Noticeboard - 15 May 2025

Welcome to this week's noticeboard containing a message from Dr Sue Harrison; Oracle Transition and School Finance Updates; a request to complete the Section 175 Safeguarding Self-Assessment and more.

Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Executive Director of Children and Families

Dear colleagues

As we approach the end of another typically busy week in schools, the half-term break is now in sight – a well-earned pause for both pupils and staff.

Registration for our will close on Friday, 30 May. If you haven’t signed up yet, I encourage you to take a few minutes to register today! This event is a fantastic opportunity for headteachers to connect with Children and Families services, hear directly from our Managing Director, Joanne Roney CBE, take part in lively discussions and learn more about our shared vision for the future. I’m very much looking forward to seeing many of you there.

黑料视频 Families First continues to build momentum. This week, we held  a well-attended and highly productive Design Group session, where we explored how a district operating model could work in practice. Progress is also moving swiftly on the Hodge Hill pilot, where we are working up our Team Around the School model, and I look forward to sharing more updates at the Convention.

A reminder that the annual Section 175 safeguarding self-assessment is live from Monday, 19 May and must be completed by all schools and education settings by Friday, 12 July 2025. This statutory requirement under the Education Act 2002 supports schools in reviewing how effectively they are safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

All registered Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) will receive an email notification. If you’re new to the role or not yet registered, please contact educationsafeguarding@birmingham.gov.uk. A dedicated workshop for new DSLs will be held in June, with full details available in the article below. As always, our team is here to support you so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any assistance.

The next Oracle Transition for School drop-in session will take place on Wednesday, 21 May at 1.30pm. We strongly encourage headteachers and school business managers to attend as these sessions are a key opportunity to share your views and help shape and refine the processes post transition.

The final three drop-in sessions this year will focus on testing the proposed processes around the statutory duties remaining for BCC in our ongoing compliance and assurance role as the employer. We are working to ensure that heads of the new service areas are present, so that your questions can be answered directly and your feedback fully considered. Full details and a link to the sessions can be found in this week’s updates, but for any queries or further information please contact Chris Etheridge at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk. Your expertise is essential to this work, and your continued engagement is greatly appreciated.

As we head into the weekend, with warm weather set to continue, I hope you find time to relax and recharge.

With my very best wishes and heartfelt thanks.

Sue

Oracle Transition for Schools

The latest updates can be found at the following links: 

For any queries or further information please contact the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk and they will be pleased to assist.

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Schools Finance

Schools Closing Balances 2024/25

Schools have worked extremely hard over the last few months to close the year end accounts and submit workbooks which has enabled 黑料视频 (BCC) to agree year end balances and subsequently support closing the corporate accounts. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank schools for embracing the new year end process, timetable and attending the drop-in sessions. The overall process has been remarkably successful and would not have been possible without schools being on board.

We are now able to confirm the closing balances for both revenue and capital for all maintained schools, nurseries and the PRU. 

In finalising the balances, BCC provided schools with corporate accruals which were embedded within the workbook. In addition to this, further accruals were added to the workbooks post submission, which may have changed the original workbook closing figure. Where workbooks did not balance, where possible, BCC will have made adjustment(s) against CFR code I08 and E19.

The year end closing balances are provided here: /downloads/download/6775/schools_carry_forward_cfr_2024_to_2025_balances

Guidance on how to interpret the tabs is provided within the document and should be read in conjunction with the closing figures. 

Local Finance Systems at schools

Schools must ensure that their final closing balance within their local finance system mirrors the closing balances provided by BCC. Any differences will need be identified in 2025/26 and colleagues in BCC Education Finance can support you to do this. 

Submitting the CFR to the Department for Education

BCC will shortly be submitting closing balance for each school to the Department for Education (DfE). The closing balances for 2024/25 are now final and cannot change.  Any differences will need to be picked up in 2025/26.

Cheque Book VAT Reimbursement Process

Schools Finance have implemented a new process for monthly VAT Returns. Below is a list of documents both required for completion and supply.

May's deadline has been extended to 15 May, any submissions after this date will be processed in June. From June onwards the timetable provided must be complied with. 

The download includes the Annex A and the VAT Return form which must be completed, signed and returned in Excel format.

Submission timetable and instructions for completion are included within the download.

Required supporting documents:

  • Bank statement
  • Unreconciled items
  • Full VAT Report
  • VAT Summary
  • Balances and reserves

Please note that any missing documentation will result in the claim not been processed until it has been provided and any late submissions will be delayed until the following month.  

Your engagement and support is appreciated, thank you! 

Section 175 Safeguarding Self-assessment

It’s that time of year when schools are required to complete the Section 175 safeguarding self-assessment. 

This self-assessment is a statutory requirement under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 that requires all schools and education settings to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The S175 self-assessment is a mechanism to review and assess whether these arrangements are adequate and effective. It is a valuable reflective tool for schools and settings, and its findings are considered by the Education Safeguarding Team when planning support for schools.

This year, based on the feedback gratefully received from schools, we have incorporated several changes into this refreshed self-assessment tool. These include pre-populating your 2023-24 submission and reducing the size of the audit by removing any duplication.

The S175 self-assessment opens on Monday, 19 May 2025, with a completion deadline of Friday, 12 July.

All DSLs registered with us will receive email notification that the S175 audit is live. For those that are new to the post or not yet registered please contact educationsafeguarding@birmingham.gov.uk

Information will be shared at DSL Network Briefings and a dedicated workshop for those new to completing the S175 will take place Monday, 9 June from 3:30pm - 4.30pm. To book your place, please visit this link:   

黑料视频 SENCo Noticeboard

The next half termly update for all SENCos and SEND leads across the sector has been issued today, sharing messages and information around SEND as part of our improved SEND communication framework SENCO noticeboard. Previous issues of the SENCO Noticeboard can also be found at this link.

If your SENCo/SEND lead has not received an email alert from the Local Offer taking them to the SENCo Noticeboard, then please get in touch with Heather Wood heather.wood@birmingham.gov.uk to make sure they are added to the circulation list.

School Attendance Information

‘Support First’ referrals

As part of ongoing service developments and staffing changes, there has been a delay in processing ‘Support First’ referrals. We are actively working through the current caseload and appreciate your patience during this period of transition.

To support this process and ensure a smooth implementation of upcoming changes to our service model, we kindly ask for your cooperation with the following:

  • Referral Updates: We understand the importance of timely outcomes. However, frequent requests for updates are impacting our ability to progress referrals efficiently. We respectfully ask schools to refrain from sending update requests at this time. We will respond to all referrals as soon as possible.
  • Referral Deadline: To allow time for staff training and the development of new inclusive pathways aligned with our early help approach, all ‘Support First’ referrals for the current academic year must be submitted by 30 June 2025. While we have previously avoided setting a deadline, this measure is necessary to ensure quality and consistency during this period of change.

Please note that Leave of Absence (legal process) referrals may continue beyond this date.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Part-time/reduced timetables

Thank you to all schools that have submitted notifications for children on part-time or reduced timetables. Your cooperation is much appreciated.

If your school currently has pupils on these arrangements and you haven’t yet notified the local authority, please remember that parental consent is now required, and you can find the relevant guidance and forms here: Part-time or reduced timetables | School attendance advice for schools and professionals | 黑料视频.

We've recently been in touch with some schools to request updates. It’s become clear that many colleagues weren’t aware there’s an update form to complete when a part-time timetable ends or continues beyond the original dates.

To help us keep records accurate and up to date, please ensure that:

  • You notify us when a child returns to full-time provision.
  • You submit an update if the arrangement is extended.

Thanks again for your continued support.

Updated Resources

We are pleased to share two updated resources to support school attendance communications with parents and carers:

  • ‘Good Attendance Matters!’ Leaflet
    A downloadable Good Attendance Matters leaflet is now available for schools to share with parents and carers. It highlights the importance of regular school attendance and is suitable for printing in either A4 or A5 format, double-sided.
  • Updated Legal Information Leaflet
    The Legal Action Information leaflet has also been revised. This resource is intended for parents and carers whose child’s attendance has not improved despite support and a formal meeting with the school. If you have already used the previous version during this academic year, there is no need to resend it.

Department for Education school attendance training

The Department for Education (DfE) continues to offer free online training sessions for schools focused on improving attendance. While many schools may have already received this information, we wanted to ensure it’s widely shared.

The next session, titled  will take place on 22 May at 10:00-12:00.

2025 Data Collections for EYFSP, Phonics, KS1 (optional) and KS2

The website for primary data collections has now been updated with all the necessary documentation regarding the statutory EYFSP, Phonics, and optional Key Stage 1 collections. Schools can find this information at /primarydata

The deadlines for each key stage assessment return can be found at this link.

Schools and Academies are required to submit their EYFSP, Phonics, and KS1 (optional) CTF returns to the LA via Perspective Lite. Guidance is available on the website.

KS2 data should be submitted directly to the STA via the .

Schools and Academies must ensure their final returns are submitted by the stated deadlines. Any files received after the deadlines risk not being validated before submission to the DfE, and/or may not be included in the DfE statistical publications.

In preparation, please ensure that your school can log into all necessary systems before the collections begin during the second half of the 2025 Summer term.

Wraparound Childcare Funding Application

Please note that Wraparound Care Grant Funding applications are still LIVE and will remain open until 30 May 2025.

A link to the Application Form together with supporting documentation can be found below:

Funding is available to support providers with the following to increase wraparound care sufficiency in 黑料视频.

  • Creation of places: Create both new before school provision and after-school provision - where there is currently no provision.
  • Extend hours: Extend the hours to meet full wraparound definition (8am to 6pm) - where you already provide wraparound, but it does not meet the 8am to 6pm expectation.
  • Expand provision – Introduce before school provision or after school provision– where you have existing provision in place to meet the full wraparound definition.
  • Expand places: Increase wraparound places - you already offer wraparound at capacity and want to expand due to unmet demand.
  • Combination of above types will be considered in order to best support providers in creating/expanding their offer to meet full wraparound definition.

We will be accepting applications from the following providers:

  • School-led provision delivered by school staff on a school site - Provision that operates on school premises, managed by staff employed directly by a school. The provision is open to all children in that school.
  • Private provider-led provision, on or off school site - Provision that is operated and delivered by staff employed by a private provider. If based on a school site, the private provider may rent space from the school to be able to operate provision. Provision could also be operated on another site rather than on school premises.
  • Community/cluster model - A community-focused model with children from multiple schools attending provision on one site. This could be operated by a lead school, a private provider, a community organisation or any other appropriate body.
  • Childminders - Provision delivered by childminders (registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency), which schools and local authorities’ signpost to. This could consist of a group of childminders working together on a single site or childminders working individually from their homes.
  • Early years providers - Provision delivered by early years providers which may take school aged children during wraparound hours. For example, a local nursery or a pre-school operating on or off a school site may run the provision before and after school hours

Further updates will be provided on the School Noticeboard and the Early Years and Childcare Noticeboard. 

For any queries in the meantime, please contact the team at WAC@黑料视频.gov.uk.

Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn: SEND Co-Production in Schools

Including Tips, Training and Award Scheme information! 

FAO: All school staff and may be of particular interest to SENCos or those responsible for supporting children and young people with additional needs

The 黑料视频 Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn series are online information/training webinars, around 20 minutes long, aimed at school staff.

The next webinar is about SEND co-production in schools on Tuesday, 20 May at 4pm. This session is open to all school staff and may be of particular interest to those responsible for supporting children and young people with additional needs.

Join this session to find out more about SEND co-production in schools and the support available to help you do this effectively. The session will cover:

  • What co-production is and why SEND co-production is important in schools
  • Key factors to consider for effective SEND co-production with pupils and parent carers
  • Free training you can access to develop your skills in SEND co-production and how to sign up for this
  • The SEND co-production award scheme that can help your school evidence and showcase meaningful co-production.

To register for this webinar, please follow this link: .

Educational Visits Co-ordinator (Full & Refresher) Training Courses

Educational Visits Co-ordinator Training OEAP Accredited
Date: 21st May 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £197.45 per delegate
Delivered at Washwood Heath Academy Primary School, Burney Lane, Stechford Lane Stetchford, B8 2AS
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Only refreshments are provided  (No Lunch)

Educational Visits Co-ordinator Revalidation Training OEAP Accredited
Date: 9th June 2025
Start Time:  12:00 p.m. to 15:30 p.m.
Cost: £131.45 per delegate
Delivered via Microsoft Teams
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

Educational Visits Co-ordinator Training OEAP Accredited
Date: 11th July 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £197.45 per delegate
Delivered at Washwood Heath Academy Primary School, Burney Lane, Stechford Lane Stetchford, B8 2AS
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Only refreshments are provided  (No Lunch)

First Aid Courses / MIDAS Training Courses

Level 3 Paediatric First Aid at Work
Date:  2nd & 3rd June 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £185.90 per delegate
Venue:  Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, 黑料视频 B30 2JT
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Lunch or refreshments will NOT be provided 

Emergency First Aid
Date:  9th June 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m.
Cost: £116.00 per delegate
Venue:  Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, 黑料视频 B30 2JT
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note: Lunch or refreshments will NOT be provided 

L3 Emergency Paediatric First Aid at Work
Date:  10th June 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £116.00 per delegate
Venue:  Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, 黑料视频 B30 2JT
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Lunch or refreshments will NOT be provided 

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work
Date:  13th 16th & 17th June 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £220.00 per delegate
Venue:  Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, 黑料视频 B30 2JT
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Lunch or refreshments will NOT be provided 

Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (Requalification)
Date:  30th June & 1st July 2025
Start Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: £185.90 per delegate
Venue:  Stirchley Baths, Bournville Lane, Stirchley, 黑料视频 B30 2JT
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk
Note:  Lunch or refreshments will NOT be provided 

MIDAS Full Day Course
Cost: £300.30 per delegate
Learner Passes now available for purchasing – Book Theory on BESS (Online Training)
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

MIDAS Refresher Course
Cost: £194.15 per delegate
Learner Passes now available for purchasing – Book Theory on BESS (Online Training)
Schools must book on
General Enquiries please Email: schoolsafety@birmingham.gov.uk

Childcare Works - Free Webinars

 is running informal, friendly and informative live sessions to support all Early Years and Wraparound providers and schools to find out more about the wealth of resources, guidance and information available to support.

Find out more and sign up at  

Occupational Therapy Service

FAO: Head Teacher/SENCO

BCHC Plus Occupational Therapists time can be purchased by schools to work with children and young people in mainstream and specialist settings to help them achieve their full potential in activities of daily living that they need, want, or are expected to participate in. These activities include washing, dressing, feeding, toileting, school-based activities such as handwriting and play based activities. BCHC Plus provide additional services supplementing those currently available through locally commissioned NHS provision. Therapists are able to upskill staff in the classroom and support with embedding strategies to meet the needs within your setting.

BCHC Plus can provide universal support through whole school approach to training and improving occupational performance/environmental assessments; targeted support via group work/ parent workshops/classroom observations and specialist 1:1 assessments and interventions of identified priority children.

To find out more about how BCHC Plus can benefit your setting, pupils, families and staff, please visit:  or contact BCHC Plus directly on 0121 466 6266 or e-mail bchc.bchcplus@nhs.net.

Free climate change learning opportunity – Secondary Schools

You are warmly invited to a free climate conference for secondary students across the area.

It will be held in the impressive Council Chambers on Wednesday 12 November 2025 and is supported by 黑料视频. There is formal seating for 16 teams of 5-6 students per country ‘delegation’ and we encourage schools from all areas to participate – book your place asap using the form below. This year:

  • One team of 5-6 students can attend per school – recommended from Y8 upwards
  • Opportunity to showcase your school’s own climate action

Conference outline

This multi-dimensional learning opportunity brings to life UN-style global climate negotiations as student teams represent 16 nations as at COP30 Belém, Brazil. Methodologies enhance a wide range of real-world skills including teamwork, public speaking and collaboration.

Students will then have an important opportunity to investigate climate action and green skills by meeting and questioning local leaders and organisations.

Check out last year’s 黑料视频 Model COP here:

Book your place here:

Learning for Peace

Do you want to find out how to do Learning for Peace in your classroom or school? 

Learning for Peace is a peace education resource for primary schools is packed with activities, games and approaches that can be built into any school or classroom. Find out more here

Learning for peace helps children and young people understand and communicate their emotions and needs.鈥� It helps them get along, work and play together better and supports them to navigate the complex issues they face as they grow up and become more engaged in the world around them. 

We are holding a free taster session, with tips and activities, on Monday 9 June 4-5pm.

  • Find out about the themes of peace, how they support each other and how you can plan for them throughout the curriculum.
  • Try out some games and activities and hear how you can introduce them into your setting.
  • Hear from a schools who has used this approach and the difference it has made.

Book your space via Eventbrite: 

We look forward to seeing you there!

This entry was posted by Jaspal Shambi on 12/05/2025.