UPDATE NO 411 10 July 2020

Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) – September 2020 launch postponed

DfE announcement 25 June 2020

In response to the 2017 primary assessment consultation, the government announced plans to introduce a statutory reception baseline assessment (RBA) in autumn 2020. Due to the challenging circumstances faced by schools in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, statutory introduction of the RBA has been postponed to Autumn 2021. Instead, schools have the opportunity to sign up to the RBA Early Adopter year.

The RBA framework and the RBA validity report are now available. If you have any questions about the reception baseline assessment, please contact 0330 088 4171

State funded schools with a reception cohort will be able to participate in the RBA Early Adopter year. Schools who choose to participate will receive assessment materials shortly before the October 2020 half term, with the optional assessment window opening for six-weeks after the October half term.

Participation is optional, even after signing up. Data gathered from the Early Adopter year will not be used for the purpose of the progress measure, and a full privacy notice can be found here. The recruitment window for schools to sign up opens on 25 June and closes on 24 July 2020.

An information leaflet is available here

DfE Consultation on Revisions to the Schools Admission Code

On 26 June, DfE launched a consultation on changes to the Schools Admissions Code which closes on 16 October 2020.

DfE says, “We’re seeking views on a revised version of the statutory School Admissions Code. The Code was last updated in 2014. The revised Code seeks to clarify and improve the process in which children are admitted to school outside of the normal admissions round in light of a number of Government reviews.” 

The draft proposed code is here, and the consultation document is here. The existing 2014 version is here.

DfE goes on to sy, “Additionally, the revised Code will also provide additional information and details that will support admission authorities in discharging their duties effectively.

“We remain committed to amending the School Admissions Code in relation to the admission of summer born children, but are unable to make those changes at this time because they will require primary legislation. We are, therefore, not seeking views about the admission of summer born children as part of this consultation.”

Responses are either online or via email to AdmissionsCode.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk or by post School Admissions Code Consultation Department for Education Admissions, Academies Portfolio and School Organisation Division Level 3, Bishopsgate House Darlington DL1 5QE before 16 October 2020.

Local authority school places scorecards 2019 published by DfE

The scorecards display a snapshot of the progress local authorities are making in delivering good quality school places. Published 25 June 2020 by the DfE

The figures show a ten-year rise in the South East’s pupil numbers: 20.4% in primary (compared to 19.1% in England); and 17.9% in secondary (18.0% in England). The rise in primary numbers varies between no change in Isle of Wight and 45% increase in Slough, whereas the changes in secondary range from -16% in Isle of Wight to 87% increase in Reading. 

The local authority scorecard shows:

how many places have been delivered for the academic year 2018 to 2019
how many places are planned to be delivered for the academic year 2021 to 2022
information about the quality of places delivered for the academic year 2018 to 2019
forecasting accuracy of local authorities
how well parental preference is met
information on the cost of providing places

Research Briefing One: Child Protection, Social Distancing and Risks from COVID-19 – Birmingham University

This project found nine overlapping influences on social workers’ decisions, and in particular on when and how they conducted visits. These included professional values, government guidance and its interpretation, availability of IT provision for staff and for families, access to PPE, organisational openness to innovation and fears around imminent inspection. All social workers who had contributed to the study and had entered family homes described maintaining social distancing with young people as being impossible.

The paper calls for staff to be given more consistent guidance that made clear they did not need to take personal risks they felt uncomfortable with. It added that leaders and managers – including within Ofsted – must address “organisational anxieties” by reiterating to frontline staff that the constraints Covid-19 has placed on practice will be taken into account in future monitoring and inspections.

The briefing paper is here.

One key finding was that regardless of any guidance, social worker risk-taking had been influenced by their equipment. Where provision of IT and, in particular, mobile technology was poor, many simply were not able to make the virtual visits that have become favoured for families deemed to have lower needs, making face-to-face visits more common.

This research project explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child protection practice and children and families, with the aim of improving the capacity of social workers to keep children safe in a period of institutionalised social distancing. The 15 month research project is being funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the UK Research and Innovation call for studies that can contribute to understanding and alleviating the social impact of the pandemic. The research is being done in four (anonymous) local authorities in England and our project partners Research in Practice and the British Association of Social Workers are working with us to help disseminate the findings and scale up the impact of the research. Further information, including project reports, can be found on our website.

Zero Suicide Alliance – Social Risk Factors Map

The Zero Suicide Alliance has published an interactive map of the social risk factors influencing under-50 suicide in England. The map shows grades for each region, and each local authority: Action Required; Urgent Action Required; Immediate Action Required.

Overall the south east is categorised as “Action Required”, but at individual local authority level Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Medway and Portsmouth are all in the “Immediate Action Required” category.

ZSA says, “We hope that this map empowers suicide prevention leads, politicians, commissioners and the public to understand the social factors and how they can be addressed to support a suicide prevention plan in their area. Our 11 factors are split into 3 core headings:

“Children and Young People; Mental Health and Substance Misuse; Employment and Income

“These 11 indicators have one factor common to all: poverty is the most important predeterminant and drives worse outcomes in all categories including overall suicide rates. If you as an individual, organisation or tier of government take only one action from the many suggested below, do everything you can to ‘level up’ your most deprived residents, patients and neighbours by reducing poverty.”

The methodology paper is published here.

Suicide Prevention – on line training from the Zero Suicide Alliance

Andrea King, Specialist Advisor CYP Mental Health, NHSEngland (South East) writes,

“Following the rise in child suicides and South East clusters of suicide the following recommendations have been made, and are now being adopted nationally. These recommendations arose originally from learning in the Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Southampton & Portsmouth areas

“Disseminating free suicide prevention training to the CYP multi-professional workforce (please spread this as widely as possible). This is the preferred training and it is accredited by HEE, online and free to use. It is from the Zero Suicide Alliance and it is a 20-minute e-learning module called Suicide Let’s Talk aimed at supporting anyone to build skills and confidence talking to someone who may be considering suicide.  Suitable for all ages.”

Andrea King has two further recommendations:

“Adapting the questions asked at home visit/Rapid Response/JAR following the death of a child where suicide is suspected to enable protected characteristics, risk and trigger factors to be more clearly identified

“Using this detail to inform Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) strategic analysis and systems learning”

She adds, 

“This is straight-forward and relatively simple to do. These changes are strongly supported by NHSE, DfE and DHSC too (cross-governmental support) and I am happy to support discussions with CDOP Chairs and Safeguarding Executives where that would be helpful. Please contact me, Andrea King, 07702 405081. Please note that my usual working days are Thursday and Friday”

Coronavirus: children and young people’s mental health – new report from the Centre for Mental Health

The Centre for Mental Health has published a report looking at the impact of the coronavirus crisis on mental health including children’s mental health. The report calls on the Government to take urgent action on mental health inequalities in its planning for recovery from the pandemic.

The report is introduced here and the full text is here

The Centre for Mental Health says

“The Covid-19 pandemic could entrench and exacerbate inequalities in mental health for a generation unless concerted action is taken to close the gap, according to a report published today by Centre for Mental Health and supported by 12 mental health charities.”

The report is introduced here and the full text is here

Emerging Minds – Co-space Study 4th update published

Emerging Minds has published an update on findings from the Co-SPACE study looking at how families are coping during the coronavirus pandemic, and what parents can do to help support their children’s mental health. 

More than 10,000 parents have now taken part in the Co-SPACE (COVID-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children in Epidemics) survey led by experts at the University of Oxford.

Findings from a survey of 2,890 parents and carers who took part in the baseline questionnaire and the first follow up questionnaire show that, over a one-month period in lockdown: parents and carers of primary school age children reported an increase in their child’s emotional, behavioural, and attention difficulties; and parents and carers of secondary school age children reported a reduction in their child’s emotional difficulties, but an increase in attention difficulties.

The 4th Update is introduced here and the full report is here