Andy Nicholls retires from the LA on Friday. I know how many schools have valued Andy's support and expertise over time and we wish him every happiness for the future as he relocates to the Western Isles of Scotland. 

From 1/2 term, John Demmerling will support Andy's EQA School Improvement work in the meantime on a full-time basis with Richie Williams as Education Place Planning and Sufficiency Manager.

***REMINDER*** Proposal to amend the October Half Term to 2 weeks | Poll to gauge staff response

Could  maintained school headteachers and senior school leaders please ensure that the link to this poll has been circulated to all staff and governors. We would be grateful of comments and response by 5pm on Friday 22 May 2026

NB. The link to the poll was provided in comms from Andy Nicholls. Access to the link may also be requested from your HR Advisor.

*** REMINDER*** ACCREDITED Safer Recruitment Training | Monday 18 May 2026

There are still places available on this training event next Monday. The link to course details and the booking form is available via the Schools’ Teams Channel and also here. Alternatively, please contact your HR Advisor for further details.

***REMINDER*** SCHOOLS AI POLICY WORKSHOP | Wednesday 20 May 2026 (1pm – 4pm)

There are still places on this face-to-face workshop, to be hosted at Telford Fire Service Training Centre, Telford, next Wednesday afternoon.

The room has been booked from 12pm, as an optional ‘lunch and learn’ networking opportunity. Please bring your own lunch but there is a kitchenette on-site with access to a microwave and tea/coffee making facilities.

For further details and to register your attendance, please email deborah.smith@shropshire.gov.uk

Please could all Step into School requests be sent to the NEF email by Wednesday 13^th May so links for the Teams meeting can be sent out. The Teams panel meeting was moved to Monday 18^th May to support schools due to SATS.

Please can we remind schools they must meet with the EY settings to review the PCP, learning about the child's needs and what provision the setting has in place. Following this, the school should be putting together the weekly costed provision map to show what they will need to support the child once they move to school. 

If the child has not received any EYIF, then you will be asked why they now need support higher than your notional budget when they transition into school.

Without the above completed by the appropriate setting/school, we will not be able to consider a Step into School request.

Armed Forces week (22nd June - 28th June) is a chance to show your support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving personnel to Service families, veterans and cadets.

There are lots of pre-existing educational resources available for schools on the topic of the Armed Forces, past and present. The below link contains a selection of website links and downloadable resources suitable for students of all ages. Explore the history of our Armed Forces, take part in digital tours and revel in real-life training.

Learning Resources – Armed Forces Day

Shropshire Armed Forces Family Fun Day will take place on Saturday 27^th June 11.00 - 15.00 at Shrewsbury Castle. More details about the event can be found on the following link Armed Forces Day 2026 | Shropshire Council

The Rural Services Network grant list has been updated for May and has quite a few opportunities that relate to schools.

Please see Rural Funding Digest - May 2026 - Rural Services Network for more details

Guidance can be found here: School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2027 to 2030 - GOV.UK)

We are asking for schools to contact us if they are interested in creating or expanding provision for Early Years.

Who can apply? State funded primary schools & Maintained nursery schools.

• Phase 3 is a multi-year funded model aiming to create or expand provision between 2027-2030.
• Schools are invited to share projects up to £1m, but DfE reiterate it must deliver value for money.
• Successful settings from Phases 1 and 2 can apply but must deliver more places in phase 3.
• No limit on the number of applications per local authority.
• Deadline to submit applications is 30^th September 2026 at 5pm.

We are keen to speak with schools who feel they would like to offer further Early Years places benefiting their offer to parent carers.

If you are interested in the above, please email Dan.Steele@shropshire.gov.uk for more details including how to apply.

Dear Headteachers,

Our June agenda will include an item relating to the review of the Shropshire FAP protocol.

We will be inviting headteachers to comment and make any suggestions for consideration, with the aim of ensuring the protocol remains fit for purpose and meets the needs of our locality.

We currently have a vacancy for a headteacher representative. If you are able to offer some time as a standing member of the working party and would like to be considered, please email me at jo.smith@shropshire.gov.uk

Further information will be circulated with the May FAP minutes for your consideration. 

Best Wishes

Jo Smith, Lead of Education Access Service 

We wanted to give you advance notice of the change to the timings of the school day at TMBSS Primary, as these changes will impact on all primary students who are on dual placements.  The changes are to ensure there is a more equitable offer for all students on a dual placement and will start on 2^nd September 2026, when we return after the summer holiday.

As I am sure you are aware, we currently offer a morning session from 9:15am to 12:00pm (2 hours and 45 minutes) and an afternoon session from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (2 hours). Our Six Day Provision group is educated full-time from 9:15am to 3:00pm.

Over the years, we have recognised the frustrations of our partner schools when a student is allocated a shorter afternoon session, as this is the only availability at the time. We also experience our own internal challenges with this arrangement, as the shorter afternoon session limits our ability to provide consistent social opportunities, such as a structured breaktime, and restricts access to educational visits.

For these reasons, the revised timings of the school day, effective from September 2nd 2026, will be as follows:

TMBSS Shared Placement Morning Session: 9:15am – 11:45am (2.5 hours; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday — 10 hours weekly) Afternoon Session: 12:45pm – 3:15pm (2.5 hours; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday — 10 hours weekly)

TMBSS Six Day Provision Placement (Full-Time) Full-time: 9:15am – 3:15pm daily (6 hours per day; 30 hours weekly)

Schools who currently have students on roll with us had been contacted directly. 

We have also contacted the Local Authority Transport Team regarding these changes so that new routes can be established from September 2026. 

If you have any questions regarding this please contact Catherine Lyth, Head of Primary, on 01743 368189 (Option 6). 

We are excited to announce our Early Years Conference 2026.  We have secured engaging speakers from the world of Early Years and it promises to be an exciting day with opportunities to network and share strong practice at a great price (Lunch included).

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Booking details will follow.

As an Early Years Team we are currently reviewing our CPD offer and we would appreciate your input.  Please find below a link to a microsoft forms.

Early Years Settings and Providers in Shropshire – Fill in form

Sarah Kynaston, Senior Education Quality Adviser Early Years & Safeguarding

Please share the following survey with families:

Are you a parent carer, family member or young person in Shropshire?

Shropshire Council wants to hear about your experiences of home and community-based support and care – what works, what doesn’t, and what’s missing.

Your feedback will help shape future services for children, young people and families.

To access the survey, please visit the council’s website here: Start WellChildren’s Social Care Resident Survey

If you need help in filling it out, or need the survey in another format, please contact: ASC.Commissioning@shropshire.gov.uk

Next steps:

All feedback will be reviewed and used to inform the next stage of the framework development. Updates will be shared through the council’s website, provider forums, staff briefings and ongoing engagement activity. 

• People can also respond with any comments in writing: Email: Please title your email ‘Children’s Survey March-May 2026’ and email your comments to TellUs@shropshire.gov.uk. 
• Post: Feedback and Insight Team, Shropshire Council, The Guildhall, Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury SY3 8HQ. 

The survey will close on: Sunday 17 May 2026. 

If you would be interested in working on future projects with Shropshire  Council, please email: co-production@shropshire.gov.uk