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
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
Tuesday 15 September 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 – open
A reminder that the Online Provider Portal (OPP) is open for you to submit your Autumn term Free Entitlement (FE) actuals claims.
- Headcount day: Thursday 17 September 2020
- Deadline for submissions: 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 covers how to submit Disability Access Fund (DAF) and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) claims.
- Extended FE claims: Parents must have applied for, or reconfirmed their 30 hour code before 31 August in order to access Extended FE in the Autumn term. WSCC cannot fund without a valid code.
- DAF/EYPP claims: Please refer to Setting update #84 for further information and guidance.
Please remember as soon as a child has accepted a school place, even on a part-time basis, they are not eligible to claim FE in the Autumn term.
For further information please read the document entitled ‘Claims process pdf’ at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement. If you have any queries please email us.
Hands, Face, Space campaign
A new public information campaign has been launched ahead of winter to highlight how everyone can help to stop the spread of COVID-19.
On 9 September, the Prime Minister launched the ‘Hands, Face, Space’ campaign urging the public to continue to wash their hands, cover their face and make space to control infection rates and avoid a second peak. In line with this they have produced a communications toolkit for universities in England, but which may be of wider interest.
Rule of Six
On Monday 14 September, new laws prohibiting social gatherings of more than six people came into effect in England. The new ‘rule of six’ simplifies and strengthens the rules on social gatherings, making them easier to understand and easier for the police to enforce. It means that, apart from a set of limited exemptions including education and work, any social gatherings of more than six people indoors or outdoors will be against the law.
The approach early years settings should continue to follow is set out in the actions for early years and childcare providers guidance.
Responding to those with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
It is vital that educational settings only ask children or staff to self-isolate and recommend they get a test if they develop symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). Those sent home to self-isolate, having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, should only get tested if they develop symptoms themselves. The symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Testing capacity is the highest it has ever been, but there is a significant demand for tests. Booking is essential for drive in and walk in test sites, and under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
As cold and flu season is approaching, please note that sneezing and a runny nose is not a symptom of COVID-19. We would encourage you to work with individual parents to understand the symptoms that their child is displaying and to make decisions about whether or not it is appropriate for them to attend.
Risk Assessments in Settings
Although rates of COVID-19 are currently low, we are aware that there has been a rise and we all need to continue to be vigilant and implement safety measures to minimise the risk of the spread of infection. We have had one setting that has been told by Public Health England that they need to close because they have had a positive case within the setting and there is a risk that others have had close contact. In this case, the mixing was in the outside area which carries a lower risk, but the risk is still there. We would suggest that, in the light of this, settings reflect on how they are managing groups of children and thinking through what would happen if a child or staff member tested positive for COVID-19 resulting in others needing to self-isolate. We know that at this challenging time, everyone wants to have measures in place to support everyone to feel safe as well as minimising the risk to your business of an enforced closure.
Ofsted Inspections
Ofsted have updated their guidance to say that their inspection of providers on the Childcare Register will resume from 16 September. For more information about the inspection activity to be carried out by Ofsted in the autumn term, please read the Ofsted COVID-19 rolling update.
Training opportunity - Makaton for all
Ever fancied enhancing your practice by adding Makaton to your skill set? Makaton is a language programme that uses signs together with speech and symbols, to enable people to communicate. It is designed to support the development of spoken language, so is useful to support children with communication delays or difficulties. To book, search for the course name on the Learning and Development Gateway.
- Makaton Taster Webinar £30- Discover Makaton while learning key 20 key signs and symbols which support early communication.
- Makaton Foundation Level 1 Webinar £59 and Makaton Foundation Level 2 Webinar £59 - In these certified Makaton Foundation Level 1 and Level 2 webinars, you’ll learn signs and symbols such as greetings, family roles, and food and drink. We also offer a combined Makaton Foundation Level 1 and 2 £120
- Finally, if you have completed Makaton Foundation Level 1, you could take your learning further by booking onto Makaton Safeguarding Taster Webinar £30 or Makaton Safeguarding (2 day) £120 - The course provides instruction for extra signs and symbols specific to safeguarding and offers access to further resources. You’ll learn signs and symbols such as people and relationships, body parts and clothes.
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.
-
EYC Special Broadcast - New NHS number to get a test - updated flowchart
-
#86 (Amendment to PHE flowchart, exemptions from 'rule of 6', new LADOs, Five to Thrive webinar, Foundation Years newsletter, business support training)
-
#85 (Suspected cases guidance, PHE pack, what to do if child displays symptoms, school readiness integrated review, changes to EY training and networks, PFA, EYFS, disapplications)
-
#84 (Suspected cases update, early outbreak management, DAF autumn claims, EYPP autumn claims, EYCA setting visits, autumn additional payments reminder, EYC representatives reminder, Gigabit broadband voucher scheme)
-
#83 (Updated Local lockdown guidance, FE autumn term actuals, suspected COVID-19 cases, school readiness integrated review, inclusion funding for autumn)
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:
- NOW - FE Actuals submissions open for Autumn term (opened 2 Sep)
- 17 Sep - Autumn Term headcount day (FE)
- 25 Sep - FE Actuals submissions close for Autumn term
| 
