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Bulletin 374

12 January 2026

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

Liquidlogic

Spring term headcount submission

The headcount window opens on 15 January and closes on 31 January. Please ensure that your headcount is submitted by the deadline. Without this submission, spring term balancing payments cannot be processed.

The headcount is made up of the information held in your Live Register. Once you have checked that the Live Register includes all children claiming the entitlements at your provision during spring term, please navigate to the Submissions section via the early years menu and follow the steps.

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

The annual DfE early years census of private, voluntary, and independent (PVI) providers and children is on Thursday 15 January 2026. The census collects data on all children accessing the early education entitlements during census week (week commencing 12 January 2026).

PVI providers are required to complete the Early Years Census form as part of the Headcount submission process (step 2 of the process). Guidance notes for completing the numbers of staff and their qualifications are available on our webpage.

Please note, your headcount cannot be submitted without completing the census form (step 2 of the process).

Amendments made to the headcount do not feed back to the Live Register; therefore, all changes must be made within the Live Register before clicking Submissions

We encourage all settings to submit their headcounts as soon as possible as this will enable the FEEE Team to work with you to resolve any queries.

For guidance on submitting your headcount, please refer to the establishment portal user guide.

Business Support

Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

It continues to be important that Cheshire East Council collect evidence to help plan ongoing targeted support and advice for the locality’s vital early years funded entitlement and childcare providers, and our wraparound childcare providers.

We wish to notify you that over the period mid January 2026 – mid February 2026 an independent company called Place Group will undertake consultation with our early years and childcare providers, on the Local Authorities’ behalf, to help inform our Sufficiency Assessment processes - with a focus on:

(a) the evolving roll out of the extended early years funding entitlements

(b) continued availability and accessibility to wraparound childcare

Place Group has extensive experience with similar projects, including early years and childcare research for Cheshire East Council, most recently in 2022.

We understand this is a busy time for you. Participation in the research is voluntary, but it would be very helpful if all early years and childcare providers could share their views on how the Local Authority can best support the above planning themes in the short to medium term.

To also assist with the Sufficiency Assessment, please share the below social media post with your parents so that their childcare needs can be captured.

If you have any questions, please contact the Early Years and Childcare Team: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA

Dear Parents/Carers,

We want to hear from you!

Are you a parent who uses, or wants to use, early years childcare?

Or do you have a school-aged child who uses, or may use, a before-school or after-school club or holiday club?

Cheshire East wants to hear your thoughts on early years childcare and wraparound childcare for any of your children aged 0-14 years old, or up to 25 years old if they have a special educational need or disability (SEND).

To tell us about your childcare needs the Council would be extremely grateful if you could complete this survey before Friday 20^th February 2026.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CheshireEast-CSA2026-Parents/

If you have any questions about the local authorities’ responsibility to provide sufficient childcare, or the purpose of this survey, you can contact: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

As always, thank you for your valuable feedback!

Tesco Stronger Starts Application

Tesco Stronger Starts invites schools, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations supporting children and young people to apply for up to £1,500 for causes that improve access to healthy, nutritious food.

Tesco stores in Congleton (CW12 1LR, CW12 4HB ) are now accepting applications. If you have a project or activity in mind that could benefit your pupils - such as sports equipment, healthy snacks, mindfulness tools, or books - this funding could help bring it to life. The grant is aimed at supporting the wellbeing of children and young people.

From enhancing school provision to supporting local community services, Tesco welcome applications that use healthy food that supports physical and mental health of children and young people across the UK.

This could include breakfast or holiday clubs, cooking or gardening initiatives, providing fruit or healthy snacks for a sports club or projects that build life skills, confidence and wellbeing.

Funding available:

• £500 minimum for shortlisted projects
• £1,000 for second place
• £1,500 for the top-voted project

Applications for this round are needed by end of January, so now is a great time to apply!

You can find more details and begin your application here: Apply for a Grant

Safeguarding

OPSS issues Safety Alert on baby sleep pillows

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a Safety Alert to warn about the risks associated with baby sleep pillows.

The Safety Alert advises that baby sleep pillows should not be used, as they pose a risk of suffocation and increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Babies should always be placed to sleep on a firm, flat mattress, free from pillows, soft bedding or other items.

Baby sleep pillows are sometimes marketed with claims that they can improve sleep or help prevent flat head syndrome; however, there is no evidence that they are safe for use and they can obstruct a baby’s airway or cause overheating. Everyone who cares for children are urged to stop using baby sleep pillows immediately and follow safer sleep advice to reduce the risk of harm. Childcare providers are encouraged to share the safety alert with parents and carers: 

https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-safety-alert-baby-sleep-pillows-psa8

DfE counter extremism new training package

The departments Counter Extremism team have launched a new training package, available to book, for Early Years practitioners.

The objectives of this training are:

• to understand your role as an Early Years practitioner in relation to Prevent
• to understand the importance of referring to Prevent and the legal duty
• to recognise the tools available to help you
• to understand what Ofsted might expect to see in relation to Prevent
• to recognise how to build resilience to radicalisation by promoting Fundamental British Values

National Updates

National Education Nature Park

The National Education Nature park has dedicated early years resources and guides available for early years settings and EYFS. Click the button below to access the resources.

Improve workload and wellbeing for staff

The Department for Education (DfE) have produced a new website to promote staff wellbeing and support workload reduction in schools. Although the resources are aimed at schools, you may find it beneficial to adapt these for your early years settings. 

Click the button below to access the resources.

SEND

Up to date child contact details – SEN Support Plan

If a child in your setting has moved house or parents/carers have a new phone or email address, please can this be updated in the SEN Support Plan. The contact in the SEN Support Plan is used by Early Years Forum and the SEN team to make contact with parents. Thank you.

Special Approach to Making it REAL open access webinars

Please find the dates and links to register for the next Special Approach to Making it REAL open access webinars.

These are workshops providing practitioners with an overview of how to support the home learning environment for families with children with SEND.

13th January 2026 - 1pm-3pm:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1972531484770?aff=oddtdtcreator

5th February 2026 - 9.30am-11.30am:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1972539756511?aff=oddtdtcreator

24th February 2026 - 7pm-9pm:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1972540773553?aff=oddtdtcreator

Family Hubs

Bookstart Dual Language packs – have you got yours?

All babies and toddlers in Cheshire East are eligible for a FREE Bookstart dual language pack to encourage early reading in both English and their first language.  If you would like to order a pack for any of the children in your setting, please contact bookstartcoordinator@cheshireeast.gov.uk before 23rd January 2026. Please provide the number of books in the language you require along with the delivery address of your setting in your email. More information can be found at Delivering Bookstart dual language | BookTrust

Training

Training Cancellations

Last term we saw a huge increase of no shows to both our face-to-face and online training courses, without notification from settings. We appreciate that you may have staff illness and therefore practitioners cannot attend due to ratios. However, if a practitioner is due to attend a training course booked via the ChESS Early Years Training Hub and can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible by cancelling the place via the hub or emailing: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk. This enables us to inform the trainers and cancel the session if necessary. Thank you.

Spring 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 spring term, please take a look and book on now!

Upcoming training next week:

Preschool Network - 21st January 2026 18:00 - 19:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)

This network session is for Preschool providers. This Preschool network is an opportunity for preschool managers, committee chairs and business managers 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.

Early Years Leaders Network - 22nd January 2026 10:00 - 11:30 (Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College Training and Conference Centre)

*Please note: this network was previously titled 'Owners, Managers and Childminders'*

The Early Years Leaders Network is for owners, managers, leaders and childminders of Early Years and Childcare settings. These networks are an opportunity to hear the latest updates from the Early Years Team, ask questions and network with other professionals.

Building your Curriculum - 22nd January 2026 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

"Curriculum by design not by Chance" (Dr J. Grenier, 2023). This session looks at what a curriculum is, why curriculum planning is important in helping children to learn and have a better experience, and what to consider when putting the curriculum into practice. Drawing on the latest messages around curriculum from Ofsted, using the non-statutory guidance and making links to pedagogy and assessment. This session is suitable for all practitioners working in Early Years settings.

Prevent Awareness - 23rd January 2026 10:00 - 11:30 (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.