NESAF are excited to announce that we will be moving into a new venue…… the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

We would like to thank one of our new sponsors, Agilico, for supporting the forum in finding this new venue. The new venue allows the forum to grow in terms of its membership and sub-groups. We would like to share again, our appreciation for the support of Muckle LLP in providing accommodation over the last couple of years.

We are always grateful to our current and long-serving sponsors, some of which have supported the forum for over 7 years. In order to deliver successful growth, a number of new sponsors will now be introduced. Further information will be shared with members at the November meeting, along with introductions and a chance to meet the new partners.

Moving forward, the group is always keen to support the interests of its members, therefore, if you would like to share any areas of best practice or challenges you face within the sector, then please do not hesitate to respond to this email.

Registration for the event on Friday 15th of November is now open, please use the following link to confirm your attendance:

https://forms.gle/onGsraiq53pUhSGS6

The North of England Schools and Academies Forum is going from strength to strength and as well as announcing our new regular venue (The Baltic in Gateshead) we are also really pleased to have new sponsors supporting our forum.

Juniper

Juniper Education experts in education. Trusted by over 14,000 schools and 70% of MATs, Juniper’s technology and expertise deliver joined-up solutions for the office, staffing, classroom, and engaging your parents.

Agilico

Agilico are a DfE-approved framework provider, that supports the education sector with managed print, IT, audio-visual, telephony, and document management systems. Our innovative solutions help schools operate efficiently while creating smarter, more connected learning environments.

GL Assessment

GL Assessment, part of Renaissance, is a leading provider of assessments to UK schools and groups. Our assessments provide powerful information that enables you to understand the whole student, helping to improve academic performance and student well-being. They are built on academic research, extensive trialing, and an easy-to-use digital assessment system. We are proud to be working with over 190 Multi Academy Trusts and provide unrivalled support from our team of dedicated advisors who are data experts, education professionals and former teachers

On Friday the 30th September we held our quarterly meeting and afterwards, our annual NESAF social event. The meeting and the social event were both a huge success and we would just like to say a huge “thank you” to all of the members who attended.

NESAF are expanding rapidly and now have over 150 members from schools across the North of England. The strength of the group is testament to the depth and experience of our members and moving forward we aim to provide even more opportunities and events in which colleagues can share best practice and network with peers from across the sector.

Details of our next meeting will follow soon….

The government have increased its pay offer for senior teachers to five per cent from September following lengthy negotiations with the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Schools will now have to look at their own budgets to cover the five percent pay rise which means that overall the pay rises will cost the sector over £1 billion. The agreed rises comes at a tricky time for schools as most have already set next years budget.

Read more here – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-delivers-landmark-rises-to-teachers-salaries

The annual NESAF Social will be held in Newcastle following our next meeting on the 30th September. All members and guests are welcome to join us (regardless of whether you attend the meeting through the day or not).

More details will be emailed out to members with times and venues etc.

NESAF are thrilled to announce that on April 1st 2022, we will be launching our brand-new website at https://nesaf.org.uk/. The new website will enable NESAF to convey all of our objectives and goals, the sectors we work with and a comprehensive range of immersive case studies. Perspective members can find out more information and enquire to become a member. This website will make information more accessible for users and it also places an emphasis on better cross-device user experience.

All future events will be advertised online where you can reserve your place at the click of a button. In the coming weeks, the new NESAF website will be regularly updated with new content, news articles, case studies, and technical improvements to keep the website engaging and up-to-date.

MHA Tait Walker – Accountants and Business Advisory – MHA Tait Walker are a long established independent firm of accountants based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, with offices across the North East in Northumberland, Durham, Teesside, Leeds and Carlisle. Our dedicated team provide large corporates, small businesses and private clients with a comprehensive range of business advisory and accounting services.

Our specialist education team provide comprehensive accountancy support and solutions. Whether you are considering converting to Academy status, are already up and running, or are looking to become part of a Multi Academy Trust, MHA Tait Walker can guide you through the whole process.

Our team understand that the support you need from your accountant is not just about ticking compliance boxes; we are on hand to assist you throughout the academic year, offering proactive and friendly advice on everything from conversion support and accounts preparation to audit and taxation.

For further information please contact Brian Laidlaw – [email protected]

Almost 1.8 million children missed at least 10% of school in the autumn term in England, according to new estimates. The number of children missing at least half of school is also greater than previously thought, at 122,000.

The figures are based on information gathered from 145 councils for the Children’s Commissioner. Dame Rachel de Souza said urgent action was needed to identify the children most at risk, and the reasons why they miss school. The investigation follows concerns some pupils have never fully returned to lessons after national lockdowns during the Covid pandemic. It also found no reliable figures for children who never go to school at all, raising the prospects of a small, but vulnerable group of children who are entirely out of sight, and thus impossible for the authorities to keep safe.

Dame Rachel said: “I’m extremely concerned, I’m surprised at the size of it. “I’m worried about children missing education but also safeguarding and helping those who most need to be back at school to be back.”