Following the government announcement on Thursday relating to free school meals changes, new DfE guidance has been released Free school meals

The key points to be aware of are:

Transitional protections have been extended until the end of the 2025/26 school year. All pupils becoming eligible for free school meals under the benefits-based criteria, should continue to receive this entitlement, regardless of any change in household circumstances or phase of education until the end of the 2025/26 school year.

From the start of the 2026/27 school year, the Department for Education will introduce new eligibility criteria meaning that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal. It is their intention to end transitional protections alongside this change in threshold, with eligibility for all pupils reverting to whether they meet the eligibility criteria regardless of whether they were previously protected. They will issue further guidance ahead of September 2026.

Primary schools who subscribe to the Free School Meals Service Level Agreement:

Reception free school meals applications for September 2025

Applications for September can be submitted from 21 July onwards.  Free School Meals applications should be made using the Shropshire online portal where possible, Apply for free school meals | Shropshire Council  The Shropshire online portal is the same account ‘Sign In’/login that was used for their School Admissions application.

Schools/settings are advised to review and, where appropriate, adapt the section of their complaints policy that references the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

Whilst the Department for Education (DfE) model complaints policy advises that individuals should contact the LADO directly, please consider adapting the wording in your complaints policy as per below -

“Matters Likely to Require a Child Protection Investigation
Complaints about child protection matters are handled under our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and in accordance with relevant statutory guidance.
If you have serious concerns that a child may be at risk of harm, you should report these directly to Shropshire Council’s First Point of Contact (FPOC) on 0345 678 9021.
Concerns about the conduct of a professional or volunteer working with children—such as behaviour that may have harmed a child, may pose a risk of harm, or may constitute a criminal offence—should be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). These referrals are typically made by professionals, but anyone can contact FPOC for advice on whether a referral to the LADO is appropriate.”

This approach ensures consistency with local safeguarding procedures while maintaining alignment with national expectations.

Asbestos Awareness training is mandatory for staff involved in the day-to-day management of asbestos in school. Please ensure that all relevant staff have received recent asbestos awareness training.

It is recommended that training is undertaken annually alternating every year between face to face and online training.

The Leap into Learning session has recently been updated reflecting the additional Excel “Site Asbestos Register” document now issued to schools by PSG as part of the site’s annual re-inspection.

• This register acts as a live document to reflect the Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM's) on site at any time of inspection.
• The document should be printed off and placed in the Asbestos Record System Manual folder on site                                                                                                                                                                                                       
• Any remedial or removal actions undertaken on ACM's identified on this form should be updated and the new document printed out to replace the previous version which can be disposed of.                                                                                                                                                                                               
• Any changes that have been made will be observed and documented in the next annual reinspection survey. There will be no interim update on the survey.                                                                                                                                                                                                     
• The asbestos registers act as the bridge between what was identified at the time of the reinspection survey, prior to any abatement works and the production of the next annual reinspection survey                                                                                                                                     

Access Asbestos Awareness on Leap into Learning here – https://shropshire.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1191

The Health Protection Team would welcome your support in sharing the attached letter with parents regarding Chicken Pox.

Please find some key information and resources regarding Private Fostering in Shropshire.

Private Fostering refers to a situation where a child under the age of 16 (or under 18 if disabled) is cared for by someone who is not a close relative for 28 days or more. It is essential that such arrangements are notified to the local authority so that appropriate support and safeguarding measures can be put in place.

You can find detailed guidance and contact information on the Shropshire Council website here:
Private Fostering Arrangements | Guidance | Shropshire Fostering

Links to the following guides are below.

Private Fostercare Leaflet (Carers)

Private Fostercare Leaflet (Professionals)

Private Fostercare Leaflet (Parents)

Private Fostercare Leaflet (Children and Young People)

Private Fostercare - Statement of Purpose

Private Fostercare - Training guide

Please see the attached programme of events taking place in July for Alcohol Awareness week. Please take a moment to promote these events.

If you would like to receive more updates from the Partnership, then please consider signing up for the SSCP Mailing List

There's limited time left to book your tickets (£35 for Shropshire schools and settings) for the 2025 Inclusive Practice Conference.

Friday 11th July at Shrewsbury Town FC.

Key note speaker - Gary Aubin

Gary leads on a SEND school improvement programme with Whole Education, supporting schools and trusts to drive whole-school approaches to SEND. He also sits on the Government's Curriculum and Assessment Review panel

Choose from a range of workshops on topics such as EBSA, supporting pupils with neurodiversity, early language development, adaptive teaching, curriculum design to support SEND (with Diane Pye)

To more information click here. To book your place visit - https://forms.office.com/e/k4jQa7f0F0

In partnership with the Deparment for Education, Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Council, we are hosting a FREE online training session delivered by Sheri Alamgir (DFE Regional Prevent Education Co-ordinator for the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia)

The training session provides delegates with knowledge that will support them in fulfilling their role within the Prevent Duty and links with our counter terrorism local profile.

The session will be held on Monday 16^th June 3.30-5pm focusing on Prevent risk assessments. A Prevent risk assessment for schools helps schools understand and address the risk of their students being drawn into terrorism or extremism. This includes assessing the potential for radicalisation and developing strategies to mitigate these risks, as required by the Prevent duty. 

Please email cpdschool.improvement@telford.gov.uk to book a place on this training session, please provide your name, role and email address in order for the link for this session to be shared with you.

Child Attendance - Can’t not won’t: Tuesday 17th June 1.30 - 3.00 

Attendance is a key focus area for school leaders. This thought-provoking course will allow you to explore and discuss all the factors and plan a way forward for your school. 

Led by Hannah Thomas  with guest speaker Steve Compton:  Book here

Playful Pathways into Programming - EYFS & KS1 coding and computational thinking: Monday 16th June 16:00 - 17:30 

Whether you're a computing lead or completely new to coding, this session will equip you with the knowledge, strategies, and confidence to lay strong foundations for future coders - one playful step at a time. 

Led by Martin Bailey: Book here

Greetings from Arthog OEC,

In order to look at opportunities to continue to improve the overall offer for schools and groups at Arthog OEC we would be most grateful if you could complete a short survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Arthog

The survey is being carried out by Planning Solutions Consulting, supported by Telford and Wrekin Council and is live until 20^th June 2025.

If you have any questions please email andy.cooke@telford.gov.uk

Many thanks in advance for your time and cooperation.

Regards

Stephen Parkin

Centre Manager