Please see the following safeguarding communications below.
Sandwell Health Protection Team are collaborating with Integrated Care Board and GPs to help promote MMR catch up clinics within Sandwell. At the moment only MMR vaccines will be delivered, within time other services will become available. There will be three clinics within Sandwell, Linkway Medical Practice, Tame Valley Medical Centre and Lodge Road Surgery, these started Saturday 11th May 2024.
Should you need anything further information please feel free to contact Claire Jones at claire_mariejones@sandwell.gov.uk or health_protection@sandwell.gov.uk
- Food voucher scheme: May Whitsun Holiday 2024
We are now in a position to confirm that funding will be available to support FSM pupils with a food voucher over the May Whitsun half-term holiday. This will include pupils with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) that schools have identified as having eligibility.
Vouchers can be ordered to the value of £15 for the one week holiday, for each eligible child.
Finance details are as follows.
Schools will receive payment for vouchers into their accounts during week commencing 20/05/2024, based on the number of pupils eligible on 15/05/2024.
Any additional vouchers issued to those that become eligible after this date will be reimbursed after the holidays along with costs of vouchers issued to those families with NRPF.
Any financial queries regarding reimbursement or if your school has any problems with credit card limits or sending cheques to Wonde schools should contact schools_financialservices@sandwell.gov.uk and a member of the finance team will get back to you.
Schools will need to order vouchers using the Evouchers system, which from here they will just need to select create order and follow the 4 steps and then the vouchers will be delivered electronically to parents.
For those families who are struggling or in need of extra support during the school holidays, we continue to offer Holiday Activities and Food during the Whitsun break. Eligible children can enjoy fun activities and a meal, free of charge. Families have been contacted directly about this offer and more details are here: https://holidayactivities.sandwell.gov.uk/
There is also support available on the Supporting Sandwell website at www.sandwell.gov.uk/supportingsandwell including financial advice.
Pupils dual registered with another school.
Please note, if you have any pupil that you are the main school base for, but they attend another school as part of a dual registration, the funding will be sent to the school that is registered on the system (SAMS) for that pupil. For example, if your school shows as the base on the system, but the pupil attends another school as part of the dual registration, you will be responsible for issuing the voucher.
If you have queries or concerns around this, please contact:
Stuart_leatherland@sandwell.gov.uk Emily_Morgan@sandwell.gov.uk
Please note: If you have unredeemed vouchers on the Wonde system these can be resent by clicking the ‘resend’ button on the Wonde system. These could also be downloaded, printed and posted to parents/carers if this is necessary.
- Free Mental Health Support for Secondary School Pupils in the Black Country
Wysa is an AI wellbeing coach that has been commissioned by Black Country Health NHS Foundation Trust to give 11-18 year olds, a safe, non-judgmental space where they can talk about anything and everything that’s bothering them. It allows them to let off steam and share their worries – Wysa is here to listen.
Once a student signs up using the QR code on the flyers, they will get full access to all of Wysa’s self-help tool packs, including 150+ exercises, with everything from mindfulness and meditation to therapy tools for anxiety and depression, free for 12 months from the date you download it.
- KOOTH: May Newsletter
Please see attached the KOOTH newsletter for May ow your May KOOTH newsletter.
If you would like to book any staff training sessions or would like any Kooth resources, please use the link below to our booking form.
https://forms.gle/2r7mPfjdiVCDHAeG6
Welcome to May’s edition of Sandwell Education Newsletter, where we aim to update you on all things safeguarding in education, including potential training opportunities and useful links.
Please see below the activities on offer throughout May Half Term with SPDC.
All bookings MUST be sent to spdcbooking@sp-dc.org before 5pm on Tuesday 14th May 2024.
