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Bulletin 392
15 June 2026
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Balancing Payment
The balancing payment for the Summer term will be paid by Friday 19th June 26.
Summer Term Adjustments
The window to submit summer term adjustments is open until Friday 26th June.
If you have any children changing their hours during the term, please amend the funding screen for them on the live register.
Select 'yes' as a midterm change, then enter the date of change and the number of weeks before and after the change.
Please note you cannot make changes to hours in advance, they can only be changed on or after the date of the increase/decrease in hours.
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Asbestos Guidance for Settings
Asbestos has been found in Play sand at a North Tyneside nursery school. The current advice is to follow UK Government guidance.
To access the guidance please click on the button below.
Honor Based Violence - Training Opportunity
An exciting training opportunity has opened up to Cheshire East Safeguarding Children's Partnership (CESCP) partners.
This is an interactive all-day workshop to raise practitioners’ awareness of Honour Based Abuse. It will take place at Macclesfield Old Town Hall, Council Chambers. This session is facilitated by Darlaston Youth Centre from Birmingham. The session will take place on Thursday 18th June | 10am – 4pm.
Course Outcomes:
- To learn about the historical roots and origins of honour crimes.
- Raise awareness of the longstanding impact that this has on whole communities.
- Provide an insight into the experiences of women and men who have been affected by honour crimes.
- To inform practice and educate other young people, communities, police, researchers, historians and decision makers about heritage and honour crimes.
- To be aware the content in this session is sensitive and emotive.
You can book a place by emailing naomi.pearce@cheshireeast.gov.uk stating your name, role, and position.
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The voice of the infant: expert insight videos from NSPCC
Babies and infants communicate their needs and feelings in a variety of ways, both verbally and non-verbally.
Listening to the voice of the infant helps us to understand the infant’s lived experience and what they need from the adults around them.
The NSPCC have created a series of expert insight films that have been designed to help people who work with babies and infants to identify the infant’s voice and incorporate it into their practice.
To access the videos please click the button below.
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Early Education Partnerships Funding
The Department for Education (DfE) have released guidance for early years providers and state-funded primary schools in England on how to apply for the early education partnerships funding opportunity.
These partnerships bring together early years providers - including nurseries, childminders, and maintained nursery schools - with primary schools. By working collaboratively, partners will:
- Share resources, knowledge, and expertise
- Strengthen relationships across settings
- Support families and children as they prepare for starting reception
The DfE will fund up to 100 partnerships from September 2026 to March 2029.
The programme will be delivered in three phases:
- Year 1 (September 2026 – March 2027): Development Phase
Partnerships will identify local needs, establish their groups, and plan activities.
- Year 2 (April 2027 – March 2028): Delivery Phase
Selected partnerships will begin delivering tailored activities with support from a delivery partner.
- Year 3 (April 2028 – March 2029): Embedding Phase
Partnerships will continue delivery and embed effective practices to create lasting benefits beyond the funding period.
The partnership grant administrator must complete and submit the application form by 23:59 on Friday 17 July.
To view the guidance documents and to apply click the button below.
New Ofsted Blog - How safeguarding and children’s welfare and wellbeing underpin the September 2026 updates to early years inspections
Ofsted are now 7 months into inspecting early years registered settings using their renewed inspection framework. What they’re hearing so far is positive – leaders have told them that the renewed approach has felt clear, collaborative and grounded in what matters.
Click the button below to read the blog.
New film celebrating inclusive early years education for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families
A new film has been launched as part of the Best Start in Life (BSiL) campaign that shows how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) families are at the heart of how early years education is delivered in their community.
Filmed at Wolvey Primary and Nursery School and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, it highlights what inclusive early years education looks like in practice and what it means for children's confidence, friendships, and development.
The links to the films can be found below.
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Children with EHCPs in Nursery 1 starting primary school in September 2027
Letters have been emailed to all parents and carers of children in Nursery 1 who have an EHC Plan and are due to start primary school in September 2027. If the SEND Team does not hold an email address, a copy of the letter has been sent by post.
The letter outlines the transition process and aims to offer support and guidance on how to plan for the upcoming transition. There is also a link to the parental preferences submission page for families who already have a preference and would like to share this ahead of the next EHCP review.
Consultation with settings will not take place until after the Nursery 2 EHCP review which we encourage you to hold at the start of next academic year. Gathering this information early will help the SEND Team to plan more effectively. We hope that by communicating earlier and supporting parents/carers to plan ahead, we can make the transition process feel less daunting.
The link to the form can be found by clicking the button below.
For any further enquires please contact: transitions@cheshireeast.gov.uk
PSED, SEND or SLCN consultation
If you have concerns about a child's development in your setting, you can complete a request for a PSED, SEND or SLCN consultation. You will need to complete the online form and upload a parent/carer signature via the Cheshire East Young People and Families portal. Once the referral has been made our Portage, Quality and Inclusion Practitioners (PQUIP’s) or Cheshire East Chatters will get in contact with you to discuss the child's development and any advice and next steps to support them.
Please see the link below and instructions to complete a request for consultation:
https://childrenandfamilieseportal.cheshireeast.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/home
Once opening the link, select the ‘forms for professionals’ button.
 Next select the ‘Request for Consultation with Early Years and Childcare Team’ button and complete the form.
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Infant Mental Health Awareness Week: Helping Babies Feel Safe and Loved
Last week (8–14 June) was Infant Mental Health Awareness Week. It helps us remember how important it is for babies to feel safe, loved and cared for.
In Cheshire East, we want every baby to have the best start in life. When parents and carers spend time talking, cuddling and playing with their baby, it helps their brain grow and their feelings stay strong.
The Togetherness resources can help parents with simple ideas to build a close bond with their baby. These include easy messages and pictures that show how to connect, play and respond to your child.
By sharing these resources, we can support families across Cheshire East to grow happy, healthy relationships from the very beginning.
Childhood Vaccination in Cheshire & Merseyside
Our Family Hub Start for Life teams are currently working with the Improving Immunisation Team to better understand and identify key issues, barriers, trends, and patterns affecting vaccine uptake across different groups, including any unique local challenges for families.
We would really appreciate your support to share a survey with families in your settings to help us in understanding barriers.
Here is a link you could share with families through your messaging platforms- or please see the poster below with a QR code that you could share or display in your settings.
Childhood Vaccination in Cheshire & Merseyside – Parent Survey – Fill in form
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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:
Basic Safeguarding Awareness - 22nd June 2026 09:30 - 11:30 (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 is in line with the criteria set out in Annex C. 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.
Effective Interactions - 23rd June 2026 09:30 - 12:30 (Oakenclough Family Hub)
This interaction training course aims to discuss and define terms relating to communication and why interaction is so important. During the session we will look at 'Top Tips for Talking' and ways you can adapt your interactions to promote communication and support the needs of the developing child. We will discuss how language levels and interaction styles differ between children and how you can differentiate to support individual children's communication development and then focus on the practicalities of how to integrate high quality adult-interaction into your daily routine.
Quality Interactions in Playwork - 25th June 2026 09:30 - 12:00 (Microsoft Teams)
This two-and-a-half-hour training course will provide practical strategies for developing high-quality interactions within playwork settings. It has been specifically designed for practitioners working in wraparound and out-of-school care environments. This training will help you understand the importance of meaningful interactions in supporting children’s confidence, wellbeing, and social development. You will explore how to build positive relationships, respond effectively to children’s cues, and create inclusive environments that promote engagement and belonging. The session will focus on practical communication strategies that enhance play experiences while maintaining the playwork ethos. By the end of the course, you will feel confident in strengthening the quality of your interactions to maximise impact within your setting.
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