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A+E have reported that there are seeing a number of incidents involving dogs bites to children. Sadly Children are most likely to be bitten at home, by a familiar dog. Luckily, most bites are preventable and close supervision is key.
Here are some resources which you may find useful to share with parents and staff.
Information around the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust operating procedure on Dog Bites can be found on the Children Safeguarding and Protection page on the website.
It is important that if you become aware of a child being bitten that this is reported to FPOC to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard that child or others from further harm.
Around 300 UK youngsters were admitted to A&E in a single year after swallowing magnets. One in 10 required life-saving operations. A Safety Alert was issued by the Office of Product Safety and Standards in 2021 warning families about small, strong magnets. Yet many families are still unaware of the dangers. Please help to spread the word in your communities about the risks. Magnets safety | Top tips to keep children safe, magnets-poster-2025.pdf
Since publishing the renewed inspection framework Ofsted have had a number of engagement sessions, from these sessions they have pulled together those frequently asked questions relating to the new inspection framework and published a New Blog Early years inspections: frequently asked questions – Ofsted: early years
I want to thank you so much for the lovely sentiments and kind words you wrote to me, on my retirement. I was completely overwhelmed by my retirement gifts including the very generous Percy Thrower’s Garden Voucher. As one of my projects in retirement is to redesign my garden, the garden voucher is just perfect and will be put to very good use. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work and support over the last 19 years. It has been an absolute privilege to work with you all and I wish you all the best in the future. Many thanks, Beverley xx
We are delighted to share with you the new hourly rates for early years entitlement funding has now been agreed.
The new rates will apply from the Summer term funding period onwards, i.e. from the start of April 2026.
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Funding Type
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Hourly Rate
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3&4 YO
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£5.88
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2YO
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£7.70
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9M – 2YO
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£9.67
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Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
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£1.15
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Disability Access Fund (DAF)
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£975 (per annum)
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WARNING: Asbestos found in children’s play sand sold in Hobbycraft
A box of mixed craft supplies has been recalled due to a potential health risk. Some vials of coloured sand included in the Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft may be contaminated with a small amount of asbestos, which can be harmful even at low levels of exposure.
Product Recall: Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft (2601-0364) - GOV.UK
Thank you to those settings who have completed the Safeguarding audit. We have had 69 early years audits submitted, so far, with a further 35 started but not yet completed and submitted. There are still over 81 audits which have not yet been started.
If you are struggling to locate the email or need some help or support around completing the audit there are several different avenues of support :
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE 27.03.26
Following on from communications sent to you over the last few weeks, this is a reminder that the Children’s Online Referral Portal is now live and should be used to make written referrals into Compass (replacing the previous Multi-Agency Referral Form: MARF). It can also be used to make written referrals to the Early Help Support Team (EHAST). Education colleagues should continue to use the existing Early Help processes for children and families who are already receiving Early Help or to request Targeted Early Help interventions. Further communications from Shropshire Council Early Help colleagues will follow.
The link for the Online Portal is: Shropshire Council Children’s Online Referral Portal, and is accessible via Shropshire Safeguarding Children’s Procedures and Early help | Shropshire Council.
A recording of a launch webinar that took place last week which provides further guidance: Children's Referral Portal Guide
Due to other commitments, the VIRTUAL SUPPORT offer for February 26th, will be moved to February 24th 2026 - 9.30am-12pm. Please do not hesitate to contact Laurie Johnson on 01743 250626 with any questions or queries related to early years.
Earlier this week, the Department for Education published updates to the statutory guidance going live April 2026.
Due to this, we are moving the launch of the Early Years provider agreement to April 2026.
The reason behind this, is that we want to ensure the agreement relates the latest guidance, ensuring support for both providers and parents across Shropshire.
If you have any queries or questions, please reach out to Dan.Steele@shropshire.gov.uk
Kind regards
Daniel Steele
It is recommended that all professionals working with children and young people complete Tier 1 of this nationally recognised free training, you can register here:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/children-and-young-peoples-asthma/ The Tier 1 training is designed to provide essential knowledge and skills for professionals who work with children and young people, to better manage and support those with asthma. The online module takes 30-45 mins to complete and you gain a certificate.
As part of our commitment to supporting healthy habits, we’re encouraging parents and carers to try the NHS Food Scanner app—a quick and fun way to make healthier choices for children.
The app lets families scan the barcodes of their usual foods, swipe to explore healthier alternatives, and swap them into their next shop. It’s a simple tool that can help everyone feel more confident about what’s going into lunchboxes and onto dinner plates.
Key features that families love:
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"Good Choice" badges highlight healthier picks instantly, both in the app and in many shops.
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Living Labels bring products to life, helping children understand sugar, salt and fat content in a fun, engaging way.
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Traffic light ratings clearly show if a food is high, medium or low in sugar, salt or fat.
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Scan history keeps a record of everything families have scanned, making healthy swaps easier over time.
Feel free to share this with families, it's a great way to support healthier eating in everyday life!
Brilliant Brushers is our local supervised toothbrushing programme designed for children aged 3 to 5 years in targeted early years settings, including day nurseries and mainstream schools. It is also available for ages 3 and above in SEND schools. The scheme aims to reduce the risk of tooth decay by offering to settings located in the most disadvantaged communities, specifically those within Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) deciles 1 and 2. The scheme provides comprehensive staff training and essential toothbrushing resources, enabling staff to supervise daily toothbrushing in a safe, effective, and fun way. It also promotes positive oral health behaviours by encouraging children to continue brushing their teeth at home.
If you would like more information about any of the oral health programmes in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin please contact the Healthy Smile Team via shropcom.healthysmileteam@nhs.net
Laurie Johnson is available every Thursday from 9.30am to 12.00pm to provide support, answer questions, or discuss any concerns you or your teams may have. Feel free to get in touch on 01743 250626.
Please find attached two job adverts below via the links.
CROWMOOR JOB ADVERT FEB 2026.docx
Church Preen Pre School_Assistant_Job_Advert.pdf
Best Start in Life Parent Hub (formerly known as Childcare Choices)
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 Advice and Funding (SEND)
Early Years CPD
Early Years Information Pages on the SLG
Funding Diary Dates (headcount windows and payments)
Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)
Parent Declaration Form - 2025/26
Recruitment:
SEND and Inclusion Newsletter
Shropshire SEND Local Offer
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.:
Laurie Johnson: Laurie.Johnson@shropshire.gov.uk
Safeguarding and Child Protection:
Charlotte Percival: Charlotte.percival@shropshire.gov.uk
Early Years Inclusion Funding (EYI) - 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
Laurie Jones
Quality Improvement & Learning Co-ordinator
Education Improvement Service
Tel: 01743 250626
Email: Laurie.Johnson@shropshire.gov.uk
Charlotte Percival
Safeguarding Officer
Tel: 01743 254147
Email: charlotte.percival@shropshire.gov.uk
Dan Steele
Senior Development Officer (Early Years and Sufficiency)
Tel: 01743 253913
Email: dan.Steele@shropshire.gov.uk
Admin Team (funding queries):
Beth Parry-Jones, Brydie Porter, Lauren Goodhead & Sarah Jones
Email: NEF@shropshire.gov.uk
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