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Bulletin 230
22 March 2022
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Oral Health Awareness
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Look out for Oral Health Awareness on our twitter feed.
If you are on Twitter and want to follow it is Cheshire East Early Years or @EastYears.
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Latest Covid figures in Cheshire East
Using data from 17 March 2022, there have been:
- 3380 cases in the previous 7 days
- 1991 cases in the prior 7 days (up to 10 March)
- 874 cases per 100,000 population in the previous 7 days
- 801 cases in England per 100,000 in the previous 7 days
Change in guidance for Childminders
From 17 March 2022, if someone in a childminder’s household has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms, childminders can continue to childmind at home. Childminders are advised to follow the steps below to reduce the risk of onward transmission.
- The person who has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms should avoid contact with the children being cared for in the setting.
- Where possible, use separate toilet and handwashing facilities. If this is not possible, maintain extra cleaning and hygiene routines, particularly after the person has used the facilities.
- Notify parents and carers of the children attending the setting, and any assistants, about the person who has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms, as soon as reasonably possible and maintain open communication with them throughout.
- Consider the need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with mitigations such as ventilation and extra cleaning and hygiene routines. They should be applied where practical and safe to do so. Additional guidance is available in Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread.
- Comply with health and safety law by reviewing your risk assessment. The risk assessment must demonstrate that the provision of childcare in your setting is safe and how you will put into place any additional but proportionate measures
Childminders can also consider using alternative places to childmind such as other childminders’ houses, where possible.
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Tax-Free Childcare
Please find below updates on Tax-Free Childcare following the recent webinars.
Tax-Free Childcare supports working families, including the self-employed, with childcare costs. If a working parent or carer is earning at least the National Minimum Wage for 16 hours a week on average and under £100,000 per annum, they may be eligible to get £500 every three months (up to £2,000 a year per child) towards their childcare costs. If their child has a disability, they may be eligible for £1,000 every three months (up to £4,000 a year per child)
Please make you sure your setting has signed up and promote this benefit to parents and carers. Further information and a communication toolkit with social media graphics are available on the Childcare Choices website.
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30 hours funding - reminder for parents
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Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements |
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Oral Health Awareness
World Oral Health Day was on 20th March, however we are focussing on oral health all week.
Look out on our twitter page for top tips for healthy teeth and recommendations for 'teeth cleaning' stories!
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Ofsted Inspections
Ofsted are still prioritising the following categories of provider for inspections:
•Requires Improvement
•Inadequate
•Those not inspected in previous cycle which ended in July 2020.
•Those settings causing concern
•New registrations
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EYFS Learning and Development |
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Quality Improvement and the Early Years Reforms – part 4
This week we are going to be considering how to support:
… “the voice of a child in the light of Ofsted and cultural capital”
The articles will be based on the 7 Features of Effective Practice (Julian Grenier, 2021).
The aim is to support managers and leaders when planning for quality improvement and to help build on practitioners’ professional knowledge and skills.
Intent – Effective feature 3: Pedagogy
“Effective pedagogy is a mix of different approaches. Children learn through play, by adults modelling, by observing each other and through guided learning and directed teaching” (Julian Grenier, 2021:34)
Implementation – Key messages
Manchester Safeguarding Partnership Voice of the child – resources for practitioners : Manchester Safeguarding Boards (manchestersafeguardingpartnership.co.uk)
Why do we listen to children?
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“Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.” UNICEF interpretation of Article 31, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989
- “Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.” EYFS 2021:6
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“Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success.” Early years inspection handbook for Ofsted-registered provision, 2021:186
How do we listen to children?
- Develop a listening culture – promote the importance of listening to staff, children, and parents; have an open-door policy
- Conversation friendly spaces – create a welcoming, enabling environment
- Provide a wide variety of resources and activities to allow children to find their preferred learning style
- Know and build on children’s life experiences so that they can experience awe and wonder about the world they live in
- Language rich environment – expand vocabulary, teach meaning of words, use words on displays and labels.
- What is it like to be a child in your setting – have a look from the children’s level; what can they see, touch, smell, hear?
Impact
- What difference has it made for the children in your setting?
Tools to support
- Staff supervision support – Child development knowledge
- Review partnership working opportunities – Robust working and information sharing with other agencies
- Practitioners CPD – Understanding your vision and pedagogy
- Resources – Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters
- What does 'cultural capital' mean for early years? - YouTube
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SENCO Networks: 30-Mar-22, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, 31-Mar-22, 9.30am to 11.30am and 31-Mar-22, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
All SENCOs of Cheshire East Early Years and Childcare settings, including childminders, are invited to attend a termly virtual meeting to find out about key updates relating to the delivery of the EYFS. During this session we will launch our new SEND procedures and paperwork, which will include submitting a request for a consultation, applications for SEND Inclusion Funding and monitoring and recording children’s development.
Available sessions are Wednesday 30 March 1.30pm to 3.30pm, Thursday 31 March 9.30am to 11.30am and 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
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Continuous Professional Development |
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Spring into Action revisited – Summer term
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our ‘Spring into Action’ physical development conference earlier this month. It was a really successful conference and we hope you enjoyed the sessions and found them useful. Here is some of the feedback we received.
The key messages that were delivered were that Physical Development underpins all other areas of development and that it is so important to think about each child as a unique child, to create good quality enabling environments and for children to be able to develop strong positive relationships with practitioners who are able to plan and provide quality learning and development opportunities.
We are planning on delivering a number of the sessions again during the Summer term as part of Spring into Action revisited to give practitioners another opportunity to come along and listen to the key messages and have access to the resources to help them to evaluate and enhance their practice and provision.
Dates will be confirmed and advertised here on the bulletin shortly. Places will then be available to book via the Online Shop.
Upcoming training opportunities.
Early Language Lead Network – 23rd March 2-4pm
Delivered by Cheshire East Chatters Speech and Language Therapists, this is a a chance for you to meet other Early Language Leads from across Cheshire East and share ideas around supporting children’s communication.
Safeguarding Basic Awareness - 28th March 1.30-3.45pm
This session addresses safeguarding in Early Years and Childcare Settings and covers practice and procedures used within Cheshire East. It will enable you to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect.
Let’s Talk Two’s – revisited 30th March 6.30-8pm
Don’t worry if you missed this term's Let’s talk twos network! This is an opportunity to catch up with us on Let's Talk Twos - revisited where we will be talking all about the child’s voice and 2’s in Action.
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FEEE Summer Term Data - All FEEE Providers and Administrators
The Provider Portal will open for the Summer term data to be entered on 11 March 2022. It will close again on Sunday 27 March 2022. Any data entered after this date will result in a late interim payment.
If you have any adjustments or new children to add for the Spring term, please email them to the FEEE Team who will add these for you.
You will also be able to view your rates for 2022-2023.
Contact: Alison Bailey 01270 685888 FEEE.TeamEast@cheshireeast.gov.uk
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