Archives for July 2026
Think Before You Jump
Cyber Awareness
There is a webinar being held on the 28th of July
Great British Summer Savings
Great British Summer Savings
Rising prices can make life’s little treats harder to afford, especially during the school holidays when costs build up for families. This Government is determined to help, and that is why last month the Chancellor announced the Great British Summer Savings scheme.
From 25 June to 1 September 2026, the Government is temporarily cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on children’s meals in restaurants, children and family tickets to cinemas, theatres, concerts and exhibitions, and admission to a wide range of attractions. Combined with free bus travel during August for children aged 5 to 15 in England, families and young people will be able to enjoy experiences that make summer special, including visits to the kinds of cultural and educational attractions that enrich children’s lives outside the classroom.
The public are ready to get behind the scheme and are keen to take advantage of the discounts available. As trusted pillars of their communities, schools play a vital role in connecting families with important information.
This forms part of a broader effort by the Government to ease financial pressures on families. From ending the two-child limit and expanding free school meals, to rolling out free breakfast clubs and delivering 30 hours of free childcare, this Government is taking action to put more money back into parents’ pockets and give every child the best possible start in life.
As part of this campaign, we have launched an attraction finder website which allows families to type in their postcode and find participating venues near them to make the most of summer savings. To use the attraction finder, please visit https://summersavings.gov.uk.
Businesses can find out more about the VAT reduction by visiting GOV.UK and searching ‘Temporary reduced rate of VAT for family attractions’.
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
information on free online courses and other offers from the parenting team.
The Parenting Team | Shropshire Council
The Parenting Team | Shropshire Council (Local Offer/SEND)
Please do not hesitate to contact them directly if you have any questions or need the posters in a different format
parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk or give us a call on 01743 250950
