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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council - Early Help Service
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Tuesday 22 June 2021
Reminder - DfE data capture required this week
This week's Department for Education 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.
Large Group Activities during the Summer Term
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued some specific guidance on large group activities that often happen in schools and early years settings in the second half of the summer term. While we are not promoting hosting large events for children, if you are considering organising these types of activities, we are encouraging you to plan these carefully to ensure the risk of spread of infection is limited as well as considering the impact for the children involved.
Leavers events:
- Currently, settings should avoid hosting large group gatherings indoors for more than one bubble (or in early years more than one consistent group), such as assemblies or mass worship. The schools COVID-19 operational guidance states that children should be kept in separate, independent groups (for example, their bubbles). The early years guidance states settings should minimise contact between groups within settings (for example, keeping children in consistent groups).
- Outdoor events are generally lower risk. Once settings have undertaken a risk assessment and planned their event in line with their system of controls, they may consider an outdoor event (for example a leavers’ celebration) that caters for more than one bubble or consistent group, as long as the groups continue to be kept separate.
- Any parents attending outdoor events must adhere to current social distancing requirements. Where outdoors spectators can gather in groups of up to 30 – the legal gathering limit. Multiple groups of 30 are permitted.
Transitional and open days:
- Settings should complete thorough risk assessments before running transitional, taster and open days in your setting, to ensure that they are run in line with their system of controls and align with the advice contained within the guidance for your setting and the roadmap out of lockdown.
- This means that traditional transitional and open days are unlikely to be feasible this academic year but the DfE are keen not to restrict individual settings from designing events which maintain the integrity of bubbles or consistent groups and adhere to the system of controls in place.
Singing:
- If settings are planning an indoor or outdoor face-to-face performance in front of a live audience, they should continue to follow the latest performing arts guidance, and the guidance on delivering outdoor events.
- Registered early years settings, schools and colleges are, however, exempt from the requirement to limit group numbers to six for singing indoors.
DEADLINE TOMORROW: Early Years Funding to Support Health and Physical Development
Don't miss out on this great opportunity to apply for funding available for all Early Years providers who offer Free Entitlement (FE) to support Health and Physical Development which was promoted in the broadcast on 8 June.
Please read the information carefully to ensure your project will meet the funding criteria. Applications must only be from providers that have children attending who are in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium and/or 2 year old FE.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Wednesday 23 June 2021.
Free Entitlement Autumn term estimates now open
The Online Provider Portal is now open for you to submit your Autumn term estimates for Free Entitlement (FE) for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
- Headcount Day for Autumn term is 16 September 2021.
- Deadline for estimate submissions is 2 July 2021.
For help and guidance view our quick and easy Estimate video guide, or you can refer to the Estimate help guide PDF version.
30 hour code deadline reminder: In order for children to access an Extended FE place in the Autumn term their 30 hour code must be issued by HMRC by 31 August 2021. Any existing codes with a grace period ending 31 August 2021, or earlier must also be reconfirmed by this date. We will be contacting you shortly to inform you of children at your setting who have codes with grace period end date of 31 August 2021. Please note, the online eligibility checker is always available to check a child’s 30 hour code is valid for the upcoming term.
If you have any queries, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
Free Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – Summer Term Payments
Please be advised that Summer term payments have now been released for:
- Free Entitlement actuals where there are no outstanding queries.
- Disability Access Fund (DAF) for all approved applications where evidence was provided.
Please note, payments can take three to five working days to show in your account.
The Online Provider Portal is now closed for Summer term submissions, but you can still log back in to view your payment summary. Please refer to the provider portal help and guidance PDF and open the Actuals help guide for step by step guidance at www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal.
If you have any queries please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Communication courses available
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Ready, Willing and Able: children as confident, capable thinkers and learners (taster webinar) explores ways to support young children to become confident, capable thinkers and learners, through fostering the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. This includes opportunities and resources that encourage them to be independent, make choices and express their views. Cost is £15 per place.
- Saturday 26 June – 1.30pm to 3.00pm - EYT 21/1779
- Wednesday 13 October – 7.00pm to 8.30pm - EYT 21/1869
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Working with Children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) (half day webinar) helps to understand how to meet the needs of children’s individual language development through offering a range of play and learning opportunities. Explore best practice, resources, routines, activities and experiences that support children and work in partnership with their parents and carers. Review the importance of having a policy and practice framework. All course times are 9.30am to 12.30pm. Cost is £25 per place.
- Thursday 8 July - EYT 21/1956
- Thursday 18 November - EYT 21/1957
- Wednesday 16 February - EYT 22/189
To book, search for the course code on the Learning and Development Gateway. If you have any questions, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Early Years Webinar - Supporting children in early years settings who may have experienced trauma
The Anna Freud Centre is delivering a free webinar aimed at all early years practitioners. This webinar will look at:- Supporting children in early years settings who may have experienced trauma and abuse and will be delivered via Zoom on 24 June, 4.30pm to 6.00pm. For more information, and to book a place, please go to their website.
All early years providers must follow a new reformed EYFS framework from September 2021. View the new framework and how the changes affect you.
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.
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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#163 (DfE data capture, transition day, large group activities during the summer term, EYFS reforms, INCO/SENCO training, meeting the needs of every child)
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#162 (Changes to the planned ending of COVID-19 restrictions and transition days in schools, reminder - EY funding to support health and physical development, changes to the EYFS and Development Matters)
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#161 (Reminder - HAF programme, early years transition webinars, newly published courses suitable for all staff)
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#160 (DfE data capture, early years funding to support health and physical development, infant mental health awareness week, ERIC's potty training package, fostering wellbeing in the early years - two new courses)
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#159 (DfE data capture, changes to childminder testing process, survey of childcare and early years providers, new suite of child development courses)
- w/c 21 Jun - Summer term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
- 23 Jun - EY Funding to Support Health and Physical Development - deadline for expressions of interest
- 2 Jul - Autumn term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 12 Jul - Autumn term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
- 1 Sep - Autumn term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 1 Sep - New EYFS framework effective
- 16 Sep - Autumn term headcount day (FE providers)
- 24 Sep - Autumn term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 18 Oct - Autumn term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
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