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Please encourage your families to explore different local schools when deciding on where they would like their child to go. Remember to remain impartial. When they have decided, encourage parent carers to share their choice with you so that a plan for the phase transfers can be made.
Phase Transfers
Please be aware that all annual reviews for pupils who are transitioning to another setting from September 2025 need to be completed by no later than Friday 20th December 2024.
With the recent changes to the EYFS Statutory Framework from 01 November 2024, the following documents on the SLG have been updated:
- Know How Guide Working with Under 2's
- Know How Guide Working with Two Year Olds
Both these documents can be found at the bottom of the page: Babies and toddlers | Shropshire Learning Gateway
 Please click the link below to read the flyer for the Multicultural Development
Team Services for Shropshire Early Years Settings 2024 – 2025
Multicultural Development Team_Shropshire Early Years 2024-25.pdf
With the Budget announcement that employers face rises to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and increases to the national minimum wage, Nursery World wants to hear how the measures will directly impact early years providers by taking part in our survey.
We want to hear from nurseries, pre-schools and childminders employing assistants about how much they think the rises will cost them and what impact this will have – will fees be increased, expansion plans put on hold, changes be made to staff benefits, recruitment be put on hold or will providers be forced to close sites?
Survey responses will be used in a story for our next issue about the perceived impact of the NICs and minimum wage rises, coming in from April 2025.
Take part in our short survey here
If you or your setting would like to arrange a support session for staff who work with parents in conflict, please contact Shropshire’s Family Relationships Coordinator Ash.Molloy@shropshire.gov.uk. Ash will be happy to assist and liaise directly with you or your staff to advise or arrange a drop-in session. This support is available to all early years settings and childminders.
The hour-long free webinar will take place from 12:15pm to 1:15pm on Tuesday 19th November.
Please note this is not a Shropshire webinar and there is not an evening session planned.
Many early years settings are reporting a rise in the number of children presenting with additional needs, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Alongside the increasing number of diagnoses for SEN (which include autism and ADHD), practitioners describe children as needing additional support with areas such as personal, social and emotional development and their speech and language. Indeed 1.9 million children are now currently estimated to struggle with their speech and language according to Speech and Language UK. To explore the key challenges and examine practical strategies that can enable early years educators to support children at a crucial early stage, we have brought together an expert panel that includes: • Melanie Pilcher, Quality and Standards Manager, EY Alliance • Becky Eckersley, Lead SEND Advisor, Kids Day Planet Nurseries • Sarah Mackenzie, CEO, Storal • Catherine McLeod MBE, Chief Executive, Dingley’s Promise Over the course of the webinar the discussion will range across new ideas for creating an inclusive environment indoors and out, how staff can be supported to develop skills that meet children’s current needs – including new training options, and how to work effectively with parents. The webinar will also give you the chance to have your say and ask questions relating to best practice in this area. We hope you can join us for this informed and thought-provoking discussion. Secure your place for free now.
The EIG request form can be found here. Support Request Form
This is the same form we have been using for a while. Please note some additional wording has been added to the form.
Panel is now being more mindful of the extensive amounts of requests for 1:1 support for children along with EEF research and guidance contained within The Effective Use of Teaching Assistants (2021) and Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools (2021).
This research and guidance states that small group and 1:1 support can be a powerful tool but must be used carefully. Research found that pupils who receive the most support make less progress than similar pupils who received little or no support. It is also recognised that use of one-to-one TA support can result in a dependency effect. With this in mind we are looking to settings to be considerate of the amount of 1:1 support a child is receiving to support as much independence as possible enabling children to be better prepared for transition into their mainstream primary school. Having said this if there is evidence that the child's SEND is complex and that there is a robust graduated response with support and intervention in place, panel may still award funding for full time 1:1 support.
All supporting documentation must be emailed to NEF@shropshire.gov.uk with - EIG request - as the subject.
Thank you for your support with this, it is much appreciated.
Early Years Team
Please see the attached documents via the links below.
There are also resources such as posters available to download from Infectious diseases: education and childcare settings - GOV.UK
Winter preparedness information for WM Education and Childcare Settings_2024 V3-Survey link added.doc
OutbreakGuidanceV09.00 FINAL (V 4) survey link added.docx
Early Years Funding Code of Practice
Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for Childminders
Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for Group and School-Based Providers
Early Years Funding for Foster Children
CPD Early Years and Schools | Shropshire Learning Gateway
Early Years CPD
Early Years Information Pages on the SLG
Early Years Resource Library
Funding Diary Dates (headcount windows and payments)
Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)
Parent Declaration Form (Summer 2024 to Summer 2025)
Recruitment:
SEND and Inclusion Newsletter
Shropshire SEND Local Offer
Support Request Form (SEND)
Funding Claims, Free Entitlements, Eligibility Codes, Provider Portal etc.:
Admin Team: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
Job Vacancies:
Admin Team: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
Buildings, Premises, Accommodation, and any related issues including schools looking to adopt their local pre-school:
Andy Nicholls: andy.nicholls@shropshire.gov.uk
Wraparound Childcare Programme:
Dan Steele: Dan.steele@shropshire.gov.uk
School Sustainability Funding:
Jo Morris: Jo.morris@shropshire.gov.uk
Qualifications, Ratios, Staffing etc.:
Beverley Jones: beverley.jones@shropshire.gov.uk
Safeguarding and Child Protection:
Charlotte Percival: Charlotte.percival@shropshire.gov.uk
Early Intervention Grant - applications and admin:
Admin Team: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
Applications for EYPP and 30-Hour Entitlements for Children who are Looked After:
Admin Team: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
Applications for Disability Access Fund:
Admin Team: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
Information, advice and guidance in relation to SEND children:
earlyyears@shropshire.gov.uk
Any other queries that don’t fall into the above:
earlyyears@shropshire.gov.uk
Remember – we also have the MS Teams site:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3a9e2862aae963406b9ffc01b034aae950%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=dd786852-0af3-4592-b069-7cf66e48df55&tenantId=b6c13011-372d-438b-bc82-67e4c7966e89
If you are not already a member of this group, then please email nef@shropshire.gov.uk and we will get you access.
Alison Rae
School’s Improvement Commissioner Adviser Early Years Foundation Stage
Education Improvement Service
Tel: 01743 254467
Email: alison.rae@shropshire.gov.uk
Beverley Jones
Education Improvement Service
Early Years Consultant
Tel: 01743 254454
Email: beverley.jones@shropshire.gov.uk
Charlotte Percival
Safeguarding Officer
Tel: 01743 254147
Email: charlotte.percival@shropshire.gov.uk
Admin Team (funding queries):
Beth Parry-Jones, Brydie Porter & Sarah Jones
Email: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
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