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Dear Colleagues,
This week's education update is below.
Best wishes,
John
John Rowe
Head of Education Quality and Safeguarding
john.rowe@shropshire.gov.uk
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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.
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From Wednesday 7th Oct maintained schools headteacher will be able to access a SharePoint page designed specifically for our maintained schools.
The principal behind the pages is to provide a vehicle for improving communication between schools and the local authority (LA). In this page you will find links to school visit documentation and other information about our maintained schools. LA Advisers and Associate Headteachers can upload their Notes of Visit so that we can all access information gathered about schools and share this information with schools we support. Schools will also be able to upload securely information about their school (for example SDP, SEF, etc.) to share with LA Advisers.
This SharePoint page will also provide a single point of contact to access information from both national bodies such as the DFE and Ofsted, as well as local authority specific information such as Safeguarding, SEND, and the Shropshire Learning Gateway.
There will also be a link to frequently asked questions that will be populated overtime by advisers with current on trend questions that are at the forefront of leaders' minds.
You will receive an email from "SPAdmin" with a link to access the SharePoint. There will also be instructions for those headteachers who had not access the LA SharePoint before. Please keep a look out for the email.
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We have updated the Council's approved Deficit Budget Protocol for the 2026/27 academic year and the link to this document can be found below.
We would like to remind schools that where they have a falling number on roll or are forecasting or operating with a deficit budget, this must be formally managed through the Council’s approved deficit process. A deficit budget should not be approved by governors unless a licensed deficit agreement has been agreed with the local authority and supported by a robust Deficit Recovery Plan. The school's attached Education Quality Adviser for School Standards can support strategic discussions about school organisation, curriculum, staffing structures, standards and wider improvement planning where these have implications for financial sustainability. In line with school's Finance service level agreement, the attached School Finance Officer can provide advice on budget planning, financial forecasting, monitoring returns and the preparation of deficit recovery documentation. Schools should work proactively to ensure that recovery plans are realistic, deliverable and aligned with the school’s educational priorities. Early engagement is essential, particularly where financial pressures are emerging or where assumptions within the budget may need to be reviewed.
The Deficit Budget Protocol can be found on the Shropshire Learning Gateway as follows -
Licensed Deficit Protocol | Shropshire Learning Gateway
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Dear Headteacher & Admissions Contact,
I am writing to bring an important admissions process to your attention and to remind schools of their statutory responsibilities regarding starters and leavers notifications.
As part of the admissions process, schools are required to complete a Starters or Leavers Form within two school days of a child starting or leaving their school. While the majority of schools continue to complete these notifications within the required timeframe, we have recently seen an increase in the number of instances where this process has not been completed promptly.
When forms are not submitted on time, children continue to appear on our weekly monitoring checks, requiring our team to contact schools to establish whether they have started or left. In many cases, we find that the change occurred several weeks earlier. This has resulted in a significant increase in workload for a team that is already working at capacity.
We would therefore be grateful if all schools could ensure that these forms are completed within the required timescale. The online form takes only a few minutes to complete and plays a vital role in safeguarding children and monitoring pupil movement both into and out of the county. Can you also ensure that you enter your school's correct DfE number.
Several schools have advised that they are delaying completion of the starters process until a Common Transfer File (CTF) has been received. We would like to clarify that the absence of a CTF is not a valid reason to delay completion of the Starters Form. If the CTF has not yet been received, the pupil's UPN can be obtained directly from the previous school or, alternatively, schools may contact the School Admissions Team, who can provide the UPN where available.
We would also like to remind schools that a child should not be removed from roll until confirmation has been received from the new school that the pupil has started. Once confirmation has been received and the CTF has been transferred, the Leavers Form should then be completed.
If a child has been absent from your school for 20 school days and no new school has contacted you to confirm that they have started elsewhere, a Children Missing Education (CME) referral should be submitted. Please ensure that confirmation has been received from the Education Access Service before removing the child from roll. Once this confirmation has been provided, the Leavers Form can then be completed.
For pupils leaving school as a result of Elective Home Education (EHE), once the EHE notification form has been completed on the SLG, please ensure that a Leavers Form is also submitted, with EHE recorded as the pupil's new destination/base.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter and for your continued support in ensuring that admissions and safeguarding processes are completed promptly and accurately.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Kind Regards
The School Admissions Team
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(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 30th 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
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Following the implementation of the new FSM criteria expansion, we have been receiving quite a few queries from schools in terms of how a child’s eligibility status under the new criteria, will affect Ever 6 funding.
We have produced the attached flowchart that will hopefully provide some support for schools in determining whether a child’s FSM eligibility status results in Pupil Premium (Ever 6) funding for the school.
FSM & Pupil Premium Flowchart.pptx
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Please see the attached letter with the offer from the Education Psychology Service. |
Please be reminded that the monthly payroll deadline is 9th of the month regardless of which day of the week this falls on. All Schools are encouraged to prioritise payroll related tasks and submit in advance of the deadline where possible to ensure that any actions needed as a consequence are able to be done e.g. the issuing of the contract of employment in advance of a start date.
All relevant Schools based staff need to ensure that any actions linked to staffing changes are submitted and authorised in advance of the above deadline (if this is applicable) to ensure staff are paid correctly. Schools based staff should check their ERP notifications to ensure that submissions have not been rejected due to errors – rejected forms will need to be resubmitted and authorised in line with the above deadlines.
Payroll are unable to accept any work or tasks authorised, requested or submitted after the monthly deadline date, nor will they be responsible for any issues arising due to the result of late work being received within the Payroll team.
Schools based staff should also ensure that any staff leaving employment with Shropshire Council are aware that payslips and P60’s should be accessed (and printed if needed) in advance of their confirmed leave date.
Late/Backdated Work
Payroll continue to receive a high volume of late or backdated notifications - this is not acceptable.
Payroll cannot just process a late request/raise an urgent payment - this can compromise the whole payroll putting payment to over 2,000 employees at risk.
Whilst it may seem to others outside of Payroll that there is time to "add someone to the payroll" or 'just make a change' after the deadline there are strict controlled processes that have to be undertaken, manual checks that take place and a number of calculations before a BACS file is sent (with contingency time in case it fails) to the bank.
Payroll deadlines need to be met - this is getting the basics right and there will be consequences for Schools not complying if late work is received. Any payroll instruction that is sent in late or is backdated (related to a prior month) will incur a £300 charge, that will be applied to the School cost centre with no authorisation needed.
Kind Regards
Maria Evans, HR Admin & Payroll Manager - Enabling Services
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Prevent Information Slides for Education Settings in Shropshire and Hate Related Incident Reporting Processes.
Slides have been updated to reflect local and national updates.
Both sets of updated slides are available for review at Preventing Terrorism and Hate Crime
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Full guidance on applying for GSP is available on the Learning Gateway. Please replace any saved outdated forms with the latest versions.
Graduated Support Pathway
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e-Bug, an educational programme led by the UKHSA, has recently launched two free resources designed to support teaching, learning, and wider educational provision in schools and community settings.
Vector-Borne Disease (VBD) Teaching Resources (KS1-4)
Developed by e-Bug in collaboration with the Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology (MEZE) Team and the Travel Health and International Health Regulations (IHR) Team within UKHSA, and co-designed with primary and secondary teachers, these curriculum-linked resources were trialled in schools across England and support topics already taught in geography, science, and PSHE, including climate change, environmental change, disease prevention, ecosystems and global interconnectedness.
The resources include ready-to-use lesson plans, teacher guidance, curriculum and GCSE exam links, interactive presentations and animations, hands-on activities, student worksheets, answer sheets, and a curriculum mapping document showing how the resources align with the statutory programmes of study and relevant schemes of work.
Access the VBD resources here: https://www.e-bug.eu/teachers
Germ Busters Academy (Ages 5-16)
We have also recently launched Germ Busters Academy, a free activity pack designed for school clubs, after-school clubs, wraparound care, holiday clubs, and other child-focused community settings.
Developed in collaboration with after-school club facilitators and trialled in after-school clubs, the resource uses fun, interactive activities to help children learn about germs, hygiene, infection prevention, and healthy habits in an engaging and age-appropriate way.
The pack includes ready-to-use activities and facilitator guidance, requires minimal preparation, and can be delivered flexibly across a variety of settings. Feedback from the pilot indicated that the activities were engaging, practical, and well received by both facilitators and children.
Access Germ Busters Academy here: https://www.e-bug.eu/germ-busters-academy
Both resources are freely available and can support high-quality educational delivery while helping to reduce staff planning time.
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Support Respect and Healthy Relationships in Your School This November
White Ribbon Day takes place on 25 November and marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. This year's theme, "It Takes All of Us", highlights that everyone has a role to play in creating a future free from violence and abuse.
Shropshire Council is inviting schools across the county to help children and young people explore respect, equality and healthy relationships through White Ribbon Day activities. By taking part, your school can help children and young people develop the knowledge, values and confidence needed to build healthy relationships and contribute to safer, more respectful communities.
Free Resources for Schools
White Ribbon UK has created a range of ready-to-use learning resources that help children and young people to:
- Understand respectful relationships
- Develop empathy, kindness and inclusion
- Challenge harmful stereotypes
- Recognise the importance of speaking up when something is not right
Please follow the links below to access the free learning resource packs:
We encourage schools to deliver these activities between 25 November and 10 December 2026 as part of White Ribbon Day and the wider 16 Days of Activism campaign. However, we recognise that school timetables can be busy, so if this is not possible, delivering the activities at any point during November or December would still be a fantastic way to support the campaign. Other resources can be found here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/wrd2026
Become a White Ribbon Champion or Ambassador
School staff are also encouraged to become a White Ribbon Champion or White Ribbon Ambassador. This is not an additional role and requires only a small time commitment. It is simply a way to demonstrate your commitment to promoting respect, equality and healthy relationships, while showing allyship in helping to prevent violence against women and girls. Find out more and sign up through: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/ambassadors-champions
Share Your Activities
We would love to hear how your school gets involved. Whether you deliver the learning sessions, hold an assembly, run pupil-led activities or encourage staff to become White Ribbon Champions or Ambassadors, please share your activities with us. Please send a short summary of your school's activities, photographs (where appropriate) or examples of pupil engagement to charlotte.howell@shropshire.gov.uk by 11 December 2026.Because when it comes to promoting respect, equality and healthy relationships, it takes all of us.
Need Support?
We recognise that conversations about healthy relationships, domestic abuse, and violence against women and girls may resonate with personal experiences or raise concerns for some individuals. Support is available.
If you, a colleague, a pupil, or a family member are affected by domestic abuse and would like information, advice or support, please visit the Shropshire Council Domestic Abuse webpages here: https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/domestic-abuse/ for details of local and national support services: Shropshire Council Domestic Abuse Support.If you or someone else is in immediate danger, always call 999. If it is not safe to speak, you can use the Silent Solution by calling 999 and then pressing 55 when prompted. This lets the police know that you need emergency assistance but cannot talk.
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Launch of the new Neurodiversity Practitioner (NDP) Brochure for 2026-27. The brochure brings together information about the support, training, consultation and development opportunities, many of them at no cost to schools. You can find the brochure here.
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Earlier Support for Families Awaiting Assessment. The pre-assessment support offer from the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is continuing to expand, with teams now making over 300 contacts per month with families awaiting assessment. This proactive approach aims to ensure that families can access information, guidance and signposting whilst waiting for assessment.
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New Online Support Groups for Young People. Kids Universal Autism Support has launched two new online groups for young people:
- An Emotionally-Based School Avoidance (EBSA) group.
- A Youth Group for young people aged 14-19 years.
They aim to increase accessibility to support and create additional opportunities for young people to connect, develop confidence and share experiences. More information here.
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Strong Engagement Through Parent Carer Information Sessions. The Parent Carer Community (PaCC) continues to deliver monthly online information sessions for families, each exploring a different neurodiversity-related topic. These sessions regularly attract high attendance and provide an important opportunity for families to access information, connect with services and share experiences. More information for parent carers here.
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New Support Group for Autistic Parents. Shropshire Autism Hub has launched a new Autistic Parents Group, creating a dedicated space for autistic parents to connect, share experiences and influence the support they receive. A key feature of the group is that activities and priorities are being shaped directly by the parents who attend, ensuring the offer remains responsive to lived experience and community need. More information here.
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Supporting the Enhancement of Neuroinclusion in Secondary Schools (SENSES). The SENSES support offer has been extended into a second year, reflecting the positive engagement and ongoing need across the county. Every secondary school has access to a free session each half-term with a Neurodiversity Practitioner (NDP) from the Educational Psychology Service. Any secondary schools who have not yet registered their interest can do so here.
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Positive Feedback from the 2025-26 Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Roadshow. Training sessions delivered across Shropshire received highly positive feedback with attendees reporting increased understanding of ADHD, greater empathy for their students with ADHD and a renewed approach to their teaching practice. Understanding ADHD will continue to be part of the NDP’s offer at no cost to schools. More information here.
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For the range of courses and training opportunities provided by the Education Quality and Safeguarding Team, please click here.
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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 (5).pdf
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Multi-Agency breakfast and network event.
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
Multi-agency Breakfast and Network event (002).pdf
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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
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Thinking about your next step in professional learning. National Professional Qualifications offer a powerful, practical route for teachers and leaders who want to deepen their expertise, strengthen their confidence and make an even greater difference in their school. Whether you are developing specialist practice in areas such as teaching, behaviour, literacy, mathematics or teacher development, or you are preparing for senior leadership, headship, executive leadership or SENCO responsibilities, an NPQ gives you the opportunity to learn from evidence-informed content, work alongside experienced facilitators and apply your learning directly to your own context.
Participants consistently tell us that NPQs help them become more reflective, more confident and more effective in leading improvement. Headteachers also see the impact back in school, with staff using evidence more carefully, implementing strategies more effectively and taking thoughtful steps to lead change. If you are ready to invest in your own development, or support a colleague to take their next step, now is a great time to explore the NPQ pathway and consider which programme is the right fit.
Please refer to the flyer for more information or visit Home - Alliance of Leading Learning and choose NPQs.
You can contact AdminAll@leadinglearning.co.uk with any questions - we are always happy to help.
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We are currently running a public consultation to inform the development of our next Research Agenda, and we are seeking views from people working across education.
We want to ensure that our future research priorities reflect the sector's priorities, focus on the areas most relevant to educators, and produce evidence that is genuinely useful in practice.
How you can help
We would be very grateful if you could:
- Complete the consultation yourself
- Share it with your networks, members, subscribers, or colleagues
- Encourage others working in education to contribute their views
The consultation is open to anyone working in or with schools, early years settings, colleges, or other 16-19 education settings. We are particularly keen to hear a wide range of perspectives from across the sector.
The consultation should take around five to ten minutes to complete and will close at midday on Friday 9 October.
Take part here: EEF Research Agenda: Sector Consultation
By sharing your experiences and insights, you'll help ensure future education research focuses on the questions and challenges that matter most to practitioners and leaders.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Best wishes,
Hannah Smith (she/her), Audience Engagement and Research Officer
Tel: 020 4592 1635, 5th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, SW1P 4QP
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Researchers at King’s College London are conducting a study to understand the barriers and facilitators parents experience when deciding whether their child receives the flu vaccination. Led by PhD student Stephanie Davey, the research aims to inform the development of an intervention to increase flu vaccination uptake in schools and help reduce school absences. The study explores the range of social, psychological, and practical factors that may influence parents’ decisions about flu vaccination.
Schools can support this research by sharing the survey with parents through their usual communication channels, such as newsletters, emails, or parent platforms. This will help ensure that the research captures the views and experiences of parents from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Pre-written materials can be found the attached letter and flyer for parents.
There is also a Padlet, with materials https://padlet.com/stephaniedavey2/flu-vaccination-survey-resources-s0247rxq1ze3h4tvkrxh
Flu study recruitment advert 2026.png (please share with families)
Letter to headteacher 16 September 2026 V4.pdf
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