Newsletter | Summer Term 2023

Newsletter | Summer Term 2023

Hello and welcome to our Summer Term Newsletter. The purpose of these new e-newsletters is to inform you about the latest things happening at Focus Education and also point you in the direction of important documents you might find helpful.

WATCH

FREE Curriculum Webinar with Clive Davies, OBE
Our free webinar is still available to watch online at www.focus-education.co.uk
It is just over one hour long, and Clive discusses substantive and disciplinary knowledge. You can watch this at any time; just complete the online form and select the best time to watch, and it will send you a reminder.
Recent feedback from one Blackburn headteacher: ‘Really helpful to support honing in on curriculum development, sequencing and learning’.

READ

Latest Blogs

Our website has a wide selection of useful blogs that can prove interesting and helpful reading. Our five most recent blogs:

Attending to Attendance – Let’s Tip the Balance Back to School

Top Tips for Writing your Self-Evaluation

Raising Aspirations – Top 10 Tips

Governors and the Curriculum

Headteacher Appraisal Consultancy

Useful Information issued over the last few weeks…

  • Ofsted has announced changes to improve aspects of its work with schools.
  • The DfE has published the updated Keeping Children Safe in Education for use from September 2023.
  • The DfE issued a press release announcing that leading experts in child safeguarding, health, teaching, curriculum development and equalities will contribute to reviewing the statutory guidance on RSHE.
  • The DfE has published guidance for school leaders and induction tutors on supporting teachers and changing training based on the early career framework.

 

Ofsted website link >>>

*** Focus Education provides a service for primary leaders with short summaries of important documents, publications and developments. The service ensures that busy leaders get the information straight to their email as PDF documents. Each update outlines the main headlines in clear no-nonsense language and tells you where you can find more information. The updates are written by members of our consultancy team so are written by people who understand what schools need to know.

This service is intended to save you time and keep you up to speed. The cost is £150 for the year which equates to just £12.50 per month.***

TEAM NEWS

Consultants

We are delighted to announce we have expanded our Consultancy team to include even more expertise to support you and your school or academy. Click on any of the names to read more about their background.

Specialists in Leadership Training, including Raising Quality, School Improvement Planning and Performance Management

Lea Hannam

Emma Ford

Curriculum and Subject Specialists

Bethany Hunter

Lawrence Carr

Alex Neophitou

Specialists in Safeguarding, Inclusion and SEND

Janice Wilson

Andrew Chadwick

If you would like to discuss how we can work with your school organisation, please contact the team on 01457 821818 or email consultancy@focus-education.co.uk

We can provide bespoke training in any area you feel you need support in or we can work with you in a SIP capacity. Read more

DOWNLOAD

FREE Download > Carrying out a Deep Dive in Art & Design

Worth £6.00

Written to support subject leaders in evaluating their subject following the ‘deep dive’ process of the inspection framework, this download will not only help subject leaders develop their understanding of the relative strengths and areas for development but also help prepare them for the inspection process. The documents consist of ten questions for each of the six elements of the deep dive process. These are based on questions used during actual inspections. They will enable a subject leader to focus on the key aspects of each element as part of their ongoing monitoring and evaluation. There is also a table to record the response to each question, the supporting evidence and any identified next steps to be incorporated into subject leaders’ action planning.

These are useful documents for subject leaders, especially if a school is likely to be inspected relatively soon. To see the product on our website, click here

To receive your free download, please email customerservices@focus-education.co.uk

COURSES

Our Autumn term courses have just gone live and we are offering an Early Bird Discount on all courses in autumn booked before 31st July 23. Book before the end of the summer to receive £20 off per delegate.

All of our autumn courses will take place over zoom. We understand the changing environment and pressure you are under as a school, so we are giving you more flexibility. If you are unable to attend, we can offer you a 2 week window to access the recording of the training.

View all Focus Live Courses here > https://www.focus-education.co.uk/pages/courses

If you cannot attend a Live Course, we offer a full library of OnDemand courses you can watch at your leisure. Prices range from £50-£250 to buy and keep. Find out more here

INSPECTION BRIEFINGS

Our popular Inspection Briefings are back for 2023-2024. These half-termly online sessions will inform headteachers and deputy headteachers of the latest messages from Ofsted. These will be relevant and up-to-date, informed by the latest training for inspectors, as well as feedback and first-hand experience from schools that have recently been inspected. With Focus Education working with schools across the whole of England, we can draw upon a wide range of best practice and advice, condensing this into concise and meaningful updates for busy senior leaders. Each half-termly session will run between 30 to 60 minutes depending on content and all material will be shared as a handout.

These sessions will be available to access via Zoom. If you are unable to attend, just drop us an email prior to the briefing and we can send you a link to watch it as an On-demand clip (the link will last for 2 weeks after the briefing date).

Dates | 2nd October 23 | 4th December 23 | 12th February 24 | 18th March 24 | 20th May 24 | 8th July 24

Time | 15:45pm – 17:00pm

Each individual briefing is priced at £35 each and these can be booked separately
https://www.focus-education.co.uk/products/inspection-briefings-for-school-leaders?_pos=1&_sid=578141b4b&_ss=r

Alternatively take advantage of our special offer of all 6 for £180

PUBLICATIONS

If you have any questions or feedback for us, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our small and friendly team. You can contact us at customerservice@focus-education.co.uk

Have a lovely weekend

Claire & the team

Focus Education

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