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Line up announced for Olympic Torch evening event

Katy B is to headline the evening event at York Racecourse for the Olympic Torch celebrations on 19 June.

Katy B will take to the Coca Cola stage along with former Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere, local African drumming groups Umbu and Calabash and gospel sensation University of York choir Zamar.

Katy B said: "London 2012 is such a huge moment for the UK and I can't wait to help spread the excitement in York as the Olympic Torch makes its historic journey around the country. I'm especially looking forward to performing Anywhere in the World, the song for the Coca-Cola Olympic Games campaign that I've recorded with Mark Ronson."

The event is open to all, unticketed, and people who want to join in the celebration are invited to tell the council that they're coming by simply clicking onto www.york.gov.uk//yorkgold2012 and following the link. 

The celebration will get set from 11am with the Sporting Giants Games at Bustardthorpe - a sports day for some 30, four-metre high biomechanical puppets made by 23 York primary schools. From 2pm at the Racecourse there will be sports demonstrations and interactive stands offering tasters of activities including basketball, cheer-leading, table tennis and equestrian sports.

From 5pm staged spectaculars and interactive presentations by the Olympic Presenting Partners will kick off. Each will provide 20 minutes of exciting and stimulating entertainment including Coca-Cola showcasing exciting up-and-coming live music acts, Lloyds TSB bringing stunning acrobatic performances to the site and Samsung staging hi-tech dance performances.

At 6.50pm the Olympic Torch will complete the final leg of the day's journey to the stage on horseback, and will be used to light a celebration cauldron.

Blitz remembered

THIS weekend the council is holding several events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Baedeker Blitz which saw The Guildhall severely damaged on 29 April 1942.

York Explore (@YorkLibrariesUK) will be tweeting a minute by minute account of the air raid through the night of April 29. There will also be display of fascinating historic documents, artefacts and books. The display will tell the story of the bombs as they fell and the courageous response of York's people through photographs, maps, newspapers and the diaries of the city's Air Raid Precaution (ARP) service.

York Stories 2012 are also looking for anyone who may have an account of the Baedeker blitz to record their story for posterity. There are many ways in which to tell a York story, it could be through words, music, video or digital media.

On Saturday April 28 there will be a 1940's style tea dance in The Guildhall to commemorate 70 years since the bombing of the building.

The dance will run from 2pm to 4:30pm. Entry is 4 Guineas (£4.20) and there will be a prize for the best dressed man and woman, with spot prizes also being awarded.

For tickets call 554667 (limited tickets available).

WITH 100 days to go to the start of the 2012 London Games, volunteer stewards are being recruited from the council and other major city employers to help line the route of the Olympic Torch in York to help ensure it's a fun and safe experience for everyone.

The stewards will get an excellent view of the torch, a chance to catch the cameras and a place at the heart of the celebrations. Full training, necessary personal protective equipment and support will be provided by the Emergency Planning Team and the police. Stewards will also be issued with a commemorative ID badge.

Successful applicants will be required to steward on 19 June from 3-7pm. There will also be an opportunity to steward on 20 June from 7:30-10.30am, but this is not essential.

Stewards will be required to help keep the path of the torch clear, be alert for any disruption and help direct traffic with signs and cones. To do this, they must attend a half-day compulsory training session either on Wednesday 6 June, 4-7pm, or Monday 11 June, 4-7pm or Wednesday 13 June, 4-7pm.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, be able to lift and move crowd control barriers, cones and traffic signs. Deadline for applications is 25 May 2012.

Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

For more information and an application form please contact York Cares on info@yorkcares.co.uk or call 01904 323 482.

Assistant Director posts announced

The outcome of the selection of Assistant Directors into the new portfolios has been announced (28 March).

The council has been in the process of reviewing Assistant Director level structures within the four directorates and Office of the Chief Executive as part of the Organisation Review.

 
The purpose of the review was to ensure that the council's structure and management roles and responsibilities are in the best shape to deliver the council's priorities and respond to the needs of its residents and communities.

A process of assimilation and selection has been underway since mid February to identify which Assistant Director will lead each of the new portfolios. From 1st April, the Assistant Director portfolios will be as follows:

Adults, Children and Education (ACE)
Adult Commissioning Modernisation and Provision - Graham Terry
Children's Specialist Services - Eoin Rush
Education and Skills - Jill Hodges
Facilities management, School and Children's Strategy and Planning (Shared with CBSS) - Kevin Hall
Adult Assessment and Safeguarding - Kathy Clark (Interim)

Communities and Neighbourhoods (CANs)
Housing and Community Safety - Steve Waddington
Culture, leisure and Public Realm - Charlie Croft

Customer and Business Support Services (CBSS)
Finance, Asset Management and Procurement - Tracey Carter
Legal, Civic, Democratic and IT - Andy Docherty
Customers and Employees - Pauline Stuchfield
Facilities Management, School and Children's Strategy and Planning (Shared with ACE) - Kevin Hall

City and Environmental Services (CES)
City Development and Sustainability - Mike Slater
Strategic Planning and Transport - Richard Wood
Highways Fleet and Waste - Roger Ranson

Office of the Chief Executive
There are no Assistant Director level posts within the Office.

Lottery

Consultation on future of Burnholme Community College

THE future of Burnholme Community College is going to be opened to consultation next month.

Following discussions with governors at the college, and with the York Education Partnership, the council is proposing a phased closure of the college.

Falling student numbers at the college mean it faces a significant funding gap. Only 40 students have applied for a place for September 2012, which would result in a total of 270 students across all year groups. The would mean at least £580,000 would need to be found each year from within the city's overall school budget for it to continue operating.

While the college is rated a 'good' school by Ofsted, falling student numbers mean the Burnholme Community College is no longer financially viable and would not be able to provide the range and quality of learning the school would wish for.

The council's consultation will centre around a phased closure plan that seeks to protect the quality of education available to students already at Burnholme and to families living in this part of the city. Headteachers of all other secondary schools across the city (including the two academies) have all pledged to work with Burnholme Community College in order to support the students and the staff.

The council will be writing to the families of the 40 students that were hoping to start at Burnholme in September in order to discuss alternative options at neighbouring schools.

If a phased closure is agreed, the council will work with the college to ensure that the 172 students in the current Years 9,10 and 11 can successfully complete their education at Burnholme before it potentially closes in 2014. 

The phased closure would also see 114 students in the current Year 8 and Year 7 move to new schools in 2013 and 2014 in order to start their GCSE courses at neighbouring schools.

Burnholme's governers, while deeply saddened at the prospect of closure, have expressed their commitment to working towards a solution that safeguards the best interests of all concerned.

Details of the proposed consultation, which is supported by Burnholme's governing body, will be available soon.

Resources to combat Cyber-bullying

http://www.beatbullying.org/

http://www.childnet-int.org/

http://www.knowthenet.org.uk/

and some general e-safety sites:

http://www.digizen.org/

http://www.yhgfl.net/eSafeguarding

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

http://www.childnet.com/kia/primary/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/web/staysafe

 York GeniUS! - Ideas are beginning to flow in

YORK'S first community open innovation forum - GeniUS! - has been getting some inspired responses since it launched last week.

GeniUS! is looking for residents, community groups, businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere to come up with fresh approaches to some of the city's biggest challenges and today is posing a new challenge for everyone to get thinking around.

Since its launch one week ago, 100 people have joined the GeniUS! forum, 118 are following its progress on twitter - @GeniUSYork.

Initially the forum is looking for ideas and suggestions around four key challenges facing the city which are being released on the website weekly. Around 24 great ideas have already been put forward on the first challenge around how the city can better utilise the council's assets - property, vehicles, equipment and land. For example, lots of ideas have been posted about how new life can be breathed into the grade II listed Clementhorpe Maltings building, which is in need of renovation and has stood empty for years.

The second challenge now posted is looking for innovative ways we can help support older and vulnerable people in their homes - for example, assisted-living, buddy systems, safety improvements or tools to help reduce isolation?

Join in the forum and on twitter now and help us spread the word about GeniUS! by printing off posters and leaflets for your workplace.

For more information on GeniUS! contact Neil Wilford.

• Genius leaflet
• Genius Poster

Changes to Licensing Arrangements for Wireless Microphone Users

Ofcom have implemented a change to the license arrangements for wireless microphones which came into effect last October. This means that some frequencies cannot now be legally used in schools. The changes to the licence include the introduction of a new set of frequencies to replace those which can no longer be used. Details of the frequencies still in use and the newly available frequencies can be found by following the link below:

Ofcom

Procedure for new and expectant mothers risk assessments

This is a reminder to all senior management in schools; Once an employer has been notified in writing that an employee is a new or expectant mother they are legally obliged to take action to ensure that neither the employee or their child is at any significant risk. A review of the work processes/ procedures undertaken by the employee is required to be undertaken and control measures implemented.

A specific individual risk assessment should be undertaken with the personal involvement of the particular employee. Where the hazards and associated risks cannot be adequately controlled / eliminated than the employee should refrain from undertaking that activity.

Please see additional material on New and Expectant Mothers in the health and safety section on this portal, including Risk Assessment form-see link.

Link to New & Expectant Mothers Section

Risk Assessment Form

Free wi-fi trial in city centre

YORK is surfing the crest of the digital wave with the introduction of free wi-fi in the city centre from Monday 14 November.

St Helen's Square and Coney Street will pilot a free wi-fi trial, giving free wireless connection to laptops, smart phones or any other internet-enabled devices in the area, and enhancing the draw of the city centre to visitors, residents and businesses.

One of the first of its type in the country, the scheme is part of the council's Reinvigorate York and Digital York initiatives which aim to improve and enhance the quality of the city's public spaces and York's digital and IT services.

The council will be working with partners and consulting with local businesses about the pilot before any decision is taken to extend the zone across the whole city area within the walls.

A number of wireless access points have been strategically and discreetly located along Coney Street and in St Helens Square. Each of the units connects into the existing city-wide fibre council network using a 5Ghz wireless uplink.

Public access is around 2.4Ghz, providing the same level of internet access as that at York Explore Library Learning Centre.

The free service will appear in the list on wi-fi enabled devices and users simply click on 'I accept' on the page with usage details and conditions to connect.

Changes to Education Licences

From the 1st of March a new type of education licence will be available in addition to the existing education licence options. It is called Enrolement for Education Solutions (EES).

The Microsoft website summarises the new licence as follows:"Under this agreement you can license a single school, multiple schools or an entire school system, such as a local authority. You count your Full-Time Equivalent staff once per year, so you don't have to track every single computer in your establishment. Full time equivalent are staff who work more than 200 hours per year in your school."

Your ICT Managed Service provider will be able to explain in more detail which of Microsoft's licences best suits your circumstances.The links in the right hand column provide a comparison matrix of types of licence and a grid providing details of the key benefits of EES.

Matrix of licence types

 EES Licence Benfits

DP breach after laptop stolen from teacher

Joyce Willetts, the Head Teacher at Freehold Community School, has signed an undertaking to ensure that portable and mobile devices including laptops and other portable media used to store and transmit personal data are encrypted using encryption software after a data breach. The Information Commissioner's Office found that the school in Oldham has breached the Data Protection Act after an unencrypted laptop was stolen from a teacher's car. The breach was reported to the ICO in January and the laptop contained the personal data of 90 students from the school. The ICO's enquiries found that the school was unaware of the need to encrypt portable and mobile storage devices. Acting Head of Enforcement, Sally-Anne Poole said: "The fact that the school was unaware of the need to encrypt the information stored on their laptop shows that many organisations continue to process personal information without having the most basic of security measures in place."

For the text of the undertaking see the attached pdf: 

A quick reminder of guidance available on the portal:

Data Security - Dos and Don'ts

Information Handling

Information Risk Management

Data Encryption

Remote Access

Guidance- Data Security Breach Management 

The LA Portal - Work in Progress

The menus on the left hand side contain information about some of the Local Authority services. Its early days for the portal but we hope to have more information to share with you in the future.

Hopefully by using this resource, we will all have a central store for information which can help save the trees and also make updates easier to manage. Please send us your feedback on the site as there is still plenty of work to be done.

Email: la.portal@york.gov.uk