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You are in: School Workforce » Support Staff » Newsletter - Autumn 2008 |
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School Support Staff NewsletterAutumn Term - November 2008As you are aware, support staff have an increasing role to play in our schools with new job roles and training opportunities on the increase. In this issue you will find information on the new role of Parent Support Worker and the fully funded SWiS qualification that is offered on completion of the PSW induction training. Maggie Miller SWiS Alternative LocationEdexcel Level 2 Support Work in Schools (SWiS) This qualification is suitable for school support staff in a wide range of roles, including:
The SWiS qualification builds on existing skills and experience in your current job role and fills any gaps in knowledge. SWiS is a nationally recognised qualification, which can also provide a stepping stone to a more specialist National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). The SWiS qualification is designed to be flexible and completed in your school, with the support of an assessor. Most of the evidence required will be naturally occurring as part of your day-to-day work. Registration and assessments for the qualification costs £80 per candidate. For further details or to arrange an appointment please contact: Sue Kronda at West Herts College on 01923 812532 or email sue.kronda@westherts.ac.uk CACHE Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Support Work in Schools (Parent Support) If you are currently working as a PSW, providing support to parents in school and have completed the 3 day Induction Training at Hertfordshire Development Centre, please come along to a briefing session. You will meet the tutor and find out more about CACHE Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Support Work in Schools (Parent Support) which is fully funded for PSWs. These sessions will take place on:
Support Staff TrainingAll details of training available for support staff can be found in the Spring Term Support Staff Brochure, which will be sent to your school soon and can also be found on the grid at: School Vacancy BulletinVacancy Bulletin which is published on a weekly basis during term time, a copy of which is sent to all schools. A full description of the vacancies can also be found on the website at:- www.teachinherts.com by using the search or browse for jobs links on the home page, and if you are registered you can receive daily or weekly job alerts by email. Alternatively, the latest Support section of the bulletin can be accessed via the Grid at:
SITSSSITSS run termly user groups for Primary School secretaries - this is a good opportunity for you to find out the latest news about Sims .net and also gives you a chance to meet and mix with other secretaries. We particularly welcome new secretaries. This term's meetings will take place on:
CASE HISTORY – LizAnn Petch, Bowmansgreen Primary, London ColneyWhat is your job title? What is your background? What attracted you to this post or working in a school in general? What do you do? When I first started I focused on pupil attendance and punctuality at my main school, and supported staff following Learning Mentor training at the two other schools in the group. With enormous help from staff from Links, I learned how to run a Nurture Group and gradually took responsibility with other school staff for the group at my school. I also worked with staff at school supporting troubled children, helping them maintain a positive approach to learning. I was able to offer children time to listen and sort out difficulties quickly. This allowed class teachers to continue teaching while problems were dealt with promptly and children could return to lessons quickly, ready to learn. In the second year I continued to support staff at one other school, took two nurture groups (one for children in Year 1 and one for Year 4 children) with other adults at my main school and also worked with small curriculum support groups for children in Key Stage 2 in literacy and numeracy. I now work only at my school, Bowmansgreen Primary School, still working for good attendance and punctuality, taking two Nurture Groups, continuing to support children who were in earlier Nurture Groups and providing curriculum support to children in Year 6. A key feature of my role, developed over the last few months, is to welcome children and parents as they arrive at one of the school entrances in the morning. This allows me to meet a large number of families every day, and is an ideal opportunity for important brief conversations as well as a means of showing consistent support for children and families. I am also able to encourage latecomers to ‘run quick’ or to leave home five minutes earlier! What training have you had to help you? What do you enjoy most about your job? Where do you see yourself going in the future? Useful websites for Learning Mentors
Learning Mentor Training“Developing Learning Mentor Skills in Active Listening and This course takes place on 5th December at HDC. This is intended to be a very practical session and will cover areas such as:- Mentors for Learning: supporting children and young people to develop understanding and confidence in their learning abilities - a session of active learning for mentors. Developing your communication skills - tools to encourage listening and talking. Further details and booking information are available below:
Cluster Group Support for Learning MentorsSupport for Learning Mentors Learning Mentors can make a real impact on the life of the pupils we help, but from time to time we also need support. We are often the only LMs in a school and may wish there was someone who we can turn to for support, advice, ideas and for sharing resources. Someone doing the same job as ourselves. My name is Claire Lambert and I am a newly appointed SEN Learning Mentor at St Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in Rickmansworth. I would like to set up a support network in the form of a list of school email addresses of fellow Secondary School mentors. Through email we can contact each other quickly and at any time. If it goes well, perhaps we could even meet up after Christmas for a get-together and a chat. If you would like to join the email support group, just send your school email address, name and school to clambert@joa.herts.sch.uk and I will forward your address to others in the scheme. I look forward to hearing from you. Keep up the great work! National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) for School Support StaffNational Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are competence-based vocational qualifications that focus on developing the existing skills of school support staff. At Hertfordshire Development Centre, we currently offer Level 2 or Level 3 in the following areas:
There are no formal entry requirements and you can attend a ‘start’ session to find out more. For further information, please contact Kim Kennedy or Louise Kingham (details can be found below).
Skills Development for Schools Administration StaffHertfordshire HR Learning and Organisational Development are now offering all skills development courses to schools admin staff. Courses include:
Details can be found on Connect: To book on to a course, please use the standard nomination form, which can also be found on connect. This asks for a payroll number and budget code, if staff aren't on an HCC contract the school will be invoiced. If a course isn't scheduled please send in a nomination form anyway and you will be advised when dates are available. Go to Nomination form: CLEANERS – STOP PRESS!!! – NVQs in Cleaning (Levels 1 and 2Are you looking for a safe, healthy and attractive environment? Please contact: shouse@hrc.ac.uk or 07852244104 to discuss further.
EvolveLet's have more visits and less paper Due to the sheer volume of visits going out from, and being notified by, Hertfordshire Schools, I can no longer cope with the amount of paper coming my way. Many schools are already successfully using Evolve and have found it to be just as useful for non-notifiable (Levels 1&2) offsite visits, as it provides a "one-stop" point of reference for the collection of all information relating to a particular visit and does away with the need for the piles of paper traditionally associated with the administration of offsite visits. There is an overview of, and a link to, the system on the Offsite Visits pages on the Grid. If you are usually involved in the administration of offsite visits from your school, or if you are the designated Visits Coordinator, and are unsure as to your login details for Evolve, please drop me an e-mail (mark.falkingham@hertscc.gov.uk).
Certificate in School Business Management (CSBM) - New Hertfordshire CohortAnglia Ruskin University who are the new providers for CSBM have notified us that it is likely we shall be running a local cohort for CSBM in the new year. We anticipate that the application deadline will be sometime towards the end of November 2008 in preparation for a February 2009 start. This will give everyone time to arrange letters of support and complete the necessary on-line applications in good time. Both Headteacher and Chair of Governors must sign the letter of support. For more information please contact: maggie.miller@hertscc.gov.uk or visit:
Useful Web Sites
Areas of TrainingLook out for the Spring Term Support Staff Training brochure soon to be in your school. The Hertfordshire Development Centre offers training in the following areas;
A Selection of the Courses Running in the Spring Term
For further details please see the Spring Term Support Staff Training brochure or visit:
Contact DetailsContact the school workforce development team with any comments, case studies etc. We look forward to hearing from you.
Or visit us at:
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I attended the five days of Learning Mentor training at the beginning of the Hertfordshire Learning Mentor project, and have attended recent LM meetings. Talking to other Learning Mentors is particularly interesting and helpful. Our schools are all so different; it means that although our job descriptions are the same – removing barriers to learning – what we actually do varies enormously. 
