Offer to Kent Schools and Early Years Providers

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Advice, guidance and model documents for the parent and staff governor election process and Local Authority Governor appointment and removal processes
• Telephone and email support regarding statutory and legislative responsibilities
• Compliant instrument of government for governing bodies
• Support to allow governing bodies to federate, de-federate, collaborate and amalgamate, if required
• Support for governing bodies in challenging circumstances, as agreed with School Improvement and in line with Schools Causing Concern legislation.

For further details please contact Governor Services.

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Advice and guidance, via an email and telephone help desk, on the impact of the Equality Act on their roles and responsibilities.

For further details please contact Equality Diversity Inclusion Team.

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Signposting to advice and guidance.

For further details please contact Outdoor Learning call 03000 410 901

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• regular support aligned to the categorisation of their school
• a core offer of visits:
  • red schools to receive eight visits
  • amber schools to receive three visits
  • green schools to receive two visits
• additional funded visits for maintained schools where this funding is secured. The Education People work closely with the local authority to secure additional funding on a regular basis, where funding is secured, this provides additional visits from our specialist advisers
• a dedicated named school improvement adviser
• access to an area Senior Improvement Primary Adviser / Head of Service providing additional support and guidance where appropriate
• support during inspection including attendance at inspection feedback
• regular headteacher briefings providing information and guidance around local and national issues
• regular newsletters signposting key information for headteachers
• advice and guidance around statutory assessments, including moderation for any schools subject to statutory moderation
• support for governors with headteacher recruitment, including advice to the appointment panel, shortlisting and attending selection.
• Support securing interim leadership arrangements where required.

All local-authority schools with a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) receive visits from the Special Adviser who sits within the secondary school improvement team.

In additional to the core funded offer, all schools have access to a wide range of commissioned training and support from our dedicated adviser team.

The Education People will also work with school-to-school support networks including: KAH, Kent Special Education Needs Trust and the Teaching School Hubs Alliance by identifying countywide and national school improvement priorities.

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Telephone and email support in relation to statutory responsibilities
• Financial updates, including Bursars and Finance staff meetings
• Analysis and feedback on all statutory returns including the provision of standardised excel templates for non-BPS users
• Uploading of the year-end accounts to the DfE
• Financial training, either classroom-based, webinars or E-learning
• Compliance visits to support financial assurance, including a follow up report, at least once every four years
• Reimbursement of VAT
• Loan support, including information on applying for and arrangement of payments
• Support if in financial difficulty, including agreeing a deficit recovery plan
• Corporate bank account and card schemes
• Financial test for headteachers during the recruitment process
• Information on applying for redundancy payments.

For further details please contact Schools Financial Services.

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Support to track the September Guarantee and destination tracking data
• Support the post 16 online application process for young people in year 11
• Support to develop appropriate programmes and events to ensure an effective post 16 transition
• Support to implement the National Careers Strategy
• Access to Careers and Enterprise Co-ordinators who work across the county to support careers advisers with training and links to local employers
• Access to careers engagement events across the county.

Support with Apprenticeships, including:

• The apprenticeship levy and support to provide your own apprenticeships and access appropriate training providers
• Apprenticeship Kent website
• Real time support for young people applying to apprenticeships via live chat and helplines
• Employer links to support pathways to employment including pre-apprenticeship, internship and apprenticeship opportunities
• Specialist advice and guidance to young people in school – four hours per year made up from the following list:
  • Apprenticeship presentation covering what an apprenticeship is, the types available, how to apply and application advice
  • Higher apprenticeship presentation covering a comparison to university, the types available, how to apply and application advice
  • Student support including signposting to websites, signing students up to apprenticeship sites and group/individual discussions
  • One to one student meetings including a discussion about the apprenticeship options, signposting to relevant websites and employers, application advice and research on apprenticeships available in their sector of interest
  • Q&A session, possibly after a presentation or a separate visit when students have prepared questions
  • Attendance at careers events/parents’ evenings including a stand, advice for parents and students about apprenticeships
  • Small group sessions on specific topics, for example opportunity awareness, CV writing and ready to work.

Every (KCC) local authority-maintained school will be eligible to receive:

• Support to identify and help young people from Troubled Families to access employment, training and education opportunities in partnership with employers, colleges and training providers
• Supported employment opportunities for SEN students who meet the KCC criteria in the last year of schooling from 16+.

• Regular bulletins at least once a term
• A central website for up to date guidance
• Briefing and networking sessions
• Representation, via the Early Years and Childcare Provider Association, to underpin a strategic partnership between early years and childcare providers and Kent County Council
• Career advice, via telephone and email
• Information and guidance to enable delivery of places
• Support to meet their duties under the EYFS Statutory Framework, including pre-LIFT visits and attendance at LIFT meetings
• Framework of advice and guidance to support effective transitions for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage
• Support to meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice and to understand their responsibilities in meeting the needs of children, including attendance at SENCo Forums
• Training, advice and support on providing for Children in Care and those with SEND
• Support relating to parents claiming Early Years Pupil Premium funding and monitoring of the impact of that funding
• Advice, support and challenge, via telephone and email, on safeguarding issues including escalation of professional concerns*
• Representation on multi-agency groups and panels*
• Support or, potentially, challenge at child protection meetings if appropriate*
• An exemplar up to date Child Protection policy and Acceptable Use Policy for education providers to adapt and make specific to their own setting to help them meet their statutory requirements*
• The Child Protection newsletter 3 times a year, which provides updates on changes in legislation and local and national statutory and non-statutory guidance and procedures*
• Support in times of crisis and unexpected critical incidents, for example attendance at Early Response meetings following the unexpected death of a child who attends a school.*

*to be provided by the Education Safeguarding Team, also within The Education People.

Annual Conversation Visit

The principle aim of these visits is to reduce the risk of providers falling below a ‘good’ judgement. The purpose of this visit is to explore and understand the setting’s approach:
- to the monitoring of the quality of provision, the safeguarding and welfare requirements and its place within the self-evaluation and setting improvement planning processes.
- to engage in a professional discussion about the quality of teaching and learning, the observation and planning for the full range of learners’ needs and interests *The effectiveness of the care for children’s personal development, behaviour and welfare

It will also be an opportunity for you to review actions from the last inspection and the progress towards the priorities and actions in your setting improvement plan.

• Advice and support in readiness for their first Ofsted inspection including visits, if appropriate, with the aim of ensuring they achieve at least a ‘Good’.

• Personalised advice, support and challenge tailored to meet the Ofsted requirements
• Visit(s) to the setting, frequency dependent on rating and issues raised by Ofsted.

• Visit(s), if appropriate and certain criteria is met, to support maintaining a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ judgement
• The provision of a closed social media group, providing key local and national updates and good practice information
• Support for childminders caring for children beyond the usual school starting age to ensure they meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage
• Telephone and email support through a Childminding Adviser.

• A “New Childminder Pack”
• Advice and support visits for registered childminders in readiness for their first Ofsted inspection with the aim of ensuring they achieve at least a ‘Good’.

• Briefing session for potential childminders
• Telephone and email support through the Childminding Coordinator.

• Personalised advice, support and challenge tailored to meet the Ofsted requirements.