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Bulletin 320
15 July 2024
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Cheshire East Childminder Survey
We recently held two virtual ‘coffee mornings’ for Childminders, where the Early Years and Childcare Team as well as representatives from Cheshire East Family Hubs came together to listen to your opinions on the support offered to Childminders across Cheshire East.
During one of these meetings, it was suggested that a survey might be an ideal way to capture a more accurate representation of your thoughts and feelings.
The information we are able to gather from this survey will allow us to continually improve and develop the support we offer to childminders across the locality. Please complete the survey on the link below.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Early Years and Childcare Team earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Provider Portal – Eligibility Checker
Before adding a child – please use the eligibility checker to check the end date of a code, it may need reconfirming if the end date is before September for new children.
Reminder to apply/reconfirm childcare funding codes for free childcare entitlements for working families with children aged 9 months to 4 years old
Provider Portal – data for autumn term 2024
The provider portal is now open for providers to add autumn term data. The provider portal will close on Friday 26 July for interim (70%) payments to be calculated and paid by week ending 30 August 2024.
Please continue to email any additions/adjustments for the summer term to the FEEE Team at FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
If there are any issues with entering working family codes, please contact the team FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk or phone 01270 685888. Please be aware by incorrectly adding a 2YO as disadvantaged, providers are placing themselves at risk of having funding reclaimed.
When entering new children who are ‘nominated for DAF’ (Disability Access Fund) in the Provider Portal, please scan a copy of the Disability Living Allowance letter (DLA) to FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk to verify and receive the DAF payment of £910.
Advice for parents on parental leave applying for a working family eligibility code
Parents on parental leave e.g., maternity leave who are applying for an eligibility code for the child who is the reason for the leave, or for parents starting a new job, the following applies:
- If a parent is returning to work from parental leave before 30 September they can apply for the working parent entitlement now, to take up a place during autumn term. They need to apply online, and they will then receive a letter in the post within 1 to 2 weeks so they can access their childcare entitlement.
- If a parent is planning to start a new job before 30 September, but their start date is more than 31 days away, they should call HMRC on 0300 123 4097.
- If a parent is planning to start or return to work from parental leave between 1 October and 31 January, they’ll be able to apply from 1 September to take up a place during spring term.
From 1 October, the below dates will apply:
 If a parent is applying for childcare for an older child, who is not the reason for their parental leave, they can apply online regardless of their return-to-work date.
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Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements |
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Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...
Staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. Providers must ensure that children are adequately supervised, including whilst eating, and decide how to use staff to ensure children’s needs are met. |
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Household Support Fund (HSF) update
The new HSF support package has been up and running since the start of May 2024. The package offers support to financially vulnerable adults, children and their families living in Cheshire East. Three levels of support are available:
- Food and Energy support, based on household composition
- Financial support for wider essentials, up to the cost of £500.00
- Financial assistance for exceptional costs, over £500.00
Since the new HSF package was introduced a variety of support has been provided to financially vulnerable residents, ranging from the provision of supermarket vouchers, cash for energy, white goods, furniture, carpets, rent arrears payments, clothes, uniforms, skips, deep cleans and house clearances. This list is not exhaustive and financial support for many other types of items/services has been provided.
The current HSF funding runs until the end of September 2024 and we do not know if it will be extended.
As HSF support is only accessible through a professional referral we request that you do not miss the opportunity to help our most vulnerable residents. Please ensure that you talk to the financially vulnerable adults and families that you work with to see if this support package could help transform their lives.
Further information about the eligibility criteria, the referral process is available here -Household Support Fund - Professional Information and Referral. The link to make a HSF referral is on this page. Please note this webpage and the HSF referral link are for trusted professionals/practitioners only and must not be shared with the families and adults you support/work with. This it to prevent the risk of fraud.
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Letter to the education workforce from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and event invite
Bridget Phillipson, the new Secretary of State for Education has written to all those working in early years, children’s services, schools, further and higher education. You can read the letter on the link below.
You are also invited to join the live event taking place on Tuesday 16th July at 4pm with the new Secretary of State where she will share her vision for education, children's services and skills, and through a live chat function you will be able to share your views too.
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EYFS Learning and Development |
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Summer Reading Challenge
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The Summer Reading Challenge begins in Cheshire East Libraries on Saturday 6th July and runs until Saturday 14th September. It’s free to sign up at your local library. As they read for fun throughout the summer the children earn special stickers to encourage them along. There’s a mini challenge for the pre-schoolers who can choose books for their parents and carers to share with them. Every finisher gets a certificate and medal (or golden sticker for under 3’s) and a free swim voucher kindly provided by Everybody Health and Leisure.
Marvellous Makers Summer Reading Challenge 2024 | The Reading Agency (youtube.com)
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BookStart The Olympic Games
BookStart International Owl Awareness Day
 To contact BookTrust, please see the contact details below:
Frances Lennon, BookTrust Coordinator - 07827 954086
Sarah Harrison, BookTrust Administrator - 07827 877966
bookstart@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk
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Early Years Forum deadline dates – Autumn term 2024
Early Years Forum does not meet in August.
The new dates for Forum referrals for autumn term are available on the Early Years Forum webpage.
SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) deadline dates – Autumn term 2024
SENIF panel does not meet in August, however, SENIF applications for autumn term can continue to be submitted via the portal.
The new dates for SENIF applications for autumn term are available on the SENIF webpage.
Please ensure that all applications include a costed provision map.
Transition Setting Evaluation Tool
You should have all received your Transition Setting Evaluation Tool via email in the last few days.
The tool is based on other similar audit tools used by schools in other Local Areas. The audit tool is a simple self-evaluation tool which will support Headteachers, Governors, SENCOs and EY Transition Leads to reflect on the transition process currently available in your setting. It will help to evidence how your setting is preparing children and their families to transition to the next phase in education whether they are leaving or starting your setting, and also identify any gaps and help to plan improvement activity.
The Transition Setting Evaluation Tool can be used for each transition phase, for this reason some questions may not be applicable to your setting. It builds on a graduated approach of a universal, enhanced and complex transition offer:
- Nursery to Primary
- Primary to Secondary
- Secondary to Post 16
Please contact us on the emails below if you have not yet received the Evaluation Tool so we can send it over. As always The Transition Team welcome any feedback and if you would like any further guidance and support in completing the Audit tool ready for your next academic year please do get in touch.
Cheshire East SEND Transition Team contact details:
Rachael Pickles – Transition Team Manager:
rachael.pickles2@cheshireeast.gov.uk 07816 144386
Loren Whiteside – Transition Adviser:
loren.whiteside2@cheshireeast.gov.uk 07557 801258
Tanya Houghton-Heath – Transition Adviser:
tanya.houghtonheath2@cheshireeast.gov.uk 07385 002348
SEND Local Offer Marketplace
Early Years Forum – Professional Portal access for uploading information
Where a child is due for review at Early Years Forum, Forum will ask childcare settings to provide an update on the child’s progress since the previous Forum. Requests for information will be sent to you via the professional portal.
If you are not already registered on the professional portal, you will need to create an account. To enable you to do this, the Business Intelligence Team will email you with instructions on how to register.
Please register for an account as soon as you receive an email from Business Intelligence so that you can respond to requests for information and attach any supporting documents via the professional portal, ensuring increased security when sharing sensitive data.
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Repurposing of children’s centres consultation
We have launched a consultation asking for people’s views on a proposal to repurpose up to seven of our children’s centres and to further develop our family hub offer.
We have already repurposed five of our former children’s centres into family hubs, which support children and young people from 0-19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). We are opening our sixth and final family hub in the Crewe Lifestyle Centre by September 2024. We are now looking at the best ways to offer flexible outreach services from our family hubs to respond quickly and effectively to changing needs and priorities across our borough, improving the reach to our most disadvantaged communities to improve outcomes.
The consultation outlines a proposal to repurpose up to seven of our children’s centres that we have not already remodelled into family hubs, using these buildings for education delivery purposes including extending childcare for children from two years of age, extending wrap-around provision for primary aged pupils and delivering additional special educational needs and disabilities provision within local communities.
Health services and clinics will continue to be available onsite at these locations.
The proposals outlined in the consultation will support the financial savings the council is required to make as part of the medium-term financial strategy, while having minimal impact on services.
Please promote this consultation among families you think would be interested to get involved, or have your say using the link below.
Repurposing of children’s centres consultation
Childminder Pop-Up's
Childminder Drop-In's
Cheshire East Family Hubs
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Continuous Professional Development |
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Ofsted - Preparing for your Inspection
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from HM Ofsted Inspectors who will deliver invaluable inspection feedback and address some key challenges faced in Early Years, in order to help you to prepare for your inspection.
17th September 2024 10:00 - 11:30 or 18:30 - 20:00 (Teams)
Autumn Term Training on the ChESS Early Years Training Hub
The ChESS Early Years Training Hub is currently being updated with lots of training opportunities for the Autumn term, please watch this space!
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Early Years Training Hub – reminder to sign up
Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to the ChESS Early Years Training Hub. If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so now to book on to training. You can sign up by accessing this link:
Chess Early Years Training Hub (sla-portals.co.uk)
Then click on the sign up button on the top right hand side of the login page.
The ChESS Early Years Training Hub button on our Early years training webpage will also give you access to the Hub.
Through our Early Years training page, you can find information about the training and CPD offer available to Early Years practitioners in Cheshire East.
Please note: If you already have access to the ChESS Hub for schools, you do not need to sign up again, however, please email us to request additional access user rights to the Early Years Hub.
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