School Educational and Management Support

Overview

The School Attendance Team discharges all the Local Authorities responsibilities in relation to School Attendance.

It holds key responsibilities for child employment, child entertainment, Elective Home Education (EHE) and Children Missing from Education (CME).

The Team also supports vulnerable groups for example, Gypsy, Roma, Travellers and Travelling Communities (GRT), teenage parents, young offenders, those excluded from school and young people in care.

What the service provides

Education Welfare Officers provide both operational and strategic support; from case work, home visits, providing case evidence to Court through to leading on Early Help Assessments where attendance is the main issue, building capacity in schools and supporting the effective use of data.

Officers specialise in working with schools to develop effective systems, procedures and interventions; and work in partnership with organisations both inside and outside the LA (Local Authority) to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence.

Benefits to your school

Education Welfare Officers will support schools to analyse data, identify need and target interventions for pupils falling below average attendance. A school action plan will be created and reviewed each term, with a Register Audit offered annually.

Education Welfare Officers provide specialist interventions for pupils below 90%, investigating absences and, if appropriate, compile evidence for legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court.

Costs

Costs to be advised but schools can buy in a number of days per week or, on agreement, buy in casework referrals only.

Part or shared days will also be available at pro rata cost.

Additional information

Please see Bury's School Attendance Guide for schools for more detailed information.

Overview

The Service will provide:

• Advice, guidance and support on all aspects of the educational visits process.
• An online planning, advice and notification system with approval procedure for educational visits, to ensure that arrangements reflect LA guidance and current national good practice.

What the service provides

• Advice, guidance and support for educational visits
• Educational Visit Coordinator training
• Access to the educational visits website which contains national and local guidance and procedures; advice, information, updates and news; downloadable resources; a customisable library for the school and establishments' visit archive
• In addition, the Headteacher and Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) will have access to an overview of all their establishment's visits and their approval status; a user manager tool to set up, amend and monitor staff user accounts and record training and awards; establishment visit forms - past, present and planned; establishment and Local Authority visit diaries with links to all visit forms; and customisable visit reporting tools
• Monitoring and approval (or non approval as appropriate) of all visits of the following types: overseas visits; adventurous activities, including all Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) activity; residential visits

Benefits to your school

Both members of the EVAS are full members of the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel, with the service lead being an Accredited Member. This is your assurance that all advice, guidance and training is both current and of high quality.

The Service provides a robust and efficient system for educational visits. The electronic system stores an archive of visit information and provides a 'one stop shop' to access a wide range of support materials and resources whilst enabling schools to demonstrate good practice (e.g. to Ofsted) with regard to learning outside the classroom activities.

Costs

The SLA price is based on pupil numbers and sent under separate cover.

Other establishments may be charged on an annual lump sum basis.

Additional information

A range of additional services is available, for which an additional charge may be applicable.

More information is available at: Evolve - Bury Visits.

Overview

The Service makes provision for a clerk to be provided by the Local Authority to attend one meeting of the governing body per term, together with the printing, stationery and postage costs, and administrative support linked to the clerking package.

Alternatively, the Service can provide papers only and allow schools to appoint their own clerk.

What the Service provides

• Identification of specific agenda items and preparation of individual school agendas
• Collation of agendas, reports, minutes and issue of these to all Governors
• Preparation and typing of minutes and forwarding to the Head Teacher and Chair of Governors as soon as possible after the meeting
• Initiation of action on items arising from decisions of the Governing Body and reporting back on such items
• Arrange where appropriate for resolutions to be reported to the Executive Committee (Children, Young People)
• Correspondence on behalf of the Governing Body on issues discussed at termly meetings
• Ensure compliance with changes in the Constitution of Governing Bodies
• Correspond with various agencies regarding membership vacancies

Benefits to your school

Statutory and other agenda items will be identified and included for consideration on appropriate agendas.

Agendas and supporting documents will be posted out to Governors within the statutory timescale for receipt of documents, currently at least seven clear days prior to the Governing Body meeting.

Costs

Prices vary depending on the level of service purchased and are included in the price list sent to schools.