Further to our previous communications regarding the changes to benefits-based free school from the start of the 2026/27 academic year, here are some key reminders:

• From the start of the 2026/27 school year, the Department for Education is introducing new eligibility criteria meaning that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal.
• At the same time, the transitional protections that were in place since 1 April 2018 have now ended.
• From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, pupils who are eligible for benefits-based free school meals need to have a ‘Tier’ category of Expanded or Targeted.
• During July we completed the re-check process of the existing free school meals cohort ready for the start of the 2026/27 academic year. Schools were contacted individually by email, week commencing 6 July, regarding cases where the re-check identified that a pupil may no longer be eligible for free school meals in September with a letter for schools to share with those families regarding the next steps.
• Where the re-check process identified that a pupil continued to remain eligible for free school meals (under either the Expanded or Targeted categories), families would not have received an email or letter outcome. It’s only for the cases where the re-check identified a change, indicating a pupil may no longer be eligible for free school meals from September, where families have been notified by a letter through their school.
• We have been processing new applications throughout the summer and are continuing to assess applications as they are coming in.
• Schools can view outcome of the eligibility re-checks and new applications on the Synergy School Access Module (SAM) Portal.

• Due to eligibility checks taking place ahead of the new arrangements, schools should follow the DfE and MIS supplier guidance when deciding which FSM eligibility start date to record. Expanded FSM eligibility periods cannot start before 1 August 2026.

Schools should:

• continue to familiarise yourself with the updated DfE guidance and changes Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities - GOV.UK including the Operational Readiness Checklist for Schools (Annex D) section.
• read through the DfE’s Complete the School Census, Data Items 2026 to 2027 guidance, in particular the section ‘Free school meals eligibility (used for funding)’, regarding the changes relating to the recording of free school meals eligibility from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.  There are a number of important changes this year and it will be vital for schools to have comprehensive knowledge of the changes to the recording requirements.
• ensure that you are aware of the changes relating to your Management Information System (MIS) regarding the recording of free school meals eligibility.  Update the schools MIS system accordingly, in line with the DfE and MIS supplier guidance.
• regularly check your Synergy School Access Module (SAM) Portal to view the free school meals eligibility of pupils on roll with school (where an application has been submitted through Shropshire Council).
• read through the updated SAM Portal user guide on the SLG here (an SLG log-in is required to access the page).
• frequently check the SAM Portal ‘landing/main page’ list of pupils and complete the School Admissions New Starters and Leavers Forms where needed as soon as possible to ensure that pupil level attendance information can be updated in the system. Primary schools with a nursery class can now include nursery children who are on-roll with the school, in the starters/leavers form process.
• continue to promote awareness of the new changes to free school meals from September with families and signpost to the free school meals application process, including families who may become eligible for the first time under the expanded criteria:  Free School Meals applications should be made using the Shropshire online portal where possible, Apply for free school meals | Shropshire Council. The online portal is a shared portal for School Admissions, Free School Meals and 24U applications and so in most cases a parent/carer will already have an account and log-in. Where parents/carers have an email address, the online application is the quickest and easiest way to apply, the applicant also gets an indicative eligibility result at the end of their application. The Council’s Shropshire Local Team are available to help with access to the online application.  Alternatively, for families unable to access the online application form, they can call our Customer Services on 0345 678 9008 who will be able to take the details for an application over the phone.  In the event that these application methods aren’t suitable, schools can contact the Free School Meals Team for an alternative version FSM@shropshire.gov.uk
• NRPF (No Recourse to Public Funds) free school meals applications - the ECE checking system cannot be used to assess NRPF applications.  Where schools have pupils in receipt of free school meals under the NRPF criteria, please ensure that they re-assessed manually before the start of term and assess any new applications that you receive under the NRPF criteria.

Useful links:

Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities - GOV.UK

Free school meals expansion grant: methodology - GOV.UK

Pupil premium: overview - GOV.UK

Complete the school census - Data items 2026 to 2027 - Guidance - GOV.UK

Free School Meals Information | Shropshire Learning Gateway

Free school meals | Shropshire Council

Cost of living help | Shropshire Council

For schools who were unable to attend the DfE webinar on 5 June, a link to the recording on the DfE YouTube channel can be accessed here

If you have any questions, please email FSM@shropshire.gov.uk

As part of the Transformation programme there will be a new design for a single point of access for multi-disciplinary advice. As a result, the ICP section of the Inclusion Pathway has ceased to operate.

However, the Shropshire Inclusion Pathway continues in its same form for the present time with the weekly Inclusion Pathway meeting helping schools access the right support at the right time and in the right place. This includes Section 19 support and TMBSS places. See here for more information:

The full Shropshire Inclusion Pathway document: https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/media/iwckecq5/shropshires-inclusion-pathway-2026.pdf

How to make a referral and the triage process - Inclusion pathway (includes Section 19) | Shropshire Council

Access to support from Outshine also continues in the same way for now – for more information or to make a referral please follow this link Outshine | Shropshire Learning Gateway.

For support relating to EBSA (Emotional Based School Avoidance) the pathway will follow the same approach in the triangle model, but without the ICP element.

Schools can:

• utilise the EBSA toolkit on the Shropshire Educational Psychology pages to help implementing and embedding practice - Emotionally Based School Avoidance | Shropshire Learning Gateway
• have support and advice from their EWO (or contact Vicky Rodgers, Lead Education Officer for Attendance Vicky.rodgers@shropshire.gov.uk)
• make a referral to Outshine for targeted and personalised EBSA support

For any additional queries, please contact the Education Access Service at Eas@shropshire.gov.uk

(Full documents will be updated once the wider transformation plans are confirmed.)

Welcome back to the new school year.

The Education Access team has been working throughout the summer to update policies and procedures in line with the latest guidance, ensuring we are fully prepared for the year ahead. Working Together to Improve School Attendance 2026 has been updated, and your Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) will be available to guide you through the changes and support improvements in attendance within your school.

We have now finalised the Temporary Part-Time Timetables procedure and would like to thank the colleagues who contributed to its development over the past eight months. Please see the attached news update for further information.

Support update: Inclusion Pathway / EBSA/ Outshine. As part of the Transformation programme there will be a new design for a single point of access for multi-disciplinary advice. As a result, the ICP section of the Inclusion Pathway has ceased to operate.

However, the Shropshire Inclusion Pathway continues in its same form for the present time with the weekly Inclusion Pathway meeting helping schools access the right support at the right time and in the right place. This includes Section 19 support and TMBSS places, please see the attached document for further details.

Reminder unregistered AP : can we please remind colleagues to populate the Umbraco form on the SLG for any pupil that is any unregistered AP from the 01 September 2026 new academic year.

We are also preparing for the rollout of the Children's Bill in January 2027. As part of this work, we are considering the introduction of a 15-day home visit for Elective Home Education (EHE) families where there are current or previous safeguarding concerns. Schools will be updated shortly. Adriana is leading this work; for further information, please contact Adriana.Coupe@shropshire.gov.uk.

Please take time to look at the attached documents that our workstream leads have populated.

Finally, we are preparing to launch the Inclusive Attendance Bronze and Silver programmes later this month. If you would like to take part, please contact Vicky.Rodgers@shropshire.gov.uk.

Best Wishes

Jo Smith
Lead of Education Access Service

Shropshire Fair Access Protocol 2026-27.docx

Suspensions and Exclusions Guidance Update September 2026.docx

Elective Home Education Update Sept 2026.docx

Shropshire Inclusion Pathway Update Sept 2026.docx

LATT Update Sept 2026.docx

Temporary Part-Time Timetable Guidance 2026-27.docx

Schools can save approximately £100 based on purchasing 4 pens by using the link below. 

Packages vary by supplier and they come with different elements included. Some are a simple case with the adrenaline auto-injectors, whilst others include training. Purchased directly from the pharmacy will be the cheapest option and the prices vary too as the pharmacy adds on an administration charge to the cost price. It is always worth asking for a discount or the NHS price. Some pharmacies (especially the independent ones) are willing to do this. From a pharmacy they typically cost £80-100 per autoinjector.

To obtain the epi pens at the cheapest price currently known to me (Around £72.50ea) please follow the link below and click on download instructions;

Buy cost-price spare adrenaline pens | The Allergy Team

Best regards

Kevin Jenkins, Health and Safety Officer – Schools,

Kevin.jenkins@shropshire.gov.uk

Please click the link below to see the DFE PREVENT training sessions available for 2026/2027 (please note we have arranged for Shropshire 'PREVENT in Early Years' sessions - more information to follow through the Early Years Teams channel).

Regional CONTEST co-ordinators: virtual training sessions - GOV.UK

Sarah Kynaston

Senior Education Quality Adviser Early Years & Safeguarding

Shropshire's Multi-Agency Child to Parent Abuse (CPA) Policy has been reviewed and updated, to ensure it reflects current best practice, learning from lived experience, and the evolving understanding of Child to Parent Abuse across safeguarding and domestic abuse services.

Child to Parent Abuse is recognised in Shropshire as a form of domestic abuse and can include physical, emotional, psychological, digital, coercive, controlling, stalking, harassment or financial abuse directed towards a parent, carer, guardian or primary caregiver.

The updated policy promotes a trauma-informed, safeguarding-led approach that recognises the complexities of family relationships and the individual circumstances of each family. The policy reinforces that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and aims to support a consistent and effective response across all services.

Professionals working with children, young people and families play a vital role in recognising concerns, responding appropriately, and ensuring families receive support at the earliest opportunity. Please take time to read the updated policy, discuss it within your teams, and embed the guidance into your day-to-day practice. By increasing awareness and confidence in responding to CPA, we can work together to improve outcomes for children, young people and families across Shropshire.

Need support?
If you are concerned that you, a colleague, a friend, family member or someone you are working with may be experiencing Child to Parent Abuse, support is available. The updated policy includes details of local and national support services that can provide advice, guidance and practical support. No one should feel they have to manage these concerns alone. Support can make a significant difference, so please seek advice if you are worried about yourself or someone else.

child-to-parent-abuse-cpa-policy-2026-v4.docx

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back after what we hope was a restful summer.  The Autumn Term panel dates, guidance and forms for applying for GSP have been updated on both the SLG and the Shropshire Local Offer.  Please replace any old forms you have saved for use with the new ones. The new application form negates the need for a wet parent signature.  

They can be found here:

Graduated Support Pathway | Shropshire Council or

Graduated Support Pathway | Shropshire Learning Gateway

Please read the guidance to ensure that all requested paperwork and evidence is included in your application.  Failure to do so may result in your application being rejected or delayed to a later panel.

Best Wishes

Emma Simkins and Heidi White, Education Quality Advisors

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) have asked us to to share two resources that will be of interest to schools that support service children.

Between Education Systems Transition Toolkit
Education professionals from across the UK have worked together to develop the Between Education Systems Transition Toolkit. Shaped by practitioners, local authority officers, government departments and Service charities, the toolkit brings together clear information and practical activities to help sending and receiving schools support Armed Forces children before, during and after a move between education systems.
https://dcs.school/transition/

Service Pupil Support Programme
The Service Pupil Support Programme is now open for bids from schools. This MOD funding is explicitly designed to support service children along their educational pathway. The MOD are particularly interested in receiving bids for projects that seek to identify and respond to foundational skills gaps, which armed forces mobility may have contributed to. The closing date for bids is 30 September 2026. 

At the start of the academic year, now is a great time to remind young people that their interest in technology can open doors to exciting and rewarding hobbies and careers. 

See the latest edition of Bytesize News to learn how you can help young people thrive a Cyber world. In this edition, it covers Cyber Choices, how you can make a referral and the offer of free in-person or online training; book now!

We are looking to reach all primary schools across the UK that do not currently have a school library to help them develop that space and to work across their school and local community to encourage reading for pleasure.

We work with many local authorities and public library services towards this aim and build lasting partnerships. Our programme is free to schools and provides them with 500 curated books, a small furniture package to get them started, an audio player and books, free author events and two years of free CPD, plus a yearlong membership to the NLT.

The sign-up document is here: Schools | Libraries4Primaries

And here is our communications pack if you wish to know/share more details: LfP-recruitment_comms_pack_26-27.pdf

We are pleased to introduce a single training brochure to summarise the training offer from the Education Quality and Safeguarding Team for the Autumn Term.  We hope you will find this useful.  It contains descriptions of each course, as well as booking links and costs if applicable. 

Please note that training may be face to face or online, despite the booking links being on Teams.  Full details of time and location for each course is stated in the booking link. 

You can still access these courses and their booking links through the standard SLG pages as before.  

Training Brochure - Autumn Term.pdf

Primary-Secondary Collaboration

Years 5-8 Continuity

Early Career Teachers (2nd and 3rd Year of teaching)

Reception - Ludlow or Telford

Teachers - Shrewsbury or Telford

TAs - Shrewsbury or Telford

Secondary (locations TBC)

Secondary Maths Subject Leaders

Securing Foundations at Year 7

Developing Fluency with Multiplicative Reasoning at KS3 (Year 7)

Secondary Teaching for Mastery

Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics

Early Career Teachers (2nd and 3rd Year of teaching)

Non-Specialists

TAs

Developing A Level Pedagogy

Supporting Students to Achieve a L2 Qualification in Mathematics

Please see training opportunities available from the St. John Bosco English Hub that may be of use.

All courses are FREE

Alex Quigley - Developing independent writers: Securing creativity and aiming for greater depth (12/11/26, Village Hotel, Dudley, 9-3pm)

For details, click here

Three twilight sessions (online) with Alex Quigley covering 

-  Tackling transcription: helping improve handwriting and spelling (22/9/26) 4-5pm

- Building brilliant sentences: unlocking creative and accurate writing (29/9/26) 4-5pm

- Developing the writing process: planning editing and revising for success (6/10/26) 4-5pm

For details, click here

Join us for “Becoming: How We Support Young People to Define Their Future”, a free professional learning event funded by Shropshire Virtual School on Thursday 8 October 2026 at Shrewsbury Town FC.

The morning will feature two inspiring sessions led by Mike Nicholson from Progressive Masculinity and Dr Eleanor Tomlinson from The EP Space, exploring how we can support young people to develop healthy identities, emotional literacy, empathy and positive futures. Ideal for school staff, social care, early help, learning and skills colleagues, the event offers practical ideas, case studies and tools that can be used immediately in practice.

Positive Masculinities collaboration (10) (1).pdf

Emotional Me is a programme for teachers that includes training and class resources.
Through lessons delivered by equipped teachers, children will build a toolbox of skills to improve emotional regulation, enhance social interaction, and feel more confident in seeking support when they need it.

Grounded in KCA’s knowledge base on attachment, trauma, and resilience, this programme supports schools and children to maintain positive relationships and strengthen their sense of safety and belonging, both in the classroom and at home.

Following the second session each teacher will leave with lesson plans for their year group, ready to use slides and handouts and structured classroom activities.

Emotional Me Shropshire flyer.pdf

Please share the attached flyer with parents and carers.

SEND Meet and Chat Family Drop in Poster Autumn 2026.pdf