News, training and professional development from Devon Education Services
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News from the education teams:
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Conferences and professional development:
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News from the education teams
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The National Year of Reading 2026Celebrate The National Year of Reading 2026 with our inspiring 'Calendar of events'. Packed with engaging activities, author sessions, and creative ideas, our programme is designed to help schools foster a lifelong love of reading among pupils and staff.
Don’t miss this opportunity to make reading the heart of your school community. |
| Find out more and download our FREE resouces
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5 February 2026
Future Skills Centre, Exeter |
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School support services conference: Supporting schools to innovate, sustain and thriveExplore AI integration, sustainability and creative change strategies through keynotes and interactive workshops.
Network, learn and be inspired to support thriving school systems at the school support services conference. |
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Wraparound childcare funding – don’t miss out!Devon has been awarded over £3.5 million to help schools, childminders, and providers expand, or launch wraparound childcare services. This is a fantastic opportunity to boost childcare availability and support working families across the county. Providers can now access funding even for partial hours, making it easier for smaller or rural settings to participate. Applications close February 2026 – act now! |
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New Health and Safety document libraryWe have launched a new Health and Safety document library, making it easier for schools to access essential resources.
Previously hosted on OSHENS, the library is now available through the DES microsite, offering streamlined access and improved user experience for subscribers. |
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Climate action planning reportingWe would very much appreciate it if you could complete the Climate Action Tracker.
The Met Office is asking all education settings (nurseries, primaries, secondary and FE settings) to complete our Climate Action Tracker form as part of the impact evaluation for the Climate Ambassador programme. |
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This will help us in our reporting to the DfE and provide them with a picture of where education settings are at on their climate action journey and what the main challenges have been, with the view to helping shape future support.
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Have your say on DES servicesAs part of the wider redesign of the Inclusion and Learning Directorate, we will cease delivering some of our service areas from January 2026, including English and Maths support, and PiPs training.
We are committed to ensure the services we provide truly meet your needs and therefore we invite you to share your views by completing a short survey via the link below. Please complete by 19 December 2025 |
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See how schools are taking climate actionLet’s Go Zero is the national campaign for all schools, colleges and nurseries to be zero carbon by 2030. It offers FREE support to help with your sustainability goals.
Register for the FREE workshops in the new year. |
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Briefings and network meetings |
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- Budget Planning Workshop (in person) - 11, 12 Mar 2026
- Bursar briefings (in person and online) - 3, 4, 5 Mar 2026
Clerks briefing (online and in person) - 21, 22, 28 Jan 2026 DPO networking forum (online) - 29 Jan 2026 Educational visits co-ordinator (EVC) termly briefing - (in person and online) 24 Feb, 10, 16, 17 Mar 2026 EYFS briefings for schools (online) - 9, 10, 11 Mar, 6, 7, 8 Jul 2026 Safeguarding forums (in person and online) - 10, 11, 18 Mar, 8, 9, 10 Jun 2026 - School Library Service network meetings - dates coming soon
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A fantastic opportunity for both subscribing and non-subscribing schools to meet and share ideas whilst receiving the latest updates on changes to data protection legislation and how this could affect you.
Data Protection Networking Forum (online)
29 January 2026
Tips for Keeping your School’s Data Safe |
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(Please note: schools who subscribe to our DPO service can attend at no charge, as part of their subscription package)
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Early education (EYFS) and childcare |
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Early Years Foundation Stage - Early Years music conference - 10 Mar 2026 - Future Skills Centre, Exeter
- Early Years SENDCo Forums - 9, 11,12 Feb, 18, 19, 21 May 2026
EYFS briefings for schools (online) - 9, 10, 11 Mar, 6, 7, 8 Jul 2026 |
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Early Years and Childcare - including some fully funded training for Devon EYC providers (excl. Plymouth and Torbay) |
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These courses are fully funded for Devon schools and other schools with Devon children in care
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Ethnically Diverse Education Achievement Service (EDEAS)
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Devon Health and Safety Service training courses
- Asbestos operational awareness (online) - 4 Feb, 27 Apr, 10 Jun, 16 Sep, 3 Nov 2026
- Asbestos duty to manage (online) - 13 Jan, 10 Mar, 13 May, 8 Jul, 12 Oct 2026
- Control of contractors and CDM (online) - 11 Mar, 23 Sep, 9 Dec 2026
- COSHH – managing chemicals safely (online) - 4 Mar, 17 Jun, 26 Nov 2026
- Fire safety duty to manage (online) - 10 Dec 2025, 4 Feb 2026
- Fire warden (online) - 5 Feb, 6 May, 7 Jul, 8 Oct 2026
- Health and safety general awareness (online) - 2 Apr, 10 Nov 2026
- Health and safety risk assessment (online) - 10 Feb, 14 May, 12 Nov 2026
- IOSH managing safely (4-day course) (in person) - 3 Jun, 7 Oct 2026
- IOSH Managing safely refresher (in person) - 24 Jun 2026
- IOSH working safely (in person) - 25 Mar, 5 Nov 2026
- Legionella operational awareness (online) - 12 Feb, 30 Apr, 30 Jun 24 Sep, 1 Dec 2026
- Legionella responsible person (online) - 22 Jan, 12 Mar, 12 May, 14 Jul, 24 Nov 2026
- School governors’ health and safety overview (online) - 11 Feb, 16 Jun, 3 Dec 2026
- Senior managers’ premises overview (schools) (online) - 12 Mar, 18 Jun, 20 Oct, 9 Dec 2026
- Managing work at height (online) - 7 May, 6 Oct 2026
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Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision |
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Outdoor education and leadership courses |
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Child Protection Level 3 initial training (2 days) (online) - 15 Jan 2026 Child Protection level 3 initial training (2 days) (in person) - 27 Jan, 2 Jun 2026 Child Protection refresher training Group 3 and above (online) - 15 Dec 2025, 9 Jan, 9 Feb, 17 Mar, 20 May 2026 - Child Protection refresher training Group 3 and above (in person) - 4, 26 Feb, 6, 26 Mar, 5 Jun, 7 Jul 2026
- Safeguarding conference 2026 - 1 Jul 2026 - Sandy Park, Exeter
- Safeguarding forum (in person and online) - 10, 11, 18 Mar, 8, 9, 10 Jun 2026
SaFest - an online Safeguarding festival - 9-13 February 2026 - Hosted all online - Supporting mentally healthy schools conference - 10 March 2025 - Sandy Park, Exeter
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Internet safety parents' workshop (delivered in school)
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Would you like to connect with other school librarians?
Our termly networking meetings are held either at our centre in Willand or online. They are led by the SLS advisory team and are a source of up-to-date information, the sharing of ideas and good practice, plus a chance to look around another library and talk about the books we love. |
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SEND - Sensory and/or physical needs |
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Sustainable schools and waste education |
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Devon schools join forces for a greener future - read the article on our Sustainable schools conference.
Become a WOW school – Running throughout a whole year and aimed at schools that want to empower their pupils to take part in climate action and reducing waste. Our team can help you improve recycling and increase reuse in your school through our intensive Watch Our Waste project. Contact the team for more details.
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The Department for Education has published its strategy ‘Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems’ which states that by 2025, all schools should have:
- A Sustainability Lead – a individual or team of people who will implement actions to improve the sustainability of the school
- A Climate Action Plan – outlining how the schools plan to work towards Net Zero
It’s not too late to get started on your Climate Action Plan; if you are still looking for help developing and implementing your plan, then visit Devon County Council’s Sustainable Schools webpages for links to a wide range of excellent free resources and opportunities.
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| Visit the Sustainable Schools website
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Free trips for schools - Bring a class of upper KS2 or secondary pupils to see inside the Energy from Waste plants in Exeter and Plymouth. Our trips book up fast and we only have a few 2025/26 dates remaining. Grants are available to help cover coach costs.
Free workshops for schools - Interactive, fun workshops and assemblies, about marine litter, materials, compost and recycling are brought to your school to help engage pupils and embed the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and composting into the curriculum and everyday school life. |
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