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 4 May 2022
Summer term Free Entitlement (FE) actuals claims – reminder
A reminder that the Online Provider Portal (OPP) is open for you to submit your FE claims for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. Please refer to setting update 212 for further information.
To ensure you submit your FE claims correctly please refer to the Actuals help guide and YouTube video.
No Free Entitlement children this term?
If you do not have any Free Entitlement children to claim for this term, please log in and check your headcount. We carry forward children’s details from the previous term, so these children need to be removed from your claim by following page 7 of the Actuals help guide. By doing this, it will save you being reminded about your submission.
Transition Events
Our Transition Events are taking place between 16 and 27 May. These events are aimed at supporting settings and schools to share information so that schools and settings can plan for the transition of children starting school in September '22. For more information about the events, the dates and to see the schools attending, please look at the information on our Transition Event webpage. If you have not yet booked, please book on to the appropriate event(s) to allow you to meet with schools where children in your setting will be attending.
This year at the Transition Events, the Early Years and Childcare Advisors (EYCAs) will be collecting the Transition event record completed by the settings to be shared with the schools. We will use this information to identify children where a supported transition has been identified and children with a Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) background so that we can offer some additional support. The information will not be used for any other purpose and the records collected will be destroyed after this information has been collated. It would be helpful if you can leave a copy with the EYCA at the event(s) you attend before you leave, or the EYCA may ask to take a photo of the information we need.
The Transition guidance has been updated this year, including some changes to the paperwork to be used. Please make sure you are using the most up to date information from our website.
Ofsted publishes updated guidance for providers only on the Childcare Register
On 1 April, Ofsted republished guidance relating to providers on the Childcare Register. You can find the 'Framework for regulation of providers on the Childcare Register' and the 'Carrying out Childcare Register inspections' guidance on Ofsted’s website.
Ofsted has worked closely with the sector to help improve this guidance. They have been reformatted to make them more accessible, and have been simplified so that they are easier to understand for applicants, providers and inspectors. Updated links have been added throughout the documents to align these with Ofsted’s other published policy. Information about the ongoing requirements for registration and the need to continue to meet these to remain registered is included, as well as the average timescales for applications to the Childcare Register.
Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children's services systems
The Department for Education (DfE) has recently published its sustainability and climate change strategy, which sets out the Department’s vision for the United Kingdom to become the world-leading education sector in sustainability and climate change by 2030. This includes early years settings.
As set out in the climate education chapter of the strategy, the DfE are now considering how to further support the early years sector in achieving the strategy’s aims and planning the resources that will be provided. Further details on this will be shared in due course. Please note there is an article below about applying for local energy efficiency funding.
Ofsted's five year strategy
On 26 April, Ofsted published its five year strategy, setting out their values, strategic priorities, equality objectives and environmental goals.
Foundation Years Survey
On behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), the National Children's Bureau (NCB) have launched a survey. The survey responses will help NCB to make the information they provide as useful as possible to the early years community. They would like to hear from all those who subscribe to their newsletter, visit the website, social media pages, and more. The survey will be open until Monday 16 May.
Childcare Choices website survey
Childcare Choices is used by parents, childcare providers and local authorities alike, and the Department for Education is keen to know any feedback you may have as users. A two minute survey is live on the website, and if you have any comments to make on Childcare Choices please do complete it if you can.
Low Carbon Across the South East (LoCASE)
If you are a business looking to fund energy efficiency measures, you may be able to apply for a grant of up to £10,000 that doesn’t need to be paid back.
There are two types of LoCASE grants:
- If you’re already focused on being a green business you can apply for a business development grant. It can cover a wide range of things including building your website, equipment and much more…
- Any type of business can apply for an energy efficiency grant. This could help pay for example for a renewable energy project, buying Electric Vehicles or installing insulation or LED lighting.
The LoCASE scheme is delivered in West Sussex by the University of Brighton’s Green Growth Platform, the SE Hub of Clean Growth UK, with match funding from Strategic Partner, West Sussex County Council.
- NOW - Summer term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 12 May - FE Headcount day (FE providers)
- 20 May - Summer term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 20 June - Summer term payments expected (FE providers)
Planned downtime of Online Provider Portal (OPP) and websites:
- 14 and 15 May - All forms, 30 hours (extended FE) eligibility checks, and funding summaries will be unavailable during this period
Network meetings ran as online webinars:
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
These took place in March and focused on Supported Transitions, SEND Under 5 Outcomes, Deferring or Delaying School Entry, and Action Planning. View the key presentation slides, the presentation from the Virtual School and the FAQ document.
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 consult the guidance to check when to 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.
-
#212 (Summer term FE actuals claims, claiming FE for Afghan families, settings signing up to tax-free childcare, children and young people's plan, business planning tools, HAF 2022 expressions of interest, healthy child programme update)
-
#211 (New training dates for paediatric first aid and child protection and safeguarding training, new benefits advice service for parents of children with SEND)
-
#210 (DfE incident support line, post headcount/exceptional payment requests, SEND review, families from Ukraine, childminders and Ukraine family scheme, consultation FE2YO NRPF, education recovery in EY providers)
-
#209 (Updated COVID-19 guidance and UKHSA letter, distributing stocks of self-test kits, FE estimates, FE funding rates explained 22/23, attracting and retaining talent, opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child, SEND review - right support, right place, right time, Ofsted's enforcement policy, childminder agencies new policy paper, ministerial letter to EY sector, parental feedback on 'what to expect in the EYFS')
-
#208 (Changes re COVID-19 guidance, changes to self-isolation rules, closure of UKHSA advice service, education and skills consultation reminder, SEND and inclusion newsletter, reducing parental conflict)
| 
