusion)

For Action

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF)  is a standardised process to assess needs of children and young people by professionals across the children's workforce - including the  schools' workforce. The CAF will enable professionals and families to share information and identify support  across agencies.

Barnet is rolling out the implementation of the CAF and our aim is to ensure that all secondary schools, alongside all Council, Health and voluntary agencies working with 11-18 year olds, have been trained to use the CAF by 1 January 2007.

Following discussion with Headteachers last term training dates for secondary schools have been organised at North London Business Park on

Friday 20 October             9am - 3.30pm

Friday 17 November         9am - 3.30pm

Friday 24 November         9am - 3.30pm

Thursday 7 December      9am - 3.30pm

Secondary schools are asked to nominate senior staff responsible for inclusion and vulnerable children and appropriate support staff such as Learning Mentors to attend one of these courses.

Training for primary school staff and other settings will be arranged for Spring Term 2007.

Contact barbara.suleyman@barnet.gov.uk to book a place

Graham Durham

Assistant Chief Education Officer (Standards and Inclusion)

020-8359-7702

For Action

The Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA) has given some important advice to schools, in advance of new regulations being published on 22nd September. These regulations will shape the way performance management for teachers and headteachers is conducted in schools. The TDA advice is that schools should delay any planning or target-setting for a new performance management cycle until the new arrangements are known. The advice is that interviews to review targets from last year can continue but that schools need to know what the regulations say before proceeding to set new targets and undertake new observations.

There is a letter, contained within the enclosures, outlining four important briefing and development sessions to support schools in implementing the new performance management regulations for teachers and headteachers. The letter also contains details of a sustainability workshop for schools.

Mike Horton
School Workforce Advisor

For Action

Earlier this year a Government Actuary undertook a periodic review of the Teachers Pension Scheme which lead to the DfES consulting members and employers on a package of proposals for changes to the Scheme. The Actuary's review identified a need for increased overall contributions to the scheme, due mainly to increased life expectancy of teachers. As a result the following increases to contribution rates will take effect from 1 January 2007:

• The employer contribution rate will rise from 13.5% to 14.1
• The member contribution rate will rise from 6% to 6.4%

Financial Impact
The impact on school budgets in 2006-07 will be minor as the employer rate increase of 0.6% only affects the last 3 months of the financial year and translates to a cost pressure of just 0.15% - which is lower than was allowed for by the Government in setting the 2006-07 Minimum Funding Guarantee. To put this into perspective, for a Secondary school with a budget of £5 million of which 80% is spent on teachers, the additional cost in 2006-07 would be around £6,000. For a Primary School with a budget of £500,000 90% of which is spent on teachers, the additional cost would be around £675.

Action for Schools
All schools are advised to amend their teaching staff estimates to ensure their 2006-07 budget and Outturn Forecast is accurate. The Council's Payroll Section has been notified of the changes however schools with external payroll arrangements should check that their provider is aware of the rate changes and will implement them from January 2007. Schools administering their own payroll need to ensure the new rates are applied from the required date.

Full details of the review, consultation and changes to the Pension Scheme can be accessed via the TPS website: http://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/tpnews/empinfcontrate.htm

Nick Adams
Schools Finance Services Manager

For Action
Response required by 29 September 2006

Debbie Goldman is delighted to invite you to take part in the 2006 Barnet Infant Music Festival. Last year over forty schools participated - a record number. It gives Key Stage 1 children an opportunity to share music with children from other schools and to give a performance of their own.

Numbers to bring
This event is for Year 1 or Year 2 pupils (your choice). The numbers you can bring are dependant on the total numbers booking for that day.

Songs
If you would like to participate, you will be sent a recording of some simple songs for your children to learn so that we can sing them altogether on the day. If you would like some support in teaching these songs, please let Debbie know and she will come to your school to help you teach them.

In addition, your children can perform a musical item or dance item of their own - one only please!

Timing
The whole event takes just over one hour:  Morning sessions    10.30 - 12.00 
                                                                     Afternoon sessions   1.30 - 3.00

• 30 minutes rehearsing the three songs altogether
• 15-20 minutes refreshments
• 30 minutes performance

Venues
If you would like to host the event, you need to be able to accommodate approximately 150 children around three sides of the hall i.e. not in normal assembly formation and I would ask that you could provide juice and biscuits for them.

For further details please see the letter in the enclosures section of this week's School Circular.

Debbie Goldman
Curriculum Adviser (Music)

For Information

During the period to 13  October 2006 parents of pupils in Year 6  with a statement of special educational needs will be expressing a preference for a secondary school. There is a Barnet cohort of 115 pupils and parents of pupils from other authorities may also express a preference for a Barnet school. The process of naming a school  must be completed by 14 February 2007 ahead of National Offer Day for all pupils.

Barnet Council's advice to parents stresses that, where parents wish to continue with or consider mainstream education, they should give very careful consideration to their nearest secondary school as this will help to maintain peer friendships, minimise the stress of a change and guarantee the choice of a  school committed to inclusive education. Appropriate advice on the admission criteria for some Barnet secondary schools, e.g., faith schools and selective schools is given in specific cases.

Primary Headteachers and other staff discussing secondary transfer options with  parents are asked to support this advice which also helps to ensure  that all Barnet secondary schools have the opportunity to develop their inclusive practice and achieve a balanced intake.

Graham Durham

Assistant Chief Education Officer (Standards and Inclusion)

For Information

London Academy have introduced a new fax service. The new fax number is: 020 8238 1101.

Edgware Infant & Nursery School's newly appointed Deputy Headteacher would like to be known by her married name: Brenda McCafferty.

Claremont School's e-mail address was wrongly noted in the new issue of the 'Schools and Educational Settings' booklet. It should read: office.claremont.barnet@lgfl.net

For Information

Apologies for the omission of Barnet's Early Years & Childcare Plan from the school bag last week. You will find two copies enclosed this week, for the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors. The plan can also be accessed via Barnet Online at: http://www.barnet.gov.uk/chypf.htm

For Information

KS3 Results

Schools Minister, Jim Knight, congratulated 14 year-olds as maths and science KS3 test results showed steady improvement. Further details can be found at the following website:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2006_0128

See the DfES Statistical First Release of KS3 results at:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000678/index.shtml

National Strategy for Primary and Key Stage 3

Summaries and the latest Annual Plans and Five-year Strategic Plans on the national Strategy can be seen at the following websites:

Primary Summaries

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/learning_and_

teaching/annualplan06/

Key Stage 3 Summaries

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/respub/annualplan06

Key Stage 3 Shakespeare Consultation

The National Assessment Agency (NAA) is conducting a consultation on which Shakespeare plays should be set for study as part of the KS3 English test after 2008. Further details can be found at the following website:

http://www.qca.org.uk/12312_17265.html

Pete Comley

Assistant Information & Communications Officer

• Barnet Infant Music Festival 2006
  All Primary Schools
  URGENT - Response required by: 29 September 2006

  Information about the Barnet Infant Music Festival taking place from 6 - 10 November 2006. Please click on the above link for further details.

• School Workforce Development Workshops 2006
  All Schools
  

  Information about briefing workshops on the new regulations for the performance management of teachers and Headteachers. Please click on the above link for further details.

• Teachers Pension Scheme
  All Schools
  

  Information about changes to the Teachers Pension Scheme as a result of the Government Actuary's review. Please click on the above link for further details.

• Reel Film Introductory Letter
• Reel Film School Questionaire
  All Schools 

  A letter and questionaire about registering your school as a location for filming. This can range from commercials to feature films. Please click on the above link for further details.

• Barnet's Early Years & Childcare Plan
  All Schools (Not on BGFL: Hard copy in School Bag) 

  Please find enclosed Barnet's Early Years & Childcare Plan, for the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors. It sets out how the council's Early Years and Play division and staff will work with colleagues and partner agencies to implement the ten year childcare strategy. Please see enclosure in the school bag for further details.

• Two Early Years Conferences
  All Nursery and Primary Schools
  URGENT - Response required by: 6 October 2006 

  Details about two conferences in 2007: 'Personal, Social and Emotional Development Matters - Birth to 5' and 'Communicating Matters - Birth to 5'. Please click on the above link for further details.

• Early Years Training and Development Guide September 2007 - July 2007 - Part 1
• Early Years Training and Development Guide September 2007 - July 2007 - Part 2
  All Nursery and Primary Schools  

  Continuing professional development for practioners in the Foundation Stage within schools, the 'Early Years Training and Development Guide September 2006 - July 2007' is now available. 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

Primary CPD Flyers organised by Issue Date

Secondary CPD Flyers organised by Issue Date