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.  More information
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. More information
Tuesday 22nd January 2019 |
Deadline this Friday: Occupational Health Service – powered by Optima Health Updated
Herts for Learning is pleased to introduce a new service from spring 2019: Occupational Health Services – powered by Optima Health. This service was previously provided to schools via Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), however from April 2019, HfL will be working directly with Optima Health to deliver an enhanced service to Hertfordshire schools and academies. More information
Tuesday 22nd January 2019 |
Herts for Learning exhibiting at the Nursery World, London - Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd February 2019
Herts for Learning (HfL) is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at this year’s Nursery World Show, at London’s Business Design Centre on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd February. As well as its exciting new publications: Essential Foundations for Counting and Places to Play Every Day for 2 year olds, HfL’s stand will be showcasing the wide range of Early Years improvement and business support products and services it provides both within Hertfordshire and around the UK. This includes training, CPD, consultancy, support and resources. More information
Monday 21st January 2019 |
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Book now for the HfL Leadership Forum, Tuesday 12th March 2019
Following the success of the MAT and Financial Resilience Forum, HfL presents the Leadership Forum with Martin Post who is the Regional Schools Commissioner for North West London and South Central England. This essential half-day event provides the opportunity for headteachers, governors and school business professionals to examine the power of strong leadership to deliver a coherent plan that brings together vision, strategy and operations that adapts as the school or trust evolves. More information
Friday 18th January 2019 |
Nationally renowned speakers announced for the HfL Secondary Mathematics Conference 2019
Herts for Learning (HfL) is excited to announce the full programme of their Secondary Mathematics conference, taking place later this term. The conference entitled Intelligent Practice to Raise Student Achievement is taking place on Monday 18th March 2019 and will include speakers from AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Atlas Teaching School and Advanced Mathematics Support Programme. Craig Barton, renowned mathematics educator and author, and Andrew Taylor, Head of Curriculum for Mathematics, AQA, will deliver the keynote address and set the theme for the day. More information
Thursday 17th January 2019 |
Hertfordshire Year 5 Maths Challenge 2019
Don’t forget to book your school’s place on our Year 5 mathematics challenge 2019 with heats starting on 29th January and the final being held on 29th March. Each school is encouraged to submit a team of four Year 5 pupils for this friendly inter-school competition. The challenge will comprise a mixture of challenge, problem-solving and fun. More information
Thursday 17th January 2019 |
Love That Book: Inspiring Quality Reading and Writing Through Quality Literature - Wednesday 6th February 2019
It’s not too late to book your place on our Primary Spring Reading Conference featuring a question and answer session with illustrator and author Jane Ray, a workshop led by author and education consultant Bob Cox and author and illustrator Joe Todd-Stanton signing books and joining a workshop that showcases work inspired by his book, The Secret of Black Rock. More information
Thursday 17th January 2019 |
Herts for Learning exhibiting at the Education Show, London
Herts for Learning (HfL) is delighted to be exhibiting at the Education Show, in London’s ExCel on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th January. As well as its exciting new publications: Foundations for Counting and Developing Young Scientists, HfL’s stand will be showcasing the wide range of school improvement and business support products and services it provides inside and outside of Hertfordshire. This includes training, CPD, consultancy, support and resources. More information
Thursday 17th 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. More information
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 |
Teachers pensions
A consultation was launched yesterday from the Department of Education regarding the proposed funding increases to teachers' pensions employer contributions. The consultation period ends on 12 February 2019. More information
Wednesday 16th January 2019 |
Hertfordshire Sixth Form Conference: The Post-16 T-Level Revolution is Coming - Wednesday 30th January 2019
FREE PLACES STILL AVAILABLE: The government’s plans for T levels and vocational learning will have an impact on school Sixth Form provision and potentially future funding. Herts for Learning has brought together the key architects of the strategy to speak to Hertfordshire’s school leaders to help them plan for the future. With two free places per school for Hertfordshire schools, this conference is not to be missed. More information
Tuesday 15th January 2019 |
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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 More information (pdf)
Friday 11th January 2019 |
Herts for Learning non-executive director nomination process for secondary school and primary school shareholders Important
In March 2019 there will be three vacancies on the HfL Board. As part of the election process, HfL’s shareholding schools are invited to nominate secondary and primary school non-executive directors for the HfL Board. Further information and nomination forms
Wednesday 9th January 2019 |
The HfL 2019 Secondary Mathematics Conference, Intelligent Practice to Raise Student Achievement with Craig Barton and Andrew Taylor - 18th March 2019.
The final programme of workshops as now been announced for the conference and will include presentations by Samantha Burns and Pietro Tozzi from Edexcel Pearson, Neil Ogden from OCR, Robert Wilne from Atlas Teaching School and Val Pritchard from Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP). More information
Wednesday 9th 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. More information
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. More information
Wednesday 9th January 2019 |
2Simple Purple Mash ‘Mash Meet’ at Hertfordshire Development Centre
If you are interested in finding out more about Purple Mash, the all-in-one, online curriculum software platform for primary schools, from 2Simple, or would like to improve your existing practice, you can attend a ‘Mash Meet’ that’s free for Hertfordshire Schools. More information
Tuesday 8th January 2019 |
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Financial Services helpdesk
The Financial Services helpdesk will be closed for training on Tuesday 12th March 2019. Calls to the helpline will be taken and attended to following the training.
Thursday 3rd January 2019 |
Herts for Learning Primary Headteachers’ Seminars: Spring 2019
We are pleased to confirm the programme for the spring term primary headteachers’ seminars. More information
Wednesday 2nd January 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. More information
Monday 31st December 2018 |
Insurance charges
As you may have noticed you had not been charged for Engineering when all other Insurances were recharged, this is due to obtaining the breakdown from the Insurer. The Engineering recharges are now being put through via the biscuit. For some schools you may notice two recharges. One recharge for 18/19 and the other is an adjustment for 17/18. For the 17/18 adjustment you will see either a refund or recharge. More information
Friday 21st December 2018 |
New online safety news letter for spring term 2019
The new parent and teacher issue of the online safety news letter for the 2019 spring term is now available. This issue features information about digital wellbeing, online challenges and peer pressure, making sense of relationships, relationships and sex education and picture books with an online safety message by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross. More information
Wednesday 19th December 2018 |
Assessment moderation clusters for teachers of Year 2 – spring 2019
Bookings are now open for our Year 2 assessment moderation clusters, running in local areas from 30th January to 12th February. The sessions will focus on exploring accuracy of assessment judgements in writing and maths. We will also draw Year 2 teachers’ attention to the requirements of the new Key Stage 1 Teacher Assessment Framework for maths. More information
Wednesday 19th December 2018 |
Annual Early Years Conference: Play, Learn, Achieve – Wednesday 30th January 2019
This conference is now fully booked, we very much look forward to seeing all delegates joining us on the day. If you were still planning on booking a place, please join our waiting list and we will contact you if we receive any cancellations and spaces become available. More information
Wednesday 19th December 2018 |
My Big Career workshops 2019
Herts for learning has teamed up with My Big Career to provide unrivalled opportunities for disadvantaged, Post-16 leaners. These include ‘Insight Days’ at leading organisations (Vogue, Sky, Avalon and M&C Saatchi Merlin and others).
This partnership will also provide young people with the opportunity to sign up for an ‘Access to Medicine’ course, which will provide the knowledge, skills and understanding to ensure budding medics are fully equipped to complete their UCAS application and confident in their approach to the challenging interview process for medical degree courses. More information (docx)
Tuesday 18th December 2018 |
URGENT ALERT FROM HFL: Example of a phishing attempt 
Herts for Learning would like to make you aware of a very convincing phishing attempt, which has affected one of our schools in Hertfordshire. Please ensure that all email users are aware that once logged into their account, they should never have to enter their password to view the content of an email, and they should never be required to enter payment details. More information
Friday 14th December 2018 |
Secondary Mathematics Conference: Intelligent Practice to Raise Student Achievement - Monday 18th March 2019
Craig Barton (renowned mathematics educator and author) and Andrew Taylor (Head of Curriculum for Mathematics – AQA) head the line-up of experienced and inspirational speakers at this special, cross-regional Mathematics Conference. With a special discount offer for multiple delegates, this is an ideal opportunity for departmental CPD and future planning. More information
Friday 14th December 2018 |
Hertfordshire Sixth Form Conference: The Post-16 T-Level Revolution is Coming - Wednesday 30th January 2019
The government’s plans for T levels and vocational learning will have an impact on school Sixth Form provision and potentially future funding. Herts for Learning has brought together the key architects of the strategy to speak to Hertfordshire’s school leaders to help them plan for the future. With two free places per school for Hertfordshire schools, this conference is not to be missed. More information
Monday 10th December 2018 |
Driving a minibus - training from HCC now available for school staff
Hertfordshire County Council is now offering practical training for school staff to enable them to add minibus (D1) entitlement to their driving licence. This is essential for any employee who wishes to drive a minibus, regardless of the weight of the vehicle. More information (pdf)
Thursday 6th December 2018 |
URGENT ALERT FROM HFL: Hacked email accounts
Herts for Learning have recently seen a rise in the number of compromised Office 365 accounts; in most cases the accounts have been accessed by the hacker simply guessing the users password. These are referred to as brute force attacks. The hacker will use a program to try thousands in an automated fashion. Once the hacker gains access to the users email sometimes they are just sending lots of junk messages to other users within the school and externally. Others are sending emails internally in the schools with fake invoices and bank account details. HfL is taking action to address but also require urgent actions from schools. More information
Thursday 6th December 2018 |
LGBT History Month, February 2019 – Sharing good practice
Hertfordshire’s LGBTQ+ children and young people working group are inviting Hertfordshire schools to help us to mark LGBT History Month, February 2019. We would like you to consider submitting a brief description and/or photographs of activities, events and/or developments in LGBTQ+ that you have been involved in over 2018 or have planned for 2019 so we can share good practice in Hertfordshire schools. More information
Thursday 6th December 2018 |
Hertfordshire Year 5 Maths Challenge 2019
Entries are invited for the Year 5 mathematics challenge 2019. Each school is encouraged to submit a team of four Year 5 pupils for this friendly inter-school competition. The challenge will comprise a mixture of challenge, problem-solving and fun. More information
Thursday 6th December 2018 |
Herts for Learning launches The Great School Framework: building on The Nine Pillars of Great Schools
To support its work on school improvement, Herts for Learning (HfL) has launched The Great School Framework©, an aspirational vision of the features of a great school which focuses on the holistic outcomes for children. More information
Monday 3rd December 2018 |
Helping to remove key barriers to securing optimum outcomes
HfL research projects and programmes starting this spring to help improve spelling, phonics, comprehension, sentence structure and punctuation. More information
Monday 3rd December 2018 |
Supporting your strategic plan
In this challenging financial climate, the importance of medium-term planning and having a strategic financial plan cannot be underestimated. To ensure that these provide an effective management tool, time is needed to evaluate how resources are being used and to scan the horizon for challenges which may impact plans. To help Hertfordshire maintained schools gain an early view of their financial plan/budget for 2019/20, Herts for Learning Financial Services team have recently launched a mid-year update to their financial planning tool, HCSS budgeting software. More information
Friday 30th November 2018 |
Schools emergency response plan
The schools emergency response plan is an up to date guide for Hertfordshire schools to use when responding to an emergency, which may affect the operation of their premises and their day to day business. Tabletop excersize templates and scenarios have also been added to give guidance in dealing with emergency situations. More information
Thursday 29th November 2018 |
Severe weather guidance - November 2018
The Severe Weather Plan for Schools has been updated. As the weather turns colder please make sure you are familiar with the procedures for school closures in the event of snow and the closure notification system. More information
Wednesday 28th November 2018 |
Just Talk Week - 4th February 2019
Just Talk Week will be taking place in w/c 4th February 2019. As part of the campaign, the Public Health team is inviting young people aged 9-21 to help us raise mental health awareness with teenage boys across Hertfordshire. Young people are invited to send us a story board for a short film helping us to promote the Just Talk campaign. For the winning story board/s, we will work with the entrant to professionally produce their film which may well become a key part of our campaign. This will look great on their CV and the creator/creators of the winning 'piece' will also receive £100 in vouchers. More information
Monday 26th November 2018 |
Teach in Herts Recruitment Events – Registration is now open
The first Get Into Teaching Fair that took place in Watford on 10th November was a great success, with 121 potential teachers registering and 80 delegates arriving on the day to attend workshops and talk to teaching schools and the university face-to-face, and they provided very positive feedback. The registration for the next series of events is now open for both school exhibitors and attendees. More information
Thursday 22nd November 2018 |
Shared Anti-Fraud Service
The Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) is a fraud prevention and investigation service. SAFS operates alongside the Shared Internal Audit Service, an existing partnership based in Stevenage and hosted by Hertfordshire County Council. More information
Tuesday 20th November 2018 |
Primary assessment updates - November 2018
Updates include: initial release of data for KS2, KS1 and Phonics, voluntary data collection - Y4, Y5 and Y6 Summer data, FFT Aspire tools subscription information and documentation regarding statutory assessment at the end of Key Stages EYFS, 1 and 2. More information
Tuesday 20th November 2018 |
Love That Book: Inspiring Quality Reading and Writing Through Quality Literature - Wednesday 6th February 2019
Our Primary Spring Reading Conference will feature illustrators and authors sharing their thoughts on what makes a great book, and giving some insights into their own reading journeys. We are delighted to have Jane Ray joining us for an informal question and answer session, Bob Cox, back by popular demand, running a workshop and Joe Todd-Stanton signing books and joining a workshop that showcases work inspired by his book, The Secret of Black Rock. More information
Monday 19th November 2018 |
Insurance Services
The Insurance section of Hertfordshire County Council provides insurance policies to schools. Follow the link for updates on policies we provide, optional extensions (schemes) and frequently asked questions. More information
Tuesday 13th November 2018 |
RE Assessment grid for primary age related expectations by year group
An RE assessment grid has been developed by Hertfordshire SACRE members to provide the statutory expected learning outcomes for the end of each key stage taken from Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2017-2022 pages 18-22 wheels. For years 1, 3 and 5 new suggested non-statutory exemplars are provided in italics. In school training and consultancy on assessing RE is available from HfL. More information
Thursday 8th November 2018 |
Spring 2019 Training Programme
Herts for Learning (HfL) is pleased to announce that our spring 19 training programme for staff working in primary, including Early Years, and secondary phases has now been published on our booking site. More information
Monday 5th November 2018 |
