Parent Feedback: Clubs and After School Provision

In the final bit of feedback from earlier in the term, we asked parents about after school clubs and provision in general for before and after school. Admittedly, it wasn't a greatly worded question as some have taken this to mean the variety of clubs and others the aspect of child care as is clear below. This is a tricky one - we don't have space or funding to offer a great deal more than we already do. I'd hope in the future that we were able to provide some sort of facility for before and after school care for working parents but there would be a cost involved.

In comparison to other schools clubs are fairly poor

All sport related. How about more creative clubs such as cooking or art?

Don’t need

More variety to encourage different sports

Always something for everyone

Not needed by me

Would be interested in before and after school clubs

After school clubs – fantastic

We would really like a breakfast and after school club

After school club would be useful for me

We would welcome and after school club

Greater variety for sports – more drumming or even arts and crafts

Poor choice in comparison to some other schools

Would like greater variety ie a science or art based club

We wouldn’t use these if available

No need at the moment

My child does not participate

These would not be something we would use

I would like to see more clubs aimed at girls

I’d love one to exist for wrap around care

There is no breakfast club which is a bit annoying

Parent Feedback: Information Sharing

We asked parents about the quantity and quality of the information we share. The responses were generally positive but there are always a few things that we don't seem to be able to get right for some people!

I really appreciate a sentence or two at pick up about how the day has gone. The feedback at parent’s evening seemed to make more sense at the last one with explanations of levels

Pretty good but consistency with behaviour monitoring isn’t great

Fine

Poor

I miss old fashioned letters home rather than emails. Maybe more regular updates on individual progress

I find the level and quality very good and I am confident I would be updated if I needed to know

I am happy

Great

Much more interested in the qualitative information we get

More on Facebook – great to see regular updates on activities

Good

All good

Have found a few things out by default rather than officially

Quality and quantity is very good

We feel able to ask the teacher if we need more information

Happy – we know we can always ask if we need more

The school is very informative

All good though the new lack of levels is unhelpful

Would like more about reading and levels

All good

Would like to receive more information

This improved last year so hopefully will continue

Feedback: Homework

Collated below are the reponses from the parental survey carried out in September. These are the comments recieved regarding homework. There was a sense of negativity about the home learning projects rather than homework in itself as you can see. While the projects are entirely optional, there is clearly an element of expectation and pressure to complete that is causing undo stress for parents and pupils. We will try and consider how we move forward bearing this in mind. 

Disappointed when it isn’t marked and not valued

We don’t do projects anymore as no feedback is given

We don’t like holiday homework as it’s a struggle to complete

Homework is too long and children lose concentration

I support homework and reward at home but my child thrives off the school rewards a lot more

I think it is suitable for the age

I find the level of weekly homework good but the projects are difficult to complete in the holidays

We didn’t complete the holiday homework

I have mixed feelings – the opportunity to practise skills learnt in the lesson is good but the holiday homework is too long.

I think homework in the holidays is unfair

I think homework should be minimal to allow time for extra curricular activities

Sometimes feel the home learning projects are too much as they need a break

It would be better if the children were allowed to have a break at half term

We understand the need for homework but don’t always get time to do it

I am happy with the amount of homework given at the moment

At present it feels like a lot of homework – I want my child to enjoy it rather than being a chore

I would prefer something a bit more challenging – the reading books are outdated

Maybe a little more time would be very helpful

Largely disagree with homework in primary school as it takes away from family time and other activities

After 6 hours at school, I am a believer in children having down time

The projects are good but too much at half term and the kids just need a break

Weekly homework is great but the projects are a struggle

I do have real issues with projects as the children need to have a break

Sometimes feel projects are too much for holidays

Governor Vacancy

We are looking to appoint a parent governor.  We want to strengthen our skill-base and are particularly interested to recruit somebody with experience in financial awareness e.g. budget responsibility and / or data interpretation.   

What is the workload?

The governors meet seven times a year, made up of a short planning meeting in September followed by a meeting once every half term.  Governors are expected to prepare for the meetings by reading the papers before the meeting.  Meetings are currently 6:30 – 8:30 on a Wednesday at school.

Governors are encouraged to make school visits, but it is recognised that some governors cannot make visits during the school day.

What does a governor do?  (Source: School Governor One Stop Shop)

Governors do not manage a school day-to-day, but are required to oversee its long-term development.

Ultimately, all governor responsibilities come back to this task and can be split into three core roles:

Is there support?

There is a school-based induction programme and the school buys into further training, free to the individual governor.

Further Information:  Please contact Mr Adams (Headteacher) or Su Brakewell (Chair of Governors – via the office).  

Stop School Cuts!

The local authority is acknowledging the fact that an increasing number of schools are having to take drastic action due to a lack of resources including setting defecit budgets, staffing restructures, reducing curriculum provision and cutting extra-curricular activities.

At Bitterne Manor, we are already having to reduce our budget for professional development, reduce the amount of non-contact time for our staff, make huge savings to resources and increasingly rely on donations to fund the things we'd like to do for our children.
All schools are facing a severe funding crisis due to Government cuts which may mean cuts to teachers, support staff and an increase in class sizes. For the last year warnings about cuts have dominated discussion around education. The Government has cut funding by £2.8 billion and it wants to cut more.There is an ongoing campaign calling on the council and the government to address these issues and provide education with the necessary funding to do our jobs effectively. It will require the concerted effort by staff and parents to exercise their voice and ensure we continue to be able to provide a quality education for all.
For more details head to:

www.fairfundingforallschools.org

www.schoolcuts.org.uk

or the FB page Southampton Fair Funding for All Schools.

Red Cross: Free education workshops for young people

"Our education helps young people understand, cope with, and take action in a crisis."

Thought we'd share something that we're doing tomorrow with our Year 6! The BRitish Red Cross offer fully funded workshops in schools and youth work settings in areas where young people are at higher risk of experiencing a crisis related to drug/alcohol use, incidents involving knives (or other sharp objects) and stigmatising behaviour.

What do the workshops cover?
The free workshops, delivered by Red Cross educators, aim to help 10–19 year olds learn first aid and/or explore the impact of stigmatising behaviour towards refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.

First aid workshops
Learn essential first aid skills, including how to help someone who is:

• unresponsive (breathing/not breathing)
• bleeding heavily
• burnt.

Assess and manage risks to make informed choices when helping others.
Build the confidence and willingness to help in a first aid emergency.

How can I find out more?

Call 0344 412 2734
Email youtheducation@redcross.org.uk
Visit: www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Education-workshops

Headline outcomes for children and young people in the City....

Key Stage 2

• Southampton’s 2017 KS2 achievement for the percentage of pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Reading, Writing and Maths was 61%. This is in line with the National performance of 61% and sustains Southampton’s performance of being in line or above National for the main attainment headline indicator since 2013 (previously Level 4+ in Reading, Writing and Maths). Southampton’s 2017 KS2 cohort achieved a joint rank position of 66th with 13 other Local Authorities out of a total of 150 Local Authorities.
• The proportion of Southampton pupils achieving the Higher Standard in Reading, Writing and Maths is 8%, 1% below the National average for this indicator (9%).
• 73% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Reading, 2% greater than the National average of 71%. In 2016, Southampton (66%) equalled the National average (66%) for pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Reading, therefore Southampton has had a 2% improvement relative to National from 2016 to 2017. Subsequently, Southampton’s rank has improved from 78th in 2016 to 53rd out of 150 Local Authorities in 2017.
• 77% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Writing, 1% above the National average of 76% and ranking Southampton 49th with 17 other Local Authorities out of a total of 150 Local Authorities. Southampton made no improvement to the 2016 percentage achieving the Expected Standard in Writing of 77%, whilst the National average increased from 74% in 2016 to 76% in 2017. This indicates that Southampton have regressed, relative to National, by 2%.
• 74% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Maths, 1% below the National average of 75%. In 2016, Southampton (71%) was 1% above the National average (70%) for pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Maths, resulting in Southampton’s ranking dropping from 65th in 2016 to 82nd out of a total of 150 Local Authorities in 2017.

Key Stage 4 (provisional and therefore subject to change)

• In 2017, 51% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in English GCSE. 68% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in English GCSE while in 2016, 69% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C in English GCSE. The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in English GCSE was 75%.
• In 2017, 40% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in Maths GCSE. 64% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in Maths GCSE while in 2016, 62% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C in Maths GCSE. The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in Maths GCSE was 69%.
• In 2017, 34% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in English and Maths GCSE. 57% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in English and Maths GCSE which was the same outcome for percentage of Southampton pupils achieving A*-C in English and Maths GCSE in 2016 (57%). The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in English and Maths GCSE was 63%.
• In 2017, 18% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) EBacc. In 2016, 21% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C EBacc while the 2016 National average was 25%.
• In 2017, Southampton pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.1 where in 2016, the Southampton Attainment 8 score was 47.5. The 2016 National average for Attainment 8 was 50.0.

Key Stage 5 (provisional and therefore subject to change)

• In 2017, 96.6% of Southampton A Level entries achieved an A*-E grade at College or Sixth Form. This is 1.3% below National performance that saw 97.9% of A level results achieve an A*-E grade.
• 67.8% of A Level entries within Southampton’s Colleges or Sixth Forms achieved a grade C or above. The National performance for A*-C was 77.4%, a gap of 9.6% when compared with Southampton LA (67.8%).
• Out of over 1900 A-level entries within Southampton, 39.4% achieved an A*-B grade. Nationally a pass rate of 53.1% was achieved resulting in a gap of 13.7% with Southampton (39.4%).
• 15.7% of Southampton entries achieved an A-Level A* or A grade in 2017. A challenge still remains to meet National performance as A-Level A*-A grades was 26.3%, a gap of 10.6% between Southampton and National.

Supporting children through tragic events...

Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community in Manchester after the horrific and tragic events earlier in the week. We are aware that some children may be upset and quite frightened by it. Therefore, we have attached some resources and guidance (published by different agencies) that may support parents, if your child raises it and you need support:

Advice if you’re upset by the news (Newsround)

Supporting children worried about terrorism (NSPCC)

Responding to children and young people affected by the media coverage of the incident in Manchester (Winston’s Wish)

Supporting children after a frightening event (Leaflet from David Trickey, Consultant Clinical Child Psychologist

How to explain the horror of terrorism to your children (Telegraph)

School Cuts and the Funding Formula

Following our previous post, the website (www.schoolcuts.org.uk) has been supported by teaching unions to provide a further commentary on the proposals for education funding - the National Funding Formula. All figures are based on the DfE's own statistics. You can go to the site and enter your postcode to find out the implications for your local schools. It is worth pointing out that the new funding formula in itself is broadly supported by teaching unions but the main issue is the real terms reduction in the overall budget available for schools.

Fair Funding for Schools

Please read the following flyer below sent by colleagues regarding the implications of the new funding formula for schools which you may be aware of.

Science & Engineering Day

Flyer for the upcoming event next weekend... register at: https://sotsefteacherzone.eventbrite.co.uk/

Southampton Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI)

The local authority have created a set of maps plotting our school and pupils (year R-11) with an IDACI layer identifying areas of higher and lower deprivation. 

The maps are based on data from the Autumn census (2016) and the latest IDACI (2015) data. These maps might therefore enable anyone to observe the relationship between attainment and levels of deprivation.

What is IDACI?

IDACI is the ‘Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index’, a subset of the Index of Multiple Deprivation. The index itself represents the proportion of children under the age of 16 within an LSOA that live in low-income households. A higher raw score is therefore an indicator that an LSOA is more deprived.

You can look up IDACI values (by postcode) yourself here:  http://imd-by-postcode.opendatacommunities.org/     

IDACI may be used as a deprivation factor in the new national funding formula for 2017/2018.

What do the maps show?

IDACI provides a raw score and a national ranking (within England) of each Lower-layer Super Output Area (LSOA). We have divided this data into quintiles (5 groups of 20%) and used it as a source for thematic mapping of the deprivation index in five ‘bands’. These five bands are based on the highest and lowest IDACI scores for the whole country. Pupils in band 1 live in an LSOA which is in the top 20% of most deprived LSOAs in the country with pupils in band 5 belonging to the 20% least deprived in the country.  This overlays a base map of Southampton along with the relevant school, and a map object (‘point’) representing each postcode in which there is a pupil on roll at your school.

Junior Tax Facts

A simple introduction to tax for 8 to 11 year olds, which explains that taxes provide the money needed to pay for the things that are essential to them, their families, communities and society as a whole.

HMRC is the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority. They collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support.

A comprehensive teacher's pack, with ready-to-use lesson plans and exercises, is available to view or download, free of charge on the Times Educational Supplement (TES) website: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/junior-tax-facts-teachers-pack-11410987

SCC Public Consultation...

A public consultation will be launched on 16 November 2016, to seek the views of residents,
partners and businesses on Southampton's proposals to deliver a balanced budget in the face of ever reducing government funding. Please do take the time to fill in the budget consultation online. The consultation can be found on the SCC website (www.southampton.gov.uk/budget2017) and includes supplementary information sheets, equality and safety impact assessments, and frequently asked questions.

If you would prefer to feedback face-to-face or by email please contact: yourcity.yoursay@southampton.gov.uk.

The Council will set its final budget on 15 February 2017 and the deadline for feedback to be included in the Cabinet report is 24 January 2017. Any feedback received after this date will be reported verbally at the Cabinet meeting on 14 February 2017.

Good Diabetes Care in School Award

We are very proud to have been awarded the Good Diabetes Care in School badge by Diabetes UK. Being an award holder puts our school in a unique position to let parents and other schools know that we offer good practice care and management to children with Type 1 diabetes. One of the key objectives of the Good Diabetes Care in School Award is to create opportunities for schools around the country to learn and get support from those schools that are Good Diabetes Care in School Award holders. We are now on a list of contact reference schools which will be shared with parents and other schools who would benefit from gaining insight into the ways in which good practice schools manage children with diabetes. We believe that the more good practice information is shared amongst schools, the more schools will gain the knowledge and confidence to deliver good diabetes care.

Getting Better Never Stops!

There is something hugely satisfying as a school when we hear of the achievements of our ex-pupils. While we don't wish to take any of the credit or claim any responsibility, there is a sense of pride amongst us that one of our own has gone forward and done so well. Recently, we were extremely pleased to hear that Callum has gone on to do so impressively well in Athletics and that another of our ex-pupils, Macy, has just been made Head Girl at Bitterne Park. We're proud of the achievements of all of our pupils and it's really nice to hear about what they're doing now.

Ofsted: 'Parent View' Feedback

While we await the official report from last week's visit, we can share the responses we obtained from the Parent View feedback during the inspection which were very positive - thanks! We would like to comment that the short notice nature of inspections has impacted on the proportion of responses but we would like to thank those of you that were able to respond within the limited time frame. It's also worth a reminder that there is always a link to Ofsted Parent View from the parents section of our website.

The Future for Southampton....

With the DfE's recent proposals for academisation in mind, the local authority has been engaging with schools on what the future for education in the city may look like. Here are some models from other authorities that are being explored...

•Dorset
Partnership between LA and schools; focuses on vulnerable pupils. All schools are members. School Improvement system is owned and driven by schools. LA has statutory function in ensuring quality provision and facilitating improvement.

•Hertfordshire
Herts Learning – 520 shareholders – not for profit company that reinvests money to improve services. Offers teaching, learning, leadership & business support for schools. The council commissions core services from the firm and is its biggest customer.

•Wigan
Schools work together in 8 autonomous consortia to support self-improvement. A school improvement board monitors the work. Resources and expertise are pooled to improve teaching standards and learning. The council provides funding and works with the consortia to identify those who are under-performing.

•Durham
Educational Development Service (2002) merged with the LA’s School Improvement service to monitor, challenge and intervene in schools as well as provide consultancy, training & development and advisory work.

•Lincoln
Responsibility for improvement rests with local headteachers, based around peer review. Training for peer review funded by LA. Where peers don’t agree this leads to professional dialogue. Group of heads appointed as panel of experts to identify broader trends in the outcomes of the peer reviews/how lessons can be learnt. The panel then advises the LA on where to focus school improvement resources. Led by the area’s forum for governors and headteachers (LA funded). In addition, LA works with the 9 Teaching Schools through Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Together.

National Statistics Report on Pupil Absence in Schools

The DfE has produced an interesting report on pupil absence trends for the last few years. Overall, it looks like there is a downward trend! Our school currently remains above the national trend. For more details and the full report head to this link.

Supporting children who have English as an additional language...

At BMPS, approximately 30% of pupils in our school have EAL. Our families are from a range of ethnic backgrounds and nationality including: Portuguese, Polish, Estonian, Hungarian, Albanian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Pakistani, Afghan, Iranian and Indian. We have approximately 17 different languages spoken including Polish, Pashto/Pakhto and Farsi. This means that at any one time almost one in three of our pupils are learning English as an additional language and supporting them and their families is very important to us.
We have found a wealth of useful resources and advice at NALDIC. This is the national subject association for English as an additional language (EAL). Its mission is to promote the effective teaching and learning of EAL and bilingual pupils in UK schools. Their website link is on the right hand side of this page.
We have identified our key actions:

• Language assessment on ALL EAL children in school.
• Plan appropriate language acquisition work for individuals.
• Develop projects to support and develop children’s mother tongue and home languages eg: story telling sessions, multi-lingual books etc. 
• Create induction pack with key information translated.
• Develop resources for use in the classroom. 
• CPD for staff inc: Developing vocabulary across the curriculum, developing the environment, valuing the importance of Mother Tongue, developing strategies for beginners and advanced learners,  emotional well-being etc.

Most importantly we need to remember:

• Bilingualism is an asset.
• Mother tongue is key to an EAL pupil’s identity, learning and acquiring an additional language. It is the language of ‘home’ and part of their emotional well-being. 
• Cognitive challenge can and should be kept appropriately high through the provision of linguistic and contextual support.  (EAL is not a SEN!)
• Language acquisition goes hand in hand with cognitive and academic development with an inclusive curriculum as the context.