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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Tuesday 25 August 2020
Reminder - this week's DfE data capture
This week's DfE data capture for the numbers of children currently accessing early years provision is open now, and will close at the end of Wednesday (midnight). Please use this link to complete your return.
Free Entitlement Autumn term actuals – advance notice
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be open for Autumn term Free Entitlement (FE) actuals claims from Wednesday 2 September – Friday 25 September 2020.
Autumn term FE must be claimed in line with the normal guidance available at www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal. To ensure you submit your claims correctly please refer to the Actuals help guide and YouTube video, which also cover how to submit Disability Access Fund (DAF) and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) claims.
Headcount day: Thursday 17 September 2020
For further information please read the document entitled ‘Claims process pdf’ at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement.
Autumn term 2020 additional payments – further information
We are now able to provide further information on additional payments for the Autumn term 2020.
If you have any queries please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk
Changes to information to parents of children attending early years provision, schools and colleges in the autumn term
The government guidance for parents and carers was updated on 21 August. The updates cover new information on school admissions. They have updated the information on travelling to and from nursery, childminders, school and college, education, health and care (EHC) plans, wellbeing, online safety and assessment and exams.
The guidance clarifies that nurseries schools and colleges may need to stagger or adjust start and finish times to help keep groups apart as they arrive and leave the premises. Where start and finish times are adjusted, this should not reduce the amount of time that schools and colleges spend teaching. Nurseries, childminders, schools and colleges will need to contact families to explain any changes they are making, including any new processes for dropping off and picking up children.
Changes to the Protective Measures for Out of School Provision
The government guidance outlining the protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs, and other out-of-school settings during the COVID-19 outbreak was updated on 20 August. The guidance has been updated as follows:
- Amended the guidance to extend its applicability into the autumn school term, and reflect that state schools have now closed for the summer holidays.
- Set out a change to the protective measures which will be effective from the point at which all pupils return to school in the autumn, making clear the position on group sizes and how providers can minimise the risk of children mixing outside their school bubbles.
- Updated content on music and performing arts.
- Added additional content on educational visits.
- Added additional content on shared resources.
From the start of the autumn term, children should be kept in groups of no more than 15 with the same children each time wherever possible and at least one member of staff. Where possible, children should be kept in the same bubbles that they are in during the school day. Where this is not possible, they should be in consistent groups in the out of school provision and these groups should be reviewed to minimise the amount of different children each child comes into contact with, which will reduce the risk of infection.
Groups can share the same space if necessary, with distancing between groups. Where groups of children are sharing a space, other protective measures should be implemented.
Providers should keep a record of the children attending, the school or early years provision they attend as well as the specific groups and members of staff they have been assigned. These records should be kept for at least 21 days.
The guidance for parents and carers of children attending out of school provision was also updated on 20 August to reflect the changes in the guidance for out of school providers.
Statement for the UK Chief Medical Officers on Schools and Childcare Reopening
On 23 August the Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales made a statement on the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening. The statement outlined the benefits, and relatively low risk of children attending childcare and school settings as well as reassuring staff that they are not at an increased risk when working within these settings where the control measures are being followed. Staff members were more likely to be affected by the virus than students, though not more likely than the general population as a whole. Official statistics identified that:
- Only 0.01% of open educational settings had an outbreak.
- Out of more than 1 million children attending pre-school and primary school in June, just 70 children were affected.
- Infections in the wider community likely driving cases in schools.
- Children were more likely to acquire COVID-19 infection at home than in school.
COVID-19 Testing
Some providers have raised concerns about families using privately arranged testing to see if they have COVID-19 or not. We have contacted the Surrey and Sussex Health Protection Team for guidance. They have confirmed that only NHS tests should be used where there is a suspected case. This is because we cannot be sure of the validity of other tests and because only NHS tests will be used in the Track and Trace system. It is crucial that all positive COVID-19 tests are followed up through Track and Trace to reduce the impact of any potential onward transmission.
We recommend that you communicate to families that children will need to stay at home for 10 days from when they are first symptomatic unless they have a negative test result from an NHS test, in line with government guidance.
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 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 Thursday update for the following week, 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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#80 (Supervised Tooth brushing, Autumn Term Funding, Business rates)
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#79 (Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, Bookstart Treasure packs)
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#78 (termly setting updates, Ofsted interim visits, early years and childcare reps needed)
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#77 (PHE flowchart, Paediatric First Aid, Naval Children's Charity)
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#76 (IT upgrade, update on OPP error, visitors to settings)
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:
- 02 Sep - FE Actuals submissions open for Autumn term
- 17 Sep - Autumn Term headcount day (FE)
- 25 Sep - FE Actuals submissions close for Autumn term
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