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Early Years update

• Early Years Team update
• SEND Early Years Developmental Journal
• Early Years Foundation Stage updates
• Updated EYFS Profile handbook and EYFS guidance on exemptions
• New module added to DfE's Early Years Child Development training - Mathematics
• Ofsted updates
• Public Health updates
• Stronger Practice Hub
• Safeguarding
• World Nursery Rhyme Week reminder
• Training/CPD

Early Years Team update

Changes to the Early Years Team

Heather Dakin is retiring at the end of this term, I’m sure you will join us in thanking her for many years of dedicated service and wish her a long and happy retirement. If Heather is your named link adviser, we will notify you shortly on who will be taking over this role for your setting.

Another change is that Sue Hunter has changed her surname, she is now Sue Harrington and as such her new e-mail address is sue.harrington@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

SEND Early Years Developmental Journal

The journal has been re-branded for Westmorland & Furness council. The new version and the guidance document are now available on the professionals Local Offer web page on the following link. Families Information | Early Years SEND Information for Professionals (westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk)   There is also a webinar explaining how to use the journal which is available to view on the following link. https://youtu.be/VhtZ46e3sWc

Early Years Foundation Stage updates

The Department for Education consulted on a number of proposals intended to offer early years providers increased flexibility and make the EYFS framework easier to navigate and implement. The proposals were informed by extensive engagement with the sector. The majority of the proposed regulatory changes included in the final consultation were suggested by early years providers to make it easier for their settings to utilise their workforce, helping to increase capacity ahead of the rollout of the new entitlements in April 2024.

The Department has now set out its official response. The response sets out which proposals will be taken forward and which will not after Ministers carefully considered the consultation responses. This response was published as part of a wider announcement on childcare, which you can find out more about here. You can also find out more about the consultation response in the latest Foundation Years blog.  

The department has also published an independent evaluation of the landmark 2021 EYFS reforms on early education. It found the changes to the curriculum have benefitted many settings, practitioners and children, with practitioners spending less time on paperwork and more time with children. To see the full evaluation please visit Early years foundation stage (EYFS) 2021 reforms: evaluation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  

Look out for events and webinars which will be advertised on the Foundation Years website and in the newsletter.

Expansion of childcare announcements

The above response to the EYFS consultation was published as part of a wider announcement on childcare, which you can find out more about here. 

Please look out for briefings around the implementation of these changes within Westmorland and Furness , as we work with you to implement this challenging programme.

If you have any questions or want to pass on or raise any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact  childrens.information@cumbria.gov.uk

The Childcare Choices website is being updated by the DfE to keep abreast of the changes and you can sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates about the childcare support expansion.

Updated EYFS Profile handbook and EYFS guidance on exemptions

The Department for Education has published two updated Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidance documents.

EYFS Profile 2024 handbook   The EYFS Profile is an important statutory assessment of children’s development at the end of the EYFS. We have published the updated EYFS Profile 2024 handbook to support teachers and early years practitioners to complete the EYFS Profile assessment in the 2023/24 academic year, in line with statutory requirements. The EYFSP must be completed for each child and submitted to the local authority no later than 30 June 2024. Local authorities must submit EYFS Profile data to DfE by 31 July 2024.

EYFS exemptions guidance Previously there were two sets of guidance to support early years providers seeking exemptions from the EYFS learning and development requirements. One for exemptions for providers, and one for exemptions for individual children. The updated EYFS guidance on exemptions for early years providers and individual children combines, simplifies, streamlines and clarifies the previous guidance, making it easier to follow and implement. There have been no changes to the EYFS exemptions policy or processes. We would be grateful for support from local authorities in sharing the updated guidance documents with schools and settings in your area. If you would like to be added to the EYFS assessment mailing list, please email the following inbox: Exemptions.EYFS@education.gov.uk

New module added to DfE's Early Years Child Development training - Mathematics

The Early years child development training is free online training. It has been designed by early years professionals to help early years practitioners working with children aged 0-4 years strengthen their knowledge and understanding of child development. Other people may also find it useful.

Module 6: Mathematics in the early years is now available and covers:

• Nurturing mathematical development from birth 
• Number including verbal counting, object counting and subitising 
• Patterns and relationships 
• Spatial reasoning, including shape, space and measures 

This new module is now available along with 5 other modules including child and brain development, personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development.  

The modules can be accessed in any order at any time, however the DfE do recommend that the modules are completed in consecutive order as the training has been designed to build on previous modules, starting with child and brain development underpinning all the others.  

If you are already signed up to the training, this module is available to start now and can be accessed from your My modules page in the training.  

Further modules will be added in the coming months. If you haven’t yet accessed the training, and would like to learn more and register, please visit Early years child development. 

Ofsted updates

Part 2 of Ofsted’s Best Start in Life research review is now published. Part 2 focuses on the three prime areas of learning in the EYFS. Read our blog to find out more.

Public Health updates

NHS Guidance on Measles/MMR vaccine The Back to school MMR Guidance from the NHS includes information to share, as well as example social media posts which can be found here: NHS Vaccine Poster and NHS MMR Poster. Measles is highly infectious and if left unvaccinated nine out of ten children in an early years setting can catch the disease if just one child is infectious.

Immunisation queries and concerns:

There has been a reported increase in the number of parent/guardian vaccination queries and  concerns therefore the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has updated information that can help Head Teachers to help answer the range of questions. This report can be found here.

Within this document there is also an information leaflet link  that has been produced by the NHS and UK Health Security Agency for parents of the younger aged children and one for secondary school aged children (links below):

“Flu vaccination 2023 to 2024: Briefing for primary schools” :www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccination-in-schools 

“Adolescent vaccination programme: Briefing for secondary schools”: www.gov.uk/government/publications/adolescent-vaccination-programme-in-secondary-schools

Health protection and health education resource links for all educational settings:

There have been changes in accessing the up-to-date Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) resources for all educational settings.  These resources continue to provide the recent information for Respiratory Infections (including COVID-19) for case and outbreak management; universal infection prevention measures; and wider Public Health advice.

The latest information includes the dates for School Age Flu Vaccination catch-up clinics this year (East and West). These clinics are if children have missed the vaccination in school or have requested the alternative injectable flu vaccination.

The resources can be found at:

Westmorland and Furness: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/schools-and-education/health-protection-and-health-education-resources

If you have any further queries:

The Education Infection Prevention and Control Team are still available to offer advice to any setting that has queries or concerns in relation to illnesses and outbreaks. Please email the team at: EducationIPC@cumbria.gov.uk

COVID-19 updates 

The latest blog from Department of Education (including links to the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance) regarding COVID-19 with the ongoing advice for all educational settings can be found below:

What are the latest rules around COVID-19 in schools, colleges, nurseries and other education settings? - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

COVID-19 Blog from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA):

There have been many questions regarding the latest variant of COVID and this latest blog from UKHSA highlights the issues and recommendations:

Should we be worried about the new COVID-19 variant? - UK Health Security Agency (blog.gov.uk)

Stronger Practice Hub

The Liverpool City Region and beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub is one of 18 DfE designated Stronger Practice Hubs across England.  The Liverpool City Region Hub will cover the Liverpool City region Local Authorities of Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley, St. Helen’s, Warrington, Halton and Beyond in Lancashire and Cumbria, offering bespoke support, EEF evidence informed training opportunities as well as webinars and opportunities to network with others working in Early Years.  

The hub is fully funded, meaning the offer will always be free to those who take part. The team running the hub are all working within the schools/settings currently and want to offer support across the whole Early Years sector. 

If you are a childminder, working in a PVI or school/maintained nursery class and would like more information and to join our network, please sign up to the hub via our website.  Please see the link below. 

https://www.evertonnurseryschoolandfamilycentre.org/strongerpracticehub

Safeguarding

Practitioner Forums December 2023

Sharing information and child protection

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new guidance on data protection when sharing information to safeguard children. The guidance is aimed at professionals involved in child safeguarding and sets out steps around: being clear about data protection; identifying objectives for sharing information; and following the data protection principles. 

Read the news story: Share information to protect children and young people at risk, urges UK Information Commissioner 

Read the guidance: A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children

After-school clubs, community activities and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers

Safeguarding guidance for providers of activities, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings.

The Department for Education (DfE) have updated the safeguarding guidance for providers of after-school clubs, community activities and tuition.

These updates reflect the guidance on keeping children safe in education and new legislation such as positions of trust, as well as findings from the out-of-school settings multi-agency pilot scheme, which have been made in collaboration with representatives from the sector and safeguarding partners. They have also added links to download a guide, leaflets and posters.

Prevent Duty Update

The Home Office have updated the Prevent Duty Guidance which comes into force on 31^st December 2023 (please note that there are no new legal requirements or responsibilities for education settings) - Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There is also a briefing note for early years and schools

World Nursery Rhyme Week reminder

Can there really only be two weeks to go until #wnrw23 ? Make sure you've registered and downloaded your free resource pack via www.worldnurseryrhymeweek.com/registration We can't wait to see you all there!

Training/CPD

Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP)

The Early Years Professional Development Programme is part of the DfE’s Early Years Recovery Programme to help address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children. Delivering high-quality, evidence- informed professional development to early years practitioners, the EYPDP is available to up to 10,000 eligible practitioners across England. The programme, delivered by Education Development Trust (EDT), has been

designed for early years practitioners and childminders, qualified to Level 3 or above, who regularly work with disadvantaged children aged 2-4. Further eligibility criteria details can be found here.

 Registration for cohort 3 starting next January is now open and places are limited. Find out more and register your interest by visiting www.earlyyearspdp.com.

Alliance Connect: Supporting wellbeing in the early years: exploring a low-demand strategy

Tuesday 7 November, 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Adopting a low-demand approach in the early years has been shown to support the emotional wellbeing of both children and educators – but what exactly do we mean by 'low-demand' and what does a low-demand strategy look like in practice in any early years settings?

Join this free Alliance Connect to examine the different demands that children face in their everyday lives, understand the impact that these demands can have on a young child, and explore which demands can be proactively removed as part of our ongoing efforts to support child wellbeing.

The session will be led by Laura Hellfeld, an independent nurse consultant who works to support the neurodivergent community and educate other care professionals to understand their unique support needs.

This will be an engaging, interactive session where we will work through two case studies and a drawing and labelling exercise, so have a pen and piece of paper ready!

Blackpool Better Start’s Annual Conference is a free online event with key speakers including Christian Guy, Director of The Royal Foundation for Early Childhood – it takes place on Thursday 16^th November and when you register, you can access the online event for 14 days afterwards and view in your own time

Sharing the Science of Early Childhood: Who Knows Best? Tickets, Thu 16 Nov 2023 at 09:00 | Eventbrite

Maths Champions NDNA programme

The early years ‘maths champions’ programme run by the National Day Nurseries Association is being expanded nationally with funding from the Education Endowment Foundation.

Settings can sign up to deliver the programme from February 2024. To be eligible, settings must take three- to four-year-olds, with at least six of those children attending for a minimum of 15 hours a week.

More information on the programme is available here - www.ndna.org.uk/maths