Congratulations - Outstanding!
Many congratulations to Carol Price (210183) childminder in East Staffs for her 2nd consecutive Outstanding Ofsted judgement. Carol said "I'm very proud to retain my Outstanding judgement. I received positive feedback from the Inspector, who stated that all children in my care are safe, happy, developing and thriving in all areas. It was a very relaxing inspection'. She added 'if you have a job you love, you will never work a day in your life."
Congratulations also go to Langdale Primary School Nursery in Newcastle for their recent Outstanding Ofsted judgement.
Headteacher Nicola told us "As a previous Early Years Lead, I understand the impact that a strong Early Years curriculum can have on the future development of a child, which is why, at Langdale, we work hard to get it right."
"We aim to develop future learners through our strong relationships, purposeful curriculum, enabling environments and our imagination. Whatever we implement, our children are always at the heart of it, they are our main motivation."
"Our OFSTED experience highlighted exactly what we knew - the magic begins in the Early Years and it certainly does at Langdale Primary School. We are delighted with the outcome."
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New - Under 2's speech and language screening tool
We are pleased to launch introductory sessions to introduce the Under 2’s speech and language screening tool. The screening tool is intended for early years practitioners working with children around the 12 month milestone mark and forms part of the current speech and language pathway to access specialist support.
Click your chosen session below to book your place on the EY Practitioner Hub. Delegates only need attend one session.
Important - EY portal news regarding some 30 hour codes
In last weeks update we told you about an issue with the funding portal which is preventing providers from claiming the Extended/Expanded hours in some circumstances.
Where a parent correctly claimed the Extended/Expanded hours in the Summer Term and are continuing with the same provider in the Autumn Term, and the code expired before 31 August 2024 with a Grace Period to 31 December 2024, but the parents did not reconfirm the code with Childcare Choices until after 1 September 2024.
In these unique circumstances the child should be able to continue to claim these hours using the Grace Period, but unfortunately the portal is preventing providers from entering the Extended/Expanded hours on the funding screen.
If you have any instances that match these circumstances, email details to eefportal@staffordshire.gov.uk as soon as possible, clearly detailing your provider ID and child details so that the funding team can add these hours into your claim.
There will be a further opportunity to correct any claim on amendment tasks later in the term should they come to light at a later date.
We apologise for this system error and for any inconvenience this may cause. We are working with the software provider to ensure that it is corrected soon.
Early Education Funding - result of provider consultation
The provider consultation regarding changing the monthly pay dates to the week ending the first Friday of each month closed on the 22 October 2024.
In total there were 197 responses, with 17 voting no to the change and 180 voting yes to the change.
The decision has therefore been made to move the pay dates from the 1 April 2025 as outlined in the consultation document.
Click the link below to view the updated task dates on the website.
The first affected task date is the Summer 2025-26 forecast which has now moved to 5 to 11 March 9 (from 19 to 27 March).
Click here for an updated calendar for 2025-26 which you can print and attach to your wall for reference.
Sufficiency survey autumn 2024
This is a reminder that the autumn term sufficiency surveys have now closed. It is a requirement that providers complete these surveys as stated in the Provider Agreement.
If you have not yet submitted your return click the appropriate link below. Any providers who do not complete the survey will be contacted and asked to do so.
Childcare on domestic premises
The DfE has recently updated their guidance for providers of childcare on domestic premises to increase the number of people to 5 people; they have also updated ‘Operating from non-domestic premises’, and added further guidance on childminder assistants.
Click the link below for more details.
Wraparound funding available 2024/2025
Funding is available to support providers to:
- create new before and after school clubs
- increase the hours they are open
- and or expand the number of children they can care for.
Over 17 wraparound providers so far have been successfully awarded funding to support with staffing costs for 12 months, support with rent/ lease and essential resources
If you’d like to explore if funding could support your provision with growth and expansion click the link below for more details and to apply.
The DfE have published guidance on what providers need to know about delivering the early years foundation stage (EYFS), and Ofsted inspections under the education inspection framework (EIF).
Ofsted: poster for parents
Ofsted have produced a poster for childcare providers to display in your setting. It explains Ofsted's responsibilities and how parents can contact them.
Click the link below to see the poster.
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