Finance news
Just a reminder that the Spring forecast task closes today 29 November 2024. Please ensure you have submitted any claims for children who will be attending with you from January 2025.
Always check on the EY Portal if parents eligibility codes are valid before offering them the place.
Update on Extended/Expanded Codes
Remember that if children have claimed the extended/expanded hours in the Autumn Term using a temporary code (114xxxxxxxx) then this will need to be replaced with a permanent code (5xxxxxxxxxx) to claim in any future terms.
For codes to be valid for first use in the Spring Term they need to be dated prior to the 1 January 2025 and expire after the 1 January 2025.
Parents can reconfirm codes on Childcare Choices from 28 days prior to the expiry date and to avoid any issues with codes, always encourage parents to reconfirm before or on the expiry date.
If you have any queries contact the Finance Team; call 01785 854009 or email eefportal@staffordshire.gov.uk.
Breakfast Clubs Early Adopters Scheme
The DfE will be introducing free breakfast clubs in up to 750 early adopter schools from April 2025 as part of a test and learn phase, in advance of a national roll out.
Early adopters will offer all primary-aged children on roll at their school, access to a free breakfast club including food, lasting at least 30 minutes. This will help to provide children with a supportive start to the day and help families to have more choice about work. Parents and carers can choose to take up the offer although schools are encouraged to promote the offer and drive take up, particularly within disadvantaged groups.
The scheme is looking to understand how the breakfast club policy is implemented in a range of schools, such as those:
- with an existing breakfast or before-school childcare offer
- without any existing provision
- that already work with, or are considering working with, private, voluntary or independent (PVI) childcare providers, including childminders, to deliver their breakfast clubs
- that may face initial challenges with setting up breakfast club provision (this will help the DfE to understand how best to support schools).
Trusts may express interest in implementing the programme across multiple schools, but each school must submit an individual application.
The expression of interest form is open until 20 December 2024.
Schools can get more information and apply by clicking the link below.
District profiles
The 2024 District Profiles are now available. The data is collated from our regular Sufficiency Audits and includes information relating to education and attainment, Think2 take up, health, wellbeing and population data.
Click your district below to view your 2024 District Profile.
Cannock East Staffordshire
Lichfield Newcastle
Stafford Staffordshire Moorlands
South Staffordshire Tamworth
Free - Early Communication Screening (ECS)
- Tuesday 28 January 2025 (09:30 - 12:00)
- Tuesday 11 February 2025 (09:30 - 12:00)
- Tuesday 25 February 2025 (09:30 - 12:00)
You will need to attend all three sessions to complete certification for this course.
This training was written by the speech and language therapy service in the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. It is aimed at practitioners in nurseries and preschools who work with young children and families. It will help you to support children’s speech, language and communication development. By the end of training, you will:
- Understand the importance of children’s early language development.
- Understand the value of screening children’s communication and be familiar with the Early Communication Screen.
- Understand the Time to Talk intervention programme and strategies you can implement to support children who are identified by the screen.
Note: A resource pack to support the use of the ECS programme must be collected from Stafford after attendance at the first session. Sessions 2 and 3 cannot be completed without the materials.
Click the link below for more details and to book your place on the EY Practitioner Hub. Practitioners must book a place to attend this event.
Free SSCP training - Supporting Graded Care Profile 2 Assessments
This free training, delivered by Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP), will help you to contribute to a GCP2 assessment even if you don’t work with families and children in the home. It also helps with recognising low level neglect and gives you the knowledge to understand the importance of doing a GCP2 at the earliest opportunity. It aims to:-
- Consolidate knowledge in relation to neglect
- Help you understand how to contribute to a GCP2 assessment
- Introduce the Neglect Screening Tool
- Help you understand how it fits in with local practice
- Give you confidence as a practitioner to contribute to a GCP2 assessment or identify the need and action further with a licensed practitioner.
Wednesday 11 December 2024 9:30am to 11:30am via MS Teams
Click the link below for more details and to book your place on the SSCP website.
Check SSCP charging policy before booking onto SSCP training here:https://www.staffsscp.org.uk/learning-zone/training-costs/
Safer Sleep Practitioner Event - Learning from local modifiable factors
This event is for multiagency practitioners who are experienced in delivering safer sleep messages to new parents, with the aims to: -
- Refresh and update prior knowledge, in relation to both the local picture and “Out of routine: A review of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in families where the children are considered at risk of significant harm.” (DfE 2020)
- Learn from trends, local modifiable factors and vulnerable groups and how these can support new parents and carers
- Allow frontline practitioners to talk about their experiences in practice including themes, barriers, difficulties in engagement, and concerns.
- Give these practitioners opportunity to suggest ideas of how we can support families to understand and follow safer sleep advice, to suggest tools and resources that might aid this, wider strategies.
Venue: Stafford Family Hub, Faraday Road, Stafford, ST16 3NQ
Wednesday 11 December 2024 10:00am to 1:00pm
Click the link below for more details and to book your place on the SSCP website.
Check SSCP charging policy before booking onto SSCP training here:https://www.staffsscp.org.uk/learning-zone/training-costs/
Guidance on people connected with Ofsted registered childcare
This updated guidance is for:
- childminder assistants
- people living or working with a childminder
- people living or working on domestic premises where childminding takes place
- committee members
- other people associated with Ofsted-registered childcare
Ofsted may need to check any person if they live or work with a childminder, or if they become part of an organisation that looks after children, even if they don’t provide childcare themselves.
Ofsted need to make sure that everyone who is legally responsible for children’s care, and anyone aged 16 or over who will care for or come into contact with children, is suitable.
Click the link below to read the guidance.
New - Under 2's speech and language screening tool
There are still a couple of places available on our evening session 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 the link below to book your place on the EY Practitioner Hub.
Practitioners must book a place to attend this event.
Early Years Financial Incentive (EYFI) - 'Golden Hello'
This is the final term to be part of Staffordshire’s Early Years Financial Incentive (EYFI) ‘Golden Hello’ pilot.
Funded by the DfE, the scheme offers a £1,000 incentive to those starting or returning to a career in Early Years childcare, helping providers fill vacancies.
Early Years providers who have participated have shared that applying to take part was quick and easy and it has helped to encourage new and returning practitioners into Early Years.
Click the link below for more details, eligibility and to complete your expression of interest.
|
