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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 16 February 2022
Pulse survey for Department for Education on COVID issues affecting the childcare and early years sector
The Department for Education (DfE) is currently inviting all group-based early years settings for whom they have an email address to take part in a weekly ‘pulse’ survey.
This survey supports the DfE to understand the impact of COVID on early years settings, focusing on workforce and child absences. This survey is crucial to obtaining an accurate picture of the issues that the childcare and early years sector are facing.
This week is the final scheduled survey. It may be possible that you will be invited to take part in further surveys, if they are required, to continue to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. However, you will be notified in advance should this be needed. The link to the survey will be sent directly to you from the DfE.
Reminder of planned IT work affecting OPP and website
Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be read-only or unavailable between Friday 18 February and Tuesday 22 February 2022 whilst we upgrade our technology. Note that parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Free Entitlement applications on Tuesday 22 February, and our FIS childcare website will also be unavailable to the public on that day.
Ofsted Registration Fees
It is crucial that all settings keep their Ofsted registration current by paying their registration fee on time. You should receive an invoice, from Ofsted, by email when your setting's fees are due. Any unpaid invoice will trigger a notice of intention to cancel before a final notice of decision to cancel if not paid. Please make sure you are aware of the deadline and check your emails, including your junk mail folder, for reminders. You can pay your childcare invoice online or you can register to pay your Ofsted annual registration fee by direct debit.
Tax-Free Childcare - free webinar for all types of childcare and out of school providers
There are an estimated 1.3m families eligible for Tax Free Childcare (TFC) across the UK but only 282,000 families were signed up by March 2021. To help increase the take up, childcare providers for children aged 0-11 years (up to 17 years for SEND) are invited to attend a 90-minute ZOOM webinar.
The webinar is designed to raise awareness of TFC and increase understanding of it and will consider:
- What is Tax-Free Childcare?
- Why it is important for families and providers.
- How everyone can motivate interest and engagement.
- What actions can be taken to help people sign-up and use TFC?
To help parents with childcare costs, increase revenue into early years and childcare settings, and open up new opportunities you can book using the links below:
- 15 March 2022 - 1.30pm to 3.00pm - book your place here
- 16 March 2022 - 6.30pm to 8.00pm - book your place here
MMR vaccination campaign
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), supported by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the NHS, have launched a new campaign encouraging parents and guardians of children aged 1 to 5 years to check that they are up to date with their MMR vaccines and encourage those that may have missed their appointments to come forward.
Uptake of most routine childhood vaccinations has been declining over the past 5 to 10 years. It is extremely important that all babies and children receive their routine vaccinations at the right time in order to give them the best start in life. Diseases like smallpox and polio have been eradicated in the UK thanks to vaccines.
The MMR vaccine protects against three infections: measles, mumps and rubella. One in 10 children under the age of 5 in England haven’t had one or both of their MMR vaccines which means that measles importations could lead to outbreaks. Measles can infect around 9 out of 10 non-immune (those who are unvaccinated or have not previously been infected with the measles virus) people exposed to it and can lead to serious complications. The MMR vaccine is the safest and most effective way for parents and guardians to protect their children against measles, mumps and rubella.
Parents and guardians are being encouraged to ensure their children are vaccinated against MMR, and if they can’t remember if their child is up to date to check his or her Red Book (personal child health record). Parents or guardians of children who are not up to date with their two doses of MMR vaccine should contact their GP practice to book an appointment as it’s never too late to catch up.
As an early years setting you are well placed to share these key messages with parents by including information in your setting newsletters, or displaying a poster or flyer, and your support with this is much appreciated.
SEND and Inclusion Newsletter
The February edition of the SEND and Inclusion Newsletter is available and can be found here.
Foundation Years blog on SEND: All of our children, all of our responsibility
The Foundation Years have published their latest blog, written by Philippa Stobbs, Assistant Director at the Council for Disabled Children, which leads the Early Years SEND Partnership. Philippa looks back on some of the learning that can be taken from the COVID-19 pandemic and how the responsibilities for meeting the needs of young children with SEND sit with everyone.
Learning and Development Network Meetings
The Learning and Development Network Meetings for the spring term 2022 have taken place online. The network focused on reviewing the quality of your provision and ongoing quality improvement planning. View the key presentation slides and updates shared at the meetings. This article is a repeat from last week but the links were not working correctly and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Supported Transition Programme for EY Settings and Schools 2022
This year, headteachers have provided feedback that schools have seen an increase in the number of children starting school with additional needs. To support you to plan an effective transition for children with additional needs leaving for school in September 2022 we have produced a helpful programme of key dates and available support.
The programme is designed specifically for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other vulnerabilities. Some of these children may benefit from a supported transition, taking a much more individualised approach than the standard transition programme you provide for all children leaving your setting for school. As an Early Years provider, it is your responsibility to identify children who will benefit from supported transition and highlight these children at the Universal Transition Events and to Reception Teachers ensuring the process of supporting our most vulnerable learners is effective.
You will find that the supported transition programme outlines key dates, provides links to resources, guidance and identifies who can support you at each stage of the process.
Five to Thrive Training and Facebook Community
KCA who develop the Five to Thrive training would like to make you aware of a new Five to Thrive community group area that has been created on Facebook. Many practitioners trained in Five to Thrive have been in touch to say this would be useful to have as a place to connect with others using Five to Thrive, somewhere to share experience, good practice and ideas for development.
This space will be an opportunity to hear about the approaches taken in other projects around the country and hopefully this will become a place for partners to share what they are doing and to offer fresh ideas.
This is a practitioner led space but KCA Trainer Consultants will be available for questions and to help with input to conversations when needed or helpful.
Click here to be invited to the Facebook group. It is a closed group so there are just a couple of questions to answer and then your participation can be confirmed.
If you have not yet booked onto any of the follow up sessions the next date is Tuesday 15 March 2022 – 9:30am to 12:30pm - Online. More Five to Thrive Training Sessions will be available from April 2022.
Early Years Annual Conference: SEND and Inclusion in the Early Years
- Date: 11 March 2022
- Venue: Online Event
- Cost: £35 for Early Years Settings
We are excited to announce Jessica Bubb from West Sussex County Council and Jennifer Staunton from School Improvement Liverpool will be presenting: ‘Early Years SENCO, learning from practice – an explanation and key learning.’
Further details on all other useful and inspiring workshops and presentations to follow.
Please book your space on this virtual conference via EVENTBRITE.
Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma Informed Practice
Safe in Sussex is providing free two hour online Home Office funded training focusing on recognising the impact of ACEs and trauma and working in a trauma informed way to improve outcomes.
The course will focus on the long-term trauma which can occur because of ACEs and the impact this can have on emotional and behavioural regulation, and self-esteem. During the session we will examine the impact of the early childhood trauma on brain development and the risk this presents if no protective factors are in place. The training looks at tools that can be used to apply this knowledge in our day to day work. The aim is to be working in a trauma informed way to try to ensure better outcomes for those who have experienced childhood adversity.
There are morning and afternoon sessions available bookable via EVENTBRITE:
Planned maintenance of Online Provider Portal (OPP) and websites:
Network meetings in Spring 2022 are running as online webinars. Follow a link to book a place via the Learning and Development Gateway:
Learning and Development Network Meetings
These took place online in January and February. The network focused on reviewing the quality of your provision and ongoing quality improvement planning. View the key presentation slides and the updates shared at the meetings.
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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#201 (Free Entitlement funding rates 2022/23, update re FE funding for Afghan resettlement programmes, EY representative - voting now open, planned IT work affecting online provider portal and FIS website, SEND and inclusion conference)
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#200 (EY PVI Rep - deadline 04/02/22, new literacy videos, working with children with EAL, child development training, EY annual conference)
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#199 (COVID-19 guidance update, Census and FE actuals deadline this Friday, FE funding for Afghan families, childcare sufficiency report, transition events 2022, early years annual conference - SEND and inclusion, spring term training courses)
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#198 (Reduction in self-isolation period, COVID-19 guidance for childminders, information on good ventilation, temporary suspension of confirmatory PCR tests, EY PVI Rep for the Schools Forum, EYFS flexibilities, reminder - mandatory EY census and spring term FE actuals, new government resource - Stop Abuse Together, a look at springtime crafts)
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Special Broadcast (14 Jan): New guidance for the Early Years Census 2022 (Information for Free Entitlement providers)
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