With you, with the child. Every step of the way.
Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council - Early Help Service
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Monday 11 May 2020
We hope you managed a bit of a break, where possible, over the bank holiday weekend and maybe took part in some form of VE Day celebrations.
We are sure many of you will have watched yesterday's, 10 May, government announcement. Step two of their measures to modify the current lockdown restrictions indicates we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and get certain pupils back into schools, at the earliest by 1 June (after half term). This is likely to be in stages, beginning with Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and those pupils due to sit their GCSEs next year. All of this is of course part of a 'conditional' plan and subject to key tests being met, such as sufficient PPE and testing in place.
The Prime Minister will be setting out further details of the approach and next steps to parliament this afternoon. They will then publish further guidance setting out more information for early years, schools and colleges later today. We will, of course, be reading this and providing any support we can to help you with your planning.
We appreciate the government announcement and subsequent DfE statement probably raises many questions about potential risks, how to mitigate these and other practical issues. We will keep you up to date as we reach a greater understanding of how these changes may be implemented but please bear with us as these changes develop and evolve.
However, one thing that will become even more important as services begin to re-open is to keep us informed of when you re-open or if you still need to remain closed. Please keep us updated by emailing family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk.
Eligibility for government childcare offers protected
On 5 May 2020, the government announced that any working parent usually eligible for 30 hours Free Entitlement (FE) or Tax-Free Childcare will remain eligible if they fall below the minimum income requirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject to Parliamentary approval, parents who are critical workers will also remain eligible for these entitlements if their income has increased over the maximum threshold during the COVID-19 restrictions.
This temporary flexibility will ensure critical workers can continue to access the childcare they need to enable them to work. These arrangements will be reviewed over the summer.
The Department for Education (DfE) will be updating their guidance in due course to reflect these temporary changes. In the meantime, if you have any queries regarding 30 hours FE claims for the summer term or you are unable to submit a claim via the Online Provider Portal, please refer to the guidance at www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal or contact us at free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Government Financial Support for businesses
With all the information for you to digest around the financial support available to you, we know this can seem quite overwhelming.
To find out what government financial support your setting could benefit from, you can take the gov.uk questionnaire. It is quick and simple and provides all the latest information. If you haven’t done it already, we suggest you do here.
One of the newer schemes available is the Bounce Back Loan. From 4 May small businesses can access a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders. The scheme helps small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of their turnover. The maximum loan available is £50,000. The government guarantees 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months. After 12 months the interest rate will be 2.5% a year. You can find out more about eligibility and how to apply online here.
All providers please complete a short online survey, twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday. The link to the survey is different each time. A link will be provided in the morning broadcast on each of the days it is required. Each survey will only be open on the day it is required, and will close at midnight.
If a family you know are struggling to ensure they have food for their family, collect medication, or are in need of any additional support, contact West Sussex County Council Community hub.
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#35 6 May (Cyber security; EHCP form; testing; furloughing links; VE Day)
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#34 4 May (FE Actuals reminder; amended regulations for EHCP timescales)
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#33 1 May (Celebrating your work pt3; Libraries; Bookstart)
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#32 30 April (Briefing re the use of Free Entitlement funding)
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#31 29 April (PM) (updated guidance on use of entitlements funding)
- 22 May - Summer Term FE Actuals submissions close
- 25 May - Bank Holiday
- 15 Jun - Summer Term FE Actuals payments released (week commencing)
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