The West Sussex approach puts the child first. We work with children, families, communities, our partners and schools in a restorative, strength based way. Strong relationships are at the heart of what we do.
Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council - Early Help Service
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Tuesday 18 May 2021
DfE data capture
Please note this data is now collected fortnightly. Therefore the next collection will be on week commencing 24 May 2021.
Contain Outbreak Management Fund - Round 2 Update
There has unfortunately been a further delay in processing the COMF outcomes and payments. We are confident that the final queries will be cleared up this week and it is our intention to get back to you with the outcome of your application imminently, including expected payment dates. In order to ensure that the funding pot is spent in its entirety, we are unable to finalise the payment to each successful applicant until all queries have been resolved. Some of these were more complicated than expected. Thank you for your patience.
Preparing for the Introduction of the Reformed EYFS
The Reformed EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Curriculum Framework for Early Years and non-statutory guidance ‘Development Matters’ have been published by the Department for Education (DfE) recently. These need to be implemented by all early years settings by September this year. General guidance to support implementation will soon be published on the gov.uk website.
The DfE, through the Teaching School Council, has funded Pen Green and partner Nursery Schools to deliver the following online training to provide additional support to eligible private and voluntary sector early years providers. These sessions have been designed to address the most common concerns of providers across the country who responded to our survey.
Recordings of all sessions are now available on the Pen Green website. Pen Green have requested that, if you view any of these sessions, you provide feedback via the survey monkey on their website.
The Role of the Inclusion Coordinator
The Role of the Inclusion Coordinator (INCO) is now available to book. Gain greater clarity into the expectations of the INCO role and discover how this looks in practice. Explore current and effective practice and consider skills that might be needed to deliver this. Practical activities and group discussions will be used to promote and share ideas. We will be offering additional dates of this course from September 2021. This is a two day course, so you will need to attend both sessions to gain your certificate. Each place cost £50. To book, search for the course code EYT 21/1757 on the Learning and Development Gateway.
- Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 June - 10.00am to 1.00pm
If you have any questions, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Graduates in Early Years Research
Dr Nikki Fairchild, Associate Head, Foundation Degree in Early Years Care and Education, of the University of Portsmouth is currently conducting a national survey to gain a sense of the early years' sector's views on Graduate Leaders and undergraduate students in settings.
This research has been commissioned by the Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN) and is being conducted by staff in the School of Education and Sociology (EDSOC) at the University of Portsmouth. The survey is open to those working in the early years sector in an academic or vocational capacity. It takes approximately 10-20 minutes to complete.
Dr Fairchild and colleagues appreciate that it is a challenging time for people nationally but they wish to do their utmost to support the sector by determining the value of graduate staff and undergraduate students as we move forward. The findings will be shared throughout the early years community and beyond and will help to inform how Higher Education Institutions support their undergraduate trainees so they are even better prepared to fulfil professional expectations when working with children.
UK Trauma Council - free traumatic bereavement resources
The UK Trauma Council is providing free, evidence-based resources to support schools, colleges and practitioners working with children who have experienced trauma, including as a result of bereavement or COVID-19. You can access resources via their website.
Please inform the Family Information Service if your setting needs to close or is re-opening. 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 closing due to COVID-19 please ensure you read and follow all the steps in the PHE South East Health Protection Team ' Managing Suspected and Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Early Years and Childcare settings' flowchart.
In the event of your setting having a confirmed COVID-19 case, if Public Health or the Department for Education have stated you must close for any period of time you must inform the Family Information Service. However, if Public Heath have not explicitly stated in correspondence to you that the setting must close, we would expect you to make contact with your Early Years and Childcare Adviser (EYCA) to talk through your circumstances, where possible, before making the decision to close the setting. If you are not able to make immediate contact with your EYCA then please email your nearest Early Help Hub using the following email addresses:
Where there are not clearly evidenced reasons why the setting had no option to close, there could be implications for funding received as per the government guidance.
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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#153 (Final reminder - Early Help redesign consultation, amendment to #152, writing readiness and pencil grip, survey on SEND and Inclusion resources, SEND newsletter, public health survey)
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#152 (DfE data capture and change in frequency, updated guidance, children starting FE between 10-17 May 2021, FE summer term Actuals reminder, new online service to support implementation of revised EYFS, safeguarding and child protection refresher, supporting bereaved children)
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#151 (DfE data capture, changes on how to order testing kits, testing of staff, new resource to support diversity and inclusion)
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#150 (support available to providers to engage with asymptomatic testing, FE summer term actuals final reminder, extended FE claims reminder)
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#149 (COMF update, reminder to report positive COVID-19 cases, get a PCR test if symptomatic, ventilation, DAF summer claims, EYPP summer claims, working with pregnant people and/or families with a child under 1, childminder conference - enabling environments workshop)
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:
- 21 May - Summer term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- 16 Jun - Autumn term Estimate submissions open (FE providers)
- w/c 21 Jun - Summer term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
- 2 Jul - Autumn term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 12 Jul - Autumn term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
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