Notification of Statutory Safeguarding Audit Process 2025-2026

Please review the attached letter from David Shaw outlining the Statutory Safeguarding Audit Process for 2025-2026 (this will also be sent via direct email to all Heads of all registered education providers in Shropshire).

As the headteacher you have ultimate responsibility for safeguarding. When you receive the audit, you will be able to assign it to others for completion, but you will be required to sign off and submit the completed audit.

Further communications will follow in next week once the audit process is launched with detailed information as to the support that will be provided by the Education Quality Safeguarding Team whilst the audit is open for completion.  

Statutory Safeguarding Audit 2025-2026 Notification Letter DS Dec 25.pdf

Please be reminded that December’s payroll deadline is 9 December.  We would kindly ask that all Schools prioritise payroll related tasks and submit in advance of the deadline where possible – the team have reduced processing time in December due to needing to complete the payroll a week earlier than normal due to the Christmas bank holiday period.

All relevant Schools based staff need to ensure that any actions linked to staffing changes within the month of December are submitted and authorised in advance of the above deadline (if this is applicable) to ensure staff are paid correctly.  Schools based staff should check their ERP notifications to ensure that submissions have not been rejected due to errors – rejected forms will need to be resubmitted and authorised in line with the above deadlines.

Payroll are unable to accept any work or tasks authorised, requested or submitted after the monthly deadline date, nor will they be responsible for any issues arising due to the result of late work being received within the Payroll team.

Schools based staff should also ensure that any staff leaving employment with Shropshire Council are aware that payslips and P60’s should be accessed (and printed if needed) in advance of their confirmed leave date.

The termly amount of PP+ per child per term will increase from £443 to £500 starting with the payment run at the end of this Autumn term.

As always, the termly amount of PP+ is dependent on each looked after child on roll at the school having a Good Quality PEP in timescales. Schools/settings are expected to spend this termly amount effectively and impact continues to be monitored at PEPs.

The updated PP+ Policy is attached for you and if you have any queries please contact Virtualschool@shropshire.gov.uk

You can also find more information here Shropshire Virtual School | Shropshire Council

Shropshire Virtual School Pupil Premium + Policy 2025-26.pdf

 As previously advised, Shropshire Council has been allocated additional funding through the Household Support Fund (HSF7) for the 12 month period,1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026. 

This means that we are able to extend the arrangements for the provision of support with food costs outside of term time to fund benefits-related FSM pupils (including 24U and EYPP children who are in a school nursery class). Funding will be provided for the Easter holidays 2025 (2 weeks), Summer half term 2025 (1 week), Summer holidays 2025 (6 weeks, this was previously 3 weeks), Autumn half term 2025 (1 week), Christmas 2025 (2 weeks), Spring half term 2026 (1 week).

HAF - The Holiday Activities and Food Programme allows children and young people aged 4 (in reception class) to 16, who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals (FSM) and for those who have been referred by a professional to access free holiday activity, during the Spring/Easter, Summer and Winter/Christmas school holidays.  For more information on the programme and to find out how to book onto activity, please go to - www.shropshire.gov.uk/HAF

There is further support for families who are concerned about the cost of living via Shropshire Council website link Cost of living help | Shropshire Council

For the Christmas holiday period, funding is provided for 2 weeks support, £30 per eligible pupil.

Schools using Edenred

Edenred have advised for us to continue to use their existing portal for this holiday period and so schools are to place orders as normal, through your existing log-in.

The account will be open for schools to place orders between Monday 8 December and Friday 19 December, after this date the account will be locked.  If a school needs to place an additional order, please contact FSM@shropshire.gov.uk in the first instance.

There is no need to advise us of your numbers as we can pick this up from the Edenred system.

Schools need to include their school name in the URN field using the following format: 1schoolname (no spaces). If you have problems with this please revert to using your URN number.

Please can all schools set the delivery date for the eCodes as Wednesday 17 December (or three days prior to your end of term).  This will allow time for parents/carers to contact school if there is a problem with their eCode/email address before school closes.

Parents/carers have 2 months to redeem their eCodes into a voucher (this has been reduced from 3 months).  30 days before expiry Edenred send out a reminder once a week automatically.  If a parent/carer hasn’t redeemed their eCode in that time, they can’t be re-issued. The food vouchers are provided to support eligible pupils during each specific school holiday period and should therefore be redeemed by the parent/carer as soon as possible.

 Important reminders:

• If a parent/carer’s email address has changed on an order you have placed, please complete the Edenred eCode Redirection Form (attached) and return to Edenred (do not cancel the order unless advised by Edenred).
• Parents/carers are directed to contact their school in the first instance for help with queries. If school is unable to assist the parent/carer, this can be escalated to Edenred customer services at FreeSchoolMeals@edenred.com or call 0333 400 5932.
• Edenred portal user guide for school administrators – see attached document

For changes to a school account, for example a change to the school email address or the name of the person on the account who places the order, please email those changes to FSM@shropshire.gov.uk

Schools who receive funding via the LA

For those schools who don’t use Edenred, please complete the following online form by Friday 12 December FSM funding in school holidays - Schools who receive funding via the LA | Shropshire Learning Gateway (shropshirelg.net) so that we can arrange payment to be made to your school. NB: Please ensure that the total number provided includes any eligible nursery aged children attached to your school.  Once you have notified us of your numbers, please then order your vouchers via your usual method.  Please note, if you don’t complete the form to advise of numbers we will be unable to process payment.

Shropshire Council is committed to supporting schools in tackling hate-related incidents proactively. Our new electronic hate incident reporting form is designed to help schools record, report, and respond to incidents effectively. Please see the attached Powerpoint for further details.

While there is no statutory duty for schools to report hate incidents to the local authority, they are:

Expected by Ofsted and the Department for Education to record and report hate-related incidents. Required to reflect their approach to hate-related incidents in key policies – including Behaviour and Safeguarding.

The electronic form can be found either in the or Local Authority Online Forms or SLG - Safeguarding policies and guidance/the Prevent duty

How Will the Information Be Used?

• To identify key themes, localities, and age groups affected
• To provide targeted support and interventions
• To inform community safeguarding and partnership work

Kind regards,

Education Quality and Safeguarding Team

Website: Safeguarding and Child Protection | Shropshire Learning Gateway (shropshirelg.net)

Pro-active approaches to Hate related incidents.pdf

Admissions consultation

The Local authority has begun its coordinated consultation for all community and VC schools as well as own admission authority schools. Please can all schools ensure the following have been actioned

• Parents notice has been sent to all families, this was sent to schools last week but a copy is attached
• All schools only have the following admissions policies on their website, a finalised copy for 2025/26, 2026/27 and a draft copy of 2027/28 policy. There should be no other admissions policies on your website.
• A copy of the maintained draft admissions 2027/28 policy template for personalisation for community and VC schools only was sent to schools last week but a copy is attached

Off- Rolling

Please can we remind all schools that they should not be off - rolling any pupils. Off-rolling is the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without a formal, permanent exclusion or by encouraging a parent to remove their child from the school roll, when the removal is primarily in the interests of the school rather than in the best interests of the pupil. While it may not always be unlawful, Ofsted, DfE and the Local authority believes off-rolling is never acceptable. 

Are you currently on maternity leave or paternity leave? Would you like to meet with others on maternity/paternity leave?

PLEASE JOIN THESE FREE SESSIONS TO SUPPORT YOU.

As part of our commitment, across the STEP Teaching School Hub area, to Diversity, Equality and Equity we have joined the Maternity Teacher/Paternity Teacher Project. The project is an opportunity for those on maternity/paternity leave to connect with one another. We know that for people on maternity/paternity leave, life can be daunting when we are thinking about our return to work.

The Maternity/Paternity Leave Project can offer you fully funded access to parental leave group coaching programme and/or a 90 minute session for those returning to work from maternity, adoption or shared parental leave. The offer is for all state school teachers in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, thanks to Severn Training and Schools Alliance, Shropshire Primary Partnership, Salop Teaching partnership and Alliance of Leading Learning.

If you have any questions about booking your place, please contact sian.deane1@taw.org.uk

WM-PLGC-1 Parental leave coaching group.png

Return to work workshop.png

Education Support has created a toolkit for staff: Inspections and beyond: supporting staff mental health and wellbeing.

This is a practical toolkit of resources to help teachers and school leaders manage stress, build resilience, and maintain wellbeing before, during, and after inspections. Includes practical tools, expert tips, and guidance for a healthier school culture.

Our link Senior HMI, Chris Stevens, has kindly agreed to run a webinar for all Shropshire schools on Monday 8^th December from 4-5pm. 

This will be an opportunity to learn more about the operation of the new Ofsted inspection framework following the early inspections that recommenced a few weeks ago and to ask any questions.

There is no need to sign up, please click here for the direct Teams link (via SLG secure area)

Ofsted briefing for schools - 8/12/25 | Shropshire Learning Gateway

In the meantime, the Ofsted YouTube channel remains a useful source of updates and briefings. 

Several schools have raised queries with me around the future timings of inspections. I've been informed that a new YouTube video will be published over the next week providing more information on the timings of inspections, particularly with respect to the transition to the renewed framework.

As always, do continue pass on any queries you may have.

John Rowe

It's important that we learn from case reviews, where the deaths of people in Shropshire are related to domestic abuse. This is an opportunity to understand what we can all do to prevent further serious harm, and deaths.

Join us for one hour to increase your knowledge, understanding and how you can make a difference in your everyday practice.

Understanding Intrafamilial Abuse Tuesday 13th January 7-8pm click here to book

DA related Deaths: Homicide and Suicide Wednesday 14th January 7-8pm click here to book

DA Why Don’t Men Come Forward Tuesday 20th January 7-8pm click here to book

Please see attached flyers for offers of courses.

DPSI Info

DPSI English - writing professional learning 20 January 2026 .pdf

DPSI History 28 January 2026 .pdf