By way of a reminder, that we have a long-standing protocol in place with respect to those incidents that we ask state schools to notify the LA about. This is support the statutory functions of the LA and enables the LA to support schools and trusts most effectively.

Significant events

Significant events fall into 3 categories: 

Events that require emergency service involvement. 

Such events could include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Accidents that require ambulance attendance.  These may involve incidents that take place on the school premises or incidents that take place as pupils travel to and from school.  There is no need to inform the LA of accidents that take place when pupils are travelling in cars of parents/carers unless there is a known life changing or life threatening injury. 
• Incidents that require the school to call police.  These may include abusive/threatening visitors, trespassers on site and community based incidents that lead to schools entering ‘lock down’ procedures. 
• Occasions where pupils have absconded from the school site and where this has resulted in the need to involved emergency services.

Note that maintained schools are also expected to report accidents and near misses to health and safety as outlined at https://www.shropshirelg.net/health-and-safety-premises-and-security/reporting-an-accident/   

Ofsted inspections. All schools are asked to share the outcome of an Ofsted inspection within 48 hours of the inspection. All outcomes are treated as provisional and confidential. 

Events that lead to school closure.  This would include closure due to weather or loss of services (e.g. water, power).  If Property Services Group (PSG) have been informed of a closure due to power etc then schools should also notify Learning and Skills. 

Ofsted also stipulate events that require Ofsted notification.  These are typically events relating to incidents in early years.  Schools should continue to inform Ofsted of these event

Schools should also continue to record accidents and near misses in the usual way.

Significant changes 

Significant changes typically relate to a change in leadership.  Schools are requested to inform the local authority of headteacher/head of school resignations and retirements along with details of the new headteacher/head of school and start dates. 

Schools are also asked to inform the local authority of any interim arrangements put in place due to a headteacher/head of school departure or long term absence.   

Settings are asked to notify the local authority where there is a change in Early Years premises. 

Trust changes 

Trusts are requested to notify the local authority of any changes to CEOs including the departure date of CEOs and the details of designate CEOs. 

All significant events should be reported using the mailbox school.closures@shropshire.gov.uk

A copy of the protocol can be downloaded here and is kept on this section of the SLG.

We are seeking school and setting representatives for our newly established Experts at hand Steering Group.

For more information and to express and interest, please click here: Expression of Interest: Experts at Hand Steering Group

Reminder that in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK

All staff that work with Early Years children (including providing cover) Must complete safeguarding training every 2 years no matter what the expiry date on their certificate is.

Every day, people across Shropshire travel to school, work, childcare, healthcare appointments, shops and leisure activities. Whether you're walking, cycling, taking the bus, travelling to school or college, or learning to drive, the decisions made today will help shape how people get around Shropshire for years to come.

Shropshire Council is developing a new Local Transport Plan that will help shape transport and guide investment across the county over the next ten years.

Before the public consultation launches later in Autumn 2026, we would like to invite members of the school community to join an online discussion to hear about the plans and tell us what matters most to young people and families.

Monday 14 September - 4:00pm to 5:00pm

This session is open to parents, carers, teachers, school staff and young people. It will provide an opportunity to:
• Find out more about plans for transport in Shropshire.
• Hear what local communities have told us so far.
• Share your views on the opportunities and challenges facing journeys to and from schools, colleges and other destinations.
• Learn how you can take part in the upcoming consultation.

Whether your concerns or ideas relate to walking and cycling, road safety, public transport, traffic and congestion, or access to education and opportunities, we want to hear from you.

To reserve your place, please email ShropshireLTP@wsp.com by Friday 11 September to receive a personal joining link.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please let us know and we will do our best to support your participation.

We hope you can join us and help shape the future of travel in Shropshire.

Issue 18 - School Edition Newsletter September 2026.pdf

Welcome back to all school staff,

I hope you have had a restful summer!

I would like to invite you to 2 upcoming events to help shape the future for Shropshire CYP as we move into the new academic year.

Our first event takes place on Thursday 17th September 2026 from 0900-1100 in The Guildhall. This is to share with you the updates around EBSA, Section 19 provision and the amazing AV1 Robots we will be using to support these areas. Could I please be emailed at laura.goodall@shropshire.gov.uk by Friday 11th September 2026 if you wish to attend this event.

Our second event takes place on Friday 9th October 2026 from 0930-1130 also in The Guildhall. We wish for your input in helping to create our new strategy for alternative provision. Matters to discuss and decide on will include:
• Context and DFE guidance
• Why AP – positives and risks
• What are the responsibilities for schools and Shropshire Council
• How this fits with safeguarding and QA processes
• How AP fits with Section 19 provision
• Outshine offer
• What do people want AP in Shropshire to look like for 26/27 and in the future
Could I please be emailed at laura.goodall@shropshire.gov.uk by Friday 2nd October 2026 if you wish to attend this event.

Thank you to the staff who have completed the new Temporary Part-Time Timetable (TPT) forms on the SLG and the feedback around this - this has been most helpful. Please do share this new guidance with the appropriate staff in your schools so they can use the guidance to complete these with confidence. The link for this is re-shared below.

https://www.shropshirelg.net/local-authority-online-forms/temporary-part-time-timetable-tpt/

Please also remember for CYP attending Unregistered Alternative Provision this term the register must be completed - I have also reshared this link below.

Alternative Provision (AP) Notification Form | Shropshire Learning Gateway

I hope you have a wonderful opening term with our Shropshire CYP - if you have any queries or required support please do reach out.

Kind Regards

Laura Goodall

Inclusion & AP Task Force Lead Officer
Outshine Workstream Lead
Education Access Service

Laura.Goodall@shropshire.gov.uk
01743255989
07816204706

(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.

Kind regards

Daniel Steele

It is acknowledged under the Scheme of Financing Schools, there will be occasions when schools wish to set aside sums to meet significant future costs, as such schools have the opportunity to transfer funds from their budget, into the Shropshire Council Investment Fund.

At the end of 25/26 schools accrued £52,242 in interest which equates to 29,023 glue sticks or 2 L2 TAs for a year!

If your school wishes to join this scheme, please email your School Finance Officer with the amount you wish to invest together with confirmation that you have authority to transfer such amounts and/or confirm that the transfer has been approved by your governing body.

Interest will be applied on the 1st day of the proceeding month after the transfer. Please be aware that due to work pressures, the transfer may take up to 3 months.

Further details can be found here: Investments | Shropshire Learning Gateway

Best wishes

Amanda Collett - Lead Schools Finance Officer

Following the Government’s acceptance of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendations, the teachers’ pay award has been confirmed as:

• 3.5% from 1 September 2026
• 3.0% from 1 September 2027
• Indicative 3.0% from 1 September 2028 (subject to future confirmation)

For Shropshire maintained schools, the 2026 teachers’ pay award will be applied in November 2026 payroll, backdated to 1 September 2026.

We can also confirm that the 2026 NJC support staff pay award increase of 3.3% was agreed over the summer and will be implemented in the September payroll, including any applicable back pay to 1 April 2026.

Updated Teachers’ and Leadership Pay Policies will be available to schools before the October half-term break. Updated teacher and support staff pay scales will also be uploaded to SLG and the Shropshire HR – Education Teams page as soon as possible. We are liaising with Payroll colleagues regarding actioning pay progression, we will confirm guidance and process as soon as possible.

If you have any questions regarding the pay awards, pay progression process or implementation arrangements, please contact your Schools HR Adviser in the first instance.

The Free School Meals (FSM) Team are currently working through an exceptionally high volume of FSM applications that have come in since the start of the Autumn term and are working hard to get them assessed as quickly as possible so that both schools and families are aware of the application outcomes.

Please can we ask that schools bear with us during this busy time and put any FSM related queries that they may have in writing to FSM@shropshire.gov.uk and we will endeavour to respond as quickly as we can.

We encourage schools to regularly check your Synergy School Access Module (SAM) Portal to view the FSM eligibility of pupils on roll with school (where an application has been submitted through Shropshire Council), as this will update accordingly as we work our way through the applications received.

Important: Only those families who have not previously been eligible for FSM but are now likely to be eligible under the new criteria, need to submit an application . Any families who had existing FSM eligibility will have had their eligibility re-assessed through our re-checking process, therefore do not need to re-apply unless they have received a ‘not eligible’ result through their school and believe they should now be eligible. We are receiving quite a lot of repeat applications from families who have already had their eligibility re-checked, which is causing delays in the processing of new applications.

Please find below a link to the Education Update that was shared with schools on the 1^st of September 2026, which contained key reminders relating to the changes to benefits-related free school meals from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.

Education Update - 1st September 2026

We would like to take this opportunity to thank schools for their continued support during the implementation of these significant changes. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this exceptionally busy period.

Please be aware that further updates have been made to the Schools Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Template due to changes made to the final and now published version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026. 

An updated template along with updated explanations as to further changes made (Summary of changes table) is now available at: Early Years and Schools Safeguarding Policies and Guidance | Shropshire Learning Gateway

To celebrate Space Week 5 – 9 October 2026 'Rocket Revolution' we will be hosting free space activity days for KS2 classes! Join us for a full free day of activities that will include:

• Making & firing paper rockets.
• Building and programming a Mars Rover with LEGO robotics.
• Junk modelling satellites from recycled materials.
• A presentation on the problem of space junk and space sustainability.

To book free for your class, please complete the application form here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/pGMtUH33WR or contact learning-midlands@rafmuseum.org with any queries.

We are excited to be able to offer you this training opportunity with KCA Training. This is funded training (free!) thanks to our working with our Shropshire Virtual School.

Please find attached the booking links and fliers with more information.

About Five to Thrive
KCA’s model Five to Thrive, is a model for promoting secure,
attuned, need meeting relationships based on the neuroscientific
understanding of what happens inside us, as the meeter of needs,
when we make an attuned, connected relationship with a baby
or child and the brain building potential of these
Five to Thrive Relationships.

(Please note, these are two-part training programmes so book on to both sessions)

This course has been built with Early Years Professionals in mind to
ensure understanding, confidence and practical applications to practice.

Link for Early Years Settings - KCA: Reg form: Shropshire Virtual School: Five To Thrive for Early Years

FTT Shropshire EYIS 2026.pdf

DT NETWORK

Celebrating attachment / trauma-responsive and nurture practice in Shropshire

A multi-agency networking and breakfast event for School Leaders, Designated Teachers for Looked After Children/PLAC, Social Care, Early Help & LA Education colleagues

DT_Network_ flyer 13th November .pdf

Early Years, KS1 and KS2 Talkboost training is taking place on the following dates for autumn 2026:
Early Years
- 7/10 face to face 9-3pm
- 14/10 face to face 9-3pm
- 7/10 & 21/10 online evening 6pm-8pm

KS1
- 21/09 face to face 9-3pm

KS2
- 12/10 face to face 9-3pm

Please see the training brochure for more details and links for booking.

As we move towards implementing the SEND reforms, we want to better understand the confidence levels of staff in mainstream settings in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND.

Please share this survey with all staff in your setting to help us understand what is working well, where challenges remain, and how we can work together to strengthen inclusive practice across Shropshire. The survey closes on Friday 11th September.

Mainstream Settings Confidence Survey on SEND and Inclusion

Ahead of the statutory guidance update for looked after and previously looked after children, we invite Designated Teachers to complete this short survey to share what is working well, celebrate effective practice, and highlight any barriers or challenges they may be facing in their role.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your views and contribute to this important work.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DesignatedTeachers

The Parenting Team will be delivering free Understanding Your Child and Understanding Your Child SEND – from toddler to teens - groups from September 2026:

NEW for Autumn

 Following feedback that fathers and male carers might like to have groups specifically for them, we are also offering an Understand Your Child group for fathers and male carers. The content of the group is the same but similar to our SEND groups the parents and carers will all share a unique view point on parenting.

 We are also introducing an Understanding Your Child group for parents and carers of children 0-5 years. This group will also focus on the challenges and importance of preparing, when children transition to nursery, school or the next development stage.

All the above groups are 10 weeks (one weekly session) and aim to:
• Promote understanding of children’s behaviour within the context of developmental issues
• Promote the development of parent/child relationship
• Increase confidence and self-esteem in both parents and children
• Give parents a strategy for repair when things go wrong
• Promote reflective, sensitive and effective parenting

We are offering free SLEEP TIGHT and Sleep Tight with SEND groups from September and November 2026 (poster attached) which cover:
• Recognising the role of sleep hygiene to improve sleep
• Identifying causes of sleep issues and appropriate practical strategies to try
• Completing sleep diaries and identifying potential sleep issues

0-5 years Shrewsbury UYC September 2026.pdf

All UYC Groups Poster September 2026.pdf

All UYC SEND Groups Poster September 2026.pdf

Sleep Groups Poster All Autumn 2026.pdf

UYC male carer group.pdf