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Bulletin 380

2 March 2026

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

Liquidlogic

Balancing Payment

The balancing payment for the Spring term will be paid by Friday 6th March 2026.

Estimates for Summer term

The estimate submission window will be open between 9th and 20th March to submit your estimates for the summer term.

You are able to access your live register at any time to add new children, make changes and recheck any working family codes in readiness for this submission.

Business Support

Reminder to apply/reconfirm childcare funding codes for free childcare entitlements for working families with children aged 9 months to 4 years old

Do Something Big has partnered with ITV's The Masked Singer

Do Something Big has partnered with ITV's The Masked Singer to create Little Makers – a three-part series where a mystery celebrity surprises a real nursery, joins children and educators in creative activities, and has a big reveal.

The series features host Joel Dommett alongside a Masked Singer character, whose identity is revealed in Episode 3. It’s a warm, engaging way to highlight the creativity and fulfilment of early years careers.

Episodes 1 and 2 are available now on YouTube and ITVX, with Episode 3 airing on Thursday 5 March on World Book Day.

Safeguarding

Safer Sleep Week 2026

Safer Sleep Week 2026 will run from 9 - 15 March. This is The Lullaby Trusts national awareness campaign targeting anyone looking after a young baby. They raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the simple advice that reduces the risk of it occurring. The theme for 2026 is 'baby necessities' – the essential items that babies need and how to check that they’re as safe as possible. Click the button below to read more on The Lullaby Trust website and to access free resources for sharing with your families.

National Updates

Every child achieving and thriving – Schools White Paper and Putting Children and Young People First SEND consultation launched

On Monday 23 February, the Department for Education’s Secretary of State published the Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving alongside a consultation on SEND reform (Putting Children and Young People First), there has also been a series of guidance documents published. 

The changes announced aim to create an inclusive system where support is embedded from the very start of a child’s life. The Department for Education is committed to developing a locally integrated system, bringing education, health and care together so children’s needs are identified early and families receive effective, evidence-based support from the outset.

On 25 February, Sir Kevan Collins has been appointed as Delivery Advisor to the Secretary of State, Sir Kevan will support the Schools White Paper delivery, focussing on SEND reform and local authority engagement.

Answering your questions on food brought in from home (packed lunch) policies

Since September 2025, early years providers have been required to have regard to the Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance. This guidance supports settings to meet the EYFS requirement that meals, snacks and drinks provided to children must be healthy, balanced and nutritious, whether meals are served in the setting or brought from home. 

At the end of last year the DfE asked you for your questions relating to food brought in from home (pack lunch) policies. With huge thanks to all those who submitted their questions, the DfE now have some FAQS which they hope will address any concerns or queries educators may have.  

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): Food Brought in from Home - Frequently Asked Questions document can be found here.

 For information on nutrition in early years, please see the Help for early years providers: Nutrition page.

Action for all settings: UKHSA and MHRA advice to stop using some non-sterile alcohol-free wipes

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have advised the public not to use four non‑sterile, alcohol‑free wipes due to infection risk associated with their use. The affected products are:

• ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
• Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free
• Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
• Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes

The wipes were found to be contaminated with Burkholderia species. Although the overall risk is low and the products have been withdrawn from sale, some may still be in use. These wipes, and any non‑sterile alcohol‑free wipes, should not be used on wounds, broken skin, or to clean intravenous lines. Anyone who has the affected products should stop using them immediately and dispose of them in household waste.

SEND

0 – 25 SEND Partnership Surveys now Live

The Cheshire East 0-25 SEND Partnership is conducting a survey to hear from all those involved with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services for children and young people aged 0–25.

We want to hear about what is working well and what we could do better to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

This survey gives you a chance to share your views on how things are working for you, and your feedback will be used to improve support and services going forward.

You can complete the survey online at https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/SEND_Survey_2026_Educational_Setting/ before the deadline of 15 March 2025.

We are also asking for your help to share with and support families to complete their survey via the link below.

Parent and carer survey: https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/SEND_Survey_2026_Parent_Carers/

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

Early Years SENIF outstanding spring term payments

All Spring term funding payments for SENIF and EHCP have been requested, however, if you have not received these and there are any amounts outstanding owing for Spring term please can you email EarlyYearsSenHelpline@cheshireeast.gov.uk as soon as possible so this can be followed up and all payments completed for the end of the financial year.

Early Years SENIF/EHCP funding summer term 2026 - DocuSign

New SENIF and EHCP DocuSign schedules for any pre-agreed funding allocations will be sent out in the new financial year 2026/2027 following completion of your FEEE contract.

Early Years SENIF/EHCP funding summer term 2026 – DocuSign and Payments

If you have an agreed amount of SENIF or EHCP funding awarded for summer term 2026 (please check your letters for SENIF) you do not need to apply for funding for summer term (unless you are requesting additional support due to increased need/attendance hours; please make this explicit on your application). If you are uncertain whether you need to apply for further SENIF, would like a copy of a previous letter or would like confirmation of an amount allocated for children with an EHCP please email EarlyYearsSenHelpline@cheshireeast.gov.uk or ring 01625 374170 prior to submitting an application.

Payments will be made in April following completion of DocuSign schedules. FEEE attendance is checked for each child prior to making payment; SENIF and EHCP funding is based on FEEE hours attendance. If you are expecting a child to return and have completed FEEE attendance but this unexpectedly changes please email EarlyYearsSenHelpline@cheshireeast.gov.uk to avoid any overpayments.

Deadline for SENIF applications for March 2026 is Tuesday 3rd March 4:30pm. Please ensure all plans and tracking are up to date and the provision map is included with the documents – the template can be found on the link with all deadline dates and feedback dates: SEND Inclusion Funding

Family Hubs

Cheshire East Chatters Easter Dummy Campaign

As in previous years, Cheshire East Chatters is running the ‘Give your dummy to the Easter Bunny’ campaign, and they would love you to get involved!

This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the impact prolonged use of dummies can have on children’s speech and language development, and to encourage children and families to drop the dummy in a positive way.

It would be great to see your dummy campaigns in action – please send any photos to cechatters@mcht.nhs.uk or send a message via Facebook.

Resources to support the dummy campaign have been sent to all early years providers by email. Please email earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk to request the resources if you haven't received them.

World Book Day 2026 – Join the Library for Free!

World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5 March 2026, and it’s a brilliant chance for families to celebrate the joy of reading together. Schools and Early Years settings will be handing out free book vouchers and hosting activities designed to inspire children to read for pleasure. Why not make the most of the day by visiting your local library? Joining is completely free, and families can borrow a wonderful range of picture books, stories and audiobooks — both in the library and online using their library card. You can also join us at one of our many Stories and Songs sessions, where we support families on their reading journey with fun, engaging ways to develop language skills and enjoy books together. Come along, sign up, and discover new stories this World Book Day!

Training

Book your place here: Playful Learning Outdoors - Bright Futures Training

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:

Cyber Security in Early Years Settings - 9th March 2026 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This two-hour interactive training course supports Early Years settings to navigate sector-specific digital threats. We will explore cyber security practice, governance and culture through relevant scenarios, helping you to protect your setting's data and respond confidently to incidents. We will also consider how best to manage your professional digital footprint.

Early Speech and Language Lead Network - 10th March 2026 14:00 - 15:30 or 11th March 2026 18:30 - 20:00 (Microsoft Teams)

These sessions are delivered by Cheshire East Chatters Speech and Language Therapists. The Early Speech and Language Lead Network offers information and advice on how to support the early communication and language development of the children in your setting. These sessions are a chance for you to find out more about local and national updates around supporting children with SLCN.

Out of School Club Network - 11th March 2026 10:00 - 11:30 (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.

Basic Safeguarding Awareness - 11th March 2026 18:30 - 20:30 (Microsoft Teams)

This two-hour training course will provide basic information and understanding about safeguarding children. It has been specifically written to address safeguarding in Early Years and Childcare settings and covers practice and procedures used within Cheshire East. This training will help you to develop an awareness of, and the ability to act on, concerns about the safety and welfare of children and young people. It will enable you to understand your safeguarding role, be able to define, identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect and identify safer caring practices.

Step Inside the Baby Room - 13th March 2026 9:30 - 12:00 (Microsoft Teams)

This session is part of a series focussing on supporting the three different age groups of children within the Early Years. Did you know? 'For children aged under two - at least half of all staff must have received training that specifically addresses the care of babies' (EYFS, 2025). This training aims to support practitioners working in the baby room to implement best practice and provision. The training will cover how babies learn and develop, how we can best meet their needs through attachment and interactions and how to build an environment and play resources that are right for babies. We will also discuss safer sleep, parent partnerships and the importance of the first 1001 days of a little one’s life for holistic development.