 The summer term actual task will open on 16 February and the deadline for submission will be 27 February. The actual tasks will be open for two weeks rather than one. Please encourage all parents to complete and return their parental declarations forms in good time enabling you to claim funding for the majority of children on the actual task. Resources have been created to prompt parents. Please feel free to display the poster and share the social media post at the buttons below.
 This service is for children in their last year before they start school and aims to help get them ready to go to school.
Trained volunteers are matched to the family and visit them weekly for 12-weeks of support in the home. Volunteers will support development of some key skills and help parents to ensure good routines are in place which will help the transition of starting school and the settling down period.
School readiness can be recognised by a number of factors such as arriving at school on time, using the toilet, dressing and putting on shoes, recognising own name, and coping away from parents.
Home-Start are currently accepting referrals for school starters in September 2026.
Contact Home-Start if you would like to make a referral.
 Home-Start are pleased to offer FREE School Readiness Sessions at Family Hubs across the city. They offer a five-week course for parents of three- to four-year-olds and their children to help develop their skills in the lead up to starting school. For more information and to book, please visit www.hsportsmouth.org.uk or call 023 9273 4400.
 DfE are conducting research to gather feedback on early years professional's experiences of delivering the following entitlements:
- the working parent (9 month - 4 years)
- universal 15 hours (3 - 4-year-olds)
- the 2-year-old disadvantaged entitlement
They’d like to hear about your experiences and needs for delivering entitlements to understand how to improve the experience in the future. They are looking to speak to early years professional's involved in the process of childcare entitlements, those who process finances relating to these entitlements and support parents with understanding entitlements.
You can sign up to share feedback on how you deliver entitlements in your setting(s) in a 60-minute session:
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When: 2 - 18 February 2026
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Format: Online session, or potential options for in-person or a phone call
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Incentive: £40
Sessions will include a one-off discussion with a researcher about aspects such as what you do to deliver entitlements to parents, what that experience is like, who is involved, what systems you use etc. Your insights will play a key role in improving the experience of delivering entitlements across the country.
Questions? Contact gabrielle.mitchem-evans@education.gov.uk
 A new post, “Early years inspections: frequently asked questions” has just been published on the Ofsted: early years blog.
Since Ofsted published the renewed inspection framework on 9 September 2025, they’ve put on lots of online and face-to-face engagement with early years settings to answer your questions. They’re publishing the most frequently asked questions so you can see the answers in one place.
 Do you have an idea for a sustainability project? Here are some that are open right now:
For more help funding your sustainability projects:
 Working in education is one of the most rewarding sectors out there. Whether you are teaching children, supporting them in the classroom or maintaining buildings on site, you will have a job filled with purpose.
If you are looking at starting a new career this year, come along to the Teach Portsmouth Education Careers Fair at Portsmouth Guildhall on Thursday 5 March from 12pm to 4pm.
Join Teach Portsmouth to learn more about the amazing opportunities on offer, including vacancies, training, apprenticeships, volunteering, and more. There will also be a series of talks and workshops inside the Opportunities Room on trending topics in education.
If you would like to attend the event or know someone who would, please visit www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/careersfair. The event is free to attend but you will need to register for a ticket.
Our QSOs Layla and Vicky will be representing Early Years and Childcare careers and sharing local job vacancies. If you have any vacancies, please publicise them on the Portsmouth City Council website by completing this form.
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