This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Interim Senior EYFS Advisory Teacher, Karen Loft on behalf of the DfE. This is for the attention of all schools.
COVID-19 Guidance for Schools
- Access the latest guidance for schools.
- Read the Education Hub blog which summarises recent changes to face mask requirements.
Ventilation and CO2 Monitoring for Schools
- Watch Professor Cath Noakes explain some of the simple steps on improving airflow, using CO2 monitors to assess the ventilation in your room, and measures you can take if you need to make changes.
12 to 15 Year Olds Vaccination Programme
- Find out more via the Education Hub blog about the 12 to 15 year old vaccination programme.
- Access further information on funding to help support secondary schools to deliver vaccinations, on the secondary schools and colleges document sharing platform.
- Information on how to work with and support your school age immunisation service (SAIS) teams can be found in the “how to” guide for schools.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) Consultation
We are seeking views on proposed changes to the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE), with a view for implementation in September 2022.
Following previous consultations, we made substantial changes to KCSIE, which came into force on 1st September 2021. Key changes included the incorporation of sexual violence and sexual harassment advice. We also set out, for the first time, that all governors and trustees should undertake safeguarding and child protection training.
This new consultation seeks to test those changes.
We welcome your thoughts and encourage you to complete the public consultation.
Stop Abuse Together | New Government Resource to Help Keep Children Safe from Sexual Abuse Launches
It’s estimated that one in ten children in England and Wales will experience sexual abuse before they turn sixteen. That’s equivalent to three in every classroom.
Most children won’t tell anyone at the time of their abuse. That’s why it’s important for everyone to know how to spot the potential signs of child sexual abuse and where to go for support if concerned.
The Government’s new Stop Abuse Together website is to help teachers and parents learn to spot the signs and know when to reach out for more support. If you have any concerns at all about a child’s safety or wellbeing you can call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
Tackling Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools
To support teachers to deliver some of the more sensitive elements of the RSHE curriculum, DfE will be hosting three webinars in March:
- Wednesday 2nd March, 4.00pm-5.30pm: coercion and domestic abuse
- Wednesday 9th March, 4.00pm-5.30pm: pornography and the impact of viewing harmful content
- Wednesday 16th March, 4.00pm-5.30pm: sexual exploitation
Expert input will be provided, as well as advice on curriculum planning, and practical advice on teaching these topics in a classroom.
Teaching Resources on Health and Infection
The UK Health Security Agency has developed free teaching resources and lesson plans to educate ages 3-16 on microbes, infection prevention, control, and treatments. These have all been mapped to the national curriculum.
For more information and to find accessible, adaptable formats, visit the e-Bug website.
Schools’ Football Week
The English Schools’ Football Association has announced the return of Schools’ Football Week from 7th – 13th February 2022.
This is an opportunity for schools, teams and clubs from across the country to embrace schools’ football and the wellbeing benefits it provides to pupils and players. This year there is a particular emphasis to highlight and embrace girls’ football.
To get involved and access tools and ideas for running activities during the week, visit their website.
Mention @educationgovuk in all Schools’ Football Week related social media posts, so we can highlight the great activities happening.
National Tutoring Programme
The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) will be hosting webinars over the coming months aimed at schools, to give you the opportunity to find out more about the benefits of the programme and how you can access subsidised tuition through one or more of the routes available. Schools can register to attend the webinars via the NTP website.
Read the how to guide where you can self-service information about how to access tuition for your school.