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Bulletin 337

13 January 2025

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

Business Support

Annual DfE Early Years Census of Private, Voluntary, and Independent (PVI) Providers and Children

The census form is now available on the 'Forms' tab of the Provider Portal.

The census form must be submitted by Friday 24 January 2025.

Census guidance notes for completing Section 3 of the form (numbers of staff and their qualifications) are available on our webpage Administering the Free Early Education Entitlement.

Out of School Club Network – new this term

• Wednesday 22nd January 2025 11:00 - 12:30
  (Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College Training and Conference Centre)

This network session is for Out of School Club providers. The Out of School Club Network will include up to date information on the wraparound programme and breakfast clubs’ schemes and provide an opportunity to network with other providers.

Please click the button to book on through the ChESS Early Years Training Hub

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

Providers/Childminders must maintain records, obtain and share relevant information (with parents and carers, other professionals working with the child, the police, social services and Ofsted or their CMA, as appropriate). This is to ensure their setting is safe and efficiently managed, and the needs of all children are met. Providers/Childminders must enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and/or carers (and between other providers, if a child is attending more than one setting). If requested, providers/childminders should incorporate parents’ and/or carers’ comments into children’s records.

National updates

Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) programme

The Department for Education (DfE) recently confirmed additional training places for eQ's Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) programme, starting in January 2025. 

If you have a Bachelors degree and are employed in an early years setting, you may be ready to start your EYTS training, which is fully DfE funded and 100% online.

Learn more about the programme by clicking the button below. You can begin the enrolment process by completing a short enquiry form.

Department for Education Early Years Provider Roadshows for 2025

January 2025 sees the return of The Department for Education Early Education and Childcare Provider Regional Roadshows for group-based setting leaders and managers.  

These roadshows are your opportunity to find out more about current and future policy, delivery and strategy, including the Best Start in Life pillar of the Opportunity Mission and the expansion of childcare to all eligible working parents of children over the age of 9 months, and to share your views, ideas, best practice and the challenges that settings face.  

The dates for the 2025 roadshows set up so far are below.  

You can register your interest for the regional roadshows via the register your interests form. 

For queries, please contact EY.STAKEHOLDERS@EDUCATION.GOV.UK.  

Childcare Works Provider HUB

The childcare works HUB has been updated to offer more resources and has been refreshed, providing a more user-friendly layout. The HUB is a one-stop shop for all currently available resources relating to the new childcare entitlements and wraparound care programme.

Click on the button below to access the HUB.

Update from PANS PANDAS UK

PANS PANDAS UK have shared an important update regarding the medical conditions Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). These conditions are increasingly being diagnosed among children and young people, yet awareness, expertise, and resources within the education, social care and health sector remain limited.

Please click the buttons below to view the website and poster.

EYFS Learning and Development

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

New children’s books available in Cheshire East Libraries

SEND

Early Years SENIF applications – supporting documents

All requests for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF) must have a completed provision map to support the application. The provision map template is available on SEND Inclusion Funding (cheshireeast.gov.uk) and should be used in conjunction with the SENIF policy documents. The provision map is essential when applying for support provided over and above ordinarily available inclusive provision. SENIF is to support children accessing the Early Education Entitlement hours only.

Please note the provision map template is currently being reviewed.

Cheshire East Chatters

Cheshire East Chatters – Training Needs Analysis

If you haven't done so already, Cheshire East Chatters would really appreciate if you could complete their Training Needs Analysis form. Cheshire East Chatters want to meet your training needs as closely as they can to support your confidence in your role which will support our young children's communication development in return. Responses are collected anonymously. Please scan the QR code or click the button below to complete the Training Needs Analysis form.

Family Hubs

Continuous Professional Development

EYPDP Celebratory Event

Congratulations to all practitioners who have completed the Early Years Professional Development Programme!

All practitioners who have completed the EYPDP will have received an email inviting them to attend our EYPDP Celebratory Event on Wednesday 26 March 2025, where we will celebrate your achievements.

For childminders the email has been sent to your personal email address or your childminding business email address. For practitioners working in nurseries, preschools and primary schools, the email has been sent to your setting manager or school office with a request to forward on. If you haven't received this, please check with them first before emailing earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk if you need the email invitation to be resent.

The email includes a link to a form to RSVP. An RSVP from each practitioner is mandatory to ensure our numbers are accurate so we can cater for everyone who would like to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Spring Term Training available on the Early Years Training Hub

The ChESS Early Years Training Hub has been updated with lots of training opportunities for the Spring term, please take a look and book on now!

Upcoming training next week:

EYFS - Learning and Development Requirements and Assessment – 20th January 2025 10:00 - 11:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This course will explore Section 1 - ‘The Learning and Development Requirements’ and Section 2 - ‘Assessment’ of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for group and school-based providers. This training looks at the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and offers useful links and information to take back to the setting when considering curriculum, assessment and Ofsted expectations.

Owners, Managers and Childminders – 21st January 2025 10:00 - 11:30 (Monks Coppenhall Family Hub)

These briefings are for owners, managers and childminders of Early Years and Childcare settings. Owners, Managers and Childminders briefings are an opportunity to hear the latest updates from our Early Years Team, network with other owners, managers and childminders and ask questions.

Owners, Managers and Childminders – 22nd January 2025 18:30 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams)

These briefings are for owners, managers and childminders of Early Years and Childcare settings. Owners, Managers and Childminders briefings are an opportunity to hear the latest updates from our Early Years Team, network with other owners, managers and childminders and ask questions.

WellComm – 23rd January 2025 9:30 - 13:00 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

Would you like to receive practical support on how to integrate WellComm activities into daily best practice within your setting? Or try out WellComm screening and explore activities from the Big Book of Ideas? During this session there will be opportunities to discuss and define terms relating to communication and how these relate to the WellComm screening tool, examine the rationale behind using WellComm to screen, track and monitor individual children and discuss the practicalities of setting up targeted groups. If you would like to purchase a WellComm toolkit before the training, please visit this website: www.gl-assessment.co.uk.

Role of the DSL – 24th January 2025 09:30 - 15:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

This one-day training course provides information and guidance to practitioners new to the role of the DSL or those wishing to refresh their knowledge. The training includes safer recruitment and induction of new staff members, liaising with staff members and other agencies, recording of safeguarding information, escalation of concerns, online safety, allegations against staff, the role of the LADO and policy and procedure development.