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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 22 December 2021
This is due to be our final broadcast for 2021 with none planned for the week between Christmas and New Year. This is of course subject to any urgent information needing to be shared, in which case we will send this as a Special Broadcast. These emails will resume on Wednesday 5 January 2022, continuing on a weekly basis.
As we reflect on the last 12 months, we are sure none of us thought we would still be in a position of continuing restrictions and on-going changes to guidance. To celebrate how far we have all come, we would like to take this opportunity to re-cap some of the key events of 2021 and consider the next steps for us all in 2022.
Spring term 2021
- Further national restrictions announced on 4 January 2021, with early years settings remaining open for all and out of school clubs able to offer places to children of critical workers and vulnerable children only.
- Settings continued to be funded for children they expected to attend, regardless of actual attendance.
- Contain Outbreak Management Funding (COMF) applications were opened to providers who offer Free Entitlement places with £500k in total paid out to support providers with the increased costs as a direct result of COVID-19. A further £100k was also secured to the out of school sector and childminders who did not offer funded places.
- The issues around vaccines and testing for the sector were widely campaigned for nationally and locally.
- Lateral Flow Tests were introduced for asymptomatic adults, and delivered to eligible providers for all staff to use twice a week.
- Vaccination programme was put in place with an age based approach to prioritisation.
Summer term 2021
- Funding returned to normal processes, with extra flexibility put in place around children starting after headcount.
- Ofsted began full inspections again, from 4 May 2021, initially for identified providers meeting clear criteria.
- Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown commenced on 19 July 2021 including the removal of the need for 'bubbles' and relaxing of requirements around face masks.
- EYFS disapplications ended on 31 August 2021.
Autumn term 2021
- 1 September 2021, the new EYFS framework came into force.
- CO2 Monitors rollout to eligible Early Years providers and childminders.
- New measures were introduced as a response to the Omicron variant.
- The Spending Review announced an increase to investment in Early Years over the next three financial years.
- Booster vaccine programme in place for all.
Although it may currently feel that we are taking steps backwards into further restrictions, it is important to see how far we have come and what you have all achieved over the last 12 months.
We look forward to working with you all in 2022 and our first steps will be to finalise the funding formula which will allow us to confirm the funding rates for the next financial year. This follows the publication of the 2022/23 Local Authority allocations on 16 December. The funding formula will need to be agreed by the Schools Forum on 3 February 2022 and will subsequently feed into your indicative budgets which will be sent out following that. We will regularly keep you updated through this broadcast.
We are extremely proud of the Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex and as we come to the end of what has been another challenging and exhausting year for the sector, we would like to take this opportunity to again thank you for your dedication, commitment and hard work.
Updated Guidance for Childminders
The DfE has published an update of its COVID-19 guidance for childminders.
Fire Safety for Early Years Providers
This three hour course is for all Fire Wardens and Fire Marshals within Early Years. It will introduce you to basic fire safety training in the workplace and provide you with the opportunity to use portable firefighting equipment. An outside demonstration of this equipment will be undertaken, providing there are suitable local facilities.
The aim of this course is to provide you with a greater awareness of fire safety provisions and your additional responsibilities before and in the event of a fire.
If you apply what you have learnt in this course you will be able to:
- Have an awareness of human behaviour in fire.
- Identify the causes and mechanism of fire.
- Assess the precautionary measures installed in a building.
- Recognise how a fire risk assessment is made.
- Identify the legislation relating to fire safety in buildings.
- Identify and understand the different types if fire extinguishers.
There is a course running on Friday 28 January 9.30-12.30 at Arundel Fire Station. For more information, and to book into this course, please search for course code FRS 22/171 or search Fire Safety - Early Years on the Learning and Development Gateway. The cost of the training is £125.
Network meetings in Spring 2022 are running as online webinars. Follow a link to book a place via the Learning and Development Gateway:
Early Years Learning and Development Network
- Tuesday 25 January 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/224
- Wednesday 2 February 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/227
- Thursday 3 February 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/550
INCO SENCO Network
- Tuesday 8 March 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/221
- Wednesday 9 March 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/222
- Thursday 10 March 2022 - 1.00pm to 3.00pm - EYT 22/556
Childminder Event
To allow our Early Years and Childcare Advisors to focus their support to where it is most needed, we ask that you check for information online before you contact us.
COVID-19 guidance
Other information and guidance (WSCC)
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Practice support (EYFS, Diversity and Inclusion, health and wellbeing, transitions, legislation, regulation and safeguarding)
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Supporting families in your childcare setting (includes CLaWBA, integrated reviews)
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Tools for schools and settings (supporting the inclusion of all children in early years)
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Business support (Free Entitlement, marketing, finance, recruitment, advertising)
- Training and qualifications
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Network meetings/events (Learning and development, INCO SENCO, business and welfare)
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Online Provider Portal (submission dates, help guides)
For help to access information
To request additional support for your setting
All early years providers must follow a new reformed EYFS framework from September 2021. View the new framework to see how the changes affect you, and access updated Learning Journal materials online.
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, and inform Ofsted.
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.
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#194 (EY Census, DfE data capture, COVID-19 guidance update, length of spring term, starting school applications - one month to go, February half- term activities, SEND and inclusion newsletter, exploring theory of mind)
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#193 (DfE data capture, fake NHS emails, EYPDP, FE spring term estimate payments, 30 hour codes reminder, spring term networks, food safety: choking prevention, HAF for Christmas, learn - explore - debate, save the date - EY annual conference, calling all superheroes)
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#192 (DfE Data capture, new measures in response to Omicron variant, arrangements for COVID-19 testing over the Christmas break, reminder about CO2 monitors, school readiness integrated review)
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#191 (COVID-19 - Christmas Activities, FE - Spring Term Estimates, Safeguarding Poster, Holiday Activities and Food Programme, Early Years Professional Development Programme, Fire Safety training, Early Years Special Interest Group, Working with children with EAL, Calling All Superheroes)
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#190 (DfE data capture, new online provider portal guidance web pages, ministerial letter to parent and carers of children and young people with SEND, safer recruitment, EYPDP, a look at springtime crafts)
- 4 Jan - Spring term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 4 Jan - Annual Early Years Census submissions open (FE providers)
- 15 Jan - Applications close for starting school places (Primary, infant, junior)
- 20 Jan - Free Entitlement headcount day for Spring Term
- 28 Jan - Spring term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- 28 Jan - Annual Early Years Census submissions close (FE providers)
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