Dear Member, November is one of my favourite months in the ISA calendar. It’s a time when the values of our Association shine through at a sequence of events. The Autumn Study Conference showcases the support we provide our Members through thought-provoking keynote sessions that I hope inspired those in attendance to take back to their schools. The sense of fellowship flowing through the conference as old and new friends come together is palpable.

That the conference is combined with the exhibition of art from pupils who qualified for our National Arts Finals, and with the ISA Awards dinner, really captured what our Association is all about. The Awards dinner was a wonderful occasion where we were able to celebrate the talent, diversity and fellowship of our Association. There are details below of all of the winners. It was tough on those who missed out on the awards, but the standard was incredibly high this year.

This Newsletter is packed with detail that I hope you will find useful. ISI have released their response to the consultation on the draft inspection framework. There has been some shift as a result of the consultation, though not in the overall direction of their plans. ISI have not published a new draft as they are currently undertaking pilot studies which could lead to further tweaks. The final version of the new framework is due out next Easter. ISA has launched a new jobs portal so you can advertise jobs in your school at considerably lower rates than you might otherwise have to. There are full details of how you can use this service below. There is also advice on EHCPs and guidance from the EHRC on avoiding discrimination. There is a useful note on food allergies in schools, a heads up on the ISC Census that will be landing on everyone’s desks in January, and much more.

Finally, while the run up to Christmas can be an exciting and happy time with a particular buzz in our schools, I know that for some it can be challenging on a personal level. We’re always here at HQ to offer support on anything, but please don’t forget that you have free access to counsellors and other advisors through Health Assured. There are details of how you can access this below. It is completely anonymous and can be a real help in difficult times.

Registering for the new ISA Website

It’s great to see so many ISA Members and their staff making use of our new website. If you haven’t done so already, please create an account.

With our new system, Members can now access exclusive content online, use their accounts to directly book courses and conferences, as well as enter ISA Sport and ISA Arts competitions and much more.

The process to access your online account has now been streamlined.

For our Members who aren’t registered yet, the best option is to follow the steps listed here.

The steps that staff within your schools have to follow to create an account are slightly different. They can be seen here. Please share this amongst your teams.

Contact us if you experience any issues with the new system or require a walkthrough over any of our processes. 

Don’t forget your Pre-Inspection Compliance visits!

ISA Membership includes the opportunity for you to have an off-duty inspector visit you for a day to help with your inspection compliance preparation. ISA cover the day rate, but you will have to pay expenses. It is an excellent opportunity and most Members have now benefitted at least once from this service.

There is now a new way to book this

Firstly, you need to be registered as a user on our new website. Steps to access your account can be seen here.

ISI Consultation Summary, Report and Webinar

Thank you to all of our Members who grasped the opportunity to offer feedback to ISI on their proposed new framework with both hands. We are all working to shape an inspection framework that is applicable to the diverse range of schools that are part of the ISA family, one that realistically reflects the broad programmes of learning that you all call on every day to meet the needs of the pupils in your care.

ISI have now considered the thoughts provided and issue the following:

• Consultation response summary: a summary of consultation feedback, ISI’s response, and an outline of any modifications to the proposed framework.

• Full consultation report: an overview of the consultation process, methodology, analysis of consultation feedback, and ISI’s full response.

ISI are hosted a webinar where, Vanessa Ward, Chief Inspector and Chief Executive of ISI, will explain their response and outline the next steps in the framework development process. To register, please visit here.

For those of you unable to attend the webinar, it was recorded and will be shared to the ISI website in the section dedicated to the 2023 framework. Included in the information in this area is details about pilots and testing at volunteer schools during the autumn and spring terms, plus a timeline for framework publication and implementation.

This month we were honoured to celebrate the ISA Awards 2022.

2022 marked a record number of entries to the ISA Awards, and long may that trend continue as our family expands and so to the breadth of provision that takes place across our Association.

It was a welcome challenge for the team to curate 14 different awards that celebrate the excellent, innovative and diverse range of practise that is present across ISA schools. To read the full list of winners and to recap the magic that was on display thanks to some award-winning performers on the night, click on the article below.

21st November 2022 ISA Awards 2022 celebrates innovation in independent education after record-setting year News

Pressburst – Promote Your Vacancies Via the ISA Website & Beyond

ISA are now in partnership with Pressburst to provide a growing service that allows our Members to expand the reach of their vacancies.

A Pressburst subscription allows your vacancies to be listed on the ISA website here, the ISC jobs zone, as well as the respective areas for any other Associations that you are a part of and the Sherbert Jobs platform.

Pressburst includes analytics for every job vacancy, so you can track their impact and popularity.

Discounts are available depending on the size of your school. Pressburst are ready and willing to discuss the best options for ISA Members.

To get in touch email help@pressburst.app or call 01993 686763.

Notice Board

Professional Development

Our courses for the 2022-23 academic year have now been launched, see our calendar to view our entire programme of courses and conferences.

Upcoming Courses

7 December 2022 Learning: How lesson observations can inform school improvement - Now Online Online Course, Zoom	8 December 2022 RSE: Respect & Protect: New statutory 'Sexual Health Education Curriculum' (Secondary) Online Course, Zoom
5 January 2023 The Race Conversation: Session 3 - Steps to increasing confidence Online Course, Zoom	10 January 2023 Learning: Primary Maths Teaching - Pedagogy and Practice Online Course, Zoom
17 January 2023 Learning: Improving Pupil Engagement Online Course, Zoom	12 January 2023 How to explain race in the EYFS setting: Session 1 - Statutory and Non-Statutory Guidance Online Course, Zoom

30 June - 2 July The newest exciting event on the ISA Sport calendar is the Festival of Sport, which will take place on from 30 June - July 2. Students at ISA Member schools will be able to enjoy a weekend residential trip using the state-of-the-art facilities of the University of Nottingham. It will be an action-packed and fun weekend of discovering new sports, making new friends and learning new skills. The festival will be available for ages U11, U13 and U15. Find out more

EHCPs – Hints and Tips for School Leaders from Barry Huggett OBE 

Barry Huggett OBE, Principal of the More House Foundation and Honorary ISA Member, has listed some hints and tips relating to EHCPs for school leaders.

In the document below, Barry outlines the responsibilities that independent schools are, and are not, legally required to follow for young people with SEND issues, the duties you must cover dependent on what is stated in an EHCP and finally guidance on funding, local authorities and contracts.

Health Assured 

A comprehensive, free package of mental health and welfare support is available to ISA Members and their families.

Support includes:  - A 24/7 helpline offering practical information and emotional support for the following: counselling, family and relationship issues, bereavement, trauma, stress-related conditions, tax guidance, medical advice, financial support on debt and money management and also legal assistance. - Access to up to six telephone counselling sessions for themselves, their partner or dependents aged 16-24 in full-time education. - Six face-to-face counselling sessions, including professional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). - Use of Health Assured’s online platform and the My Healthy Advantage app, providing access to an extensive library of wellbeing resources – including four-week programmes as well as videos and webinars.

This is a personal benefit for ISA Members (normally the Headteacher in day-to-day control of the school). It does not cover teaching staff in your school.

For more information: visit the EAP website (user: TISA, password: EAP).

If you'd prefer, you can call the counselling team in confidence on 0800 030 5182.

Health Assured also have My Healthy Advantage. This health and wellbeing app provides features designed to improve both mental and physical health, such as an interactive weekly mood tracker, four-week health plans, mini health checks and breathing techniques.

Click here for information on how to download and register. The unique code for ISA Members to register is: MHA122807

ISC Census 2023

All ISA Members should have received an email containing guidance for the 2023 ISC Census last week. If you do not think you have received this email, please email [email protected] and a new copy will be sent to you.

Census day is Thursday 19 January 2023 and the deadline for submissions is Tuesday 31 January 2023.

The information contained in the guidance notes can be extremely helpful as you all prepare for the data collection in the new year.

Submissions are made via the ISC data portal, and all of you will have received login details to this within the email.

If you have any queries about the census, please email [email protected] or call (020) 3006 3705 and the ISC Research and Data team will be happy to help.

ISA Awards Case Study: Outstanding Provision of Learning Support, Frewen College

Frewen College, a day and boarding school for young people with specific learning needs, were named winners of the ISA Award for Outstanding Provision for Learning Support in 2021. Nick Goodman and the Frewen team have created a case study sharing the ways they respond to the individual learning needs of pupils. Explored are the aims, actions and outcomes relating to their goal of returning the joy of learning to students with specialist needs, developing staff to meet the changing needs of students and how pupils can be further supported at home. Click here or on the image alongside to read the two-page case study in full.

25th November 2022 Frewen College Case Study - Outstanding Provision of Learning Support (ISA Awards 2021 Winner).pdf Case Studies

Funded ‘Leaders Like Us’ Programme from Church of England

‘Leaders Like Us’ is a funded multi-faceted programme from the Church of England for aspiring senior leaders from UK minority ethnic (UKME) or global majority heritage (GMH) backgrounds.

The training’s aims are to enable these individuals to progress to headship.

Leaders Like Us is an 18-month programme that covers four core elements; training, shadowing, mentoring and networking.

All but one aspect of the training is funded, the NPQ element is not covered for teachers in independent schools, but all other elements are.

Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), including how much time out of school is required to participate in the events involved in this programme can be found towards the bottom of this page. Please share this opportunity with your staff. If they wish to express their interest, they can do so here, and they can find an application form here. Participants, as well as those who request attendance, will be invited to a free launch event in London.

Introducing our new Gold Supplier, Feel Good Films

ISA is delighted to welcome Feel Good Films as a Gold Preferred Supplier.

Whether your priority is to boost recruitment numbers, celebrate your alumni, or showcase your ethos and values, nothing strikes a more powerful impact than film. 

In today's heavily competitive online market, it's never been in greater demand. Those who lead, know the value of film and the way it emotionally connects people to organisations, but it's not easy to shine and keep pace. That's where we can help. 

As specialist film producers to the education sector, with over 50 years combined production experience, we deliver films to the highest quality, ensuring we work alongside your team to realise your specific goals.

Feel Good Films is a full service video production company who bring the Feel Good factor to your school. To see the projects that they’ve already worked on alongside several ISA schools, visit this hub and for a showreel of their films look here. For more information contact their team at [email protected] or 01243 882518

Free Training and Lesson Plans on FGM, Body Image & Honour-Based Abuse

Oxford Against Cutting is a charity offering workshops for staff and useful lesson plans on harmful practices including female genital mutilation (FGM), honour-based abuse (HBA), as well as issues relating to body image.

With many PSHE teachers uncomfortable with exploring these difficult subjects, these sensitive, age-appropriate materials can provide staff with specialist safeguarding training and the necessary lesson plans to approach students with.

The workshops from Oxford Against Cutting are delivered by individuals from affected communities, bringing in valuable personal insight into the impact of these harmful practices.

All of their training and workshops can be seen here.

Preventing Hair Discrimination Resources from EHRC

Over the last month the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have launched resources on preventing hair discrimination in schools.

Discrimination can range from describing someone’s hairstyle as “inappropriate” or “exotic” through to outright bans on certain hairstyles and bullying.

Resources include written guidance on preventing hair discrimination, supported by practical examples for schools outlining whether a policy may be discriminatory based on real-life experiences.

The EHRC have also created a decision-making tool that helps leaders draft and review their policies.

This article from TES may provide useful additional information on hair discrimination, particularly the sections on ‘how can a school’s policy on hairstyles be discriminatory?’ and ‘time to review’.

Resources

Introducing our new Gold Supplier, Crown Sports Lockers

ISA is pleased to announce that Crown Sport Lockers have joined our Gold Supplier Scheme.

For over 30 years Crown Sport Lockers have been supplying smart, quality wooden lockers for schools to the independent and private education sector. The lockers are designed in the UK, and are made to accommodate every academic need.

To find out more contact the team via email or at 01803 555885.

Some of our Members may already be aware of The Allergy Team, who aim to strengthen allergy planning in schools, encourage shared responsibility and improve the understanding of food allergies.

The Allergy Team’s programme contains coaching, tips, solutions, and resources constructed in a way that leaves them easily actionable for schools.

They aim to help schools construct a practical plan for allergy management and understand their legal responsibilities.

To learn more about The Allergy Team, see this brochure.

Training is delivered by those who manage allergies, calling on caterers, psychologists, teachers, medics, parents and the pupils themselves.

For further details on the service and costs visit their website and to contact them email [email protected].

Partnerships Networking Event

Christina Astin and Astin Consulting host monthly networking meetings for those interested in school partnerships, which take place on the first Wednesday of every month.

In December, the #PartnerChat Breakfast Briefings will be on Wednesday 7 and the topic is ‘partnerships for school improvement’. This will run from 8-8.30am.

Members can register for the event here. Further details can be seen at this page.

Empathy Week 2023

Opportunity & Education

Starting 27 February, Empathy Week is now set for 2023 and the theme will be ‘opportunity & education’ this time around.

Empathy Week uses the power of film to develop empathy in students aged 5-18.

The programme aims to improve understanding of those around us, whether we agree with them or not, striving to build more meaningful and fruitful relationships.

Empathy Week provides events, webinars and workshops for your school communities, supported by a five-week library of learning resources, ‘empathy action projects’ to allow students to promote something they are passionate about and the Global Empathy Awards.

There is a cost associated with the programme for independent schools, with further details on the packages available here.

Schools can learn more about Empathy Week with this information pack.

Guidance on DFE School-level Annual School Census

The DfE have now issued guidance for independent schools on the school-level annual school census (SLASC).

Census day is Thursday 19 January 2023. Read more about SLASC here.

Areas

Your ISA area has a dedicated page on our website, including details of forthcoming meetings and area contacts. Please contact Lesley at HQ to update details for your area, including details of future meetings, if these are incomplete or incorrect.

Upcoming Area Meetings

10 February 2023 East Area committee Meeting February 2023 Meeting or Committee, Suffolk	2 March 2023 London South Area Meeting with AGM Meeting or Committee, Surrey
14 March 2023 North Area Committee Ordinary Meeting and General Meeting Meeting or Committee, Halifax	14 March 2023 Midlands Area Committee Meeting March 2023 Meeting or Committee, Warwickshire

Featured Image: ‘Women’s Fear’ by Freya, Highclare School (M). 1^st place in 2D Art KS4, ISA National Art Finals 2022.

We are delighted to announce the results of the ISA National Art Competition 2022. With 254 artworks, we have been blown away by the amount of talent displayed in the finals.

Well done to everyone who took part this year and congratulations to the winners.

You can view the winning pieces and the full list of the results on our website.

Congratulations to the winners of the ISA Dance Competition which took place at the beginning of November:

New Hall School (E), Gosfield School (E), Mayville High School (LW), Ursuline Preparatory School (E), Reddam House Berkshire (LW), Thomas’s Battersea Senior School (LW) and Ballard School (LW).

Well done to all the participants, visit the ISA website to view the full list of the results.

Huge thanks to our hosts Reddam House Berkshire and to Arts Ed London for their wonderful showcases and adjudication.

Many ISA Arts competitions are now open for entries. Visit our website or follow the links below for further details.

For more events and opportunities visit our website or download the ISA National Arts Calendar 2022-2023. 

We are very pleased to work this year with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. First placed entries, and second for KS4/5, will be invited to perform their monologues in the stunning Tudor setting of Mary Arden's farm in Stratford-Upon-Avon on Monday 24 April. In addition, prizewinners will receive a tour of the site and take part in a workshop session with the award-winning learning team of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

To keep up to date with ISA Arts follow us on Twitter @ISAartsUK and Instagram at isaartsUK. Each term we send out our own ISA Arts newsletter – if you or members of your staff would like to subscribe to this please select the ‘edit profile’ option on the account homepage of our new website, then navigate to the contact preferences tab and select ‘Arts Emails’ or contact us.

The newest exciting event on the ISA Sport calendar is the Festival of Sport, which will take place in summer 2023. Students at ISA Member schools will be able to enjoy a weekend residential trip using the state-of-the-art facilities of the University of Nottingham. It will be an action-packed and fun weekend of discovering new sports, making new friends and learning new skills. Sports are likely to include Frisbee, Handball, Dodgeball, American Football, Table Tennis, Climbing, Archery and much more.

The festival will be available for ages U11, U13 and U15 on the weekend of 30 June-2 July 2023. Keep your eye for more information coming soon…

ISA Athletes of the Term The ISA Athletes of the Term Awards are an opportunity for us all to celebrate and showcase spectacular achievements made by your school pupils each term. We would like you to share these special moments with us. So, please nominate any of your junior or senior students and/or sports teams who you feel should receive recognition for their achievements this term. Enter Now - Deadline 2 December

We can now confirm that Darren Harris, England’s most capped blind footballer with 162 appearances, will attend the virtual Q&A session for all nominated athletes.

#ISAathleteoftheterm

ISA Calendar

You can view our full schedule of events and activities on our new online calendar. Click here to access it.

This calendar includes all of our training courses and conferences, ISA Sport events and ISA Arts events that will take place in person. Members can filter through the calendar via event type and topic to view the information they need.

Details on area meetings are available here and for national committee meetings, participants will be able to view upcoming meetings via our new system’s 'My Groups' feature.

Upcoming Events

9 February 2023 U15 Boys Hockey Sport Competition, London	4 March 2023 Cross Country National Finals Sport Competition, Worksop
14 March 2023 – 15 March 2023 Drama (South) Competition Arts Competition, Wokingham	26 April 2023 Drama (North) Competition Arts Competition, Warwick