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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Thursday 2 July 2020
Due to some significant updates from the government, we are sending out an additional broadcast today to ensure you have all the information you need as quickly as possible. We hope that this updated information will support you with your future planning.
Removal of the requirement for ‘bubbles’ from 20 July
Today 2 July, the government have updated the Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The updated guidance includes:
- a change to the protective measures in early years settings that will be effective from 20 July, removing the requirement to keep children in small consistent groups within settings but still minimising mixing where possible (sections 2.1 and 3.3)
- new content on risk assessment (3.1), supporting staff with increased risk factors (3.2) and system of controls (3.3)
- updated content on attendance at settings for those shielding, with changes to the advice effective from 1 August, and removal of content on vulnerable children since settings are open for all children (section 4)
- updated content on wraparound care (5.3)
- an update on Early Years Foundation Stage reforms (7.6) and Reception Baseline Assessment (7.7)
This information will assist you in your planning for the summer and into the autumn, so please read this carefully to ensure you are operating within the required guidelines. We are also reviewing this new information and will send out any further updates and clarification specific to West Sussex, as required, as soon as possible.
Guidance for out of school provision
Yesterday 1 July, the government published new guidance outlining Protective measures for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The Department for Education wants to ensure, with these protective measures, that all providers are able to open in:
- their own premises,
- education premises, such as schools or colleges (where providers would be using them outside of school hours, or when closed over school holiday periods), or
- community-facing premises including village halls, community centres and places of worship.
Providers who open should implement this guidance from the end of summer term, when state schools in their local area have closed. Until then, while schools are open in a provider’s local area, they should follow the same protective measures as schools to limit different groups of children mixing. This means that if a setting opens before the end of the 2020 summer term, they should ensure they are:
- Only caring for children from the eligible groups (children in early years, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6) and priority groups (children of critical workers and vulnerable children).
- Only caring for children from one school or early years provider.
- Working closely with the school or early years providers that their children attend, to ensure that, as far as possible, children are kept in the same small consistent groups that they are in throughout the day, and otherwise maintain social distance.
Also published on 1 July, Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This guidance is for parents and carers and covers changes to after-school clubs, holiday clubs, tuition, community activities and other out-of-school settings for children and young people over the age of 5 during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Please inform the Family Information Service if your current operating status changes. Email family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk and include your setting name, Ofsted URN, the date you intend to close/open, and any changes to your operating hours. If you inform us of re-opening, you will be reinstated on the public list and appear on our website www.westsussex.gov.uk/fis.
If you are have not been able to open at this time, you should already have submitted a COVID-19 Recovery Plan and sent a copy by email to the FIS. This is so that we can look at the barriers you have identified and support you to re-open as soon as practicable. If we have not received your plan, you will be contacted by your EYCA to support you further.
All providers please complete a short online survey, once a week. The link to the survey is different each time. A link will be provided in each Monday broadcast, and the survey will be open for three full days each week from Monday to Wednesday, closing at midnight on the Wednesday. The latest link to the survey is also available on our website.
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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#60 1 July (Holiday provision, community facilities, OPP downtime, infection prevention and control webinar)
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#59 29 June (CJRS errors with claiming, FE Estimates reminder, PHE flowchart, broadband boost)
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#58 26 June (FE Parent Declaration Form - Word version)
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#57 24 June (updated FE Briefing Note, updates on OOS and HPS provision, Inclusion funding, safeguarding is everyone's business)
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#56 22 June (changes to data capture, FE estimates open, Paediatric First Aid)
We have a range of online training available for you to access for your staff to ensure they have the most up to date information to support them in their role:
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