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Just a quick reminder that the Interim headcount window for the Autumn term is currently open on the Portal and will close at midnight on Sunday (13th July).
Please ensure that you only enter your weekly hours totals and not the full termly total. The Actual headcount will then open the following week (14th July), where you will be able to enter the child level data.
We're currently collating the data for the Summer 2025 FSM holiday voucher payments, so once they have been sent to Finance I've been advised that they will be with providers before the end of term, but we're unable to give a specific date as yet unfortunately.
Just so that you're aware, we're funding the full 6 weeks of the Summer holiday period this year, so you will receive payment to cover 7 weeks in total, which includes May half-term.
The voucher payment is £15 per pupil, per week, so will be a total of £105 per eligible pupil for the Summer term. FSM holiday voucher payments will be issued to settings for any pupils who are eligible for 24U or EYPP funding during the Summer term 2025 at their setting.
Following a recent system upgrade, the Provider Portal has been updated to accommodate the final phase of the new early years funding entitlement rollout, which will enable eligible working parents to have access to up to 30 hours per week (over 38 weeks a year), for children aged from 9 months old, until they start school. This final rollout phase comes into effect from the start of the Autumn term 2025.
The Portal changes mainly affect the 2YO Actual headcount, so to help you to understand these changes and to provide an explanation as to what is required, we have produced some guidance notes which will hopefully provide a useful guide for you when you come to complete your Actual headcount.
You can access the guidance notes via the link below, but if you have any queries at all, please do not hesitate to contact us (NEF@shropshire.gov.uk).
Changes to the Provider Portal – Autumn 2025
Please click the link below to view the slides from the latest Network meeting.
Network Meeting_june (2).pptx
Date: Wednesday 15th July 2025
Time: 18:00 - 19:30
Trainer: Nadine Last (Parenting Team's Manager for Shropshire Council)
For Early Years practitioners working with under 1's. During this session we will examine early brain development and the Solihull Approach, exploring how professionals can support this development and utilise the approach in their practice.
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 366 595 312 585
Passcode: Do7E8mS6
Following a discussion within training last night here is some information relating to notifiable illnesses. As from April this year Chicken pox has been added. Our local Heath Protection Team contact details are :
West Midlands HPT
UK Health Security Agency 23 Stephenson Street Birmingham B2 4BH
Email BAT@ukhsa.gov.uk for non-clinical enquiries. / Telephone: 0344 225 3560 (option 2)
Out of hours advice (health professionals only): 0344 225 3560
The_Spotty_Book___Notes_on_infectious_diseases_in_schools_and_nurseries.pdf
UKHSA_Notifiable_diseases_poster__002_.pdf
The booking links Safeguarding training dates for the Autmn term are now on the SLG CPD Schedule and Booking Information 2024 - 2025 | Shropshire Learning Gateway. If you click the link below the training, you wish to attend this will take you to Eventbrite to enable you to reserve a place on the training. Once you have booked you should receive an email from Eventbrite (this may go into your junk / spam ) saying you’ve got tickets, if you scroll down this email to additional information the teams link for the training is there. This is the link you need to access the training.
The Parenting Team will be delivering free Understanding Your Child and Understanding Your Child SEND – from toddler to teens - groups from September/October 2025 (poster attached).
These 10 week groups aim to:
- Promote understanding of children’s behaviour within the context of developmental issues
- Promote the development of parent/child relationship
- Increase confidence and self-esteem in both parents and children
- Give parents a strategy for repair when things go wrong
- Promote reflective, sensitive and effective parenting
We are also offering free SLEEP TIGHT groups from September 2025 (poster attached).
These 5 week workshops cover:
- Recognising the role of sleep hygiene to improve sleep
- Identifying causes of sleep issues and appropriate practical strategies to try
- Completing sleep diaries and identifying potential sleep issues
If you can, please share the links to our webpage with further information on free online courses and other offers from the parenting team.
The Parenting Team | Shropshire Council
The Parenting Team | Shropshire Council (Local Offer/SEND)
Please do not hesitate to contact us directly if you have any questions or need the posters in a different format
parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk or give us a call on 01743 250950
Kind regards
Parenting Team
Tel: 01743 250950
All Schools/ Early Years settings and Childminders are requested to inform the Learning and Skills team at the local authority of significant events and changes.
Significant events fall into 3 categories:
- Events that require emergency service involvement
- Ofsted Inspections
- Events that lead to closure
Significant changes include:
- Changes in leadership
- Change of premises location
The agreed protocol can be downloaded here.
Until the development of an e-form, all notifications should be made to school.closures@shropshire.gov.uk
The NSPCC have some really useful information, advice and support for parents on their website. Support & advice for parents | NSPCC this could be something that you use to help aid discussions with parents/ carers, or you could sign post parents to if they are asking for some information. The NSPCC have split the information into five different sections Early parenting, Managing family life, Friends and relationships, supporting yourself and young people and staying safe online. Each of the sections have subsections covering lots of different areas.
 Nurturing Nutrition: Building Healthy Foundations in the Early Years Vodcast - Foundation Years
It’s scary to think that babies and small children are most likely to drown at home in the bath or in the garden. That's why our key message is to keep babies and small children in arms’ reach in water. Many parents mistakenly believe bath seats will keep their baby safe, with potentially tragic consequences. Please help us spread the message that bath seats are not safety devices; the suction pads can fail (despite marketing claims of super strong suction), or babies can slip out.
Here are some useful resources and information to share with parents.
Sharing our bath safety advice
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Displaying our free posters
Thrive Together Early Years Stronger Practice Hub (West Midlands) | Stronger Practice Hubs
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
Please click the link below to view the slides from the last early years network meeting.
Network Meeting_11.02.2025.pptx
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