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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 13 October 2021
Reminder - DfE data capture required this week
A Department for Education data capture for the numbers of children currently accessing early years provision is required this week. It is open now, and will close tonight at midnight. Please use this link to complete your return.
Starting School Questionnaire
The Starting School Questionnaire is now open for families to complete. The aim of the questionnaire is for parents to share any concerns they have about their child starting school in time for support to be offered to enable a smooth transition.
The Starting School Questionnaire will be completed by parents online. Please use the template email to send to all families with children in your setting born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 and therefore due to start school in September 2022. In order for you to see the responses from the parents, the parents will need to identify which setting their child attends using the setting address, so it is important that you add this information to the template email before sending to families. The completed forms will then be sent to your setting email address for you to review and respond to any issues raised.
Please ask parents to complete the questionnaire by 30 November 2021 if possible. The questionnaire will remain open beyond this date for any families who have not yet responded. We would encourage you to monitor the completion of forms and follow up with any families who have not completed them as well as checking that they have applied for a school place before the deadline of Saturday 15 January 2022.
If a family complete the questionnaire without identifying the setting that their child attends, then the information will go to the Healthy Child Programme (HCP). An HCP practitioner will follow up with these families if appropriate. HCP will not see the questionnaire responses for children who are identified as attending a West Sussex early years setting. Full details can be found in the updated guidance on our website at www.westsussex.gov.uk/integratedreview.
Videos on implementing the EYFS reforms
Last week the Department for Education (DfE) published a small suite of videos on GOV.UK with direct messages from DfE, Ofsted and early adopter schools on their experiences in delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) reforms and how they have changed their approach to delivering the EYFS, including when completing the EYFS Profile assessment. DfE and Ofsted provide a summary of the reforms and the new expectations for early years curriculum and assessment. School leaders of early adopter schools share their experiences of the EYFS reforms and how they implemented them in their school. Also, reception teachers in early adopter schools share how the reforms have impacted their assessment practices and what was important in their assessments during the early adopter year. You can view the videos here.
Two blogs have also been published from leaders of early adopter schools discussing their experience of implementing the reforms to the EYFS and how they impacted their practice, as well as sharing key tips based on their experience. The first is from Sarah Charlton, Head of Early Years at Ark Priory Academy in West London and the second, is from Kate Pounder, Early Years Lead at Caldicotes Primary Academy in Thorntree, Middlesborough.
EYFS Profile handbook
The Department for Education (DfE) have published the 2021/22 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) Handbook to provide guidance for teachers on assessing children’s development at the end of reception year. As part of the EYFS reforms, the DfE has streamlined all guidance on the EYFSP into one document. The Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) will no longer be published for the EYFSP, with all guidance and information now in the EYFSP Handbook.
Early Years Professional Development Programme Phase 2
Following on from the information in the broadcast on 29/09/21 (#183), we are now able to provide you with an update about the next steps for those of you who meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in taking part in the programme.
The Education Development Trust (EDT) will begin contacting the setting managers of all eligible settings towards the end of this week with details about signing up to the programme using their online portal. Managers of eligible settings will receive an email from info@eypdp2022 soon. If you do not receive this email, please check your spam folders. This is also the email address to use for any questions or queries you may have.
Once you have provided the practitioner details via the portal, EDT will send a welcome email and further information to you directly. All practitioners need to have registered on the EDT portal by 30 November to access the training which is due to start in January 2022.
Early Years updates from the Virtual School - Key dates for your diary
Designated Teacher Briefings provide a termly update to schools and settings from the Virtual School and their work during this term. The Designated Teacher will hear about the current priorities within the Virtual School and the support and resource available to them to meet the needs of Children Looked After they are working with. There will be an opportunity to raise issues and queries with Virtual School staff.
- Monday 8 November 2021 and Tuesday 9 November 2021 - 1hr online session from 4.00pm to 5.00pm
Early Years Personal Education Plan (PEP) briefing outlines the changes to the Early Years PEP, the role of the Designated Teacher and how to get the best from the PEP meeting. Having a clear understanding of the role of the Designated Teacher within the PEP process will enable you to prepare fully for the PEP meeting and meet the child’s learning and development needs more effectively.
- Wednesday 3 November 2021 - 1hr online session from 3.30pm to 4.30pm
When these briefings ran in September, unfortunately only four settings attended and the Virtual School are seeing large gaps in recording. Please do book a place to ensure you are fully aware of the role of the setting in a PEP meeting.
To book a place on either session, please email Tina.Marshall@westsussex.gov.uk with your name, setting, email address and telephone number along with the meeting you would like to attend.
Early Years and Childcare Providers Survey
A huge thank you to all the providers who took the time to complete the survey over July and August. Over 25% of our pre-schools and day nurseries took part in the consultation, along with 17 % of childminders who offer funded places (11% of all childminders). We are working through all the responses and are collating these to share with you soon, including any action we have taken or intend to take as a result.
Christmas HAF Expression of Interests – last few days!
Expression of Interests to provide Holiday Activities and Food for children during the Christmas Holidays 2021 in West Sussex close on the Sunday 17 October 2021. You need to complete the form if you are making your first bid for grant funding or for providers that want to make a change to a previously submitted Christmas bid.
Your proposal can be to deliver just activities or food or both. We also want to hear from providers that can support other providers to deliver nutritional education.
To submit an Expression of Interest please complete the questionnaire online here. The closing date is 12 noon Sunday 17 October 2021.
Child Protection Conferences
These three hour webinars are for all professional and will provide you with an overview of the child protection conference process and how you should prepare and actively contribute. The webinar will take you through the process and explain the importance of ensuring a child focused approach in order to promote outcomes and keep the child safe. These webinars are free and they are running on the following dates and times:
Thursday 4 November 2021 - 1.000am to 1.00pm – LSCP 21/2334
Thursday 18 November 2021 - 10.00am to 1.00pm – LSCP 21/2350
Thursday 2 December 2021 - 10.00am to 1.00pm – LSCP 21/2336
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.
All early years providers must follow a new reformed EYFS framework from September 2021. View the new framework and how the changes affect you.
The West Sussex Learning Journal materials have been updated to reflect the changes to the EYFS from September 2021 and are available on our 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 ' What happens if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in an educational setting' 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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#184 (DfE data capture, important changes to reporting COVID-19 cases in your setting, self-isolation hub, Public Health England name change, FE children starting between 20/09/21 and 8/10/21, starting school applications, LoCASE business grants, step away from the star chart: strategies for responding to children's behaviour)
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#183 (COVID-19 guidance updates, HAF for Christmas, Nasen awards final reminder, EYPDP phase 2, area inclusion and improvement workshops, new DfE publications, oral health and the EYFS, Ofsted early years inspection handbook, choking hazards in settings)
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#182 (Final reminder - FE Autumn actuals, CLaWBA folders, pan Sussex safeguarding under 5's conference, a look at Christmas crafts)
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#181 (DfE data capture, COVID-19 updated flowchart, updated setting outbreak pack, FE actuals for autumn claims, FE leaflet stocks, nasen SEND training, nasen EY awards, updated OAIP and inclusion framework, foundation stage forum subscription ending, fire safety for early years, using social media)
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#180 (COVID-19 updates, last chance to complete setting survey, DfE data capture next week, SEND Under 5s, update on changes to EYPEPs, school readiness integrated review and school applications for 2022, new courses)
- Now - New EYFS framework effective
- w/c 18 Oct - Autumn term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
- 8 Nov - Spring term Estimate submissions open (FE providers)
- 22 Nov - Spring term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 6 Dec - Spring term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
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