A-Z Listing

Applies to Maintained Schools Background New arrangements for teacher appraisal and new teaching standards came into force 1 September 2012. Approval Governing boards free to delegate to a committee of the governing board or an individual governor. Review frequency Governing board free to determine. Local guidance Model policies and toolkits for both teaching and non-teaching staff can be accessed via SchoolsWeb HR Zone, Managing Performance . DfE gu…

Schools that do not currently offer a hot meal service should start to consider how and when they may be able to introduce such a service. Not every school will be able to set up a financially viable service offering a choice of hot meals so a variety of solutions will need to be developed to meet local needs. Below is a list of suggestions for schools to consider but this list is not exhaustive. Where catering organisations are mentioned, they may not be the sole supplier of these types of…

Applies to Maintained Schools, Academies, Free Schools, Sixth Form College, Pupil Referral Units, Independent Schools, Non Maintained Special Schools. Background It is a statutory requirement (Keeping Children Safe in Education, Paragraph 112) for all schools and academies to keep and maintain a single central record (SCR) of recruitment and vetting checks for their whole workforce (including volunteers, supply staff and teacher trainees on salaried routes). Academies will also need to…

A positive DBS Check is one which contains criminal information as notified by the DBS. When a 'positive' check is received You will receive an automated email from the Employment check system advising that you should wait to view the original certificate prior to making an employment decision. You will receive a further email from the HR Safeguarding in Employment (HR SiE) Team containing guidance on the next steps. Buckinghamshire Council (BC) strongly recommends that you follow t…

Applies to Maintained schools, academies, and free schools. Background Governing boards are required to have a policy on charging for additional educational activities (eg music tuition), and on remissions of charges. Approval Governing board free to delegate to a committee of the governing body, an individual governor or the head teacher (local recommendation is delegation to the Finance Committee). Review frequency - governing board free to determine (recommended annually).…

Applies to Maintained Schools Academies Free Schools Sixth Form Colleges Pupil Referral Units Independent Schools Non-Maintained Special Schools Further Education Background Governing boards have a responsibility to safeguard children and promote their welfare. Governing boards also have a responsibility to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements within our schools to identify, assess, and support those children who are suffering har…

A Child and Family Assessment commences after a Strategy discussion decides to initiate S.47 enquiries, or when new information on an open case indicates a further assessment should be undertaken. Social Care must initiate a Child and Family Assessment under S.47 (Children Act 1989) in every case where the child is at risk of significant harm . A Child and Family Assessment is an in-depth assessment which addresses the central or important aspects of the needs of a child and the capacity of…

In September 2024 the role of Virtual School Heads will expand further to specifically include championing the educational attendance, attainment and progress of children in kinship care. This will bring greater focus to the distinct needs of children in kinship care, within Virtual School Heads’ existing responsibilities. The Virtual School Head strategic role will include: 1. Raising the visibility of the distinct needs of children in different types of kinship care arrangements and the…

Disabled children require additional safeguarding action. This is because they experience greater and created vulnerability as a result of negative attitudes about disabled children and unequal access to services and resources and because they may have additional needs relating to physical, sensory, cognitive, and/ or communication impairments. The Children's Society practice guidance. Resources Guidance on protecting deaf and disabled children and young people from abuse (via learning.ns…

The Buckinghamshire Integrated SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Service is a dedicated group of professionals that provide support and services to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, their families and educational settings.

The network sessions provide an opportunity for SENDCos to come together and work collaboratively with other schools in their area to: discuss and explore areas of interest a solution-focused approach to supporting individual pupils to build connections learn about local authority initiatives, updates and policies Upcoming dates Group One (Chesham) Wednesday 13 November 2024 - 1:30 pm (Chiltern Hills Academy) Wednesday 5 March 2025 - 1:30pm (Ivingswood Academy)…

The Buckinghamshire iSEND team consists of teams of professionals including Educational Psychologists, Specialist Teachers, Education, Health and Care Coordinators (EHCCos), SEND Inclusion Advisors and other specialised professionals. These individuals work collaboratively to assess, plan, implement and review, personalized support for children and young people with SEND. The primary role of the iSEND Service is to ensure that children and young people with SEND, at a SEN Support level or th…

Cognition and Learning Specialist Teachers Cognition and Learning support is provided across Buckinghamshire by qualified Specialist Teachers. They have expert knowledge of SEND in the classroom. Support from the team Buckinghamshire Council’s Cognition and Learning Specialist Teachers provide: traded, high-quality cognition and learning assessments exam access arrangements bespoke training The Specialist Cognition and Learning Teachers work with SENCOs, class teacher…

All schools must have a committee that considers pay, and academy trusts must have an audit committee. Beyond this, there are no set requirements as to committee structures that governing boards must set up. Many governing boards establish committees to assist in carrying out their work and may delegate some governing board functions to those committees. However a growing number of governing boards are choosing to work without committees, reporting a reduction in repetition and every governor h…

Please see our guidance on how to handle common property issues that can arise. There are also guides explaining the best practices for heating issues and boiler care within school premises.

All schools, including PRUs, should be using the Common Transfer File or CTF to transfer pupil data electronically whenever a pupil changes schools at any time during the year. This could be at the end of an academic year or phase of education and involve a whole cohort of pupils or it could be mid-phase or mid-year for a single pupil. CTFs provide schools with valuable information about new pupils which can be automatically uploaded into their management information systems (MIS). The law r…

Communication and interaction difficulties are often considered under the following two areas: Speech, language and communication Social interaction Although a child or young person may experience both difficulties at the same time, this section of the toolkit has been divided into these two main areas for ease of use.

This specialist team of qualified teachers has experience and qualifications related to supporting children and young people (CYP) with Communication and Interaction (C&I) needs linked to: autism, developmental language disorder (DLD), and other language needs. They offer a 'needs-led' service support those who where: a formal diagnosis of autism or DLD has been given; the CYP is on a pathway awaiting a diagnosis of autism or DLD; or professionals are exploring the…

Schools can refer children and young people to their local Community Paediatrician if they have a Buckinghamshire GP. Information on making a referral can be found on the Bucks Healthcare children and young people's website . If the child’s GP is from another county, then they'll see the paediatrician in that county. The Community Paediatric Team provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, support and monitoring for children with a range of complex needs and disabilities such as cerebral pa…

Background Schools should take appropriate steps to help staff, helpers and pupils maintain a safe and responsible level of conduct in their use of online technology. Review Computer Resources Policy including Internet Code of Practice - three yearly review recommended for Schools Financial Value Standard. Local guidance Please refer to the Safeguarding Toolkit for further information . DfE guidance Child internet safety Cyber Safety training courses for individual Gover…

Did you know . . . The first teacher from your school who completes a course in Computing will get a bursary of £220 that goes to the school that employs you as a teacher. Here is how . . . Register today at: teachcomputing.org Apply to attend one of the many remote courses that are available. (See below) Complete all the sessions and gap tasks on the course. (Usually about 5 hours work split into 1-hour sessions over a couple of weeks) Complete the questionnaire sent to yo…

Did you know . . . You can complete a course in Computing and get a bursary of up to £920 that goes to your School? Here is how . . . Register today at: teachcomputing.org Enrol on the Computer Science Accelerator (CSA): teachcomputing.org/cs-accelerator Take a short diagnostic test Decide which pathway suits your skills best Sign up for at least 1 online course and 1 Remote course. (10 hours of training). All the training is fully funded (FREE!) and you can do more than…

If you have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a child, please contact First Response on 01296 383962 (or 0800 999 7677 out of hours). Call the Police on 999 if there is an immediate risk. You can report your concerns using the online report a concern form . You may benefit from discussing the matter with your school link worker first. You can find out more about safeguarding young people from the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Conflicts of interests may arise where an individual’s personal or family interests and/or loyalties conflict with those of the governing board. Such conflicts may create problems because they can: Inhibit free discussion; Result in decisions or actions that are not in the interests of the school; and Risk the impression that the Governing board has acted improperly. It is important that governors and staff not only act impartially, but are also seen to act impartially. You…

If you need to contact us or need to find out how to get to a training venue, help is available below

This guidance outlines the process of carrying out a school assessment and how to use the school assessment framework. The school assessment toolkit consists of two parts – the school assessment framework and the assessment tools . The assessment framework can be used to collate information relating to the school. The assessment methods are tools to gather that information, examples of which can be found as part of the school assessment toolkit on the Contextual Safeguarding Network. Cont…

Briefings for Chairs of Governors, Headteachers and Governor Clerks occur at the beginning of each term and are led by senior officers of Buckinghamshire Council with a focus on national and local updates across all areas of Children's Services. Details of these sessions are sent directly to Chairs, Clerks, and Heads each term. Items will also be posted in Governor Times (Schools Web) and Governor Hub. Meetings Scheduled 2024-25 Friday 13 th September 2024, 9.30am on Teams Friday 17 th…

This course gives learners an understanding of the COSHH Regulations and how these apply to work activities. Areas covered: understand the meaning of ill health understand what a hazardous substance is how to complete a COSHH risk assessment recognise the steps to reduce risks gain skills to manage substances safely in the workplace Suitable for - site managers, caretakers and technicians, who regularly handle, use or are exposed to hazardous substances Refresher t…

The Safeguarding in Employment Team at Buckinghamshire Council (BC) is tasked with implementing and applying the latest government legislation, reviewing guidance, and offering advice and support in all areas of safer employment practices, including the processing of DBS Checks. Explore these pages to learn about DBS checks for employees, volunteers, and contractors in schools, as well as additional safer recruitment vetting checks. Safeguarding concerns or allegations of a child protecti…

By the end of primary school, pupils should know: What constitutes a healthy diet (including understanding calories and other nutritional content). The principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals. The characteristics of a poor diet and risks associated with unhealthy eating (including for example, obesity and tooth decay) and other behaviours (e.g. the impact of alcohol on diet or health). By the end of secondary school, pupils should know: How to maint…

These pages contain resources and information for each key stage, along with information on PHSE and Swimming. Click here for PHSE Information Public Health in Schools information including resources and training information The Equalities pages contain information and classroom resources to help schools tackle sensitive topics such as racism, radicalisation, bullying, gender and sexual orientation.

There are a range of resources available to Buckinghamshire schools to support aspects of the PSHE curriculum, and sign posts to trusted services for children and families promoting the vital Public Health, Safeguarding and Equalities agendas. Part of providing good quality PHSE is to ensure young people know where to go to access support and enable them to support their own wellbeing and development both now and in the future. Please see links below. Public Health in Schools (Schoolsweb)…

There are a range of resources available to Buckinghamshire schools to support aspects of the PSHE curriculum, and sign posts to trusted services for children and families promoting the vital Public Health, Safeguarding and Equalities agendas. Please see links below. As part of good quality PSHE provision it is important that children know where to access help both now and in the future. Please see links below. Public Health in Schools (Schoolsweb) BC Safeguarding page BC Equalities…

Healthy Lifestyles Public Health (Schoolsweb) Relationships The Sex Educational Forum is a well-respected organisation. They offer free resources for schools linked to a range of themes including recognising positive relationships, risky behaviours, advice and guidance on SRE and a particularly useful checklist for SRE in schools. They continue to work with the PSHE Association and Brook. Sex Educational Forum Online safety Think you know/COEP Thinkuknow.co.uk/ Living in…

Bikeability Training Bikeability is the leading cycle training programme in England. Courses are available throughout the year in most local authorities in England. Children and adults can be trained individually or in groups, through school, clubs, or private tuition. Bikeability terms and conditions Buckinghamshire Council has been awarded funding for Bikeability training to take place at your school. Schools need to bid for funding the term before their training course is due…

C

Was this page helpful?