I am pleased to update you that on Thursday 24 September, Shropshire Council’s full council endorsed a proposal approved by Cabinet on Wednesday 8 July to implement a new education strategy to elevate education standards across the county.

Our link Senior HMI, Helen Forrest will be providing a briefing to Shropshire school and trust leaders on the operation of the Ofsted inspection framework.

This will take place on Monday 12th October at 3.30-4.30pm.

No need to book. Please see joining link via Ofsted briefing for Shropshire Schools | Shropshire Learning Gateway

I have received some questions in advance of Helen's visit. If there's any themes or questions that you feel it would be useful for Helen to respond to, please let me know by email john.rowe@shropshire.gov.uk

On 13th October (4-5pm), DfE will be hosting a webinar for education safeguarding leaders on the Families First Partnership reforms, focusing on the relevant measure in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, and the strengthened role of education and childcare in Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements.

The webinar is being targeted senior safeguarding leaders including trust safeguarding leaders,  LA directors of education and those undertaking the role of strategic safeguarding lead for childcare and education within their safeguarding partnership.

Sign up here to secure your place.

We have met with West Mercia Police Vulnerability Hub to review the email expectations to enable Schools to receive and respond to Operation Encompass Notifications.

If it is not practical for your school/college to establish a confidential shared mailbox, West Mercia Police Vulnerability Hub will only be able to send Operation Encompass notifications to one secure email address, as part of imminent changes intended to streamline and improve the efficiency of the notification process.

Where a single secure email address is used, your school/college must have robust arrangements in place to ensure continuity of safeguarding responsibilities. The address must be accessible and checked at the start of each school/college day so that Operation Encompass notifications are received, monitored, and acted upon promptly, including when the usual Designated Safeguarding Lead is unavailable. This supports the expectations set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 and Operation Encompass Implementation Guidance.

If you haven't already let the West Mercia Police Vulnerability Hub know your single secure email address for notifications, please provide this to them via email (VulnerabilityHub@westmercia.police.uk) no later than Friday 2nd October 2026.

Further details as to the Operation Encompass arrangements including contact information for the Vulnerability Hub is available at Operation Encompass (Domestic Abuse) | Shropshire Learning Gateway.

Operation Encompass (Domestic Abuse) | Shropshire Learning Gateway

We have a vacancy on Schools Forum for an LA maintained school governor and also for an Academy senior leadership representative. 

In particular we would like to extend this opportunity to academies and schools who are not already represented on Schools Forum.  The Shropshire Schools Forum builds on a tradition of involving key stakeholders in the development of policy on school resources.  Schools Forums give schools greater involvement in the distribution of funding within their local authority.  We are inviting expressions of interest from an LA maintained Governor and Academy leader who would like to join the group. This is a great opportunity to get involved, share your insight, and help shape decisions that affect our schools.  Further details can be found within the following links -

Schools forum operational and good practice guide - GOV.UK

https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-forums-trusts-and-finance/shropshire-schools-forum/

If you are interested in joining the Schools Forum, please email jo.morris@shropshire.gov.uk at your earliest convenience.

We Love SENCos is coming to Birmingham

We Love SENCos is a practical, thought-provoking day for the people leading SEND and inclusion in schools.
The programme brings together practitioners, school and trust leaders, policymakers and specialists to examine the challenges facing SEND - and, most importantly, what schools can do next.

Throughout the day, we will explore:

What the DfE’s SEND reforms could mean for schools, trusts and families
How schools can make effective use of the Inclusive Mainstream Fund
The changing expectations around mainstream inclusion and early intervention
More manageable ways to identify need and turn evidence into action
How the developing Experts at Hand offer could improve access to specialist support
Assistive technology and the practical potential of AI
Effective intervention that does not depend on expensive programmes
Executive functioning, SEMH, speech, language and communication
How overlapping needs can affect identification and support
Practical ways to reduce SENCo workload without losing professional judgement
Building school cultures in which pupils and staff genuinely feel they belong
SEND equality - and which children and young people are still most likely to be excluded, disengage or become NEET
How schools can respond to reform without creating another layer of bureaucracy

Join us at Millennium Point in Birmingham for a day of practical support, honest conversation and shared determination to build better SEND provision.

Your ticket includes access to the full event, your choice of parallel sessions, lunch and refreshments.
Ticket Prices - £20

We Love SENCos Birmingham 2026: Building Better SEND Support Tickets, Tuesday, November 17  •  8:30 AM - 5 PM | Eventbrite

Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 is proud to announce, alongside The Education Exchange West Midlands, and associated West Midland School, Colleges and MATS, an Invictus Games-inspired schools curriculum programme for Early Years through to Key Stage 5, designed by Teachers, for young learners.

This covers Maths, English, STEM, Art, Performing Art, Sport and PSHE.

The website link went live 1 September 2026 and provides engaging,

inspirational and fun national curriculum resources, ready to teach,

based on the Invictus Games. 

Sign up here: Schools — Invictus Games - Birmingham 2027

The Complex Needs Training due to take place on 10th October 2026 has been moved to the 12th November 2026.  

Please see the CPD Training Brochure for information and booking links.

There are still spaces available at our Early Years Conference. See the attached poster for more details.

Thursday 5th November 2026
09:00-15:30 (arrival from 08:30) Lunch included
Shrewsbury Town Football Club

Booking Link is here - 

After booking, your place will be pending until payment is received. Pre-payment link is sent out following registration. Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by TeamsPlease complete a separate link for each delegate.

Following on from our analysis of the Safeguarding Audit, we have managed to secure our Regional Prevent Co-Ordinator to deliver some further Prevent training for Childminders, Leaders, Managers, DSLs and anyone who wants to build on their general Prevent training. These sessions are free to attend.

There are 2 series' of sessions available:
Autumn Term  Part 1 - 20.10.26 18:30-19:30 

Prevent in the Early Years

There will then be Part 2 on 4.11.26 18:30-19:30 - the link for this will be shared in the first meeting.

These sessions will then be repeated in Spring term with the following dates -

Spring Term
Part 1 - 4.2.27 18:30-19:30 

Prevent in the Early Years

There will then be Part 2 on 18.2.27 18:30-19:30 - the link for this will be shared in the first meeting.

Do book on to either the Autumn Term or Spring Term sessions - it will be valuable information regarding our Shropshire Locality and will include guidance on completing your Prevent Risk Assessment.

Please note, these sessions are additional to the need to complete annual Prevent training, they do not replace it

We are excited to be able to offer you this training opportunity with KCA Training. This is funded training (free!) thanks to our Shropshire Virtual School. Please find attached the booking link and flier with more information. (Please note, these are two-part training programmes so book on to both sessions)

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.

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

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 (1) (2).pdf

Designated Teacher 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_13th NOV.pdf

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) (1) (2).pdf

AUTUMN TERM
SEND Meet & Chat Family Drop-In, hosted by Shropshire Early Help

Please the attached poster for details

Please share the Early Help Newsletter with families.

Early Help What's On October Newsletter.pdf

We would like to hear from residents in Shropshire about how they prefer to receive tips, tools and support about staying healthy. Please share the below through your networks to help us hear from as many people as possible:

Do you live in Shropshire? Share how you would like to receive information about staying healthy

Shropshire Council is carrying out a short survey to understand where people look for information, advice and support that helps them stay healthy and prevent ill health. This includes healthy lifestyles advice, support to stop smoking or cut down on alcohol, and tips for becoming more active.

There are questions about where you currently find preventative health information and how you would prefer to receive it in future.

The survey is about information that helps people stay healthy and well. It is not about NHS treatment, medical appointments or urgent healthcare services.

The survey takes around ten minutes to complete and closes on 19 October 2026.

Your feedback will help improve how health and wellbeing information, practical advice, local services and support is shared across Shropshire.

Take part here: Healthy Shropshire Survey

Survey closes 19 October 2026.

Children who are aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2026 (born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2024) are eligible for a free NHS flu vaccination.

Parents and carers can arrange their child’s vaccination at:

Their GP surgery – from 1 September 2026
A pharmacy offering NHS children’s flu vaccinations – from 1 October 2026

Parents may receive an invitation from their GP surgery, but there is no need to wait for an invitation. They can contact their child’s GP surgery from 1 September to arrange an appointment.

Parents can also book an NHS flu vaccination online or through the NHS App now. Pharmacy vaccination appointments will take place from 1 October 2026.

We would be grateful if you could share this message with parents and carers through your usual communication channels, such as email, newsletters, parent apps, or social media.

We have attached a poster which you are welcome to display at your setting, along with a social media graphic that can be shared on your social media channels.

Thank you for your support in helping to protect children and the people around them from flu this winter.

NHS Nursery flu poster.pdf

NHSE_Protect your child from flu_2-3 yrs_Social Media 4x5_02.png