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Bulletin 238

13th June 2022

Welcome to our new style Early Years and Childcare bulletin. Previous bulletins are still available at: Cheshire East Early years and Childcare Bulletin

Look out for...

Department for Education COVID 19 Recovery Programme

Look out for information about the Department for Education Covid-19 recovery programme.

MMR school starter letter for Parents

Look out for a letter from the Screening and Immunisation Team about MMR vaccinations.

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week. See below for further information and a link to a resource pack for parents and practitioners.

Covid-19

Latest Covid Figures for Cheshire East

The Covid figures are now being updated on a less frequent basis - for the latest figures see the link below.

Business Support

Cheshire East Council 2022 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment - Parents and Carers Survey

Cheshire East Council are updating their Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA), which seeks to find out whether local parents and carers can access the childcare of their choice. By completing this survey parents and carers can help Cheshire East know what works well or what could change when it comes to choosing and using childcare. The survey deadline has been extended until 17 June 2022 – please can providers share the link below with parents on a regular basis until then. It is really important that we get as big a response as possible. Please promote to parents and carers that if they complete the survey they can be entered into the prize draw to win a family ticket to the opening night of ALADDIN at Crewe Lyceum Theatre. The Pantomime is running from Friday 16 December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023. The Pantomime graphic can be used to promote the survey and prize draw on your social media pages.

FEEE – Afghan and Ukrainian children

Afghan and Ukrainian children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old living in Cheshire East are entitled to 15 hours early education irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). To claim FEEE funding for children from Afghanistan or Ukraine, please add their details to the Provider Portal in the usual way. Should the Provider Portal be closed, please email the FEEE Team (FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk) who will update your funding claim.

In addition, please also complete the short form (link below), enabling the authority to monitor take-up of the free entitlement.  Please complete this form each time an Afghan or Ukrainian child starts or leaves your setting. If any Afghan or Ukrainian children currently attend your setting, please retrospectively complete this form and continue to use the form as you have any new starters or leavers.

https://forms.office.com/r/RN5KbkKrzL

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

MMR school starter letter for Parents

Please find a letter produced by the Screening and Immunisation Team on the link below. Please share with parents of children due to start school to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine eg within your welcome pack, at visits etc.

www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/livewell/early-years-and-childcare/20220509-2022-MMR-pre-school-letter.pdf

Safeguarding scenarios

The latest safeguarding scenarios have been updated on to our webpage. Please use them in your staff meetings and supervision sessions.

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from the 13th – 19th June 2022 on the theme of ‘Understanding Early Trauma’.  Infant Mental Health Awareness Week provides an annual opportunity to discuss the importance of babies’ mental health as well as some of the issues that affect it.  The Parent-Infant Foundation has set the theme and coordinated Infant Mental Health Awareness Week for 6 years, during which time it has grown into a global event.

Ofsted

EYFS Learning and Development

Department for Education COVID 19 Recovery Programme

The Early Years Experts and Mentors Covid-19 Recovery Programme from the Department for Education is focused on supporting Early Years practitioners and leaders to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest children.

The programme is currently being piloted in the Lancashire and West Yorkshire and the North of England Regional School Commissioner regions from April – July 2022, and will be rolled out nationally, across England, from September 2022.

Eligible early years practitioners, leaders and whole settings will be offered bespoke support to be delivered both in the setting, face-to-face, and virtually. The offer to settings will include leadership support, coaching for leaders, mentoring for practitioners and whole-setting support, depending on needs.

Settings selected for the Experts and Mentor programme will receive the support of an Expert and Mentor (or in some cases an Area Lead) for one term, between September 2022 and July 2024.

All settings that take part in the programme will also be able to access a new online child development training offer to upskill practitioners and improve knowledge of child development, so they will be better able to support children in their care, particularly those whose development may have been impacted by the covid pandemic.

Who is eligible for this programme?

The majority of settings who will receive support through this programme will be Private, Voluntary or Independent (PVI) nursery settings. In some cases, maintained nursery schools and school-based nurseries will also be supported, if appropriate.

Currently, eligible settings include those who have:

• been judged as Requires Improvement (RI) or Inadequate in the last 3 years
• high numbers of children in receipt of EY Pupil Premium
• high numbers of children with SEND needs
• high numbers of children taking up the disadvantaged 2-year-old offer

If your setting meets one or more of the criteria above you may be contacted by us via email on Monday 13^th June to discuss your participation in the programme; however, there is also an opportunity to self-refer and request the support of an early years Expert and Mentor yourselves. Where you decide to self-refer, the DfE suggest that you still discuss this with the EY team.

Please see the link to self-refer here: https://www.pengreen.org/early-years-experts-and-mentors/

Please take some time to and watch the 10-minute recorded webinar DFE COVID 19 Recovery Programme   provided by the DfE, where you can learn more about the programme. Please look out for an email with additional information, which will be sent out today. The timelines are very tight and the DfE need all setting names by the 17^th June.

All settings who are interested in taking part will be asked to complete and submit a diagnostic report by Friday 24^th June 2022.

NB: nomination does not guarantee participation in the programme, as the DfE may not be able to support all settings put forward.

Please note, childminders are not eligible to receive support through the programme at this time. The DfE are working on designing a strand of the programme for childminders specifically and more information on this will be announced in due course.

SEND

Cheshire East SEND conference - 11th July

The Cheshire East SEND conference is on Monday 11 July from 9am-4.30pm at Cranage Hall. There will be external speakers, workshops, surgery slots and display stands on the day; and lunch will be provided.

Contact inclusionqualityteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk to book your place.

Cheshire East Chatters Key Message

The key messages from Cheshire East Chatters are about sharing books to support language development. Further information is available via leaflets which can be accessed on the Cheshire East Chatters Facebook page and at your local Children's Centre. Please download the poster below and share this information with parents in your setting. 

Continuous Professional Development

Monkey Bob - Using the ‘Do you feel what I feel’ toolkit to support children’s personal, social and emotional development

Early Years is a significant time for children developmentally. Stress and trauma can create changes in brain development that last a lifetime, so early intervention can have a massive impact on a child’s life. The Monkey Bob resources have been developed by My CWA - Cheshire Without Abuse. My CWA provide emotional, personal & practical support to families affected by domestic abuse across Cheshire East. The toolkit contains imaginative, interactive and child-centred resources that focus on encouraging young children to engage with their feelings whilst reinforcing the 3 key messages: It’s not ok for anyone to hurt or frighten you or anyone in your family. It’s always ok to tell someone you trust if you’re worried or frightened. It’s always ok to keep yourself safe if you’re afraid. My CWA are offering virtual training at no cost which will equip yourself to use the toolkit in order to support children who have anxiety and difficulties with feelings and emotions on any subject including being afraid of the dark, eating, peer/friendships but also for those children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence. Further information about the ‘Do you feel what I feel’ toolkit can be found at the Monkey Bob website (see link below). If you would like to sign up for the virtual training please log onto the Cheshire East Online shop (see link below). The ‘Do you feel what I feel’ toolkit costs £55 and can be purchased from the Monkey Bob website (see link below) www.monkeybob.org.uk/ Early Years and Childcare Training Resources (cheshireeast.gov.uk)

Additional LA training

SEND

**LAST CHANCE TO BOOK**

Making sense of Autism (Tier 1) – 14^th June 9.30-11.30am via Teams

PSED

What is my behaviour trying to tell you? – 20^th June & 4^th July 1-3pm via Teams

Communication and Language

Attachment and Communication – 16^th & 17^th June 1-4pm via Teams

The aim of this course is to develop practitioners knowledge of early attachment and the links to speech & language development. We will discuss typical development and how to support children with speech and language needs, discuss the local speech and language therapy pathway and guidance around making referrals into the SLT NHS service. 

Effective Interactions – 29^th June 9.30am-3.30pm, YMCA, Crewe

This course, delivered by Speech and Language Therapists will focus on why interaction is so important; it will look at 'Top Tips for Talking' and ways you can adapt your interactions to promote communication and support the needs of the developing child and how you can differentiate to support individual children's communication development.

Developing Communication, Language & Literacy in the Early Years: Megan Dixon – 30^th June 1-3pm via Teams

This session, delivered by Megan Dixon, will focus on the development of phonological awareness, vocabulary and early phonics and how we can support children in the early years setting. Drawing on recent publications from the DFE, Ofsted and current research, we will think about what supports young children to ensure they are in the best possible position to learn to read. 

FEEE briefings

FEEE briefings - 30 June 10.30-11.30am and 6.30-7.30pm via Teams.

2 year olds

Progress Check and Integrated Review at 2 – 16^th June 9.30-11.30am or 30^th June 6.30-8.30pm via Teams

Safeguarding

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements – 23^rd June 10am-12pm via Teams

New to the role of the DSL – 24^th June 9.30am-4pm Oakenclough Children’s Centre

Safeguarding Basic Awareness – 5^th July 1-3pm via Teams

The last network meetings this term will take place on the following dates:

**LAST CHANCE TO BOOK**

DSL cluster – 15^th June 10.00am-12.00pm or 16^th June 6.30-8.30pm via Teams

SENCO network – 21^st June 6.30-8.30pm, 22^nd June 9.30-11.30am or 1.30-3.30pm via Teams

Early Language Lead network – 23^rd June 2.00-4.00pm via Teams,  24^th June 10.00am-12.00pm via Teams or 28^th June 10.00am-12.00pm at Oakenclough Children’s Centre

**PLEASE NOTE: the ELLN on 23^rd June will now be delivered via Teams and not at YMCA, Crewe**

Early Years & Childcare Providers network for Owners, Managers and Leaders – 13^th & 14^th July via Teams

During these sessions we will be discuss the Cheshire East Parenting Journey, taking you on a journey from pre-birth to a child starting school. We will share with you the assessment opportunities, leaflets and guidance available to support you and the children in your setting and the menu of offer available to you and your parents within the local children's centres.

To book your place on any course or network, please log onto the Early Years Online Shop below.

Don't Forget!

Operation Encompass Lunchtime briefing

Don't forget the Operation Encompass lunchtime briefing at 12pm on Thursday 16 June on Microsoft teams. Book on through the online shop.