3rd October 2023
Black History Month – Saluting Our Sisters
We would love to hear what you are doing in your schools to celebrate Black History Month in October. Please send us your news and photos!
- Here are 6 activities to celebrate Black History Month UK at school.
- Black History Month Poetry Competition for all pupils and students.
- Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership resources.
More links to resources on last week’s Headlines on the DBE website.
Would Your Pupils Like to Sing ‘World Changers’ at Bishop Christopher’s Leaving Service?
As you will be aware, Bishop Christopher is leaving Coventry Diocese and there will be a farewell service at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday 4th November at 2.00pm. We are looking for schools who would be willing to bring pupils to sing ‘World Changers’ together. The DBE will fund transport. We recognise that this is a Saturday event but it would be wonderful to have schools present and taking part to say farewell to Bishop Christopher. If you are interesting in being involved please do let us know.
‘Leaders Like Us’ Programme from the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership
Leaders Like Us is a multi-faceted programme for aspiring senior leaders from UKME/ GMH backgrounds, throughout the country, with the aim of enabling them to progress to headship. It is open to teachers and leaders in all schools in England, not just Church of England schools. You can find out more via the CEFEL website here: https://www.cefel.org.uk/leaderslikeus/ Please do pass this link on to colleagues who may be interested in your own networks.
The Big Ambition – Children’s Survey
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has launched The Big Ambition, a national survey of children and young people across England. The Big Ambition aims to hear from children across England on what they think is important! In the lead up to the next General Election, the Children’s Commissioner wants to take children’s thoughts, opinions and ideas to decision-makers, to make sure that the Government hears young people’s voices on what they think needs to be done to make children’s lives better in England. The Big Ambition is open to children and young people in England aged 0-18 years old and will be open until Friday 15th December. The survey has gone to schools across England so they can hear from children and young people aged from 6 to 18. Parents are also being encouraged to complete the survey for those who may need additional support or on behalf of younger children (under 6) to make sure the needs of early years children are represented too. Here is a 2 min video you can show to children or put the link on your parents newsletter.
For Own Admission Authorities – Action This Term
Just another reminder that own admission authority MATs and VA schools should be in the process of reviewing and determining their admission policies for 2025/26 this term. If you are making any changes to this policy you need to publicly consult on this. The consultation window is 6 weeks between 1 October and 31 January. If you require any further support in this process or just a chat about the options do contact Joanne Evans. It is a statutory requirement to send your policy to the DBE so please do email it to us once governors have formally agreed it.
Church of England National Younger Leadership Groups – Invitation for Primary Schools
The Church of England are running National Leadership Groups again this year, exploring with young people how to use their voice to enable flourishing. A number of schools are rejoining, but they are looking for more schools to get involved. The sessions will be facilitated by the AYLA team online offering pupils the opportunity to:
- Be leaders who use their voice and engage with key issues that matter to them.
- Connect with other schools nationally to discuss and share ideas.
- Help shape the work of the CofE Education office and the wider Church.
This year we are initially focusing on primary schools and are the DBE have been asked to invite three primary schools that haven’t been part of NYLG before to join in and register. They are looking to take 4 pupils from each school take part, with an appropriate balance of gender and ethnicity. It is a 1-year commitment involving 5 online sessions, plus some leadership development activities to do in-between sessions. They are encouraging schools to invite a parish partner (clergy, lay person, youth worker etc.) to be part of these sessions with pupils, because research shows that when church and school are connected, faith flourishes. They see it as a great opportunity for the parish to engage with pupils and also to be resourced in how they could replicate a similar model of pupil voice in their wider work with the school and their own settings. To find out more and to put your pupils forward contact Joanne Evans. Places will be on a first-come first-served basis.
Primary and Secondary Resources to Celebrate World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is coming up on Tuesday 10 October. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of mental health and to drive positive change for everyone’s wellbeing. The theme for this year’s day is ‘mental health is a universal human right’. These resource toolkits from Mentally Healthy Schools consist of several resources to help you improve your pupils’ understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and to get them talking about it on World Mental Health Day. The resources are divided into materials for use with whole classes, and activities to do with smaller groups or individuals. Find them here: https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/world-mental-health-day-2023-toolkit/
Oracy October – Free Resources for Oracy Education from Voice 21
Oracy October is Voice 21’s month-long celebration of the importance of oracy education. This year’s theme is ‘When talk gets challenging’ and explores how we can empower young people to talk effectively in challenging contexts, both in the classroom and beyond. This includes discussing a difficult or sensitive topic in class, sharing your feelings or speaking in front of an audience. By equipping students with the oracy skills they need to navigate challenging contexts for talk we can build their confidence and prepare them for success in school and in life. Throughout October, they will be releasing a brand-new, free resource for teachers featuring ideas and activities for students of all ages. It will include 5 challenges for students to complete throughout October, giving them the opportunity to develop and display the skills needed to navigate a range of challenging contexts for talk. This will help teachers use the month to encourage students to become confident, flexible and resilient communicators in a range of situations. They willl also be hosting 7 free webinars over the course of October, highlighting the transformative impact oracy has made to student outcomes in our national network of Voice 21 Oracy Schools. Featuring webinars for those newer to oracy, including how to get started with oracy in each key stage, as well as discussions about oracy’s role in education policy, assessment and school leadership, the month will be packed full of insightful, stimulating and inspiring learning experiences. Find out more on the Voice 21 website here: https://voice21.org/oracy-october-2023/
Free Resources for Schools to Celebrate Empathy Week – 26 Feb – 1 March 2024
Empathy is the most essential skill to teach right now. It allows us to make sense of ourselves as well as those around us – whether we agree with them or not. Empathy is ultimately vital for success as it underpins the skills of great leadership, creativity and communication. The theme for 2024 is ‘Home’ and Empathy Studios are providing a free schoo’s pack with webinars, films, resources and events that explore the theme of ‘Home’ and develop the skill of empathy in students aged 5-18 years old.
Themes included and covered:
- Connecting across cultures
- Our planet and climate
- Homelessness
- The refugee crisis
- War & peace
- Chasing your dreams
- Empathy & Wellbeing
- and more…
Register and see the pack here: https://www.empathy-week.com/
Free Primary School Resources from the Just Finance Foundation
The Just Finance Foudnation have already got lots of engaging things planned to help primary schools celebrate talking about money in the classroom and other free resources available including harvest assemblies and new physical sample packs for UK primary schools. See the website here for more information and to get resources: https://www.justfinancefoundation.org.uk/resource-hub
Pop UK – Current One Day Workshops
‘Will you like me‘ – Exploring internet safety, social media, the online world and wellbeing.
‘Lift up your voice’ – A wellbeing workshop reflecting on managing feelings and supporting ourselves and others.
‘Wonderful world’ NEW for 2023! – Exploring our wonderful world and ways in which we can look after it, the environment and each other.
‘Christmas in a day’ – A day using 3 songs to reinforce the Christian Christmas story in a fun way.
Our one day workshops all include
- learning 3 specially written songs in a fun teaching session
- recording the songs with free mp3s for every child involved
- parent assembly
And in partnership with the charity ‘God and the Big Bang!’
‘Creation Sings’ – a 1 day workshop with science/faith workshops in the morning, exploring how science and faith can work together to help us think about big life questions/how faith fits in with the big bang and evolution. The afternoon involves learning 3 specially written PopUK songs, then a parent assembly at the end of the day, either in school or involving your link church.
Pop UK 3-5 day whole school projects – an exciting whole school project celebrating and reinforcing your school values – Learning 7 songs, making a school recording and then full pop concert for parents/carers. This includes Christmas and Easter projects.
1 day workshops start from £475, 3-5 day projects start from £975 (travel expenses are additional).
To book or to get their FREE song bank – get in contact with Rachel or Andy at: admin@popuk.org
Getting Started with ChatGPT in Ten Steps
This 10 minute read from ‘Independent Thinking’ will help you to get start with introducing AI technologies such as ChatGPT into your classroom and how it may save your staff valuable planning time.
A Happy Classroom is for the Whole Year – Not Just September
Three weeks in, are your staff still jumping out of bed each morning with a smile on their face and a spring in their step? If not, don’t worry. In this 5 minute read from Laughology’s Sarah Creegan, she gives class teachers suggestions to help keep the good times rolling for the whole year, not just September.