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Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 24 August 2022
Autumn term Free Entitlement (FE) actuals – advance notice
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be open for Autumn term FE actuals claims from Wednesday 31 August 2022. Please refer to the Actuals help guide and YouTube video for guidance.
- Headcount day: Thursday 15 September 2022
- Deadline for submission: Friday 23 September 2022
Extended FE claims – please use the online eligibility checker to check 30 hour codes are valid for the Autumn term ahead of the term starting. View our helpful video guide for step by step guidance.
FE stretched claims: Termly limits 2022-2023
A reminder that in line with the Provider Declaration 2022-2023, point 4.29, providers who stretch their funding over more than 38 weeks per year, must claim within the following termly limits as below:
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Term
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Stretched Claims – maximum number of weeks available
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Term Dates
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Summer 2022
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19 (includes half-term and Summer Holidays)
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25/04/22 – 02/09/22
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Autumn 2022
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17 (includes half-term and Christmas Holidays)
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05/09/22 – 30/12/22
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Spring 2023
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15 (includes half-term and Easter Holidays)
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02/01/23 – 14/04/23
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Summer 2023
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20 (includes half-term and Summer Holidays)
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17/04/23 – 01/09/23
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For further information please read the document entitled ‘Claims process pdf’ on our website.
Checks to carry out before offering an Extended FE place
In order for a 30 hours code to be valid for Autumn term:
- Parents must have applied for, or reconfirmed their 30 hour code before 31 August 2022.
- The code ‘start date’ must be before 1 September 2022 and the ‘Grace period end date’ covers the Autumn term 2022.
To check a code is valid for the Autumn term use the online eligibility checker and view our helpful video guide for step-by-step guidance (you may need to click a prompt to continue to video, or may need to update your browser, or use an alternative). Please note, West Sussex County Council cannot fund without a valid code. If you have any questions or require assistance, please e-mail free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or call the Family Information Service on 01243 777807 and ask for the Specialist Team.
Sufficiency updates - deadline approaching
This is a reminder to submit sufficiency information for your setting. The final deadline for submission for the summer term is 31 August 2022.
Sufficiency information is required from all day nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, out of school care provision, breakfast clubs and holiday playschemes once per term. Step by step guidance on submitting your Sufficiency information on the Online Provider Portal can be found here. We have also created a guidance video which you can view if you require further guidance on how to submit.
Please note that the termly submission of Sufficiency information is a requirement for all providers and is needed to allow us to display your setting’s information on the Family Information Service website. Failure to submit can lead to your setting’s removal from the publicly available list. In addition, termly submission is a condition of offering Free Entitlement as per the Provider Declaration 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023, item 4.2 and therefore mandatory.
DfE makes changes to press release around relaxing ratios
The Department for Education (DfE) has made changes to a press release claiming that relaxing ratios in early years settings in England could save parents £40 a week in response to a complaint made to the Office for Statistics Regulation from the Alliance.
Back in July, as part of the launch of its consultation on proposed ratio changes, which would see the maximum number of two-year-olds per adult in nurseries and pre-schools in England increased, from four to five, the government claimed that these changes could result in savings of 15% or £40 per week for parents of two-year-olds.
However, the Early Years Alliance believed that this calculation was based on a number of flawed assumptions and so filed a complaint to the Office for Statistics Regulation. In response, the press release which originally made the claim has now been updated to include the required context. On 18 August the DfE removed the reference from the earlier press release and told the Office for Statistics Regulations that it will not be using the figure again. The DfE has said that it is "working towards generating a more accurate figure". You can read the full article from the Early Years Alliance here.
EYFS Reform: One year on, lessons learned and future directions
Hempsall’s, the early years and childcare training, research and consultancy organisation, has announced a new addition to their offering for providers, local authorities and government called Hempsall’s Early Years (hey! for short) www.hempsalls.com/hey. Hempsall's will be running an online conference on Thursday 6 October 2022 9.30am to 12.30pm - EYFS Reform: One year on, lessons learned and future directions.
Conference Overview:
- What we have we learned?
- How do we consolidate and embed effective and impactful practice as a result?
- What has been the impact on practice and provision?
- Where do we go next? EYFS and shaping a new future.
Speakers:
- Julian Grenier (Headteacher Sheringham Nursery School and Children's Centre, Director East London Research School)
- Jan Dubiel (ECEC adviser, consultant, trainer, writer and thinker)
- Gill Jones (Ofsted)
- Alison Hughes (Primary Director, Inspiration Trust MAT)
- Louisa Archer Hill, Lorna Davies (Warrington Council)
- Susie Owen, DfE Early Years and S
- Schools Group
Who is the conference for?
- Local Authority early years and childcare teams.
- Schools.
- Early years and childcare providers and practitioners of all types.
- Stakeholder, partner and membership organisations.
Practitioners can book a free place now. If you are unable to attend, a recording will also be shared afterwards.
Story Stuff – Impromptu Story Making (Webinar)
For practitioners working with 3 to 5 year olds, this course explores approaches using children’s fascinations and experiences to create stories. Everyday items and simple props will be considered as triggers to enhance play, interactions, and expressive language. We will consider approaches such as Helicopter Stories and Pie Corbett’s ‘Story telling – Story Making.’ The cost is £26 per place.
- Monday 3 October - 1.00pm to 4.00pm – EYT 22/1907
- Thursday 2 February - 9.30am to 12:30pm - EYT 23/279
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.
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
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.
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#228 (Ofsted updates, Polio Booster Vaccine, Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs)
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#227 (Autumn term 30 hour code deadline reminder; living with COVID-19; inspire children and parents to get active together; new vodcast on mental health and wellbeing)
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#226 (Updated Ofsted guidance; consultation reminder on early years ratios and funding formulae; early years stronger practice hubs update; new blogs from Foundation Years and DfE; free training - EYSEND partnership)
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#225 (Making recruitment safer - free webinar today; parental perceptions of childcare in England; new campaign #WeAreEducators)
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#224 (FE autumn term estimate payments; checks before offering an extended FE place; sufficiency updates reminder; advance notice of parental childcare survey; update to Ofsted EY inspection handbook; safe sleep; family assist closure)
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