Category: Training

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UKGovChat – What’s That?

twitterWhat is UKGovChat?

UKGovChat is a weekly Twitter discussion normally taking place between 8:45 and 9:15 every Sunday evening, providing a home for Governors  to learn, share, challenge and support each other and improve the governance of all of schools to the benefit of the children and young people. From the original concept being born in 2013, well, as the website says:

Exactly a week later #UkGovChat was born, delivered to over 400 eager followers in a fast and furious chat encompassing “top tips” for new governors and the biggest challenges to effective governance.

The website remains totally independent of any government or commercial interest.  To find out more visit UKGovChat at ukgovchat.wordpress.com, search Twitter for hashtag #ukgovchat or follow the group @UKGovChat.  The site also has an impressive list of inks to a range of useful blogs and archives of weekly chats going back to 2013.  Recent chats were on subjects such as:

  • What is the GBs responsibility as far as Health and Safety is concerned?
  • What are your hopes for the newly announced Foundation for Leadership in Education?
  • What is your school doing about the DfE challenge of ‘character education’?
  • What is a Coasting School?
  • What will inspection of governance look like under the new framework? Ofsted Special with Sean Harford.
  • Your Hopes and Fears for the Next 5 Years.

Some recent news updates from UKGovChat

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Training Times – Anniversary Competition

Training Times 1st Aniversary EditionTraining Times – Anniversary Competition

The first anniversary edition of Training Times published by Herts for Learning  arrives in Hertfordshire schools during w/c  20th April 2015 and can be viewed online through the following link http://bit.ly/TT-AprMay15 or clicking the picture.

To gauge how useful you have found the paper in its first year and to hear governors’ and teachers’ suggestions for improvement, HfL have created a short online survey suitable for all school staff to complete.

Anniversary-Competition-QR-CodeThe survey can be found by clicking the link http://bit.ly/TT-Survey2015, or scanning the QR code.

HfL is giving away a bumper hamper of goodies for one randomly selected entering school – the winner will be announced in June. No limitations on entries per school. Link to survey also found on front page of this edition.

This edition also includes:

  • teacher recruitment  – the HfL recruitment fair and what’s next,
  • new online resources added to subscription service,
  • Parent2Parent ® – how can you help your parents in supporting their child’s learning?
  • the Early Years reception baseline,
  • news from primary and secondary schools across the county.

Extra copies or feedback?

If your chair of governors would like to receive extra copies for the governing body please get in touch. We welcome any feedback or content suggestions for future editions.

Please contact our journalist Jessica Broadbent at jessica.broadbent@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk with your feedback or if you would like your school to be included.

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Training Times – Post Election; where now?

Training Times - Post ElectionTraining Times – Post Election – where now for education?

The June edition of Training Times is now in schools, with a spotlight on the general election and Herts for Learning’s Schools’ (HfL) HR team.   The online version can be found at:

This HfL monthly newspaper has something for governors and staff based in schools, whether looking for a little light reading on current educational news or for courses to further your professional development.

This edition includes:

  • HfL governor roadshows –
    6th, 9th, 15th, 27th & 29th June;
  • General election 2015 – where now for education?
    “This month HfL spoke with some of Hertfordshire’s leaders to hear their impact of the result for schools.”
  • Schools’ HR – how can this team support you?
    “The Schools’ HR advisory service provides specialist professional advice and support for headteachers and governors on all aspects of employment law.”
  • Research from HfL’s new Education Policy and Practice Intern, Jasleen Dhillon-
    Analysis of Finnish education;
  • Hertfordshire schools’ news and much more!

If your Chair of governors would like to receive extra copies for the governing body please get in touch.  HfL welcome any feedback or content suggestions for future editions.   Please contact their Journalist Jessica Broadbent at jessica.broadbent@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk with your feedback or if you would like your school to be included.

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New Approaches to Assessment

Herts for Learning - AssessmentNew Approaches to Assessment

Herts for Learning (HfL) recently undertook briefings on the their new Assessment Framework for Primary Schools. It was presented to over 400 school Governors. Ben Fuller’s 45 minute briefing is now available for wider viewing and can be seen below:

This presentation addresses the following key themes:

  • why have ‘levels’ gone?
  • how will children be assessed in statutory national assessments without levels?
  • how might schools track pupil progress without levels?
  • what information could governors expect to see to support them with the task of holding the school leadership to account?

(Alternate link – http://vimeo.com/128528519).

For further information of the HfL approach to Assessment please review the download below or contact Ben Fuller, Lead Assessment Adviser, Herts For Learning Ltd., by email on Ben.Fuller@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk.

Download

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Free FFT Governor Dashboard Webinars

FFTFree FFT Governor Dashboard Webinars

The FFT Governor Dashboard is now available in FFT Aspire.  FFT are holding free webinars to explain how they can help governors support and challenge the school leadership team.

The FFT Governor Dashboard has been developed in partnership with the National Governors’ Association and the Wellcome Trust.  It clearly displays information about results and pupil progress, subject performance, progress of pupil groups, attendance and school context. Using our platform, school’s performance can be viewed instantly, and flagging up issues that governors can investigate. The Dashboard will also help governors get to grips with government’s new Attainment 8 measure, and from 2016 dashboards will also include Progress 8 analysis.

The Governor Dashboard was developed by governors for governors because we wanted to focus our design on presenting complex information in a way that would be clear and meaningful to you.

All subscribing schools can download the Governor Dashboard from FFT Aspire, and share it easily with governors. Alternatively, governors can be provided with their own account, giving access to not only the Governor Dashboard but also a range of other information to aid their ‘support and challenge’ role. The new Aspire has also been enhanced to include overviews of all key stages, providing a wealth of information in an accessible format.

FFT are holding free webinars for Governors to outline the new Governor Dashboard.

  • Tuesday 12 May
  • Tuesday 9 June
  • Tuesday 23 June

The webinar lasts forty five minutes.  To book your free place please visit  www.fft.org.uk/training-events/Webinar.aspx.

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‘Hertfordshire Governor’ – Summer Edition

Herts Governor Summer Edition Issue 79‘Hertfordshire Governor’ – Summer Edition

The summer edition of Hertfordshire Governor published by Herts for Learning (HfL) is now on-line and can be accessed online by logging on at www.hertsdirect.org/governors (select ‘Hertfordshire Governor – current issue’ under ‘Signpost’ at the foot of the page) or click the picture.

The Introduction:

Message from Governance

Dear Governors

As we enter into the summer term and head towards the end of the 2014/15 academic year it is a good time to reflect on the work carried out this year and the impact it has had on the progress and attainment of pupils.  The pace is fast so we are very often only looking forward and thinking what needs to be done next, however as the academic year comes to an end it is important that you celebrate past success as well as identifying key actions for addressing in the future.

This term we have received feedback on an eSafety focus during recent Ofsted inspections within primary schools and academies, with governors knowledge being put to the test.  Our eSafety Adviser has provided a useful summary for governors which you can find in the News section.  Have a go at answering the questions included in the article and if you don’t know the answer that’s an action after Easter.

Also in the News section we have included a Health & Safety update on abestos.  This is particulary relevant as we head towards the summer holiday season and many large building projects are planned in schools/academies.

We are also pleased to inform you of our forthcoming Governor Recruitment Roadshow supported and sponsored by Governance Team, Hertfordshire Association of School Governors (HASG), and School Governors’ One Stop Shop (SGOSS). Do you have vacancies on your governing body? If so, why not come along and help to recruit new governors and promote the role of governance in schools and academies –  raise the profile of governors and give it  the status it deserves!

The edition includes

  • Governor Recruitment: Details of forthcoming ‘Governor Recruitment Roadshows’.
  • eSafety (tips from the eSafety Adviser following feedback from recent Ofsted inspections).
  • Health & Safety update ahead of building projects over the summer: Managing asbestos in your School.
  • Summary of changes to recently updated DfE statutory guidance – ‘Keeping children safe in education’ and ‘Working together to safeguard children’.
  • Changes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Contact Cathy Irons Cathy.Irons@nullHertsforlearning.co.uk of the HfL Governance Unit for any questions or if you would wish to contribute to a future on-line edition.

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Training Times – December 2014

Training Times Dec 2014Training Times – December 2014 Edition

The final, Festive, Training Times of the autumn term is in schools with a spotlight on Herts for Learning’s Early Years team.  The link to the on-line version can be found at http://bit.ly/TTdec14, or click the picture.

See page 7 for the HASG Outstanding Governors of the Year as awarded in November!  Other articles are on CPD, HfL’s Parent2Parent ® programme, Website refresh, Funding for Closing Gaps, the North Herts Transition Project and selected school news.

This HfL monthly newspaper has something for governors and staff based in schools, whether looking for a little light reading on current educational news or for courses to further your professional development.  It aims to keep you up to date with what’s on offer from HfL, to share news from local schools, explore current issues from the education sector and to inform you a little more about your Schools’ Company – who we are and what we do.

Extra copies or feedback?

If your chair of governors would like to receive extra copies for the governing body please get in touch. We welcome any feedback or content suggestions for future editions.

Please contact our journalist Jessica Broadbent at jessica.broadbent@nullhertsforlearning.co.ukwith your feedback or if you would like your school to be included.

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Herts Primary PE & Sport Conference – January 2015

Herts-Sports-PartnershipHerts Primary PE & Sport Conference – January 2015

HASG was invited to participate in this event by the Herts Sports Partnership (Sport Performance & Development Centre, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield AL10 9EU www.sportinherts.org.uk), the following report is from David Royle who attended:

Key Messages from the Conference

  • High-quality physical education (PE) and school sport can make a difference to the lives of young people and the development of the whole child; whole-school improvement can be led by PE.
  • The £150m p.a. ring-fenced Primary PE and Sport Premium is guaranteed to 2020 (if the present government is re-elected): most money goes on coaches but important not to swap coaches for teachers in terms of generating self-sustaining solutions (especially if funding stops); website statement required on impact and allocation of Premium.
    Governors have a role in monitoring and evaluating effective expenditure.
    Youth Sports Trust has an impact template, a self-review tool and a factsheet on Ofsted-related accountability measures; see below).
    The Association for Physical Education also has advice on the use of the Premium.
  • The Youth Sports Trust survey of PE and sport indicated that the average time spent on PE is less than two hours a week;
    there is no DfE minimum (or maximum);
    some EU countries specify 5 hours;
    however quality is most important;
    there is a potential dividend in taking time ‘away’ from other subjects as PE can contribute to whole-school improvement.
  • The new National Curriculum for PE is short on detail but the purpose of PE is made clear with key words like
    • ‘high-quality’,
    • ‘inspires all pupils’ (inclusion),
    • ‘competitive’,
    • ‘physically-demanding’,
    • ‘physically confident’,
    • ‘health and fitness’,
    • ‘character’,
    • ‘fairness and respect’.
  • The Youth Sport Trust and Association for Physical Education provide a lot of support through membership and also free downloadable resources, for example YST has a Physical Literacy Framework, AfPE has advice on the new National Curriculum including assessment.

References

DAVID ROYLE 230115

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Primary PE Conference 2015

Herts for Learning - Primary PE ConferenceYouth-Sport-Trust

Primary PE Conference 2015

On Tuesday the 20th of January 2015 Hertfordshire Sports Partnership will deliver the second Primary PE Conference in partnership with Youth Sport Trust and Herts for Learning.

The focus for this year’s conference is ‘PE and school sport supporting whole school improvement’ and is aimed at both Headteachers and PE subject leads.

The conference will be opened by keynote speakers: Ali Oliver interim CEO for Youth Sports Trust and Sue Wilkinson Strategic Lead for Association for Physical Education (afPE)

This full day will comprise of a mixture of key note addresses, interactive workshops looking at areas such as ‘How to assess an outstanding PE lesson’, ‘Using apprentices within your school’ and Health & Safety in primary schools’. After the opening address Headteachers will have a targeted workshop followed by question and answer sessions where representatives for afPE, DfE, CSPN among others will be present. PE subject leads will have a choice of 15 practical and theoretical workshops to learn more about the focus areas that are most relevant to their professional and school needs.

Throughout the day there will be a ‘Demo Zone marketplace’ set up where local organisations, projects and National Governing Bodies of sport will showcase the products, services and support they have available to work in partnership with primary schools and enhance the activity provision.

Please click to see the PE CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS document to view all the workshops that will be taking place.

Cost: £142 – 2 for 1 when Headteacher and subject lead book on.

To book on to the conference log on to www.hertsforlearning.co.uk/events/primary-pe-conference

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Training Times – November 2014

Training-Times---Nov-2014

Training Times – November 2014 Edition

The penultimate Training Times of the autumn term is in schools, with a spotlight on Herts for Learning’s Governance team. The link to the online version can be found at http://bit.ly/1uW72br (or click the picture).

This HfL monthly newspaper has something for governors and staff based in schools, whether looking for a little light reading on current educational news or for courses to further your professional development. It aims to keep you up to date with what’s on offer from HfL, to share news from local schools, explore current issues from the education sector and to inform you a little more about your Schools’ Company – who we are and what we do. Next edition: look out for the HASG Outstanding Governors of the Year as awarded in November!

Extra copies or feedback?

If your chair of governors would like to receive extra copies for the governing body please email Jessica Broadbent who would  welcome any feedback or content suggestions for future editions.

Please contact Jessica Broadbent at jessica.broadbent@nullhertsforlearning.co.uk with your feedback or if you would like your school to be included.