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Bulletin 349

6 May 2025

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

Business Support

Sign up to Tax-Free Childcare if you’re a childcare provider

Click on the button below to find out how to sign up to Tax-Free Childcare and get a childcare provider account to receive payments from parents using Tax-Free Childcare.

National wraparound childcare programme and Childcare expansion capital funding for childcare providers

The application process for the next funding round for applying for Revenue and/or Capital Grant Funding for the Wraparound childcare programme is now open.

Funding is available for all Wraparound projects which have been created since September 2024 and any existing wrapround provision where new places are being created.

The Capital Funding round for the Childcare Early Years Entitlements Expansion Programme is also open.

The funding for the childcare expansion is to support the creation of new early years places for children aged 9 months – 4 years old in line with the 30 hours roll out from September 2025.

Closing date for the seventh round is Noon on Monday 19 May 2025.

Dates for all bidding rounds during the Summer term are:

Please click on the links below to apply.

If you would like support in completing the documentation for the grant applications or any have any questions or queries, please email: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

Group and school-based providers

Providers must train all staff to understand their safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure that all staff have up to date knowledge of safeguarding issues. Training made available by the provider must enable staff to identify signs of possible abuse and neglect at the earliest opportunity, and to respond in a timely and appropriate way. These may include:
• Significant changes in children's behaviour.
• A decline in children’s general well-being.
• Unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse or neglect.
• Concerning comments from children.
• Inappropriate behaviour from practitioners, or any other person working with the children. This could include inappropriate sexual comments; excessive one to-one attention beyond what is required through their role; or inappropriate sharing of images.
• Any reasons to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the child’s home or that a girl may have been subjected to (or is at risk of) female genital mutilation.

Childminders

Childminders must demonstrate that they have knowledge and understanding of the
EYFS, including how to implement it, as part of their registration with Ofsted or a
CMA. Childminders must attend a child protection training course that helps them to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and
neglect at the earliest opportunity. These may include:
• Significant changes in children's behaviour.
• A decline in children’s general well-being.
• Unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse or neglect.
• Concerning comments from children.
• Inappropriate behaviour from assistants, or any other person working with the
children. This could include inappropriate sexual comments; excessive one-to-one attention beyond what is required through their role; or inappropriate
sharing of images.
• Any reasons to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the
child’s home, or that a girl may have been subjected to (or is at risk of) female
genital mutilation.

National Updates

Protective security and preparedness for education settings

The Protective security and preparedness for education settings guidance has been updated. The guidance outlines how education settings should prepare for and respond to terrorism and other major incidents.

The changes made include defining ‘volunteers’ and ‘educational settings’, outlining the responsibilities for security and incident leads, considering the vulnerabilities of a setting’s location and building when responses are needed, how events are promoted, how plans and in event information is communicated and the provision of post-incident welfare.

Click on the button below to view the guidance.

Getting it right from the start: how early years practitioners work with babies and toddlers

Click on the link below to view a research report by Ofsted which looks at how early years practitioners care for and educate babies and toddlers.

This research explores how early years practitioners understand the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework and apply it to the education and care of babies and toddlers (from birth to 2 years). It draws on a series of visits to early years settings, a survey, inspector focus groups and a literature review.

The report has been produced to support leaders and practitioners in refining their approaches to best support our youngest learners.

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 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.

Cheshire East Chatters

Cheshire East Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) 0-5 Pathway

The Cheshire East Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) 0-5 Pathway is a tool to help parents, carers and professionals support the speech, language and communication needs of all children.

Click on the button below to read more about the 0-5 Pathway, find out about Cheshire East Chatters and browse communication and language training for early years practitioners.

Family Hubs

Continuous Professional Development

Positive Handling training – new date

Wednesday 11th June 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.

Please book on through the 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!

Upcoming training next week:

Progress check at age 2 – 12th May 2025 15:30 - 17:00 (Microsoft Teams)

“When a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas. The summary must highlight areas in which a child is progressing well, areas in which some additional support might be needed, and focus particularly on any areas where there is a concern that a child may have a developmental delay, which may indicate a special educational need or disability. The summary must describe the activities and strategies the provider intends to adopt to address any issues or concerns” (EYFS, 2024). Explore the process of writing a good quality progress check including when to do it, what to include and how you can work in partnership with parents/carers and other professionals to put in place appropriate early support and intervention in order to best meet the individual needs of the child. Delegates will be given access to a variety of resources that can be used when completing this statutory assessment.

Difficult Safeguarding Conversations – 13th May 2025 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This training course aims to provide practical advice to enable practitioners to feel more confident in starting conversations about safeguarding concerns. The course will look at parent partnerships, professional curiosity and the practicalities of having difficult safeguarding conversations.

Prevent Awareness – 14th May 2025 18:30 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams)

The Prevent Engagement Officer for Liverpool City Council will be leading this Prevent awareness session for early years providers. The training will highlight the differences between terrorism and extremism, explain the current terror threat level to the UK, the prevalence and the impact of the internet and social media on the radicalisation journey and why the Prevent strand is so important in helping to reduce that threat. It will also describe where the current threat to the UK in respect of terrorism is perceived to emanate from, along with some explanation about other ideologies that are of concern. This will include a description of some of the indicators that may be displayed by those who are or might be, susceptible to radicalisation. Most importantly it will explain the local referral process and how you can make a referral for anyone that you may have concerns about.

New Managers – 15th May 2025 9:30 - 12:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This course will support you to develop your knowledge and skills within your management role. This course is suitable for new managers, deputy managers, senior staff and those who aspire to be in a management position. This training will cover statutory requirements, vision and values, leadership and management, managing staff, supervision and wellbeing.

Introduction to Attachment and Communication – 15th May 2025 13:00 - 16:00 (Microsoft Teams)

Join us for an introduction to early attachment and the links to speech and language development. During this course, explore attachment and how it links to communication development. We will discuss typical development and how to support children with speech and language needs and will also investigate the local speech and language therapy pathway and guidance around making referrals into the SLT NHS service.