7 June 2024 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a lovely half term break, it hardly seems possible we are now in term 6! A very short introduction this week.

Since my last bulletin a general election has been announced and this inevitably has had an impact  on our work. The two key areas are the forthcoming headteacher briefings, where Ofsted colleagues have had to delay their slot to the autumn term and we have had to adjust the agenda. The latest agenda is available below. The other area concerns the APP assessment where again the Ministerial decision will now be carried over to the new government, which is very disappointing.

Thank you to the many of you who have attended the three SEND continuum of provision workshops (the last one is on Friday) and the really positive feedback we have had - "brilliant" was the most frequent comment. Over 150 colleagues attended Tuesday’s event at Canterbury Cricket Club to hear from Dr Alison Ekins of VIAT and KCC’s Siobhan Price. The input from the discussion groups has been invaluable and I very much look forward to the next iteration of the draft document.

Headteacher briefings

Please find the agendas for the upcoming headteacher briefings:

• Headteacher briefing agenda - AM (PDF, 194.8 KB)
• Headteacher briefing agenda - PM (PDF, 194.1 KB)

If you are interested in booking, please email edsen@kent.gov.uk with your name, email address and the briefing you wish to attend.

• East - Tuesday 11 June from 1pm to 4pm - Howfield Manor Hotel
• West - Friday 14 June from 9:30am to 12:30pm - The Orchards Event Venue
• South – Thursday 27 June from 1pm to 4pm - Ashford International Hotel
• North - Friday 28 June from 9:30am to 12:30pm - The Inn on the Lake

And finally…

I was really pleased to get the opportunity to take my nephew and grandson to indoor skydiving followed by Wall to Wall Chicken at TGI Friday to celebrate their birthdays. On Sunday we went to see an outdoor performance of The Tempest at The Rookery on Streatham Common (which is beautiful if you have never visited) as my year 7 grandson is reading it at school. He ate and sneezed his way throughout but later told his dad it was ‘great’. I’m going to ask for your indulgence now (there aren’t many perks to this job) as I’m including a piece of his writing about The Tempest here as unlike you I don’t get the opportunity to see children’s writing very often - if you choose to read it, enjoy!

"The Tempest is a play written by Shakespeare. It tells the story of a magician names Prospero who used to be the Duke of Milan. However, he was betrayed by his brother Antonio and the King of Naples. As a result, Prospero and his (at the time 3 year-old) daughter Miranda were abandoned at sea and ended up on a deserted island. On the island, Prospero uses his magic powers create a storm called a tempest which caused a shipwreck. The survivors of the shipwreck include the Duke of Naples, Antonio, and other important people. Prospero’s main goal is to seek revenge on those who wronged him. Throughout the play, there are elements of comedy, tragedy, love and forgiveness. Prospero’s magic and manipulation play a significant role in the story. He controls the events on the island and uses his powers to torment the survivors of the shipwreck. One of the key characters in the play is a Calaban, a native of the island who is treated as a slave by Prospero. Calaban seeks revenge on Prospero for mistreating and wants to regain control of the island. In the end Prospero realises the importance of forgiveness and decides to show mercy to his enemies. He gives up his magic powers and makes up with his brother Antonio."

Best wishes

Christine McInnes
Director of Education and SEN