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Bulletin 346

31 March 2025

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

Business Support

Provider Briefing and Network – Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance

• Friday 4 April 2025 11:30 - 12:30 (Microsoft Teams)
• Monday 7 April 2025 13:30 - 14:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

Audience: All FEEE providers.

These sessions are aimed at all providers of the early education and childcare entitlements and will provide an interactive opportunity to discuss the revised statutory guidance and to network with other providers currently considering their delivery models. Members of the team responsible for regulatory and practice guidance will facilitate the session that will largely be an open forum, providing the opportunity to discuss and share delivery models and practice.

Please book on through the ChESS Early Years Training Hub.

New Networking Opportunity – Preschool Network

Wednesday 30 April 2025 10:00 - 11:30 (Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College Training and Conference Centre)

This Preschool network is an opportunity for preschool managers, committee chairs and business manager to meet together, make new connections and share experiences. There’s no agenda. Please feel free to come along, network and ask questions. The Childcare Development Team will be facilitating the network.

Please book on through the ChESS Early Years Training Hub.

Provider Portal

The Provider Portal has closed for interim (70%) payments to be calculated and paid by Thursday 17 April 2025. The Portal will reopen on Monday 14 April 2025 for you to continue to add new starters, any children added will be included in balancing payments.

Eligibility Checker

To help you save time, please validate codes as you receive them through the Eligibility Checker in the Provider Portal before adding all the child/parent details to actuals. 

Click on Eligibility Checker and add the code, child date of birth and Parent/Carer NI number and submit.

Data collection and payment dates – Summer term 2025

Please find the data collection and payment dates – summer term 2025 document located on the website: Administering the Free Early Education Entitlement

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

Group and school-based providers Staff members must not be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance which may affect their ability to care for children. If a practitioner is taking medication which may affect their ability to care for children, they should seek medical advice. Practitioners must only work directly with children if the medical advice received confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that person’s ability to look after children properly. All medication on the premises must be stored securely, and out of reach of children, at all times. Childminders Childminders and childminders’ assistants must not be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance which may affect their ability to care for children. If a practitioner is taking medication which may affect their ability to care for children, they should seek medical advice. Childminders and their assistants must only work directly with children if the medical advice received confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that person’s ability to look after children properly. All medication on the premises must be stored securely, and out of reach of children at all times.

National updates

Department for Education FAQ’s for Childminders

The Department for Education have published a frequently asked questions document for childminders about charging. Please click on the button below for further information.

Publication of Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (EYTDA) Training Provider Guidance

The DfE is pleased to announce the publication of the EYTDA Provider Guidance, developed with a sector-led implementation group to support training providers in delivering high-quality apprenticeship programmes for early years professionals.

Recommended for HEIs, training providers and sector stakeholders, the EYTDA Provider Guidance details key requirements for apprenticeship delivery, covering:

• Eligibility
• Programme structure
• Mentoring
• Assessments
• Quality assurance
• Compliance 
• Roles of providers and employers

Training providers are expected to be ready to offer EYTDA apprenticeships from September 2026, although some may be ready earlier. 

The full guidance is available on the GOV.UK page. For queries, Contact the Department for Education - Your question - GOV.UK. 

Bespoke employer guidance will also be published shortly to support organisations in understanding and implementing the new requirements effectively. 

The DfE will be hosting a series of webinars for providers and employers weeks commencing 25^th April and 5^th May. Register your interest at: eytda.enquiries@education.gov.uk. 

EYFS Learning and Development

SEND

SEND Drop-In session

The Portage, Quality and Inclusion Team are running SEND drop-in sessions for our Early Years settings the first Monday of every month. The first half hour will provide an overview of a current SEND topic. The next sessions are as follows: Monday 7th April – Transition from preschool to reception Monday 12th May – Ordinarily available inclusive provision (Please note the date has changed due to bank Holiday Monday) Monday 2nd June – SEND team EHCP’s Monday 7th July – Sensory OT SPOTTS service The second half hour is an open opportunity to ask questions regarding any area of practice and support, share good practice and ideas with other settings and develop links. Each will be held 17:00 – 18:00 on Microsoft Teams. Please join us for an informal session designed to support you. If you haven't already received the link, please email: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk to request the Microsoft Teams link if you are available to attend.

Sensory Inclusion Service

As of March 2025, new criteria has been put into place for referral to the Sensory Inclusion Service by Audiology.

Please click on the button below for details of the new criteria, and guidance around strategies to support children with hearing loss.

Cheshire East Chatters

Family Hubs

Continuous Professional Development

EYPDP Celebratory Event

A huge thank you to all the practitioners that attended our EYPDP Celebratory Event last week on Wednesday 26 March at Oakenclough Family Hub.

It was a lovely evening full of celebrations. Congratulations to you all on your achievement of completing the Early Years Professional Development Programme.

ChESS Early Years Training Hub new account request

A reminder to all early years providers and practitioners. If you have not already got a ChESS Early Years Training Hub account and would like one, please click the link below to request an account.

New Account Request | Chess Early Years Training Hub

Summer Term Training now available on the Early Years Training Hub

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

New training next term:

Positive Handling

• 7th May 2025 14:00 - 16:00 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

Join Damien Sweeney, Headteacher and Hannah Leighton, Assistant Headteacher from Cornerstone Academy for a session on Positive Handling. We understand that it can be difficult for staff working with young children to have the confidence to work with dysregulated children when positive handling may be required. As part of our outreach service, we offer to deliver training on how to confidently and effectively use positive handling techniques. The training is delivered by qualified tutors who have had first hand experiences of using positive handling within a school setting. During the training, we will explain the laws and legislations around positive handling and teach how to safely use positive handling.

Staff Wellbeing Workshop

• 9th June 2025 9:30 - 11:30 (Microsoft Teams)
• 19th June 2025 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

Join us to explore staff wellbeing, delivered by an Educational Psychologist. Join our interactive online workshop designed to enhance wellbeing and empower you with practical strategies to support the healthy development of wellbeing practices. This session will suggest ways to manage stress effectively while fostering a positive and resilient mindset. Together, we will explore ways to create a supportive environment that prioritises wellbeing. Don't miss this opportunity to focus on your wellbeing and promote a culture of self-care and balance.

Essential Health and Safety for Early Years Practitioners

• 17th June 2025 9:30 - 11:30 (Microsoft Teams)
• 17th June 2025 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams

Join us to explore essential health and safety requirements for practitioners in the early years. This training will support you to understand health and safety and associated laws and how they apply in the early years. This session will also cover fire safety, risk assessment, accident and injuries, COSHH, RIDDOR, food hygiene, and first aid requirements.