UPDATE NO 470 10 September 2021

Early Help Network

Next month will see the first meeting for the SESLIP Early Help Network. Many thanks to Sarah Gee (Assistant Director, Early Help and Communities at Bracknell Forest) for providing the initial energy for this network, and to Grainne Siggins (DCS Bracknell Forest) for agreeing to sponsor this group.

Rebecca Eligon (contact details below) will be convening the group, and many thanks to all who have helped identify the Early Help Leads in each authority. Please let us know if there any changes to the list.

SESLIP Memorandum of Understanding 2021-2022

The Memorandum of Understanding which underpins our regional work has been revised and updated to reflect the requirements of the DfE’s Regional Recovery and Building Back Better Fund.

We are now asking each partner to arrange for the Memorandum pdf version or word version to be signed and returned to us, after which they will be posted here. Thanks to Portsmouth and Windsor and Maidenhead for rethurning theirs.

School-led Tutoring Grant

On 2 September, DfE published details of the School-led tutoring grant. All state-funded primary, middle and secondary schools and academy trusts in England will receive £202.50 per pupil for 60% of their pupils that are eligible for pupil premium (£529 in special schools and units).

The guidance is here and the conditions of grant are here

School-led tutoring is 1 of 3 subsidised tutoring options that are available through the national tutoring programme. The national tutoring programme supports disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils from year 1 to 11 to catch up on missed education due to COVID-19.

Future dates for network meetings

Lead Members Group: Friday 8 October 9.30- 12.30. Expert Workshop #3: Understanding adolescents and the challenges and risks faced supporting and safeguarding complex young people. More information from Alison Michalska (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: Tuesday 14 September 2021. More information from Alastair Lee (contact details below)

Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board: Tuesday 12 October 2021. More information from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

AD Education: Friday 17 September – 10.00am. More information from Chris Owen (contact details below)

AD Safeguarding: Friday 10 December 2021. More information from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: tba December 2021. 2pm – 5pm. More information from Amanda Meadows (contact details below)

Fostering Network: 10.30am Monday 4 October 2021. More information from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

SEND SE19: Preparing for Adulthood Forum 21 September 2021 13:30 – 15:30 More information from Tracey Maytas (contact details below)

Data Accelerator Fund supports two projects in the South East

On 3 September 2021, MHCLG announced the award of £1.2m to two projects in the South East from the Data Accelerator Fund.

They are: £280k to an East Sussex-led consortium investigating better and more useful data for Early Help services; and £915k to Reading, Wokingham, West Berkshire and Portsmouth to develop and spread a data hub that collates info from a range of sources to help track & provide evidence of sustained, whole family outcomes in the Troubled Families Programme.

DfE invites applications for its SLIP (SEND) programme

The DfE has issued an invitation to bid for LAs interested in becoming Sector-Led Improvement Partners for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

The invitation is restricted: you cannot have a ‘written statement of action’ from SEND1 (unless it was completely cleared by SEND2); nor be ILACS Inadequate; nor be part of the DfE Safety Valve programme, nor have a DSG deficit of 1% or higher at the time of bidding or at any point during the grant funded period.

The bidding process is the same as the SLIP process successfully undertaken by Hampshire earlier this year, and Alison Smailes has offered to share her experience with anyone contemplating a bid.

The deadline for bids is 1 November 2021, and any grant awarded will run from Jan 2022 to March 2023 with an option to extend for a further year.