Octavo News
Edition 5 - February
Welcome to the first edition of 2016
With our financial year drawing to a close, here at Octavo we are putting the final touches and tweaks to the services and support we can offer you in this next financial year. 2016-17 contracts for many of our services are already available to purchase on our portal and others are being added day by day. We are also adding summer term bridging contracts for our academies who wish to move to academic year contracts.
For those of you who couldn't make it to the Service Offer Launch we held in January, you can read more about it and our improved services for the next year here, as well as find out about our exciting Spring Term conferences.
In this edition:
- Tell us how we're doing and WIN!
- 2016-17 service offer launch recap
- Local Heroes
- Teacher Recruitment Fair - not long to go!
- Spring Conferences & Early Bird Discounts
- Governor Services Clerking Pool
- Attendance Meetings
- Croydon Literacy Centre applications open for Summer Term
- Meet the Team - Vulnerable Groups
- We're recruiting!
- Hello & Goodbye
How Are We Doing?
Take our short 2 – 3 minute customer survey and tell us what you thought of our service this year for a chance to win CPD for you or your school.
Competition closes 28th Feb 2016. Winners will be announced after the Easter Holidays. Enter here
2016-17 Service Offer Launch
Thank you to all who came out to the launch of our 2016-17 service offer to schools last week at Fairfield Halls. For those of you who couldn't make it this is what you missed...
Top 10 challenges facing schools
You can download Robert Hill's, our keynotes speaker, presentation here
School Business Managers' Network launching soon
For those who missed the workshop discussion on the upcoming SBM network, you can contact patrick.leavy@octavopartnership.org to register your interest and to be included in the upcoming communications.
Getting the most from the Octavo portal
We ran a short workshop for those busy people in school who do most of the purchasing including where to access reports, setting your alerts and adding new users for your school. If you missed that and would like one of our team to come out to school to go through that we'd be happy to!
Book a free support visit by emailing enquiries@octavopartnership.org
2016/17 Contracts
We are currently uploading our contracts for 2016/17 onto the Octavo portal. The full offer will be available to purchase by the February half term. This year we are introducing contracts based on the academy financial year also which will include a five month bridging contract to take our academies through to the start of the next financial year.
Let us know if you want to speak to a particular service or just review your requirements for the year ahead and ask some questions. We'll make sure we send the right person out to you so you can get the most out of the visit!
If you would like a Customer Care visit at any point you can contact our Business Development Manager on natalie.kruger@octavopartnership.org
Local Heroes
Speaking to the Croydon Advertiser recently, Mrs Martin said the accolade, for services to education, was recognition of the school’s achievements as well as her own.
“I feel most appreciative of being given this award both personally and on behalf of the whole Coloma community. It is a huge testament to the work we do” she said.
“I love being with young people and doing my very best for them, as well as working with governors and staff who share the same vision and values, which are based on looking after every pupil as if they were our own children. We want to give them the best education and the best opportunities”.
Maureen Martin has led Coloma Convent Girls’ School, consistently one of the national, as well as the borough’s top performing comprehensive schools since 1995. Mrs Martin then formed the Coloma Trust with the Coloma Trustees and “took over” Selsdon High School, which has generally achieved better GCSE results since reopening as The Quest Academy . In September 2014, the Trust was brought in by the DFE to sponsor Archbishop Lanfranc in Mitcham Road.
Well done Mrs Martin!
We would also like to wish Octavo's very own Alison Bell, Educational Psychologist, the very best of luck in her upcoming challenge in running the London Marathon. Alison is being featured every month until the race in Women's Running UK Magazine as a result of a competition the magazine ran. She is running to raise money for Ellenor – a local hospice, extremely close to her heart. To follow her journey click here. And do wish her well when you see her in school!
Want to honour someone you know making a difference or an outstanding contribution to education? Send your stories to enquiries@octavopartnership.org with the subject line:Octavo News - Local hero and it may be featured in an upcoming issue!
Teacher Recruitment Fair
Less than a week to go!
Octavo and CHTA's joint Recruitment Fair will be running on Saturday 6th February, 10am-1pm.
So far...
- 214 applicants have registered to attend
- 282 university applicants have been contacted
- 250 clicks to the local papers
- 913 views on the national guardian website
- 53 schools/educational establishments registered to attend
It's not too late to get involved. Please contact Christine Lonsdale on christine.lonsdale@octavopartnership.org for further information.
Spring Conferences - Book Now for Early Bird Discounts
Ambitious for Croydon Schools - FREE OF CHARGE
This is a jointly run afternoon conference by Octavo and the NUT which will provide participants with an opportunity to consider factors that have been identified in recent research projects and educational publications as factors that lead to success in schools.
2nd March 2016, 4.30p,-6pm, Fairfield Halls
Independent Learning with Alistair Smith
Following the very positive feedback from our partner schools, Octavo have invited Alistair Smith to return to work with us again in the Summer Term. Suitable for Headteachers/Principals and Senior Leadership teams, through these conferences Alistair will bring an understanding of the ‘science’ of learning to the ‘art’ of teaching.
Take advantage of our EARLY BIRD RATES until the end of Feb and save £75 per delegate.
£275 includes lunch and refreshments on the day
Independent Learning for Primary Schools: Positive Steps Towards Happier Schools
19th April 2016, Hilton Hotel Croydon
Independent Learning for Secondary Schools: Authentic Challenge and Meaningful Engagement
4th May 2016, Hilton Hotel Croydon
Get Playful! Lego convention
This half day conference will explore how you can use LEGO in your school to motivate and engage pupils in variety of subjects. Dr David Whitebread (Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development & Learning at the University of Cambridge ) will be opening this event, highlighting how play and playfulness can enhance learning, he will be drawing on the evidence that using mediums such as LEGO can support improvements in pupil engagement and motivation in the classroom.This will be followed by 6 workshops for schools to attend.
20th April, 12.45pm-4.30pm
Looking for a trained and professional clerk?
Octavo's Governors Service's team offers an excellent clerking pool which not only provides high quality clerks, but gives you access to expert and advice and guidance.
For more information clerking@octavopartnership.org or call us on 0208 241 5486
Attendance Meetings
Further to the last Attendance Coordinators Network Meeting (ACNM) held in November 2015, EWS will now be delivering two ACNMs each term. One will be aimed at Senior Attendance Leads within educational provisions and one will be aimed at Attendance/Admin Officers:
ACNM for Senior Attendance Leads
25th Feb 2016, 09:30 - 12:30, £60
- Children Missing from Education
- Managing Authorised Absences
- Staged Intervention Process to Managing Attendance (Stages 1-3)
ACNM for Attendance Admin/Officers
4th March 2016, 09:30 - 12:30, £60
- Managing Sickness Absence
- Coding Attendance and Absences
- Staged Intervention Process to Managing Attendance (Stage 1)
Fixed Penalty Notice Training Workshop
18th March 2016, 09:30am – 12:30pm, £45
In addition, we will be running a Fixed Penalty Notice Training Workshop. Schools now have the option of using an Early Intervention tool to enforce attendance, Fixed Penalty Notice.
Feedback from schools and experience of working with you, has provided the insight that changes within the FPN Code of Conduct has resulted in difficulties in ‘getting to grips’ with the criteria. This workshop will therefore empower schools to make use of such a measure.
Croydon Literacy Centre - Booking Now Open for Summer Term
Another busy term is flying past and we have already started accepting referrals for the Summer Term 2016. In order to secure your place(s), please contact us to discuss any children you feel may benefit from specialist literacy intervention. All referrals need to be submitted by 4th March.
As you look ahead to the Summer Term and the new academic year, please remember that we also provide a range of consultancy and training packages which can be viewed on the Octavo website.
Please feel free to call us to discuss your requirements.
Meet the Team - Vulnerable Groups
Pupil Premium Health Checks
Sarah Clark is Octavo's Traveller and Pupil Premium Consultant. In light of the pupil premium budget increasing to £2.5 billion this year, Sarah is working very closely with schools to provide tailored support on the effective use of pupil premium grants. She is able to provide the following support:
- Pre-Ofsted auditing to review the effectiveness and how best to use your schools pupil premium grant
- Action planning on the effective use of the pupil premium funding
- Improving the school’s online pupil premium statement
- Support to improve the success of pupils eligible for pupil premium
- Sharing effective practical ideas and case studies from schools where meaningful impact is being made
- Support to understand and use the pupil premium toolkit
For more information on the ways Sarah can help your school contact sarah.clark@octavopartnership.org
EAL Support
Demand for helping support children with English as an additional language has substantially increased since September at all phases from nursery to KS4/5.
Through Yvonne Cassidy, New to English Consultant, Schools have accessed bespoke provision, tailor made to meet their individual needs, covering the following:
- developing/refining systems/ induction procedures and welcome booklets
- accelerating progress in ‘new to English’ pupils
- accelerating progress in more advanced bilingual learners through whole school planning and teaching
If you would like help with improving your existing provision, please do not hesitate to contact Yvonne for a friendly, supportive consultation at yvonne.cassidy@octavopartnership.org
School-Mediation & Conflict Resolution Service
Our Parent-School Mediation & Conflict Resolution service, delivered by Michelle Stewart, offers quality support to assist schools in resolving conflicts and disputes between themselves and parents/carers.
Michelle has been delivering some great work across the borough over the past year and this is what her schools have had to say...
“Michelle's professionalism and the ability to get to the bottom of the situation quickly exceeded our expectations and such a commitment to a great service needs to be commended”.
Primary School Headteacher
“The type of support Michelle is able to offer is invaluable and of huge benefit...She is highly skilled at building relationships and gaining trust with parents/carers and families, which then enable her to deliver some difficult messages on behalf of the school"
Secondary School Headteacher
Further information on what the service includes contact Michelle Stewart on michelle.stewart@octavopartnership.org
We're Recruiting!
We have some exciting vacancies here at Octavo including:
Full details of each role and how to apply can be found on the Careers page of our website.
Keep up to date with the latest career opportunities with Octavo via twitter.
Hello & Goodbye
Before Christmas we said farewell to a couple of members of Octavo staff. Geraldine Egboche, one of our Senior IT Consultants who has been working with Croydon schools for over 17 years, left to work in the charitable sector as a project manager, a long-term dream of hers. We also said goodbye to Joanne Sweeney, Work Related Learning Project Officer, and Richard Campbell, Finance Director, who have both left to pursure other avenues. We wish all three the very best of luck for the future.
We are delighted to welcome our new IT Manager, Graham Mayes, who will be heading up the Octavo Information Systems team. Graham will be working very closely with the IT consultants and the Senior Leadership Team to implement the new IT service offer over the next year.
That's All For Now...
That's it from us. The next edition will be circulated before the Easter break.
If there is an item or topic you would really like to see discussed please do let us know. We would love to include more updates on how well our schools are doing and share your inspirational work.
All suggestions can be sent to enquiries@octavopartnership.org
Keep an eye out for upcoming competitions and events for all to get involved with. The latest CPD offer is now available to view here.
Email: enquiries@octavopartnership.org
Website: www.octavopartnership.org
Location: 4th Floor, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, CR9 1ET
Phone: 020 8241 5460
Twitter: @octavoprtnshp