Early Years Bulletin

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Early years bulletin

28 September 2022

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The Recover and Reset Group is changing. If you would like to become a part of the new Early Years and Childcare Reference Group, please email expressions of interest to Mindy.Butler@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. If you were a member of the Recover and Reset Group and would like to be considered for the Early Years and Childcare Reference Group, please also send your expressions of interest over. Meetings will be termly with the first meeting taking place on Thursday 24 November, 10.00am - 11.00am, on Microsoft Teams. 

View the terms of reference here


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Children and young people in Portsmouth who are struggling at home or in their educational setting due to neurodiversity can now benefit from a new team of dedicated professionals to support them and their family.

Portsmouth's Neurodiversity Team (0-19) consists of family support workers, therapists, an educational psychologist, and service lead. The team has been developed to support the city's new neurodiversity pathway, which aims to improve early identification of neurodiversity and offer increased support for families and professionals.

Find out more here


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The strategy addresses the challenges armed forces families face with mobility, deployment and separation and the implications this has for accessing good quality healthcare, education, and accommodation.

It also notes the evolving nature of family life and the pressures this can place on childcare and managing the career of the partner or spouse alongside that of the Service person.

The strategy will be supported by an action plan that includes the commitments made in the government’s response to Andrew Selous MP’s ‘Living in Our Shoes’ report. The strategy and action plan will be delivered in partnership with the devolved administrations, the charitable and private sectors.

View the strategy here


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The Level 2 SEND Accredited course starts on Wednesday 2 November and will be delivered over three sessions, (2 November, 16 November and 30 November), 9.30am - 4.00pm at the Training and Learning Centre, Portsmouth Academy. The cost for this is £180.00.

Book your place here


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We recently issued providers with an updated Local Provider Agreement (LPA) as the current LPA has reached the end of its three year term.

The LPA forms the legal basis on which we pass Early Education Funding to providers and must be signed by every provider that claims Early Education Funding.

You will need to fully complete the LPA, particularly the information on pages 1, 3 and 17. This must be signed (you can use an electronic signature) and the whole document returned to us as soon as possible. Please send your completed document to eyfunding@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

If you change your delivery model in the future (e.g. how you offer term time/stretched options) you need to notify us and re-sign the LPA to reflect these changes.


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Portsmouth City Council is moving to a new management information system and we will be implementing and testing the new Access Group's Synergy system over the autumn and spring terms.

We will be providing guides, training and support to providers in using the new system over the coming months and expect this to be live by 1 April 2023.

We will be looking for providers who may be willing to be testers of the system so please let your QSO know if you may be interested.


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The Department for Education announced that from 1 September 2022 the eligibility for the two-year-old early education entitlement has been extended to include disadvantaged children in households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Families will need to complete an application form and we will have a manual process to verify eligibility, as they will not be able to complete an online application. The application form is available on the Traded Services website under the funding section of the resources page. Please could you signpost queries or requests for support to 2yroldfunding@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

What groups fall under NRPF?

These groups include, but may not be limited to children of:

  • Zambrano carers
  • Families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
  • Families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
  • Those who have claimed asylum in the UK and are waiting for a decision (known as ‘part 6’)
  • A subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Chen carers
  • Families holding a BN(O) passport
  • Spousal visa holders
  • Work visa holders
  • Student visa holders
  • Those with no immigration status
  • Those with a UK Ancestry Visa
  • Those with temporary protection status under Section 12 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
  • Those with pre-settled status who do not meet the qualifying right to reside test

Any questions about the content of this email? Get in touch