The first phase of the childcare support expansion is starting in April 2024 when working parents with 2 year olds will be able to get up to 15 hours a week of funded childcare.

To be eligible, the parent of the child, and their partner where applicable, must be working and earning a salary equivalent to 16 hours a week at the national minimum or living wage and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year.

Parents have until 31 March to apply for their code. Parents are encouraged to apply between mid-January to the end of February in case they need to provide further information to support their application.

Please direct families to www.gov.uk/apply-free-childcare-if-youre-working to apply for their code.

If you are given an eligibility code by a working family with a 2 year old, please remember that you will not be able to use the Provider Portal to validate the code until the end of February – date to be confirmed.

Therefore, in order to get a code validated please follow the process below:

• seek the parent’s verbal consent* to share their eligibility code, NI number and child’s DOB with the local authority in order to get their code validated
• email earlyyearsandchildcare@hounslow.gov.uk to ask for a call back
• do not include the eligibility code, parent’s or child’s details in your email 
• say in your email that you would like a ‘working 2YO eligibility code’ validated
• include your telephone number in your email

Please do not expect an instant response to your email as we may need to carry out bulk validations twice a week depending on demand. This is to be confirmed.

*The Parent Declaration Form will be updated for the summer term. In the meantime, you may wish to adapt the consent template for your use which can be found below.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that all your nursery children make their Reception applications on time. 

Applications will close on Monday,15 January 2024.

Please ensure that all your nursery families have applied. You can check which parents/carers have made online applications by checking the Pan London support site. 

If you have any queries, please contact us immediately. Late applications severely reduce the chances of families getting a place at their preferred school.

Information for parents is available on our website or they can contact us on

T: 020 8583 2711/2721   

E: admissions@hounslow.gov.uk

Following the recent consultation outcome, there are two EYFS Frameworks for the early years sector that became statutory on 4 January 2024. One will be specifically for childminders and the other for group and school based settings:

EYFS statutory framework for childminders

EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers

Please find below a summary of the main changes:

The Department for Education (DfE) has published updated ‘Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance. There are some key changes to multi-agency practices within the statutory guidance. There is a focus on working more closely with parents and carers and an expectation that multi-agency working applies to all individuals, organisations and institutions working with and supporting children and their families.

Includes updates around:

• multi-agency expectations for all practitioners
• working with parents and families
• clarifying the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding partners
• the role of education and childcare providers
• multi-agency practice standards
• support for disabled children
• tackling harm that occurs outside the home.

You can find the supporting guidance and the link to further information below.

There have been a number of measles cases among children in North-West London boroughs over the last few weeks. Measles is highly infectious and spreads very easily. The typical symptoms that someone who has measles might show are a cough, runny nose, a rash, sore red watery eyes and a fever. In some cases, the complications of measles can lead to ear infection, chest infection, diarrhea, can cause fits, and more serious complications of brain infection and risk of death.

We are asking our schools to widen our communication with families. The message is to advise parents of children of any age to check whether their child’s vaccinations, especially MMR, are up to date.

Anyone who hasn’t had two doses of the MMR vaccine is susceptible to catching measles. The risk of more serious complications is increased for those people who are unvaccinated, particularly those who have health conditions that affect the immune systems and for pregnant women.  

In a classroom of children, it’s highly likely that one case will affect all unvaccinated children. The best protection against measles for any child or adult is vaccination; two doses of MMR are required for protection. The MMR vaccine is safe and the best way to keep children safe from serious illness. It’s vital that children are vaccinated to avoid getting ill and spreading measles to other children in their classroom.

Parents and carers who are unsure whether their child is protected against measles can check in their child’s Red Book, or contact their GP surgery. If a child has missed one or both doses of the MMR vaccine, we urge parents to make an appointment with their GP for their child to get up to date with their vaccinations. We would also urge parents and carers who think their child has measles to not send their child to school and contact their GP for advice. 

If you have any questions, please contact Hounslow’s Public Health team.