The Department for Education has published two new versions of the EYFS Statutory Framework. These updated versions, aligned with the recent consultation outcomes, are set to come into effect from Thursday, 4 January 2024.
You can access the new EYFS Statutory Frameworks by visiting: EYFS Statutory Framework.
Stay updated and familiarise yourself with the changes to ensure a smooth transition into the revised framework starting in January.
|
The Online Safety Act 2023 imposes obligations on those services within its remit to deliver additional protections for children accessing these services.
Education and childcare providers subject to existing legal duties and statutory guidance to safeguard and protect children are not within the Act’s remit.
The exception is Ed-tech user-to-user services which provide services direct to learners without a regulated educational provider in the middle. If these services are likely to be accessed by children, even if these services are accessed from school devices, they will be subject to the Act. Services potentially within the Act’s remit may wish to take independent advice.
All schools should continue to adopt a whole school approach to online safety and safeguard children from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material.
|
From April 2024, childcare financial support expands. Currently, working parents meeting specific criteria access 30 hours of funded childcare weekly for 3- to 4-year-olds. By September 2025, this support extends to all parents with children over nine months.
Families are urged to check their eligibility and explore personalised support via the Childcare Choices website childcarechoices.gov.uk.
Please visit the website for details on the upcoming changes to childcare support, sign up for newsletters, and receive notifications on entitlements, such as the new 15 hours for two-year-olds.
|
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation initiated the Surviving Winter Appeal to raise £20,000 for local households battling fuel poverty.
They encourage donations to support those struggling to stay warm this winter. So, if you can, please donate at justgiving.com
|
The Christmas HAF Programme is now open for bookings. Children is receipt of free school meals can attend participating holiday schemes for 16 hours for free. A meal and an opportunity to participate in enriching experiences is provided. Eligibility vouchers are issued direct to parents by text/email.
Additional eligible groups can attend by submitting a HAF Booking Code Request - Christmas 2023 form.
Please display this HAF Christmas poster* for parents in your settings.
*[Size: 821KB File format: pdf]
If hiring school premises to HAF providers, please check all requirements are complied with. This includes the provider having a mobile phone policy, robust safe recruitment and health and safety practices.
For more information contact the HAF Team: HAF@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
|
Talking Together in Cambridgeshire (TTiC) have recently awarded funding to three organisations who will be running sessions for families which will help parents learn more about how to support their little one’s literacy development.
Each of the organisations including 'Groundwork East', 'Kings Hedges Family Support Project', and 'New International Encounter' have recently attended the Making it REAL training and are keen to share what they have learnt with others.
You can view the TTiC funding information on the Learn Together website.
|
The talking Together in Cambridgeshire (TTiC) Festival of Stories will run from Wednesday 21 to 28 February 2024.
Families of children from birth to five are invited to join the festival to experience magical tales, learn how to help take better care of our planet, and join in with activities that will help nature thrive.
We want to work together with families across our communities to make a difference, and so throughout our festival, we are going to focus on three Rs of sustainability:
-
RECONNECT: We are going to be encouraging everyone to explore nature and learn about different mini-beasts and wildlife. By helping our little ones learn the names for different creatures, we are helping them to take their first steps in caring for other species which share our world with us.
-
REUSE: We are going to show families lots of different ways to reuse their household waste. Some of our ideas include creating bug homes, bird feeders, seedling pots, or puppets, games and toys which parents and their little ones can make together.
-
RECYCLE: We are going to encourage parents to take part in litter picks around their garden, and the local area, so they can show their little ones how they can help wildlife thrive. We are also going to learn how to sort out rubbish that we can’t reuse, so it’s ready for the bin workers to take away.
To preview plans for the festival, follow the TTiC Facebook.
|
The '50 Things to Do Before You're Five' initiative has launched a festive edition of activities aimed at parents and carers, encouraging engagement with children and supporting their development during the holiday season.
Resources are available on the website, app, and social media. Follow the hashtag #FestiveThings on social media for inspiration ranging from star gazing to treasure hunting.
|
Cambridgeshire Child and Family Centres have extended their services for the festive season.
They offer various activities, drop-in events, clothes banks, and collaborate with organizations to provide assistance to struggling families.
For more information visit the Child and Family Centres website or follow the centres on social media.
|
Throughout December, fostering messages are being shared daily through an advent calendar. The focus is on the need for loving, stable homes during this time, emphasizing the impact of fostering on the community.
Please look out for these social media messages and reshare. With your help we can provide even more children with the love, security, and support that they need and deserve.
To find out more about fostering, visit the Fostering in Cambridgeshire webpage or call 0800 052 0078.
|
Cambridgeshire County Council Public Health and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust are currently working in partnership with Rosie Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership to explore the mental health needs of local parents in the perinatal period - which covers pregnancy, birth and up to the first two years of life.
They would like to better understand the mental health experiences and needs of parents who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community with the aim of improving services.
The LGBTQ+ parents survey on perinatal mental health will be open until Sunday, 31 December 2023 and is estimated to take around seven minutes to complete.
Please could you use the link to share the survey with LGBTQ+ parents your organisation supports.
|
The NHS Health Check can be conducted on site to all eligible setting staff aged between 40 and 74.
An NHS Health Check is a free service delivered by Healthy You to help lower the risk of serious health conditions. It provides a quick and easy lifestyle evaluation as well as signposted support to help lower the risk of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and a stroke.
Mini Health MOTs can also be undertaken for those members of the school team who are not eligible for the full NHS Health Check, this includes, height, weight, BMI, blood pressure and a lifestyle screening.
Visit NHS Health Checks - Healthy You for more information.
|
We all have mental health, just as we have physical health. In the same way that we can be more or less physically healthy from time to time, we can also be more or less mentally healthy from time to time too.
Help for Early Years Providers has added new information and guidance on supporting the mental health for early years children and babies.
The guidance:
- Explains how practitioners can support positive mental health in early years children
- Includes emotional and behavioural support strategies to use in early years settings
- Links to further reading and resources.
For more guidance on supporting children in the early years, visit the Help for early years providers .
|
Throughout this course, participants will develop their understanding of how young children learn and explore those aspects of teaching and learning that are unique to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Led by our experienced early years advisers, these sessions will help practitioners to examine best practices and develop ideas to enrich teaching and learning for young children.
The training takes place at theOver Community Centre between 1.30 pm and 4 pm on Wednesday, 24 January 2024, and Wednesday, 7 February 2024.
To book your place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development (BookingBug) ‘Supporting Pedagogy & Practice.’
|
|
Two short surveys have been produced to help us understand the effectiveness of the support, advice, and guidance we have offered this year, and enable us to plan and tailor support, advice, training and guidance for the year ahead.
The survey links:
The questions have been designed to be quick and each survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
The responses will not be shared outside of Cambridgeshire County Council and commissioned partner organisations, and only used for the purposes stated above.
We would very much appreciate your time to respond and would be grateful if we could receive responses by Friday, 22 December 2023.
|
Early Years and Childcare colleagues recently appeared on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Breakfast show to discuss the campaign promoting careers in childcare, especially in Northstowe.
You can relisten on BBC Sounds to discover the opportunities available (1:50:20 to 1:58:00).
To learn more about early childhood education career pathways, qualification training, and funding, please visit the new Early Childhood Careers webpage.
|
Last chance to register for the free to access, government funded CPD for early years practitioners and childminders starting in April 2024.
The Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP) is available to early practitioners and childminders across England. With content covering Communication and Language, Early Mathematics and PSED, the EYPDP supports practitioners with the practical skills and tools to support the unique development needs of children aged two to four years.
Delivered online with a blended mix of e-Learning and facilitated webinars, this CPD takes around eight months and 60 hours to complete and is recommended by 90% of practitioners currently on the course.
This is a government funded programme with limited places available. Do not miss out, secure your place today for April 2024.
Find out more about the EYPDP and register via the website, or email EYPDPsupport@edt.org.
|
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) are offering a Maths Champion Programme. The programme is free of charge to PVI, maintained and school-based providers in England.
This is a 12-month programme, designed to boost practitioner confidence in supporting children in their maths development, and in turn, improve mathematical outcomes for children. The programme is accessed online and completed flexibly across the 12-month period.
Settings nominate a Maths Champion and Deputy Champion to complete the training, and disseminate this to the rest of their team.
The overall aim of the programme is to create a case study for the setting, to evaluate how Mathematics is supported in practice, and review the outcomes for children.
You can find more information and register for the programme at Maths Champions - Bespoke Early Years Maths Training.
|
The Early Years Safeguarding Team are pleased to begin the roll out of 'Early Years Recovery through Relationships - Introductory training', to all childcare providers beginning with our own advisors this month.
The feedback demonstrated the impact this training has already had:
“Thank you for an extremely thought provoking and important training session. I think every school should have this.”
“Excellent delivery, very informative session.”
This is available from 2024 to all childcare settings and childminders.
Recovery through Relationships is an attachment aware and trauma-informed approach. Designed to develop adults’ understanding of the effects of relational and developmental trauma and loss on children and young people. It encourages the development of professional curiosity, a ‘trauma lens’.
This course will consider the impact that trauma and attachment difficulties can have on a young person’s life and education through the use of the Cornerstone Virtual Reality Training Headsets, enabling a greater understanding of a young person’s lived experience.
Introductory two-hour training, delivered by two facilitators using VR Headsets for up to 22 people at one time, is free to Cambridgeshire settings and childminders.
For further information, please email emily.scott@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or fiona.fletcher@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
|
We are pleased to announce the 'Reducing Parental Conflict' e-learning is available through the council’s training site.
This free of charge course is aimed at practitioners working with children, young people and families - particularly those working with parents who are in conflict.
Gain a greater awareness of what is meant by parental conflict and understand its impact on child outcomes, recognise and support parents in parental conflict and work with parents in conflict.
To book email rpctraining@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
|
Early years settings can order Dual Language Picture Books for children whose parents speak only limited English, and BookStar packs for children who have delayed fine motor skill development and therefore could most benefit from them.
Please check that the child has not already received the Pack from the staff conducting their ASQ check.
Your orders will delivered to you directly from the suppliers, Mantra Lingua books, so please fill the delivery instructions.
East Cambridgeshire, and Fenland Area settings will receive their order form week commencing Monday, 8 January 2024. The cut-off point for orders will be Friday, 9 February 2024.
Cambridge City, and South Cambridgeshire settings will receive their order form at the beginning of the summer term.
Families will receive their BookTouch (Sight impaired) and BookShine (Deaf) packs from the Sensory Support Service.
Cambridgeshire libraries are looking to refresh their children’s dual language collections over the next two years. So, if you have sign up for Early Years and Childminders’ library membership, you will be able to borrow books for your setting’s book corner.
If you have any questions, please contact Bookstart@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
|
Jon Lewis is leaving
Jon Lewis, Service Director for Education, will be departing in February 2024 to join a multi-academy trust. Martin Purbrick will oversee the appointment of Jon's successor.
Jon said: "It has been an amazing privilege to lead the Education Service for the past six years through some very difficult challenges, but I think it is time for a change and take on a new challenge. It has been a real pleasure working with you all at different times during a period of significant change and I will miss working with such a dedicated and professional team who always put children and young people first."
|
|