8th December 2023
Church of England Early Headship Coaching Offer – Fully Funded
As you begin 2024, how will you invest in your own leadership development, support, well-being and inspiration in the coming year? Have you considered the benefits of the newly reformed NPQs delivered by the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership?
Early Headship Coaching Offer (EHCO)
The Early Headship Coaching Offer is designed to support a new headteacher in their first five years of headship, providing expert coaching, a peer support network, a 360 diagnostic and access to a rich research base to support evidence-informed practice in your school. There is no formal assessment to this programme and it is fully funded by the DfE. Find out more here.
Let’s Spread Peace – Picture News Peace Campaign
Picture News have launched a Christmas Campaign and for this year, as there is so much uncertainty and unrest in the world, they felt that writing down and sharing messages of peace with others would be a small but powerful way to use our voices.
Please find the full details and template for the campaign here.
The January Blues vs Hopes and Dreams
It’s funny to be talking about the January blues when we are still this side of all the Christmas excitement and anticipation. But in 4 weeks’ time it will all be over for another year, so have you considered a ‘Hopes & Dreams’ prayer space for the new year? Schools like to have something to look forward to and a prayer space in school could be just the booster your school is after. Here are some prayer activities you could use and do register with Prayer Spaces in Schools and share your story.
New Year Celebration Workshop with iSingPOP
Chase away the January blues with a whole school singing celebration day – a great opportunity to sing, learn, and celebrate the New Year together! Running throughout January, this joy-filled workshop includes:
- Age-appropriate workshop sessions for the whole school
- Catchy iSingPOP songs and dances to learn!
- A biblical exploration of the theme
- A celebration assembly
- Loads of fun!
- Only £450 (book before 20th December to receive a 10% early bird discount)
To book your New Year Celebration, contact the office team at office@isingpop.com or via their website here.
Resources for Pupils and Staff to Help Support Good Mental Wellbeing this Winter
The festive season is usually associated with joy, happiness and celebration, but for some it may not always be a positive time. The shorter days, colder temperatures and the pressures associated with this time of year can negatively impact our wellbeing, and it can be easy to forget to look after ourselves. This toolkit from Mentally Healthy Schools contains lesson plans and supporting activities to help pupils to look after their wellbeing, as well as to understand the importance of self-care and connections with others. The toolkit also includes a resource for staff on building good mental wellbeing, as well as information on seeking further support.
The Big Ambition – Children’s Survey – Have Your Pupils Contributed? Only a Week Left!
In September’s Headlines we featured that The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, had launched The Big Ambition, a national survey of children and young people across England. The survey has gone to schools across England so they can hear the views of children and young people aged from 6 to 18 in the run up to the General Election on what they think needs to be done to make children’s lives better in England. The survey ends on 15 December so do join in if you haven’t already!
Empathy Week and Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week will take place from 5-11 February 2024. The theme is ‘My Voice Matters’. Find free resources from ‘Place 2 Be’ on the Mental Health Week website here. Empathy Week is an annual festival that develops the skill of empathy in students aged 5-18. It is taking place 26 February – 1 March with the theme of ‘Home’, and it is now FREE for all schools. Register your class or school on the website: https://www.empathy-week.com/ You can find out more about the festival, including a run-down of the week’s structure, in the School Information Pack.
Kindness Christmas Activities for Children
Christmas is a wonderful time to encourage children to think about what they can do to spread kindness. Thinking of others not only helps to take the focus off material goods, but it will also bring the child a great deal of joy as well! Kindness benefits everyone – the giver and receiver. 52 Lives School of Kindness have a range of free Christmas activities, encouraging children to be kind to themselves, to others and to the planet.
Responding to Trauma in Children and Young People Seeking Asylum
The UK Trauma Council have just published new free evidence-based resources to help children and young people affected by war, migration and asylum. There are also resources for the professionals supporting them in both educational and community settings. The resources have been co-produced with young people with lived experience of seeking asylum and those who support them. Find the resources on the Trauma Council website here.
Holocaust Memorial Day School Resources – 27 January
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place each year on 27 January. Resources for both primary and secondary can be found on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website here.
Other resources can be found with:
Centre for Holocaust Education
Multi Lingual Telling of a Nativity Story
As a celebration of the diversity of the church in the UK, the Bible Society have published a special Christmas book called ‘Festive Fred Finds the Greatest Gift of All’ written by Dai Woolridge and illustrated by Patrick Laurent. They have published it in the following languages: English, Welsh, Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese (simplified) and Chinese (traditional) which means that the Navity can be shared even more widely than before. Do ask your church if they are also using this book in their children’s ministry and you can watch a delightful 10 min reading the book (in English) on the Bible Society website here.
‘Drawing on a Higher Power’
After the tragic news of Ruth Perry’s death Premier Gospel Radio spoke to London Headteacher Miriam Manderson (author of ‘From Hood To Headship: A Black Woman’s Journey to Becoming A Headteacher’) about how her faith has helped her in her role, the pressures of Ofsted and more. Watch this encouraging 20 min interview here.
Something to Make You Smile…
This clip has gone viral this week but if you haven’t already seen it, do enjoy and share this 1 min video of Milo Joyce excitedly telling his mum about his ‘classic’ part in the school Nativity…