Schools Northeast Newsletter

The latest education news

FutureReady Careers Conference 2017 - BOOK NOW!

LATEST NEWS | TALKING HEADS | EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES | JOBS IN SCHOOLS

The North East and London are the country’s regions with the lowest proportions of coasting primary schools, according to updated Key Stage 2 data released by the Government today.

Only 10 primaries (1%) in the region were identified as ‘coasting’, making them eligible for intervention and potential academisation. Five North East local authorities have no primary schools meeting the coasting definition; Darlington, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Redcar and Cleveland, and Sunderland.

Mental health first aid training to be offered to all secondary schools

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced new support for all secondary schools in the country to better support pupils affected by mental ill-health. The support includes free mental health first aid training for school staff and new trials to look at how to strengthen the links between schools and local NHS mental health staff.

Councils given £4.2m funding boost to tackle ‘remaining challenges’ in SEND reforms

Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families Edward Timpson announced a multi-million pound package to support children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) from April 2017. This is aimed at supporting councils in making effective plans for the final year of transition to the new SEND system.

More than 200 to attend Regional Governance Conference

The vital role of school governors in the North East is once again illustrated, as more than 200 delegates sign up to attend the SCHOOLS NorthEast Regional Governance Conference, aimed at supporting governors from state-maintained schools and academies in carrying out their duties confidently.

New deal to help schools save cash on computer equipment

Schools considering buying new tablets, laptops or desktop devices this year could save thousands of pounds by taking advantage of the new DfE deal.

Schools warned about cyber scammers who demand thousands in ransom from Heads

Action Fraud, the UK's cybercrime and fraud reporting centre, has issued an alert to warn teachers of the dangers posed by cold-callers posing as officials from the “Department of Education”.

DfE recruits team of behavioural scientists

The Department for Education is recruiting a team of “behavioural insights” experts to aid ministers in their policymaking decisions.

Childcare funding 'will create 9,000 places'

Thousands of childcare places for pre-school children in England will be created under a £50m scheme, the government has announced.

Government ‘looking at’ demand for mental health counsellor in every school

A demand for mental health counsellors in every secondary school in England is being considered by the government, the public health minister Nicola Blackwood has said.

FutureReady Careers
Conference 2017

Thursday 9 February
Hardwick Hall Hotel, County Durham

FutureReady focuses on the knowledge and experiences, along with the key attributes and attitudes, a young person needs to succeed in the 21st century.

The conference will cover key themes, including: good careers guidance, school-business engagement and character education.

It will also include a business networking session attended by approximately 50 businesses.

Disappointment after government ‘reject’ £46m schools investment programme

Northumberland County Council has expressed disappointment after the government rejected plans for a school merger and new academy in the west of the county.

Teaching assistants and council back at the negotiating table

Durham teaching assistants have returned to negotiations with the County Council after the authority backed down on contract changes.

23
JAN

Raising standards in KS3 English (Part 2)

The aim of this workshop-based event is to further develop strategies to raise standards in KS3 English. It will be facilitated by HMI from the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside Ofsted region.

Read more >

09
FEB

FutureReady Careers Conference 2017

FutureReady focuses on the knowledge and experiences a young person needs to succeed in the 21st century. Key themes covered include: good careers guidance, character education and business engagement.

Read more >

09
MAR

White Working Class: how can schools tackle underachievement and raise attainment?

This conference will bring school leaders from across the North East together to discuss the specific challenges and barriers to education faced by students from white working class communities

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16
MAR

SCHOOLS NorthEast Patron's Dinner 2017

SCHOOLS NorthEast Partner Schools are invited to join us for an evening of celebration, recognising the hard work of our region's school leaders and the strength of our education community. This will be hosted by our Patron Lord Puttnam of Queensgate.

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30
MAR

SCHOOLS NorthEast Regional Governors Conference

This conference will support those in school governance roles – state-maintained and academy – in carrying out their duties confidently and effectively. This event is also aimed at senior leaders who want to make sure they have a high performing governing board and those looking to recruit new governors

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22
JUN

School Business Management Conference 2017

We are delighted to announce that the fifth annual SCHOOLS NorthEast School Business Management Conference will take place on Thursday 22 June 2017 with main sponsor First Class Supply.

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16
JAN

STEM Teach Meet

Campus North are holding a Teach Meet on Monday 16th January for teachers looking to integrate STEM throughout the curriculum. It's a chance for education and industry to meet and discuss how we can work together to help bridge the digital skills gap in the region, and have more students leaving school work-ready in a sector with ever-growing job opportunities.

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19
JAN

Create Effective Income Generation Campaigns in Just 15 Minutes

Pebble are hosting a 15-minute webinar looking at the most efficient way to produce a full, effective Income Generation campaign that could bring in thousands of pounds for your school. Several dates are available, but if you can't make it to the live webinar you can still register and will be sent a link to replay the webinar at your convenience.

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23
JAN

Adult Safeguarding in schools

This workshop is a refresher on current legislation and law for any person responsible for Adult Safeguarding in schools.The workshop will cover key areas such as the impact on the children, risk assessment, professional duties and responsibilities, ethics and boundaries, evidence preservation, safeguarding referral process and whistle-blowing.

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08
FEB

Safeguarding Children and SIMS Workshop

EduCare by Advantex will be holding an all-day safeguarding children and SIMS event with expert industry professionals hosting workshops throughout the day. Speakers will include Mel Philipson (JEM), Clare Bell (ICT Excellence), David Meredith (Smoothwall) and Jason Webb (School ICT).

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03
MAR

Celebrating the foundations of learning: An Early Years Conference

Organised by the Durham Teaching School Alliance, the conference will focus on the characteristics of effective learning, exploring the Prime Areas of the EY Foundation Stage. Speakers include: Dr Tom Robson, Leslie Patterson Headteacher/NLE and Lesley Castling, EYTS Programme Lead, Northumbria University.

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05
APR

2-day Income Generation Training

This full-day workshop is the starting point for those undertaking their Income Generation transformation. Organised by Pebble, it will explore the different income streams that your organisation can exploit and we use inspiring case studies to give real-life examples get you motivated. They will also teach you to write successful grant applications quickly!

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In this week's Talking Heads, Suzanne Howell (Deputy Head Teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic High School for Girls) writes about the school being the first secondary in the region to achieve the prestigious Platinum Artsmark Award and being recognised as a "regional leading light" for their work in the arts. The article gives an outline of what Artsmark is and what it entails, but it also discusses current pressures filling the "Ebacc bucket" and aligning the curriculum.

Three-quarters of children between the ages of 11 and 15 believe they would be safer if they had age-appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE) in school, according to a survey commissioned by Barnardo's and carried out by YouGov. Seven in 10 of the children who took part in the poll said the Government should ensure that all pupils have SRE lessons, and 14% said they had not received any SRE lessons in school at all.