Primary English, maths and science subject leader clusters – summer 2019
Bookings are open for our subject leader clusters, running in local areas from 29th April to 9th May. These funded (free to attend) termly cluster meetings are an excellent way to keep up to date with all the news, issues and developments in English, maths and science. Places at each venue are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.  Subject leader clusters
Monday 25th March 2019 |
|
Register as an early adopter: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education
The Department for Education is looking for schools to act as early adopters of the RSE curriculum and begin teaching the new subjects from September 2019. Register as an early adopter
Friday 22nd March 2019 |
Hertfordshire Headteacher Spring updates
Following on from the Hertfordhsire Headteacher Spring updates, documents including the Governor awards nomination form, the whole school approach to mental health poster and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship FAQs and links to Ofsted and DfE documents are now available. Hertfordshire Headteacher Spring updates
Friday 22nd March 2019 |
Delivering new sports and physical activity related projects - webinars
On Monday 1st April, Richard Sutcliffe from Funding 4 Sport is hosting a bespoke funding webinar for schools. The webinar will identify relevant funding streams that can support schools to deliver new sports and physical activity related projects. It will focus on smaller funding streams ranging from £300 up to £10k, as well as larger funding streams ranging from £10k all the way up to £500k, covering both revenue and capital funding. Funding webinars for schools
Thursday 21st March 2019 |
Parental Engagement: Best Practice and First Response - Tuesday 14th May 2019
Herts for Learning are delighted to announce our parental engagement conference taking place on Tuesday 14th May is now available to book. The conference will give schools an opportunity to demonstrate their work with parents and give ideas to colleagues across the county. With a special price of £45 per delegate, this is an opportunity not to be missed. Places are limited so book soon to avoid disappointment. Parental Engagement: Best Practice and Frist Response
Wednesday 20th March 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (19th March)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Plans launched to boost quality of post -16 qualifications, Modern Governor joins with Herts for Learning to support school governance across England, and find out what Bishop’s Stortford students are doing to help the environment. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 20th March 2019 |
Conference programmes available: Primary Curriculum Symposium 2019
Herts for Learning are delighted to confirm the full programmes for Primary Curriculum Symposium launching on 20th May 2019. Across the three conference days, sessions will be delivered by: Mary Myatt, Education Adviser; Clare Sealy, Headteacher, St Matthias School, Tower Hamlets; Marina Breeze, Headteacher, Little Munden C of E (VC) Primary School, Ware; Tim Oates, Group Director of Assessment Research and Development, Cambridge Assessment; Marcus Cooper, Primary Adviser, Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and a range of specialist advisers and consultants from Herts for Learning. Primary Curriculum Symposium
Tuesday 19th March 2019 |
Love That Book workshop roadshow: Last Stop on Market Street
Following excellent feedback for the workshops on offer at this year’s Love That Book conference, we are delighted to be able to take a number of the workshops ‘on the road’ this summer. In this workshop, Kathy will use the wonderful, award-winning picture book ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ by Matt De La Pena. Love That Book workshop roadshow
Tuesday 19th March 2019 |
Revising for Grade 4 in Mathematics: A 10 week GCSE revision programme
The Secondary Maths team at Herts for Learning have successfully launched a ready-made revision programme for GCSE Mathematics Grade 4, designed to make revision as easy and productive as possible. ‘Revising for Grade 4 in Mathematics’ consists of 30 revision sessions, each one focusing on a topic which is important for GCSE success at Grade 4. The programme is designed to encourage independent working and to complement revision offered by schools. Visit the Herts for Learning online shop
Tuesday 19th March 2019 |
|
Stone to Iron Age Prehistory INSET courses, at Celtic Harmony Camp near Hertford
Celtic Harmony’s prehistory experts have designed 3 INSET Day courses in 2019 to help support teachers to create an engaging Prehistory topic at KS2, ‘Britain from Stone, Bronze and Iron Age’. Interactive talks by Archaeologist Keith Fitzpatrick Matthews and primitive skills workshops with Luca Parrella Celtic Harmony Heritage Director with classroom resources. Limited spaces secure your place today! Read more
Thursday 14th March 2019 |
Free or low cost computing CPD for teachers
Herts for Learning is happy to be supporting the National Centre for Computing Education, in delivering and promoting free or low cost computing CPD opportunities for teachers in KS1 to A level. Bursaries are also available for some courses, for eligible teachers. Read more
Thursday 14th March 2019 |
Appointment of new non-executive director to the Herts for Learning Board
Herts for Learning Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Staples as a non-executive director to the HfL Board. Robert is the Headteacher at Fairlands Primary School, a large, three-form entry primary school located in Stevenage. He was elected, unopposed, to the role of primary school / academy phase non-executive director and will replace Amanda Godfrey on the HfL Board from April 2019. New non-executive director
Thursday 14th March 2019 |
Sixth Form curriculum and funding update – summer 19
Bookings are now open for our summer term Sixth Form curriculum and funding update on Wednesday 1st May. The update will provide Sixth Form leads with the most up-to-date funding information, to include 2019/20 allocations and early planning for 2020/21 Sixth Form allocations. Delegates attending will also hear from Kevin Gilmartin, Post-16 lead for ASCL, who will be discussing the key drivers of the changing post-16 landscape. Sixth Form curriculum and funding update
Wednesday 13th March 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (12th March)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… 10 top tips for school leaders and governing boards, details about Herts for Learning’s Primary Curriculum Symposium 2019, and find out how what happened when a Hertfordshire school held a ‘wellbeing day’. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 13th March 2019 |
Modern Governor joins with Herts for Learning to support school governance across England
Herts for Learning (HfL) is delighted to announce a brand new partnership with Modern Governor to support and develop strategic leadership in schools and academies across England. Modern Governor is the leading online governance learning solution for local authorities, multi-academy trusts and individual schools & academies. Read more on the HfL website
Tuesday 12th March 2019 |
Just Talk 5 minute survey
February 4th - 11th 2019 was Hertfordshire's Just Talk week. To ensure we support schools as effectively as possible in the future, please can you complete this very short (no more than five minutes) survey to provide us with some feedback about the campaign. 5 minute survey
Monday 11th March 2019 |
|
Families First Awards 2019
We are very excited to announce that the nomination process has now opened for our first annual Families First Awards! These awards coincide with two years of the Families First Triage process and will be a great opportunity to celebrate the positive work that is being undertaken across all our partnerships in Early Intervention and recognise those individuals and teams that have made an exceptional effort in their work. The awards ceremony is being held on 25th April at the Watersmeet Theatre in Rickmansworth where all shortlisted nominees will be invited to a celebrate their success and enjoy an afternoon tea. There are 13 categories and you can find more information and nominate here Families First Awards
Friday 8th March 2019 |
Speakers announced: Primary Curriculum Symposium 2019
Herts for Learning are delighted to announce the speakers for Primary Curriculum Symposium launching on 20th May 2019. Across the three conference days, sessions will be delivered by: Mary Myatt, Education Adviser; Clare Sealy, Headteacher, St Matthias School, Tower Hamlets; Marina Breeze, Headteacher, Little Munden C of E (VC) Primary School, Ware; Tim Oates, Group Director of Assessment Research and Development, Cambridge Assessment; Marcus Cooper, Primary Adviser, Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and a range of specialist advisers and consultants from Herts for Learning. Schools can choose from the conference programme or the extended development programme. Places are limited so book soon to avoid disappointment. Primary Curriculum Symposium
Friday 8th March 2019 |
Run a Beep Beep! Day to engage early years in road safety basics
Beep Beep! Days, sponsored by Churchill, are a great opportunity for early year’s educators to introduce children to road safety basics, with fun activities and resources provided by Brake, the road safety charity. Every year thousands of tots and infants aged 2-7 take part to help save little lives. To help UK early years get involved with the initiative, Brake produces a range of special resources to help little ones understand road safety basics, from the importance of holding a grown up’s hand to recognising when it’s safe to cross. Beep Beep day
Friday 8th March 2019 |
Assessment moderation clusters for teachers in Early Years: – summer 2019
Bookings are open for our Early Years assessment moderation clusters, running in local areas from 25th April to 10th May. These moderation cluster will enable delegates to validate their Early Years Foundation Stage profile judgements prior to statutory submission. The process supports discussion and moderation that will enable practitioners to feel confident in making their 'best fit' judgements against the early learning goals (ELGs). Early Years assessment moderation clusters
Thursday 7th March 2019 |
FREE Key stage 1 & 2 Teacher CPD – Hertfordshire Agricultural Society
An understanding of food and farming has never been more important, but there is plenty of evidence that many of our pupils have a very limited understanding of where their food comes from. In collaboration with the Hertfordshire County Show, the Leaf Education Teacher CPD session will give you an overview of farming in the UK and an opportunity to share ideas on ways to embed food and farming into different subject areas, to enrich the curriculum. There will also be a tour of the showground, plus a prize draw for tickets for this years’ County Show. Hertfordshire Agricultural Society flyer (pdf)
Wednesday 6th March 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (5th March)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Top Employers to help all primary schools offer careers education to pupils, Herts for Learning and Hertfordshire County Council among best in Britain for tackling anti-LGBT bullying, and Welwyn Garden City pupils compete to help environment. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 6th March 2019 |
Herts for Learning non-executive director voting process for secondary school shareholders
The Herts for Learning (HfL) Board includes six elected school non-executive directors who take up post for a term of three years. In March 2019 there will be two vacancies on the HfL Board for non-executive directors elected by secondary school shareholders. As part of the election process, HfL’s shareholding secondary schools were invited to nominate non-executive directors for the HfL Board. Three nominations were received for the two non-executive director vacancies and all secondary school shareholders are now invited to vote for up to TWO candidates.
For details of nominees and voting forms please see Shareholders page on the HfL website
Wednesday 6th March 2019 |
Assessment moderation clusters for teachers of Year 1 – spring 2019
Bookings are open for our Year 1 assessment moderation clusters, running in local areas from 21st March to 3rd April. The sessions will focus on exploring accuracy of assessment judgements in writing and maths and will provide an excellent opportunity for Year 1 teachers to work together to achieve greater consistency in their assessments and to consider next steps in learning for pupils. Assessment moderation clusters
Monday 4th March 2019 |
Hertfordshire Year 8 Maths Challenge 2019
Entries are invited for the Year 8 mathematics challenge 2019. Each school is encouraged to submit a team of four Year 8 pupils for this friendly inter-school competition. The challenge will comprise a mixture of challenge, problem-solving and fun. There are four heats scheduled across the county in the summer term. Winners from individual heats will go forward to the final, to be held on Wednesday 19th June at the Hertfordshire Development Centre. Year 8 maths challenge
Monday 4th March 2019 |
Primary science assessment moderation clusters: spring 2019 – discounted places available
These cluster meetings will give teachers an opportunity to discuss their evidence teacher assessment with other teachers and science advisers. This will be particularly useful in identifying any gaps in pupils' skills and understanding that need to be addressed before the final assessments are made. Book one place, get a second place half price – offer applies across sessions for KS1, LKS2 and UKS2. Science moderation clusters
Monday 4th March 2019 |
Momo challenge
Recent media reports have suggested the social media trend, the ‘Momo’ challenge encourages participants to commit acts of self-harm. It is supposedly a form of cyberbullying prevalent on platforms such as WhatsApp and YouTube, where children get anonymous threatening messages. Over the past few months, the game has been in the news frequently due to its alleged links to three cases of teenagers committing suicide in South America and Asia, such allegations have not been confirmed by the authorities. The charity Samaritans said it was ‘not aware of any verified evidence in this country or beyond’ linking the momo meme to self-harm. Momo challenge
Friday 1st March 2019 |
Herts for Learning nominated for four awards in the Education Resources Awards 2019
Herts for Learning (HfL) has today been announced as a finalist in three categories of the 2019 Education Resources Awards (ERA). Following the judging of the Awards, HfL has been voted onto the shortlist in the Supplier of the Year - not for profit category; the Primary Resource or Equipment category with the ESSENTIALmaths resource; and the Early Years Resource or Equipment category with two resources: Places to Play every Day and Making the Difference Toolkit. Read more
Wednesday 27th February 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (27th February)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… All pupils will be taught about mental and physical wellbeing, Free alcohol education training available for Hertfordshire schools, and North Herts schools promote children’s wellbeing with Feeling Good Week Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 27th February 2019 |
Self Review Tool for whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing
Mental health and emotional wellbeing is a big factor in everyone’s lives. The Self Review Tool is to support schools in developing their own whole school approach to improvising mental health and emotional wellbeing. As schools find themselves increasingly responding to the mental health difficulties of staff, parents and pupils, the whole school, early intervention approach has never been so needed. The Self Review Tool lists helpful approaches, interventions, resources, practice and tools. More information
Monday 25th February 2019 |
Primary Curriculum Symposium 2019
Herts for Learning are delighted to announce that bookings are now open for our Primary Curriculum Symposium launching on 20th May 2019. Schools can choose from the conference programme or the extended development programme. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Primary Curriculum Symposium
Friday 22nd February 2019 |
Herts for Learning training programme Summer 2019
Herts for Learning (HfL) is pleased to announce that our summer 19 training programme for staff working in primary, including Early Years, and secondary phaseshas now been published on our booking site. Summer 2019 training programme
Friday 22nd February 2019 |
Cycle to work scheme - March 2019 
The cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme will be running throughout March 2019, to help with the cost of new bicycles and cycling equipment up to £2,000. The scheme will be open from 1st – 31st March 2019. Cycle to work scheme
Monday 18th February 2019 |
Parental Drug and Alcohol Awareness workshops
Choices about drugs and alcohol might be made much earlier then many parents / carers realise, with some children exposed before they leave primary school. Whilst schools provide drug education for pupils, HCC builds on this by offering Parental Drug and Alcohol Awareness workshops to help families carry on learning together at home. Parent drug and alcohol awareness workshops
Monday 18th February 2019 |
Herts for Learning among best in Britain for tackling anti-LGBT bullying
Stonewall, Britain’s leading lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality charity, has named Herts for Learning and Hertfordshire County Council as amongst the best local organisations for tackling anti-LGBT bullying and celebrating difference in its schools. Herts for Learning and Hertfordshire County Council’s joint entry ranked at third place in this year’s Education Equality Index. The Index measures local authorities’ success in supporting young LGBT people. Read the HfL news article
Monday 18th February 2019 |
Herts for Learning helps schools achieve high performance for all
Following on from a highly successful session at Birchwood High School in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts for Learning have launched an all-staff INSET day to develop a home and school-wide culture to help close attainment gaps, called ‘Achieving a High Performance Culture for All’. High performing culture for all
Thursday 14th February 2019 |
EU exit: no deal preparations for schools in England
The Government has issued some guidance for schools in the event of a no deal Brexit. Further information from the DfE
Thursday 14th February 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (12th February)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Education Secretary sets out vision for character and resilience, Minister calls to dispel girls’ misconceptions of STEM subjects, and Herts for Learning English blog: Can you recommend a good book about the Romans? Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 13th February 2019 |
Break-ins
We have been notified of a number of break-ins at schools across Hertfordshire. Please ensure alarms are set and the school is left secure. If possible arrange for extra checks of the premises to be conducted.
Wednesday 6th February 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (5th February)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Ban phones in schools, says minister Nick Gibb, multiplication Tables Check: 10 things you need to know, and nominations for HfL non-executive director now open. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 6th February 2019 |
NJC scales for April 2019
The NJC scales for April 2019 have been added to the Grid. These include pay award information for schools and employees, salary scales and FAQs. NJC pay scales
Monday 4th February 2019 |
The Armed Forces Covenant Schools Christmas Art competition
The sixth Armed Forces Covenant Schools Christmas Art competition took place at the end of 2018. This was another successful event with over 800 entries from 22 schools across Hertfordshire. Thank you to all the schools that took part, your participation is greatly appreciated. Congratulations to Annabelle from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Royston and Alfie from Garden Fields JMI School in St Albans. Full details about the competition, the prize giving assemblies with photos and the winning pictures are available on the Hertfordshire Heroes website. Christmas art competition
Monday 4th February 2019 |
Phishing Emails
The Herts for Learning ICT Service Desk have had a number of reports today, regarding phishing emails being sent to schools in Hertfordshire. The emails display a blue box asking the user to click it to display the complete message, if a user clicks the button it takes them to a page pre populated with the users email address asking for a password. Under no circumstances should users enter their passwords on any screen that looks suspicious. If you do receive an email that you are unsure of please right click the email and mark it ask junk. To try and prevent users accidently entering their password HICS have blocked the address that the current mail points to, however these usually change regularly. View image here
Thursday 31st January 2019 |
Primary science assessment moderation clusters – spring 2019
These cluster meetings will give teachers an opportunity to discuss their evidence teacher assessment with other teachers and science advisers. This will be particularly useful in identifying any gaps in pupils' skills and understanding that need to be addressed before the final assessments are made. Science moderation clusters
Thursday 31st January 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (29th January)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… information on the new Recruitment and retention strategy for teachers, new blog post in the Love that Book series looking at The Secret of Black Rock, and Hertfordshire to be national trailblazer in schools’ mental health support. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 30th January 2019 |
Updated guidance and forms for purchasing cards
Maintained schools are able to access a purchasing card through a central Hertfordshire County Council contract with Natwest. Purchasing cards
Wednesday 23rd January 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (23rd January)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… New Apprenticeship Campaign 'Fire It Up' launches, nationally renowned speakers announced for the HfL Secondary Mathematics Conference 2019, and Ofsted: Education inspection framework 2019: inspecting the substance of education. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 23rd January 2019 |
RSE News Digest update
A new monthly digest of education news for RSE for Hertfordshire schools. RSE News Digest
Tuesday 22nd January 2019 |
Developing Young Scientists bundle offer
‘Developing young scientists – a guide to child‑led enquiry’ and ‘Developing young scientists – a guide to supporting children in reviewing, reporting and writing in science’ are now available. A special bundle offer is available along with additional audit tools to support schools in evaluating and improving enquiries and recording in science. Developing young scientists offer
Thursday 17th January 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (16th January)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Facebook backs DfE online safety lessons for pupils, having your say on Ofsted's new inspection plans, and HfL English blog: Getting more mileage out of the Y5/6 spelling list. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 16th January 2019 |
Consultation on the new Ofsted Framework (to take effect from September 2019)
The consultation document, online survey, and draft handbooks can be accessed from at www.gov.uk/ofsted, as well as a research overview commentary and school inspection update. Consultation closes 5th April 2019.
Wednesday 16th January 2019 |
Financial Services helpdesk
Budgets: Financial Services are planning towards the release of the maintained schools budgeting software for year 2019/20. In preparation for the addition of this the year 2017/18 will be removed from the budgeting software by Thursday 17th January. If you wish to retain information from the budget 2017/18 it is suggested that the “Hertfordshire Report Pack” report within the software is run and stored securely. If you have questions regarding this please contact the Helpline.
Monday 14th January 2019 |
Active Lives Survey for Children and Young People – data for schools
In September 2017 Sport England launched the new school-based ‘Active Lives Survey for Children and Young People’ to measure participation in sport and physical activity among children in school years 1 to 11. Replacing the Active People survey, Active Lives is the biggest of its kind and gathers data relating to pupil’s sporting behaviours and attitudes, swimming ability, wellbeing, volunteering, and even sports spectating. Completion of the survey provides participating schools with insightful data which can be used to demonstrate the impact of the Sport Premium and to underpin Ofsted reporting. Schools also receive a small amount of funding as a ‘thankyou’. The Herts Sports Partnership has been tasked with administering the survey within Hertfordshire and, has recently been issued with the list of schools and year groups for the Spring 2019 term that we are required to work with. You can find out if your school is on the current list at www.sportinherts.org.uk/pe-sport-premium/active-lives/ or by contacting Shelley Woods on 01707 285887 or at s.woods4@herts.ac.uk.
Friday 11th January 2019 |
Wellbeing in-school training and consultancy support
The Herts for Learning (HfL) Wellbeing advisers offer a wide range of in school training
sessions and consultancy support for schools, MATs, settings and parents/carers throughout
the year, with additional services added to meet demand. Contact us to discuss your specific
requirements or to make a booking by emailing: wellbeing@hertsforlearning.co.uk wellbeing support flyer (pdf)
Friday 11th January 2019 |
The Exchange e-bulletin (8th January)
This week’s edition of The Exchange e-bulletin, HfL’s roundup of the latest news from local and national media sources, includes… Damian Hinds: Learning life-saving skills in school is crucial, Ofsted Curriculum research: assessing intent, implementation and impact, and a HfL Early Years blog about five simple ways to help stop coughs and sneezes in Early Years settings. Read the latest edition here or subscribe to get the weekly e-bulletin straight to your inbox.
Wednesday 9th January 2019 |
GCSE mathematics and English 2019 GCSE revision workshops
The Herts for Learning GCSE Maths and AQA GCSE English workshops are designed to motivate and challenge students in an engaging, focused and active learning environment. Subject experts provide additional tuition with one goal – to help your child perform to their full potential in the summer examinations. GCSE maths and English revision workshops
Wednesday 9th January 2019 |
FREE Parent Workshops for secondary schools - ‘Talking about sex and relationships with your teenager’
The average teenager receives messages about sex and relationships from a wide range of sources including teachers, friends, TV and social media as well as whatever they learn at home. But with an increasing number of teenagers admitting to learning most about sex from watching online porn there are concerns that some information is inaccurate, misleading or even damaging. So it’s important young people learn not only the ‘facts of life’ but also develop the skills to evaluate risks and make healthy decisions. Parent workshops for secondary schools
Wednesday 9th January 2019 |
