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
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
Wednesday 5 January 2022
Although 2022 is not beginning as we would have hoped, we begin by wishing you all the very best for 2022.
Since our last broadcast, before Christmas, it continues to be an ever changing picture, in relation to COVID-19 and the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Although this is being reported to be milder than previous strains, it is much faster spreading, and as such will inevitably have an impact on your workforce and children attending your settings. Early years and childcare settings, schools and colleges continue to be open for all children and young people in England and attendance of school age children remains compulsory.
With increasing infection rates, it is important that you revisit your contingency plan now, if you haven't already, to ensure you are prepared and able to take appropriate steps should you need to. For example, how you will prioritise places (please see updated guidance around this below) and manage staffing, as well as reducing transmission rates. We recommend you are clear and transparent with staff and families using your setting on what steps you might need to take, and what impact these could have on places and fees in different circumstances, for example if the child is unable to attend due to illness and if the child is unable to attend as the provision cannot open or can only open for limited children. Please refer to the current guidance to inform your planning.
For Free Entitlement (FE) funding, the current position remains the same in that children need to be in attendance at headcount (20 January). If anything changes in relation to FE funding we will of course inform you via these broadcast emails.
Updated Guidance
The self-isolation advice for people with COVID-19 has now changed. It is now possible to end self-isolation after seven days, following two negative Lateral Flow tests taken 24 hours apart. The first Lateral Flow test should not be taken before the sixth day. This guidance also applies to children and young people who usually attend an education or childcare setting.
The guidance around prioritising children of critical workers and vulnerable children, should you need to, was updated on 2 January 2022. Please ensure this is taken into account when considering your contingency planning.
The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) is returning from mid-January 2022 for COVID-related sickness absences for up to two weeks per employee occurring from 21 December 2021 onwards. This two-week limit will be reset so an employer will be able to claim regardless of whether they have claimed under the previous scheme for that employee. More guidance is to be published shortly.
Important: Mandatory Early Years Census 2022 and Free Entitlement Spring term Actuals – Open (FE providers only)
As you may know, every year we carry out the Early Years Census for the Department for Education (DfE). The Early Years Census is crucial because it is used to calculate the amount of funding West Sussex County Council (WSCC) receives for free early education.
The Early Years Census is mandatory for all Free Entitlement (FE) providers claiming funding for at least one child in Spring Term 2022. If you are registered to provide FE but are not claiming for any children in Spring Term, you do not need to complete the Early Years Census. However, all FE providers must submit Spring term actuals data. Please read Important information - Census 2022 letter for further information.
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is now open for you to complete the following tasks:
- Submit your annual Early Years Census form
- Submit your Spring Term FE actuals claim
Key dates:
-
Headcount day: Thursday 20 January 2022
-
Deadline for submission: Friday 28 January 2022
Help and Guidance:
For information on Spring term funded weeks please refer to the article in setting update #194.
Important to note:
- FE claims can only be made for children who are in attendance during Headcount week (unless absent due to short term sickness or planned holiday).
- A Parent Declaration form must be fully completed and signed no later than Headcount day in order to claim at actuals.
- Each child’s funding claim requires you to record their ethnicity, ensure you refer to the Parent Declaration form and select the ethnicity as stated by the parent/guardian. Please do not select ‘Unknown’ as the Department for Education require this information as part of the mandatory data collection.
Extended FE claims - In order for a 30 hours code to be valid for Spring term:
- Parents must have applied for, or reconfirmed their 30 hour code before 31 December 2021.
- The code ‘start date’ must be before 1 January 2022 and the ‘Grace period end date’ covers the Spring term 2022.
To check a code is valid for Spring term use the online eligibility checker and view our helpful video guide for step by step guidance. Please note, WSCC cannot fund without a valid code.
If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Family Information Service on 01243 777807 and ask for the Specialist Team, or e-mail free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Starting School Applications – 10 days to go
The deadline for applying for a school place is Saturday 15 January 2022 for all children born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018. Please make sure that the families who should be applying for a school place for their child, particularly those who have only just started attending with you, are aware of the deadline and complete their application on time.
Please check that all families are aware that completing the Starting School Questionnaire is not the same as applying for a school place and that they have also completed their school application before the deadline.
To apply for a school place, or for more information on applying, please signpost parents to www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions and read the Starting School Leaflet and the application checklist.
If you have any new children starting with you this term, please share with the families the information and the link to complete the online Starting School Questionnaire. Please remember that to see the questionnaire results yourself, you will need to ask the family to identify your setting as the one their child attends so you may need to provide them with your full name and the postcode of your setting based on your Ofsted registration.
Welcome to Grace Fairbourn - Early Years Consultant SEND and Inclusion
We would like to introduce you to Grace Fairbourn, our new Early Years Consultant for SEND and Inclusion, who joined us just before Christmas. Grace worked previously in the PVI sector as Director of Care and Education for a group of Early Years Settings. She is a qualified Early Years Teacher and has achieved the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-Ordination (NASENC).
With 12 years’ experience in multiple roles in Early Years settings and working as a SENCO, Grace has a vast amount of knowledge in ensuring best outcomes for all children across the sector. Early Years education is her passion, and giving all children, particularly those with SEND, the best start to their education and learning journey and access to the full curriculum is at the heart of all she does. Look out for updates from Grace in future SEND and Inclusion newsletters and contributions to our weekly setting updates.
- NOW - Spring term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- NOW - 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)
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)
-
Practice support (EYFS, Diversity and Inclusion, health and wellbeing, transitions, legislation, regulation and safeguarding)
-
Supporting families in your childcare setting (includes CLaWBA, integrated reviews)
-
Tools for schools and settings (supporting the inclusion of all children in early years)
-
Business support (Free Entitlement, marketing, finance, recruitment, advertising)
- Training and qualifications
-
Network meetings/events (Learning and development, INCO SENCO, business and welfare)
-
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.
-
#195 (2021 re-cap, Updated guidance for childminders, Fire Safety for Early Years providers)
-
#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)
-
#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)
-
#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)
-
#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
| 
