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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 9 March 2022
As we approach the second anniversary of the emergence of the pandemic, none of us underestimate how the last two years have changed so much for our settings, employees, families and children. COVID-19 is still present, although the number of cases is declining.
The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme remains highly effective in providing direct protection against complications of COVID-19 and/or severe COVID-19 disease. WSCC, working closely with the NHS, continues to encourage all those eligible to come forward at the earliest opportunity to receive their vaccination. Further information on the NHS COVID vaccination programme can be found here.
Share your views to help inform the draft Education and Skills Strategy
A new three-year Education and Skills strategy outlining how West Sussex County Council (WSCC) will support the learning of children and young people across West Sussex from early years to adulthood is being developed. The strategy will be designed to meet the priorities and outcomes in the Council Plan and align to the improvement programme across Children, Young People and Learning.
WSCC wants to work with stakeholders to support all West Sussex children and young people in achieving the best outcomes and opportunities for future education, employment, or training. The new Education and Skills Strategy aims to respond to national changes in policy and practice alongside local issues and priorities, some of which have been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
To help inform and develop the draft strategy we would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to complete a short survey which is open from now until 3 April.
Provider Declaration 2022/2023 – existing Free Entitlement providers only
The new Free Entitlement (FE) Provider Declaration (April 2022 to March 2023) is now available. Please ensure you refer to the latest version on our webpage: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement.
- All existing FE providers must return their signed Provider Declaration form via the Online Provider Portal (OPP) by 25 March 2022 in order to continue delivering FE from April 2022.
To access guidance and the OPP go to www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal to complete and return your ‘Provider Declaration v2’ signature form electronically. Failure to return this form by the due date may delay your Summer term estimate payment.
Any providers wishing to sign up to deliver Free Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds for the first time, please contact the Family Information Service for a separate form and do not complete the online form.
Please note, the Parent Declaration form, Post Headcount/Exceptional Payment Form and Claims Process document have also been updated. Please ensure you use the latest versions which can be found on our webpage: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement
If you have any questions, please contact the Family Information Service Specialist Team on 01243 777807 or email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Free Entitlement (FE) for 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds - Indicative Budgets
The Indicative Budgets are due to be emailed out to you week commencing 14 March 2022.
As communicated in Setting Update 201, the following rates for 2022/23 were approved by the Schools Forum on 3 February 2022:
- Increase base rate for 2 year olds by £0.21.
- Increase base rate for 3 and 4 year olds by £0.16.
- Increase Early Years Pupil Premium by £0.07.
- Increase Disability Access Fund by £185.
As such, the estimate for your setting in 2022/23 is based on:
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3 and 4 year old base rate
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£4.72 per hour
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Deprivation supplement
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£0.47 per hour for eligible 3 and 4 year olds (Universal hours)
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Early Years Pupil Premium
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£0.60 per hour for eligible 3 and 4 year olds (Universal hours)
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2 year old base rate
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£5.47 per hour for eligible 2 year olds
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Please note, these revised rates will commence from the start of the Summer term 2022. Should you have any questions please contact the FE team through The Family Information Service via email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Free Entitlement Summer Term Estimates – now open
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is now open for you to submit your Summer term estimates for Free Entitlement (FE) 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal
- Headcount Day for Summer term is 12 May 2022.
- The deadline for estimate submissions is 25 March 2022.
If, after viewing the guidance available on our website you have any questions, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
Message from your Schools Forum Representative
Dear Colleagues
I am pleased to have been nominated to represent the Early Years PVI settings on the West Sussex School’s Forum. It is vitally important that we are represented at the meetings so that our voices are heard, and our concerns are raised at county level. During the School’s Forums meetings there is much discussion around the school’s budget which covers Early Years through to secondary schools, as well as provision for SEND and children with high needs. I am hoping to forge a good relationship with colleagues in Children’s Services and share information around these matters so that our interests and the hurdles we experience are taken into account.
Sharon Moody - Kids Capers Day Nursery
Tax free childcare webinars - reminder
Further to the article in Setting Update 202 sent on 16 February, this is a brief reminder of the upcoming free webinars about Tax Free Childcare. These webinars are aimed at all types of settings including out of school clubs and holiday playschemes.
- Book your place here - 15 March 2022 - 1.30pm – 3.00pm
- Book your place here - 16 March 2022 - 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Choking Prevention
In light of recent tragic deaths from choking in early years settings, the Department for Education (DfE) have been working to get choking prevention information out to the sector in as many ways as possible, including by:
- creating a food safety page on the ‘Help for Early Years Providers’ online platform,
- working with the Food Standards Agency to produce two choking prevention posters, and
- working with OHID’s Start4Life campaign to promote choking awareness via their website.
We recommend you review these resources and consider any adaptations you need to make in your setting to keep children safe from potential choking hazards.
National roll-out of the experts and mentors programme
The Department for Education (DfE) early years COVID-19 recovery experts and mentors programme will support early years practitioners, leaders and whole-settings through bespoke support to be delivered both in the setting face-to-face and virtually. The offer to settings will include leadership support, coaching for leaders, mentoring for practitioners and whole-setting support depending on needs.
The experts and mentors pilot programme will take place in two Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) regions, Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and the North of England, from April – July 2022. The application process for the pilot programme is now closed, and successful candidates have been notified and are participating in training, ready to begin support in April 2022.
The DfE are now looking for candidates to take part in the full programme roll-out, commencing on a national scale, in September 2022 (covering academic years 2022/23 and 2023/24). Experienced early years professionals are invited to apply for the roles of Area Lead, Expert or Mentor. A link to the application forms can be found here.
Best for Babies Webinar – Wednesday 16 March 2022 – 9:30am to 3:30pm – Course Code – EYT22/296
This stimulating and informative one day course considers what really matters when working with children under the age of 2.
The aims of this course are:
- To help you to meet the learning and development needs of babies and toddlers.
- To create a responsive and stimulating learning environment that meets the needs of under 2s.
If you apply what you have learnt on this course you will be able to:
- Recognise the importance of quality adult and child interactions that meet and enhance the development needs of the youngest children.
- Create a responsive and evolving enabling environment that meets the needs of under 2s.
- Identify and implement good practice with babies that promotes their wellbeing and development.
The cost of this course is £50 per place. 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
Physical activity and active play in early years settings
Rise, the Active Partnership colleagues in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear have developed a survey to help understand what physical activity and active play looks like in Early Years settings across England. (Should you encounter issues with this link please use an alternative web browser such as Google Chrome).
They want to hear from the wonderful Early Years staff working in Reception and Nursery Classes in schools, PVI settings, Childminders, pre-schools, playgroups or any other similar setting. The survey is open to anyone working in an Early Years setting in England at any level. The survey will take 5 minutes to fill out and will really help them to shape the support Early Years settings receive and improve the lives of our littlest people.
Results of this survey will help to tailor support for Early Years Settings and be used in conversations with strategic organisations to raise the profile of the fantastic work being delivered in Early Years and show how this is helping every child to have The Best Start In Life. They will be more than happy to share local insights.
There are 42 Active Partnerships throughout England working to improve the quality of life in communities through the power of physical activity. This survey has been developed by and will be managed by Rise North East, the Active Partnership for Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. Rise will share raw, local data from this survey to inform the work to support settings locally. Any publicised results will be anonymised. You do not have to provide any personal details to complete this survey. All data will be stored according to GDPR rules and regulations. If you wish to withdraw your response, please contact dani.crispin@wearerise.co.uk.
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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#204 (Updated COVID-19 guidance, testing update, Schools Forum representative, 30 hour codes, FE - summer term estimates, Provider Declaration, Supported Transitions Programme, SEND Under 5s Online Referrals, DfE Recovery Programme)
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#203 (Last chance to vote for your EY representative, confirmed COVID-19 cases, FE spring term payments, free e-learning modules, NHS healthy start, masters degree in education and early childhood, EY leaders forum for children we care for, coaching and mentoring for the early years, understanding Ofsted - are you ready, EY SEND conference)
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#202 (Final DfE pulse survey on COVID issues affecting the sector, planned IT work, OFSTED registration fees, tax free childcare webinar, MMR vaccination campaign, SEND and inclusion newsletter, foundation years blog on SEND, learning and development network meetings, supported transition programme, five to thrive, early years conference, introduction to adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed practice)
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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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