Full council approves proposals for new strategy to raise education standards in Shropshire

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.

The Shropshire Children Achieving and Thriving in Education Strategy is a three-year strategy that will be rolled out from September 2026. The strategy will ensure that all Shropshire children and young people have equal access to high-quality education and robust safeguarding across the county’s schools and educational settings.

The strategy will support educational achievement, safeguarding, attendance, behaviour, inclusion and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The council will work closely with schools and education settings on its implementation, providing support, monitoring progress and offering strategic feedback to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Shropshire Council’s Education Quality and Safeguarding Team consulted school and trust leaders to create the strategy, which has also been shared with all teaching trade unions and professional associations.

The strategy will help Shropshire Council meet the objectives of its corporate and improvement plans by better fulfilling the council’s statutory education responsibilities and supporting pupils across the county to achieve and thrive – regardless of the school or setting they attend.

David Shaw, Director of Children’s Services at Shropshire Council, said:

This is a significant strategy, the first of its kind to be approved by Shropshire Council, reflecting the council’s ambition to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be healthy and thrive at every stage of life. We are already having positive discussions with schools and education settings about how this strategy can be a launchpad for sharing good practice and achieving tangible shared outcomes.

Councillor Andy Hall, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:

This landmark strategy – the first of its kind in Shropshire – places education firmly at the heart of council services. We are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring that every child and young person in Shropshire has access to high-quality education, equal opportunities, and robust safeguarding. By working together, we will create the conditions in which all our children and young people can achieve their potential and thrive.

The strategy will be delivered alongside Shropshire Council’s children’s transformation programme, approved by Cabinet in June 2026, which will see a new focus on prevention and on greater collaboration between agencies and services including education to help families needing support. An aim of the transformation is to improve the number of Shropshire children starting school having met their development milestones and there will also be a focus on supporting children and young people with SEND in mainstream education where possible.