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Cambridgeshire Schools Newsletter

Christmas HAF Programme: 22 December 2025 - 2 January 2026

Eligible pupils can enjoy up to 16 hours of funded holiday activities and family experiences as part of the Christmas HAF Programme. Each day includes a nutritious meal and opportunities to take part in enriching activities with peers.

Bookings opened on 10 November 2025, and eligibility vouchers were sent by email and text to families receiving benefits-related free school meals.

Additional Christmas HAF eligibility criteria To request a booking code (school staff only), click here.

For further information, please contact the HAF Team at HAF@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Free training for early years practitioners: `Developing EY Literacies through Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage (ROMLT)'

Inclusive practice / ROMLIT / Free CPD

UEA'S ROMLIT team are offering 2 free training sessions for EY practitioners (including wraparound, PVI and all reception school staff).

Feedback from the October course:

'Excellent session, offering lots of in-depth information, challenging current perspectives and supporting inclusion moving forwards'

'Really insightful to hear from a member of the GRT community. Information, activities and plenty of time for questions and reflections made this course enjoyable'

'I'm not sure of any other course I have attended that has been so influential as this.'

'Having all 3 trainers who had direct links and experiences of the GRT community was the most valuable aspect of the training and not something that could be easily replicated.'

ROMLIT training flyer

Practitioners can book a free place through the 'Equalities and Inclusion' tab, on Booking bug.

Moderation and Monitoring Service Level Agreements - Academies

A big thank you to all the academies that have chosen Cambridgeshire for their monitoring and moderation services this school year and have returned their service level agreements (SLA) to us. There are still a few outstanding SLAs and the deadline to return them is the 12 December 2025.

Several schools have stated that they intend to have Cambs provide their monitoring and moderation services on the NCA Portal but have not returned a signed SLA to us, we still need to receive a signed SLA from these academies.

Academy special schools with children in Y1 and Y6 must also have a signed SLA with a Local Authority even if they do not expect to have pupils entered for either the phonics screening check or the Y6 SATs. Details about charges, if this is the case, can be found on the SLA.

One final reminder for academy chains that have signed up schools to the Cambs SLA from other geographical Las, these schools must let STA know via the NCA Portal that they are not going to be with their geographical LA for monitoring and moderation. The deadline for doing this is 9 January 2026.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the team via primary.assessment@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Maths resources available on BBC Bitesize website

New maths content for primary schools is now available for KS1 and KS2. Resources are available for KS1 in four areas: numbers, shapes and movement, measurement and handling data.

Free resources to help children with all aspects of the KS2 maths curriculum are also available.

Find out more at BBC Bitesize primary

DfE information on rollout of free breakfast clubs

Please find information about the rollout of free breakfast clubs in the press release below:

DfE press release: More free breakfast clubs to tackle cost of living head-on

Consultation on school term and holiday dates 2027 - 2028

We are consulting on school term and holiday dates for the academic year 2027-2028.

Local Authorities have a duty to determine school term dates for Local Authority maintained schools. Foundation, Voluntary Aided, Academies and Free schools are responsible for setting their own dates and so may choose to follow a pattern and/or specific dates that do not match those set by Cambridgeshire.

The proposed term time dates are here: CCC Proposed term dates 2027 - 2028

Please see the link below to the consultation on the council website: School term dates - Cambridgeshire County Council . We welcome your views. The consultation will close at 6.00pm on Friday 23 January 2026.

If you have any queries, on this, please contact Phil Nash (Senior Adviser for Leadership): phil.nash@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Your Assistance Programme - supporting staff wellbeing

Life can be challenging—balancing work, home, and personal responsibilities often feels overwhelming. But remember, you are not alone.

Cambridgeshire schools have access to Health Assured – Wisdom Wellbeing, a free and confidential service for employees and their immediate families. This programme offers:

24/7, 365 days a year, confidential helpline to provide immediate, in the moment support from experienced professionals

Digital CBT support and critical incident advice

Support and guidance on emotive topics such as stress, anxiety, relationships, and addictions

Legal and financial advice covering topics like childcare and eldercare support, and housing concerns

Health, nutrition, and fitness tips via the Wisdom app

Every call is handled with care, compassion, and complete confidentiality.

How to access:

Call 0800 028 0199 for immediate telephone support

Download the Wisdom App for wellbeing tools: Wisdom App | Health, Wellbeing & Employee Benefits

Your mental health matters. Your happiness matters. You matter.

Take the first step today - because looking after yourself is the best gift you can give to those around you.

English Challenge 2026

The English Team is pleased to announce that schools can now book to attend a heat of the 2026 English Challenge which takes place during the spring term. Teams of four Year 6 pupils from schools across Cambridgeshire vie for a place in the final which takes place in March.

Each round in a heat concentrates on different aspects of the English curriculum including reading, spelling, grammar and text types. If your school would like to take part you can book onto one of the ten heats that are held after school across the county. Please use the English Challenge tab on booking bug to book a place.

Pinpoint - Cambridgeshire's parent carers forum

Pinpoint is the local Parent Carer Forum and hub for information, signposting and events for all things SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Navigating the landscape of SEND can be daunting for parents and carers - which is why making sure they have the right support is key to helping their child or young person thrive.

Pinpoint is passionate about making sure parents feel informed, supported, and connected. The Pinpoint Tii Hubs offer monthly, online peer support - a space to meet other parents who truly understand the journey. Weekly, in-person Parent Connect sessions are also run across Cambridgeshire, giving families a warm welcome, a cuppa, and a chance to chat. And when it comes to expert knowledge, Pinpoint's information sessions offer trusted guidance from professionals who know what matters most. Together, it all adds up to support that’s consistent, compassionate, and completely free.

For more information and how to book: Pinpoint Events

FREE young driver road safety workshops

As part of the Vision Zero Partnership, the Road Safety team are working with PC AJ Boddington from Cambs Police to facilitate young driver workshops (16-18y) in Cambridgeshire secondary schools and colleges. These workshops are a great way to supplement safer travel and school travel plan initiatives as well as delivering key messages to learner or new drivers’ licence holders.

The sessions are delivered in the form of a 1-hour in person talk, adapted to the cohort. To book a school visit and talk from one of our Vision Zero partners, contact PC AJ Boddington at adrian.Boddington@cambs.police.uk

The Royal Ballet and Opera Schools programme

The Royal Ballet & Opera Schools programme is free, award-winning, national curriculum-led and coming to Cambridge on Wednesday 10th June 2026. Create & Sing (KS1-KS3) offers an accessible approach that combines singing and drama to build students self-expression, creative collaboration, performance confidence, voice, movement, and memory skills. It is designed for schools to embed into existing music curricula. It features:

- in person, full day, certified CPD training, suitable for class teachers or Music Leads - no experience of opera is needed.

- comprehensive classroom resources, including 5 lesson schemes of work Explore resources

- termly digital live lessons (suitable for KS1&2), featuring singers from the Royal Opera Find out more or sign up at RBO Sing CPD - Cambridge

Physical Education Premium Headlines

It is possible that this may be the last year of the PE and Sport premium funding and we must prioritise making sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport in primary schools.

You must use the funding in accordance with the conditions of grant.

You must use the funding to:

build capacity and capability in the school, ensuring improvements to the quality of PE and sport provision are sustainable

develop or add to the PE, sport and physical activity that the school provides

If a MAT pools the funding, you must use it to benefit the children in every qualifying school in the MAT.

It is important to remember that this is children's money and it must be used accordingly.

Ian Roberts – pe.adviser@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Training and events

Training provider: CCC

SIS - 1stClass@Number 2 (Maths Intervention) – Maths tab
For maths subject leaders, year 3 class teachers and teaching assistants. Session 1 of 3 – Monday 12 January 2026 – 9.30am until 3.30pm. Link teacher required for the morning and TA all day. £600 per school for LA schools and £700 per school for Cambridgeshire academies or out of county schools or independent schools.

SIS – Success@Arithmetic – Number Sense (Maths Intervention) – Maths tab
For maths subject leaders, KS2 class teachers and teaching assistants. Session 1 of 2 – Thursday 15 January 2026 – 9.30am until 4pm. Link teacher and TA required all day. £600 per school for LA schools and £700 per school for Cambridgeshire academies or out of county schools or independent schools.

SIS – Leading Improvements in Phonics – Core Training Offer tab
For phonics and early reading leaders and English subject leaders – Wednesday 21 January 2026 1.30pm until 4pm – Over Community Centre. £75 per person for LA schools and £85 per person for Cambridgeshire academies or out of county schools or independent schools.

Single Central Record Training (Book under Developing Leadership Courses Tab)
Audience: Headteachers, Senior Leaders, Administrative staff and Governors who are required to update, review or audit the SCR.
Friday 16 January 11.00-12.00
Virtual course, £35

Critical Incidents and Martyn's Law (Book under Developing Leadership Courses Tab)
Audience: Headteachers, Senior Leaders, Business Managers
Friday 6 March 09.30-11.30
In person, Sunley House, Papworth, £70

Boxercise Instructors Course
15th January 2026, 8.30am-4.30pm. Sunley House, Papworth Everard. Cambridgeshire Maintained Schools, All Academies and Non-Cambridgeshire Schools £165
Audience: Primary and Secondary PE teachers

Literacy Through Dance
28th January 2026, 1.30pm-3.30pm. Papworth Village Hall, Papworth Everard.
£93 for Cambs maintained schools, £111 for Cambs Academies and all non-Cambs schools
Audience: Any teacher, coach or assistant in the primary phase looking for innovative ideas to raise standards in literacy through Dance.

British Gymnastics Teachers Trampolining Award – Refresher
21st January 2026, 9,00am – 4,00pm St Ivo School, High Leys, St Ives
£193 for Cambs maintained schools, Cambs Academies and all non-Cambs schools
Audience: There is an expectation that teachers of Trampolining MUST be qualified to lead lessons, and qualifications MUST be refreshed every 3 years

Physical Activity in EYFS and KS1 - Every Child a Mover
26 January 2026, 9.30pm-3.30pm. Papworth Village Hall
Ermine Street, Papworth Everard.
£140 for Cambs maintained schools, £162 for Cambs Academies and all non-Cambs schools
Audience: Teachers and HLTAs working in Reception, KS1 and KS2

Early Years Foundation Stage Leadership.
For Early years foundation stage (EYFS) leads in schools. Wednesday 28th January 2026, 15.30 – 17.00. Members £10.80, Non-Members £18.

Early Support Pathway and early years SEND information for schools.
For School SENCo’s, early years leaders, and headteachers. Thursday 5th February 2026, 13.30 – 14.30. Members £7.20, Non-Members £12.

Supervisions in the EYFS.
For those responsible for the supervision of practitioners in EYFS provision. Wednesday 25th February 2026, 16.00 – 18.00. Online. Members £14.40, Non-Members £24.

Primary Network Meeting - Cambridgeshire Music
For all staff delivering music to share ideas and meet fellow music leaders. Monday 9th March. 16:00-17:00 on Teams (Webinar). Free for survey participants.

Music Technology in the Primary Classroom Webinar
For all staff wanting to deliver music technology in the classroom. Thursday 19th March 16:00-17:00 on Teams (Webinar). £40 (£20 for survey participants)

Getting the Most Out of Your Instrument Trolley Webinar
For all staff delivering music and using instruments. Tuesday 19th May 2026. 16:00-17:00. £40 (or £20 when survey completed.)

Training provider: The ICT Service

UK GDPR, Data Protection Training Opportunities for Schools for 2025/26
Suitable for all school staff, Bitesize Live Online Sessions delivered by The ICT Service (CCC), For DPO Service Customers - £45 per delegate / For Non-DPO Service Customers £90 per delegate.

Record Management and Data Retention: Good Housekeeping Strategies to Minimise Risk
• Wednesday 14 January 2026, 10.30 – 11.00am
• Thursday 15 January 2026, 4.00 – 4.30pm

Handling Data: Subject Access Requests and Consent
• Tuesday 20 January 2026, 10.30 – 11.00am
• Thursday 22 January 2026, 4.00 – 4.30pm

The Fundamentals: Data Protection Awareness and Skills
• Wednesday 11 February 2026, 10.30 – 11.00am
• Thursday 5 March 2026, 4.00 – 4.30pm

Training provider: Diamond Education and Professional Learning

Maths Subject Lead Day
Primary Maths Subject Leads, 25th March 2026, 9:30 – 15:00
Face to Face Wintringham Primary, St Neots - £95

Moderating Y2 Teacher Assessment
Year 2 Teachers, 15th April 2026, 14:00 – 16:30
Face to Face Winhills Primary, St Neots - £60

Moderating Y6 Writing
Year 6 Teachers, 16th April 2026, 14:00 – 16:30
Face to Face Winhills Primary, St Neots - £60

Training provider: Science Learning East

Focus4TAPS
For Primary Teachers. 3 days starting Wednesday 14th January, 09.30 – 15.30. Venue: Sawtry Village Academy. £450

Engaging science in years 5 & 6
For Primary Teachers. Wednesday 14th January, 15.30 – 17.00. Online webinar. £25

KS3 Chemistry – Acids, Alkalis and Bases
For Secondary Teachers. Monday 26th January, 16.00 – 17.30. Online webinar. £25

Training provider: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub

Local leadership, local impact conference 2026 (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub)

Save the date: Tuesday 10 February 2026.

The conference is for headteachers, senior leadership teams, trust leaders and CEOs of primary, secondary and SEND schools, and will be held from 10 am to 4 pm at Burgess Hall, St Ives. Content includes sustainable improvement in attainment, inclusive mainstream education, reception quality and attendance.

Reserve your place here: Eventbrite: Local leadership, local impact - Cambridgeshire and Peterborough