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Bulletin 353

9 June 2025

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

Business Support

Are you interested in joining the Early Years Reference Group?

The Early Years Reference Group (EYRG) is a subgroup of the Cheshire East Schools’ Forum. The purpose for the EYRG is to offer advice, experience, information and recommendations to the Local Authority and the Cheshire East Schools’ Forum in relation to the practical exercise of developing, reforming and implementing early years funding arrangements.

All providers of the early education entitlements in Cheshire East were invited to put forward nominations to join the EYRG. Members were selected from the nominations to ensure representation across provider types. It is some time since the group was refreshed and we will be inviting new nominations next week, from Monday 16^th June. Please keep an eye on the Early Years Bulletin next week for the link to the nomination form. Nominations will close on Thursday 26^th June. Membership will be confirmed shortly after nominations close.

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 eighth round is Noon on Monday 23 June 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

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) new resources

The Department for Education have added an illustrated guide, an animated video and details of a toolkit for children, young people and their families, and practitioners working with them to Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).

All children should be helped, supported and protected when things are difficult. The illustrated guide, animated video and toolkit explain to children, young people and their families how individuals, organisations and agencies work together to help, support and protect them.

Practitioners who would like to use the toolkit can email workingtogether.statutoryguidance@education.gov.uk to request this.

Please add these resources to your website and share with parents and carers.

National Updates

Early Years Foundation Stage Nutrition Guidance

The Early Years Foundation Stage Nutrition guidance which helps early years providers to offer healthy, balanced and nutritious food has been updated.

From September 2025, providers must take this guidance into account and follow it unless there is good reason not to.

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme this year is, 'Who is holding the baby?'. Highlighting that not everyone bonds easily with their baby, and that parents who are overwhelmed by trauma, or struggling with mental or physical health difficulties, need support.

Although Infant Mental Health should always be a priority, this week is an excellent opportunity to have discussions in your setting on how you support infants with their mental health.

For information on children’s mental health, please do visit Help for Early Years Providers mental health page.

You may also be interested in the free Early years child development training, which includes a module on supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development.

SEND

Cheshire East Chatters

Family Hubs

Moving Up - Supporting Transition with The Solihull Approach

New resources created by psychologists and Balsall Common Primary School are now available at www.inourplace.co.uk/moving-up to promote understanding around how children and parents experience periods of transition to help children develop mentally, physically and emotionally and go on to develop equally as secure transitioners themselves enabling them to thrive as confident, well-adjusted adults. The Communications Toolkit will provide you with the materials you need to help raise awareness of these free, accessible resources for all parents, to ensure as many as possible can benefit and know they are not alone as they navigate moving up school years with their child. Please download these resources and share them with your families. Click the button below to view the toolkit under the 'Early years to primary' section of the 'Transition information for professionals' Livewell webpage.

Continuous Professional Development

0-19 Preschool Development Course for Professionals

Join Libby Butcher and Nicky Bourne, 0-19 SEND Health Practitioners for Cheshire East on their full day Preschool Development Course for professionals.

Wednesday 25 June 2025 09:15 - 16:30 on Microsoft Teams

Email earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk to request the Teams link if you are available to attend.

Problems with Teams during Cheshire East training

We are still being notified of several problems with Microsoft Teams during Cheshire East training sessions. The IT department have stated, when delivering Teams training, if all delegates are unable to see the slides, then this will be an internal issue. However, this has not been case, as the problem is only affecting a few delegates when attending Teams training. Before you attend the next online training session, please ensure you have downloaded the newest version of Teams and check this has been updated before joining the session. If you have issues joining the meeting, seeing the slides shared on the screen, writing in the chat etc., during the training, please try the options below: Leave the session and re-join Open Teams via the Edge web browser Try a different device

Summer Term Training available on the Early Years Training Hub

The ChESS Early Years Training Hub has lots of training opportunities for the summer term. Please take a look and book on now!

Upcoming training next week:

SENCO Network – 16th June 2025 10:00 - 11:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

These network sessions are intended to further develop your understanding, knowledge and skills as SENCO. At these meetings there will be opportunities for discussion with other SENCO’s, networking, sharing of effective practice/materials, input from other agencies and updates on new legislation/initiatives. Attendance at each termly network is highly recommended to keep your SEND knowledge up to date.

Essential Health and Safety for Early Years Practitioners – 17^th June 2025 9:30 - 11:30 or 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.

Step Inside the Preschool Room – 18th June 2025 18:00 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams)

This session is part of a series focussing on supporting the three different age groups of children within the Early Years. This training will look at practice and provision in the preschool room, consideration will be given to providing an enabling preschool environment and to reflect upon your preschool curriculum.

Staff Wellbeing Workshop – 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.

Safer Recruitment – 20th June 2025 9:30 - 16:00 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

Childcare settings share with others a duty to safeguard the children in their care. Implementing safer recruitment practices is one way of discharging this safeguarding obligation. Keeping Children Safe in Education recommends that at least one of the persons involved in shortlisting and interviewing, should have safer recruitment training. This one-day course gives childcare 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 and the wider context of safeguarding, the prevalence of abuse and profile of abusers, important features of a safer recruitment process including interview and selection, setting acceptable standards of behaviour and maintaining an ongoing culture of vigilance.