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The deadline has now passed for the Early Years providers agreement.
Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and completed the agreement.
If you have any further questions or queries please let know.
DSL Refresher - 16.09.26 09:30-12:30 - Early Years DSL Refresher - 16.09.26
DSL refresher - 17.11.26 09:30-12:30 - Early Years DSL Refresher - 17.11.26
DSL Network - 24.09.26 – 09:30-11:30 AM - Early Years DSL network session - AM
DSL Network - 24.09.26 – 18:15-20:15 Eve - Early Yars DSL network session - Evening
Raising Awareness in Safeguarding and protecting children -14.10.26- 18:15-20:15 Eve - Raising Awareness in Safeguarding and Protecting Children - 14.10.26
Childminder DSL part 1 - 08.10.26 -18:15-20:15 Eve - Childminders DSL - 08.10.26 / 17.10.26
part 2 - 17.10.26 – 09:30-15:00 Daytime - Online
Newly Appointed DSL - part1 - 03.11.26 09:30-11:30 - Early Years Newly Appointed DSL - 03.11.26 / 10.11.26 / 20.11.26
part 2 - 10.11.26 09:30-11:30 - online
part 3- 20.11.26 09:30-13:00 Face to Face – Guildhall Shrewsbury
EY Committee members Safeguarding - 26.11.26 18:15- 20:15 - Early Years Committee Members Safeguarding and Protecting Children - 26.11.26
The Department for Education’s Early years child development training is a free, online programme designed by early years experts to support educators working with children from birth to reception.
This flexible online training will help you to:
- Build and strengthen your child development knowledge
- Get practical advice and ideas to support children in your setting, including reception classes
- Reflect on your practice and test your knowledge
- Learn from practical training videos filmed in early years and reception settings
- Access modules in any order, at any time
- Download a certificate on completion of each module
The programme includes 8 modules, covering key areas such as:
- Brain development and how children learn
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Mathematics
- Effective curriculum and assessment
- Supporting individual differences and needs
The training has recently been updated to include:
- Additional videos and practical advice for supporting children in reception
- Guidance on supporting the EYFS profile assessment
👉 Access the training: Visit the Early years child development training to register or sign-in if you already have an account.
Free early years resources: Help for Early Years Providers also offers free resources for educators working with children aged 0 to 5 years. The website has recently been updated to include EYFS profile assessment support including bite-sized videos and case studies. A new safer sleep page has also been created in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust, providing advice to create and maintain safer sleep environments for babies and young children in their care.
This has been arranged by Targeted Early Help to further strengthen the links between Targeted Early Help and Early Years providers so families with babies and young children can receive the help they need.
The content of the session will include:
- Discussion around what help families need
- What is on offer from Targeted Early Help
- How you can access advice and information to help families with children attending your setting
- How we can help families to accept support
The sessions will take place on Tuesday 7th July, there will be a morning session from 10am-11am, and an evening session 7pm - 8pm to allow to attend the session that best suits you. Invites have been sent out to settings, but if you haven't received an invite or have any queries, please contact Alex.morris-perkins@shropshire.gov.uk.
Come and join the Shropshire Local Authority Early Years team for an evening of updates and insights from across the sector!
Date: 14.07.2026
Time: 18:30 - 20:30pm
Venue: Belvidere Primary School, Shrewsbury.
We will be joined by Rosie Boardman from Best Start in Life, Lucy Upton will be sharing best practice when working with apprentices, as well as reviewing current updates from across the sector. Please be sure to sign up using the link below!
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1103386f-9e4d-44a2-be27-ef0890e9762f@b6c13011-372d-438b-bc82-67e4c7966e89
We look forward to seeing you there,
The Early Years Team
The Department of Education are seeking views on draft statutory guidance, including a data sharing agreement template. These are designed to:
- set out the new information sharing duty, and who it’s for
- help organisations and practitioners to interpret and apply the legislation in practice
The duty will apply from September 2026.
The statutory guidance is intended to:
- promote consistent implementation
- support a cultural shift in how information sharing is understood and practised across sectors
It will replace the Department for Education’s existing guidance on information sharing.
The consultation is open until 14th July and can be found if you follow this link: Statutory guidance for information sharing duty - Department for Education - Citizen Space
Water Safety
You will have seen the tragic news last week regarding the deaths of several children across the UK through drowning in open water.
In order to support education of children and young people about water safety, the following resources may be of use.
Child Accident Prevention Trust Resources
Summer water safety: Top tips for keeping children safe
250403_WatchOutInWaterFactSheet.pdf
There are age-appropriate materials for children from ages 5-17.RLSS UK’s Drowning Prevention Week is an annual, water safety campaign designed to educate children and young adults in water safety and lifesaving skills. This takes place from 13-20 June 2026. Drowning Prevention Week educates children with crucial water safety advice just before the summer holidays, when young people are outdoors more and need these skills and knowledge most, so everyone can enjoy water safely. RLSS are calling on all carers, schools, lifesaving clubs, leisure operators and water-related businesses to participate. Royal Life Saving Society UK's Drowning Prevention Week
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service also have a collection of videos and advice and links to other resources. Water Safety - Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service
UK Safer Internet Centre -New Guidance around publishing photos of children online
There is some new guidance from UK Safer internet Centre around publishing photos of children online - Image guidance for education settings - UK Safer Internet Centre - UK Safer Internet Centre following some photos of secondary school children that were on school websites being used to demand money from the school to stop them being changed through AI into child sexual abuse material.
Safer Sleep Awareness Guide – The Lullaby Trust
Whether you are caring for a baby or child in a foster care, childminding, nannying or in a nursery setting, it is important that you are aware of the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and what can be done to help reduce the risks. Here is a safer sleep awareness guide that you can share with staff/ parents and families Early-years-safer-sleep-booklet_Digital.pdf
The Education Endowment Foundation have created a useful four-step tool to help you make the best spending choices:
Early Years Pupil Premium - Planning tool | Education Endowment Foundation
If you need any further guidance or insight, please feel free to contact us.
Please click on the link to share with parents, carers and practitioners.
Splash Safely at Home campaign
The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Splash Safely at Home is a water safety campaign designed to educate parents and carers of babies, infants, and young children about the importance of home water safety precautions
I am sharing a link here to the Stronger Practise Hub webinar - Looking Through the Language Lens
Password for access is: 0&?d*mj9
https://www.canva.com/link?target=https%3A%2F%2Fzoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FKF-Kfm7rj1ZLGJO83w4Ej7D7H0LSNoXGRwxFlwxThPUU2J7JY2I4-pa4-yS4lmc.IR9xahVBsEuP9KMp&design=DAGpSZoNuhM&utl=h5c779ef4c7&accessRole=viewer&linkSource=document
This particular webinar links to Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design.
Enjoy,
Laurie
Following the strong engagement with our national RISE Reception webinar programme last year, we are pleased to be hosting our next series during the summer term 2026. These sessions will focus on EYFS profile assessment, transitions into Reception, and preparing high quality Reception provision, offering practical, evidence‑based support aligned with recent guidance:
Mastering the EYFS Profile Assessment – Wednesday 10 June 4pm
Setting up for Reception success ahead of September – Wednesday 17 June 4pm
Supporting smooth transitions into Reception – Wednesday 24 June 4pm
To register for these webinars, please use this link.
Kind regards,
Laurie
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.
Sarah Kynaston
Senior Education Quality Adviser (Early Years and Safeguarding)
Education Improvement Service
Tel: 01743 251298
Email: Sarah.Kynaston@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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