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Dear Colleagues,
Please see this week's Education Update below.
Best wishes,
John
John Rowe
Head of Education Quality and Safeguarding
john.rowe@shropshire.gov.uk
Many thanks to colleagues who have completed the short survey with respect to fire risk assessments
If this is still outstanding, we would be grateful if this could be returned as quickly as possible please.
If colleagues need a reminder of the link that was sent by email last week, please contact tracy.hunt@shropshire.gov.uk
Please be aware that information with respect to the fire risk assessment process and sources of support can be found here.
Fire Safety in Schools | Shropshire Learning Gateway
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Free School Meals funding in school holidays (state funded schools)
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).
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
The Household Support Fund (HSF7) is due to end on 31 March 2026. As soon as we know more information about future school holiday periods, we will communicate to schools.
For Spring (February) half term, funding is provided for 1 week support, £15 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 https://ordering.edenred.co.uk
The account will be open for schools to place orders between Monday 2 February and Friday 13 February, 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 11 February (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 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.
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 schools who don’t use Edenred, please complete the following online form by Friday 6 February 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.
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Please note that minor updates to the Schools Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Local Authority Template have been made as follows:
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Sections & Updates made
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Rationale/explanation/further information
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Online Safety Changed from summary of 4C’s to full wording as written in KCSiE 2025.
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The Local Authority are of the view that the previous summaries and links in our template were KCSiE 2025 compliant. However, the changes have been made in order to satisfy Ofsted/DfE Regional Commissioners of KCSIE policy compliance and alleviate further unnecessary administration for Shropshire schools and colleges.
Schools and Colleges should therefore also ensure that any linked policies (such as separate Online Safety or Child-on-Child Abuse Policies) also include word for word copying/rather than summaries and links on these areas.
Please remember that if registered education providers would like any support or guidance on their child protection policies and procedures including during inspectorate/commissioning body assurance processes, please do not hesitate to contact the Local Authority Education Quality Safeguarding Team.
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Appendix A: Child-on-child abuse procedures: Full list (rather than a hyperlink) of types of child-on-child abuse as outlined in KCSiE 2025 Part 1 added.
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Many thanks to those headteachers who were able to attend our roundtable event on SEND last week. The Local Inclusion Support Offer is being produced as part of the SEND and AP Change Programme. This will be what is available to schools and settings to support the inclusion of children with SEND. The LISO broadly covers three areas: Training, Advice and Guidance and Direct Delivery. To understand the current experience of schools and settings, we would be grateful if you could complete the following survey by listing what is currently available in each of these areas and what you would like to be available.
Local Inclusion Support Offer (LISO) - scoping survey – Fill in form
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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.
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We have received notification the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to undertake the trialling of assessment materials for key stages 1 and 2.
As a KS1/KS2 setting, you may be contacted by the STA in the week commencing 2nd February 2026 to participate.
Further information can be found here: Statutory participation in trialling of national curriculum assessments - GOV.UK
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On 21 January 2026, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described AI as a potential shift in education comparable to the printing press, while stressing it must enhance, not replace, teachers. Richard Smith will be including a detailed breakdown of the speech in his termly Computing update.
Wednesday 4th February 1.30-3.00 via TEAMS:
Book via amazingict@icloud.com or by calling Richard directly on 07527464322.
Cost is £79 (including resources and input from 2 guest speakers)
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Following early discussions in September, the development of NFL Flag Football in Shropshire has moved forward rapidly — and we wanted to share an exciting update with you and your staff.
Over the autumn term, a series of rookie taster sessions were delivered to gauge interest locally. The response has been incredible, with high attendance and enthusiasm from boys and girls aged 7–14. This strong engagement means we are now in a position to take the next step.
What’s happening next?
Plans are currently underway to establish official Under 11 and Under 14 NFL Flag Football teams with the aim of entering the BAFA league. If successful, these would be the first youth NFL Flag teams in Shropshire, opening a completely new pathway for local children.
Why share this with your staff?
Teachers may know pupils who:
- have shown strong interest in sport or physical activity
- would benefit from a new, inclusive sporting opportunity
- enjoy team-based activities and skill development
- might not usually engage in traditional school sports but could thrive in this format
NFL Flag is non-contact, highly accessible, and ideal for young people of all abilities.
How teachers and schools can help
Please share the session details with pupils and families who may be interested. This is the final promotional phase before teams are formally established.
Pupils and families can also follow Shropshire Revolution Academy on Facebook and Instagram for updates, session times, and registration details.
Information shared by Sam Scott, Empower Multi-Academy Trust.
For full details of CPD provided by the Shropshire Council EQS team, visit the SLG
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