Thank you to those headteachers who attended the primary and secondary briefings last week. The slides have now been added to the SLG where there are the dates of the Spring and Summer term sessions. 

Primary section and link to slides

Secondary section and link to slides

Further to the briefings, we are working to developing some further information for schools together with some Frequently Asked Questions to provide some reassurance around the changes, particularly with respect to the Family Help Lead Practitioner role. Recognising the strong interest from headteachers, we will update schools as soon as we can with respect to this. We will issue this as soon as we are able.

The Headteachers Workshop and Forum on Friday 23rd October at the Lantern will start at 9.30am.  Arrival from 9am. 

Please sign-up using the online form Maintained Headteacher Workshop and Forum

New Statutory Guidance on Kinship Care

The Kinship care statutory guidance for local authorities: October 2026 has recently been published by the Department for Education. The guidance reinforces the importance of identifying and supporting children living in kinship care and promoting positive educational outcomes for this cohort.
Since September 2024, the remit of the Virtual School Head has included children in kinship care arrangements. The Shropshire Virtual School has a strategic role in raising awareness of the needs of kinship children and promoting effective support across education settings.

What schools should know
Children in kinship care may be living with grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, family friends or other connected persons when their parents are unable to care for them.

Children in kinship care can face barriers to attendance, attainment, progress and wellbeing and may require additional understanding and support in school.

Some children in kinship care who are also previously looked after (for example, those subject to an Adoption Order, Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order following care) may be eligible for Pupil Premium Plus.

Schools should ensure relevant staff are aware of the needs of children in kinship care and consider how they can be supported to thrive educationally.

From the Autumn 2026 School Census, schools are asked to identify children living in kinship care through a new census data field. This is the first time that children in both formal and informal kinship arrangements will be recorded nationally through education data collections. The aim is to improve national understanding of the number and needs of children living in kinship care and to support future policy development. Schools should ensure that staff responsible for census returns are aware of the new kinship care indicator and consider how they will sensitively identify and record children living in kinship care.

National Kinship Standards
Standard 1 – Local authorities provide needs-led support and take a whole-family approach, working with kinship carers, parents and the wider family network to understand and support the child or young person’s best interests.

Standard 2 – The voice and experiences of kinship children and young people are at the heart of all decision making.

Standard 3 – Anti-discriminatory and inclusive practice underpin all support provided to kinship families.

Standard 4 – Local authorities prioritise the safeguarding and wellbeing of children in kinship care, providing appropriate support to kinship carers to help them manage complex family dynamics and arrangements.

Standard 5 – Local authorities work with a diverse range of kinship families to develop an approach to kinship care and a clear, accessible, comprehensive kinship local offer that serves the entire local kinship community.

Standard 6 – Integrated, multi-agency support for kinship families is delivered through collaborative practice and system-wide learning, and across local authority boundaries where necessary.

Further information
Schools are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Kinship care statutory guidance for local authorities: October 2026 and to contact the Shropshire Virtual School if advice is required regarding support for children in kinship care.

2026 Teacher and Leadership Pay Policies

The updated 2026 Teacher and Leadership Pay Policies have now been released following consultation with the recognised trade unions and are available on SLG and the Shropshire HR – Education Teams page.

Key changes for 2026 include:

- 3.5% increase to teacher and leadership pay and allowance ranges from 1 September 2026.
- New flexibility around TLR payments for part-time teachers.
- A new section covering non-consolidated payments.

The policies, accompanying guidance and confirmation of how schools can confirm pay progression and the payroll spreadsheet are now available on SLG and HR Teams page . Please contact your HR Adviser if you have any questions.

The DfE have issued updated guidance relating to free school meals applications under the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) criteria. They have now introduced the ‘expanded’ free school meals with NRPF thresholds (in addition to the existing ‘targeted’ free school meals with NRPF thresholds).

Please follow this link for more information: Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) - GOV.UK

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

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

Monday 23rd November to Friday 27th November

A week of events for staff and Governors to help face the challenges to Safeguarding through the use of digital devices both in school and at home. Richard is the named person who Shropshire safeguarding officers refer schools to for internet safety advice. These courses will be certificated to include in your CPD records.

Content to include:

1. The 6 new digital literacy available to schools (linked to NEW curriculum)
2. Update of the ‘Smartphone Free Childhood’ pact for parents
3. AI Literacy and techniques for supporting greater understanding
4. KCSiE 2026: key references to Online Safety and required policy
5. Five techniques to develop ‘online kindness’
6. The role of acting and drama in delivering Online Safety messages

Options:

Monday 23rd November am: Online Course for staff 9.30 - 11.00 via Teams

Monday 23rd November pm: Face to Face Course for staff 4.00 - 5.30 at Severn Training and School Alliance, Brookside Central training room, Telford. TF3 1LP

Tuesday 24th November: Online Course for Governors 6.00 - 7.15 via Teams

Wednesday 25th November: Face to Face Course for staff 4.00 - 5.30 at Broseley C of E Primary School, Dark Lane, Broseley TF12 5LW

Thursday 26th November: Face to Face Course for staff 4.00 - 5.30 at Oxon CE Primary School, Racecourse Lane, Shrewsbury, SY3 5BJ

Friday 27th November: Online Course for staff and Governors  9.30 - 11.00 via Teams

All course cost £79 (including resources and certificate)

Limited places: Book now directly with Richard Smith via amazingict@icloud.com or via 07527464322 (via text or phone call)

A fantastic CPD opportunity for KS1 and KS2 teachers, TAs and librarians, focused on strengthening writing and developing writing for pleasure.

Delegates will attend three practical workshops led by:

• Kathy Roe, HFL Education – Reading as Writers: using high-quality texts, writers’ craft and authentic grammar teaching to strengthen writing.
• Martin Brown, Horrible Histories illustrator and Shropshire Bookfest Patron – using drawing, character and visual storytelling to inspire writing.
• Ros Roberts, award-nominated author and former primary teacher – practical approaches for sustaining writing development following an author visit.

📅 Thursday 12 November 2026, 9.15am–3.00pm 📍 The Trinity Centre, Shrewsbury, SY3 9HF 🎟️ £95 per delegate, including lunch

All delegates attend all three workshops. Book now to secure your place: Readers to Writers 2027 Creative Writing CPD Conference for Teachers at The Trinity Centre event tickets from TicketSource

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.

• Breakfast Clubs’ are back to help kids and grown-ups enjoy a free Kellogg’s breakfast during October Half Term at all Morrisons Cafés nationwide
• Initiative aims to ease money worries during school holidays
• Families visiting their local Morrisons Café throughout the October half term holidays can enjoy a free ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’, which includes a bowl of cereal and a portion of fruit. The best part, it’s not just for kids, adults get to eat completely free too.
• Both kids and adults can choose from much-loved favourites Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies, topped with their choice of dairy or non-dairy milk and a free apple or banana.  The October holiday offer will be available from 12th October to 1st November across all Morrisons Cafes nationwide.  The research also highlighted that alongside the financial strain, parents are also dealing with the repetitive demands of children at home during the holidays. Parents reported hearing the following phrases every day of the school holidays (between at least 1-5 times a day) – driving up the pressure to entertain, as well as keeping them fed.