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Bulletin 277

26 June 2023

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

Business Support

NEW Parental Declaration Form from Autumn 2023

A new parental declaration form is available is here. The new form is to ensure that children with a stretched entitlement do not over claim their funded hours. Please ensure that the hours claimed each term accurately match the hours attended. Hours cannot be ‘banked’ for future use.

For autumn term, please use the new parental declaration form for any children who are claiming the free early education entitlement (FEEE) for the first time at your setting and for those children who are continuing to claim FEEE at your setting where their details have changed e.g., new address or increase/decrease in the number of funded hours to be claimed. For children where their details and claim remain the same, please ask parents to sign the continuation sheet of their current parental declaration for autumn term.

Free Early Education Entitlement – Autumn Term Data

The portal is now open for you to add your autumn term data.  It will remain open until Friday, 28 July.   Any data entered later than 28 July may result in the delay of your interim payment.

Please continue to email any additions/adjustments for the summer term to the FEEE Team at FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Owners and Managers briefing

30th June 23 12.45-3.30pm Canalside Conference Centre, Middlewich or Thursday 6 July 6-7.30pm - Online **additional date**

As some of you may know the early years team have had some changes recently as we transform our services to operate within the family hubs model. Our new Head of Service for Early Year Family help & prevention Danielle Holdcroft and the rest of our newly structured leadership team would like to meet with you as owners and managers to share some of these changes and consult with you on how we work in collaboration in the future to improve outcomes for our early years children and families as part of the family hubs model. We hope to see as many of you as possible.

Reserve your place by logging onto the Early Years Hub now : Chess Early Years Training Hub (sla-portals.co.uk)

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Thresholds Document, Supporting Families, Step Up Step Down – book on to the launch events!

Please see message below from Heather Baron, Head of Service: Early Help and Prevention

Supporting Families Programme – this is a national government led programme headed up by the Department for Education (DfE). Its focus is on building the resilience of vulnerable families, and on driving system change so that every area has joined up, efficient local services which are able to identify families in need and provide the right support at the right time.

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

Providers must determine where it is helpful to make some written risk assessments in relation to specific issues, to inform staff practice, and to demonstrate how they are managing risks if asked by parents and/or carers or inspectors.

Department for Education

Foundation Years Vodcast on EYFS Consultation

In this new vodcast, Ada Simpson (Head of Early Years Quality in Settings) and Daniel Blenkley (Early Years Qualifications Policy) from the Department for Education discuss the current EYFS Consultation, explaining the proposals and answering questions sent in advance by Foundation Years subscribers.  

You can watch the vodcast here and download the slides here  

Department for Education Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Consultation

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on the EYFS to offer providers increased flexibility and alleviate known burdens, exploring giving providers more choice over how they operate and making it easier for them to deliver the EYFS. It is their intention that these changes will support settings to deliver the new entitlements announced at the Spring Budget.  

They hope to hear from many people and organisations before the deadline on 26 July, so they can gather a broad range of views to help them reach well-informed decisions. The Department for Education and Foundation Years are also planning some engagement events for stakeholders, so please look out for this.  

To note, this consultation builds on the measures consulted on in Summer 2022. The changes to 2 year old staff to child ratios and supervision whilst eating are due to come into force in September 2023, subject to parliamentary procedure.

Working Together to Safeguard Children: changes to statutory guidance

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on the 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance. This consultation closes on 6 September 2023. It was last revised in 2018, with a limited factual update in 2020. Further information is available on the link below.

Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners review

The Department for Education has opened a review of the 'Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners'. This guidance non-statutory advice to support practitioners in the duties and decisions they take to share information. 

This review closes on 6 September 2023. Further information is available on the link below.

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023

The Department for Education (DfE) has published an updated version of the statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance for schools in England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE). This guidance will replace KCSIE 2022 when it comes into force on 1 September 2023.

The guidance sets out what schools and colleges in England must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18.

The NSPCC briefing sets out changes made to the guidance and can be accessed on the link below.

Opportunity to register for the Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP)

The Early Years Professional Development Programme is funded by the Department for Education and offers a comprehensive package of professional development that is based on current early years pedagogy. It will help to build upon practitioners’ skills and knowledge to improve the quality of adult-child interactions. It offers the opportunity to:

• Improve skills to identify children at risk of speech, language and communication needs
• Provide an understanding of the theory of child development in early mathematics
• Develop skills to support children’s self-confidence, relationships, and self-awareness through expertly developed Personal, Social and Emotional Development training 
• Improve engagement with parents and carers to support the home learning environment

Registration is open for a short while longer for the September 2023 cohort and so if you are interested in participating in the Early Years Professional Development Programme, don’t miss out, apply here now: 

Early Years Professional Development Programme – Currently registering interest for September 2023 starts (earlyyearspdp.com)

Great News for Childminders- the DFE Childminder Mentor Programme is now available

By joining this programme, you will receive support from experienced early years practitioners. You can apply for support as an individual, or with other childminders as part of a small group (of up to 4 people) . Best of all the support is free

You will also have the opportunity to network with other childminders in your area who are part of the programme 

For more information and to apply please follow the link below

COVID-19 Recovery Childminders | Hempsalls

If you would like to discuss the programme further with a member of our team please contact earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk . Application deadline is 31^st July 2023

EYFS Learning and Development

Bookstart National Cream Tea Day

Free Bookstart Dual Language Books

SEND

Cheshire East Chatters

Cheshire East Chatters Virtual Talking Walk-ins are run at 1.00 on a Wednesday every fortnight.

Virtual Talking Walk-ins give parents the chance to have a *free* 1:1 Teams call with a Cheshire East Chatters Speech & Language Therapist. They are ideal for parents who are unable to attend our sessions in the Children’s Centres. Parents can discuss any concerns they might have around their child’s communication development and receive tips for talking and bespoke advice tailored to their child’s unique needs. They can also learn more about groups in the Children’s Centre and wider community that are available to support families and children. Communication is a complex skill which takes children time to develop. There are lots of different aspects of communication such as play, listening, understanding, talking and pronouncing words. Please encourage families to come and have a chat if they have concerns about their child's development in any of these areas, and get some useful tips and advice tailored to their child's needs. Families need to book their slot via Eventbrite. The link is https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-talking-walk-ins-tickets-161115561983?fbclid=IwAR1v-61g9_EcNobxOPHKRwfUOj6UOLqeEVo_vGJnaz9KEFaycqFKYIqBxPA and can also be found on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cheshireeastchatters/ Please promote our Talking Walk-ins and Facebook page to any families in your settings who are looking for support for their child’s communication.

Parenting Journey

Continuous Professional Development

Upcoming CPD Opportunities

Don’t miss out on the upcoming development opportunities available.  Book your place by logging onto the Early Years Training Hub via the Provider Login Button on our Training web page: Early Years and Childcare Training Resources (cheshireeast.gov.uk).

Early Language Leads Network

28th June 2023 10am-12pm Congleton Library

30^th June 10am-12pm Online

6^th July 1-3pm Online

Join us for one of our termly networks. In this session we investigate the importance of songs and rhymes and look at how they can be embedded in daily practice and provision and the importance of developing quality partnerships with parents. We also explain how you can use the ‘Are you Ready for Rhymetime?’ document to develop and deliver an effective curriculum.

Effective Interactions 29th June 23 9.30am-3pm Congleton Library

Join us to discuss and define terms relating to communication and why interaction is so important. Look at 'Top Tips for Talking' and ways you can adapt your interactions to promote communication and support children’s needs. Discuss how language levels and interaction styles differ between children and how you can differentiate to support individual children's communication development and then focus on the practicalities of how to integrate high quality adult-interaction into your daily routine.

Role of the SENCo 30th June 23 9.30-3pm Oakenclough Children Centre

This course has been written for those new to the role of the SENCO and those wishing to refresh their knowledge. Hear about Cheshire East’s graduated approach, Cheshire East’s SEND Toolkit, including relevant paperwork and where you can signpost your families to for support. You will hear about useful ideas and strategies, the roles and responsibilities of the Early Years SENCO and there will be time to discuss any questions with other professionals.

Safeguarding Basic Awareness 4th July 2023 9.30-11.45am – Online 

This course has been specifically written to address safeguarding in Early Years and Childcare Settings and covers practice and procedures used within Cheshire East. will help you to develop an awareness of, and the ability to act on, concerns about the safety and welfare of children and young people. It will enable you to understand your safeguarding role, be able to define, identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect and identify safer caring practices.

Let's Talk Twos *Golden Buzzer* winner 4th July 2023 6.30-8pm Online

Our 'Golden Buzzer' winning session is....'Dealing with Feelings'

Find out about the emotional world of 2 year old’s - What is co-regulation? How to build an emotional environment?

Don't miss your chance to hear more about how to support the learning and development of the 2 year old’s in your setting.

Safer Recruitment 5th July 23 9.30am-4pm Oakenclough Children Centre, Wilmslow

Keeping Children Safe in Education recommends that at least one person involved in shortlisting and interviewing should have safer recruitment training. This course gives providers, including childminders who employ assistants, information and understanding they need to recruit safely and comply with relevant statutory guidance. This course covers safer recruitment, the prevalence of abuse and profile of abusers, important features of a safer recruitment process, setting acceptable standards of behaviour and maintaining an ongoing culture of vigilance.

Early Years Training Hub – reminder to sign up

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to the new Early Years Training Hub. If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so now.  You can sign up by accessing this link:

Chess Early Years Training Hub (sla-portals.co.uk)

Then click on the SIGN UP link on the top right hand side of the login page.

The Provider Login button on our Early Years and Childcare Training Resources (cheshireeast.gov.uk) webpage will also give you access to the new Early Years training Hub.

Through our Training and Events page you can find information about the training and CPD offer available to Early Years practitioners in Cheshire East. You can access the Hub via the link on our training web page:  however you will need to request personal login details by signing up to the Hub.

Please note: If you already have access to the Schools Chess Hub you do not need to sign up again however please email us to request additional access user rights to the Early Years Hub.

Don't Forget!

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