28 September 2019 weekly update

Dear Colleagues

Department for Education consultations and information regarding support for pupils with medical conditions

Please see a range of information about current Department for Education consultations on restraint, school transport and issues over support for pupils with medical conditions (PDF, 159.1 KB).

Please contribute to the consultations and share this information with your SENCO.

Supporting school leaders to provide high-quality social and emotional learning

A new guide from the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) and Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is designed to act as a starting point for Primary school leaders to critically review how they support children’s social and emotional development.

There is extensive evidence associating childhood social and emotional skills with improved outcomes at school, and in later life, in relation to physical and mental health, academic achievement, crime, employment and income. Many teachers and school leaders recognise that supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs is a large and often unacknowledged part of the job.

This new guide seeks to build a shared understanding of what good quality social and emotional learning (SEL) provision looks like, and how the existing evidence on effective SEL interventions can be integrated within the curriculum and day-to-day school activities. It sets out a range of simple and practical techniques which teachers can use or model, based on the common features of programmes which have been shown to be effective, as well as recommendations for school leaders on issues such as implementing SEL programmes and developing a whole-school approach to social and emotional support.

Find out more at the EIF website

Key messages from research on looked-after children and CSA

The Centre of expertise on CSA has published the next paper in their key messages from research series, focusing on looked-after children and child sexual abuse.

Read the key messages from research on looked-after children and child sexual abuse paper

Early Years education available for two year olds in NRPF households

The government has extended eligibility for the free early education entitlement for two year old children in England to include children in families where the parents have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This is a positive change which will enable two year old children in low income NRPF households to benefit from Early Years education. The extended 30 hours of funded childcare for 3 and 4 year olds remains unavailable to families where a single parent or both parents have leave to remain with NRPF.

Find out more on the NRPF website

Matt Dunkley CBE
Corporate Director
Children, Young People and Education