Navigating Attendance, SEND Reviews, and Results day(s)

Well the weather is mixed in the UK so if you find yourself stuck indoors avoiding the rain, then what better way to chillout than grabbing your tablet, firing up LinkedIn and reading the latest episode of The Ed & Tech Times.

For those of you lucky enough to be sat at a pool bar drinking a cocktail of choice or an ice cold Lemon Fanta (other brands are available), you know you want a break to brush up on the latest news in the world of Ed & Tech haha ??

As always we have tried to bring you the latest information in three areas:

1. Ofsted news
2. Department for Education news
3. EdTech News

This week however we have a bonus feature for those of you who are parents of young adults receiving GCSE or A-Level results.

Ofsted news

Wait for health services and assessments is too long

This year saw Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission launch a new inspection regime for education, health and care services, and to date nine reports have been published. The nine areas with published reports are:

• Brighton
• Cornwall
• Gateshead
• Greenwich
• Hartlepool
• Nottinghamshire
• Southend
• Telford and Wrekin
• Warrington

Less than half received the top rating which is "typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities". That means that Brighton, Hartlepool, Greenwich and Telford and Wrekin can expect their next full area SEND inspection within approximately five years.

The middle judgement is for local area partnerships whose arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, and applies to Cornwall, Gateshead, Southend and Warrington, who can now expect another full inspection in within approximately three years. Ofsted and CQC say these local area partnerships must work jointly to make improvements.

Of the nine, just one local authority, Nottinghamshire, received the lowest judgement which means that inspectors found widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, “which the local area partnership must address urgently”.

They must submit a "priority action plan" and can expect a full inspection within approximately three years, following a monitoring inspection within 18 months.

A common theme across these inspections is that children with SEND are waiting too long to access services.

Department for Education news

Working together to improve school attendance

On the 1st, August 2023 the DfE updated it's working together to improve school attendance guidance, which can be found in full here but in summary the guidance is for:

• maintained schools
• academies
• independent schools
• local authorities

And it is designed to:

• help schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities maintain high levels of school attendance
• summarise the roles and responsibilities of parents and carers, schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities
• summarise the support that should be provided to families, including for pupils who are persistently or severely absent, or at risk of becoming so
• provide details of legal interventions available to schools and local authorities where attendance support does not work, is not engaged with or is not appropriate
• provide details of what schools are required to record in their attendance and admission registers

The amendment made on 1st, August 2023 simple saw a link to guidance on school attendance for parents added.

This link will take you to a handy summary table that show responsibilities for school attendance.

Local authority interactive tool (LAIT)

For those like me who love data, the above tool was updated on 1st, August 2023 and presents interactive tables and charts with local authority's rank and position in England included.

The tool(s) can be found here and has data on the following:

• children looked after by local authorities
• child protection
• special educational needs and disability (SEND)
• pupil attainment
• children’s health
• post-16 circumstances
• judgements from Ofsted

The ‘Children’s services statistical neighbour benchmarking tool’ allows you to select a local authority and display its ‘closest statistical neighbours’ (local authorities with similar characteristics).

Original data on the?LAIT?is sourced from:

• Explore Education Statistics
• Ofsted
• Public Health Profiles
• the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
• statistics on children in low income families
• Office for National Statistics data on conception rates
• youth justice statistics
• Assessed child deaths - modifiable factors

Ofsted’s 5-year inspection data?is also available for children’s social care, early years, further education and skills, non-association independent schools, initial teacher education providers and state-funded schools.

School census dates

Every school in England has a statutory duty to complete the school census each term.

If you are a maintained school or pupil referral unit, you should contact your local authority to find out their deadlines for submission.

2023 to 2024 census dates

Autumn census

• census date – Thursday 5 October 2023
• return date – Wednesday 1 November 2023

Spring census

• census date – Thursday 18 January 2024
• return date – Wednesday 14 February 2024

Summer census

• census date – Thursday 16 May 2024
• return date – Wednesday 12 June 2024

Guidance about every piece of information you need to send as part of your school census, in autumn 2023, spring and summer 2024 can be found here, while further guidance on completing the census can be found at this link.

EdTech news

SENsible SENCO and Accelerate team up

We have some exciting news from Accelerate as our founders have joined the board of SENsible SENCO CIC , Since its launch in 2021, SENsible SENCO has built an incredible community of nearly 12,000 UK-based SENCOs and SEN professionals who rely on their support resources to excel in their roles.

Together, Accelerate and SENsible SENCO will maintain their not-for-profit status, reinvesting profits into schools in the UK. They will also focus on expanding their member network and enhancing the experience for partners and members alike.

Joshua Perry releases latest MIS blog

I always find this blog fascinating and look out for every update. If you are an EdTech enthusiast or interested in Management Information Systems (MIS) in schools then you should look out for every episode too. Here's the link, give it a read and give Josh a follow.

I don't want to steal any thunder but this one stat blew my mind "In autumn 2018, SIMS was the chosen school Management Information System (MIS) for 76% of England's state primaries. At that time, Bromcom and Arbor's combined market share was 2%. In the five years since then, we've witnessed the kind of shift that happens rarely in the often slow-moving world of edtech....." now you have to read the blog haha.

Summer timeline

A Bonus feature by Go Accelerate 's very own David Surfleet that is designed to help schools and parents of young adults receiving GCSE and A-Level results, understand the often confusing key dates.

A-Level results

Wednesday 16th, August 2023: A-level and T-level results released to schools, and only schools.

Thursday 17th, August 2023: A-Level results day, students can access results.

Key points for those going through university clearing, remember to take the following when you go to collect your results:

• Your Ucas letter and contact details for any offers.
• Your Ucas ID number.
• Details of any qualifications, including GCSEs.
• Copies of personal statements and references.

This link may be useful and takes you to the Ucas website where students can search for clearing courses.

Thursday 31st, August 2023: Deadline to request a priority copy of the paper.

Thursday 28th, September 2023: Deadline to request a review of marking.

Tuesday 17th, October 2023: Clearing closes

GCSE results

Wednesday 23rd, August 2023: GCSE results released to schools, and only schools.

Thursday 24th, August 2023: GCSE results day, students can access results.

Key points to remember:

• While some guidance says results are available from 8am, some schools may stagger times or even email. If you are a parent reading this please check
• Students don’t usually need ID to collect results, although some schools may advise bringing this to ensure a speedy collection process.
• It’s often recommended that any acceptance letters and the relevant contact details for any sixth form or college a student is interested in attending are on hand in order to confirm acceptance or the next steps.

Thursday 7th, September 2023: Deadline to request a priority copy of the marked paper.

Thursday 28th, September 2023: Deadline to request a review of marking.

I hope you found this episode insightful and useful, if so please remember to repost and share with others in your network. If you would like to see something a bit different, comment or DM and let me know.

Lets sign off by saying good luck to all of those out there waiting to receive their A-Level or GCSE results and start the next chapter of their lives.