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 21 September 2022
Childcare Needs Survey Update
A huge thank you for your support so far in promoting the Childcare Needs Survey with your families. 427 parents and carers have already given their views on their current and future childcare needs. This can be further broken down into the district and boroughs as follows:
- 16% Adur and Worthing
- 10.6% Arun
- 4% Chichester
- 10.8% Crawley
- 39.6% Horsham
- 19% Mid Sussex
In order to be able to use this data to look at potential gaps in provision, we want to ensure a large number of families voices are included and that these represent all the different areas of the county.
If you haven't already, we would really appreciate your help in sharing this with families who attend your provision. We would also welcome the views of any of you or your team who have children aged 0-14 years (and up to 18 for children with SEND). We want to hear from as many people as possible so feel free to share with family and friends too!
Here is some wording you are welcome to use. There is also information on the Family Information Service Facebook page which you could share on your pages.
Survey closes 30 September 2022.
Many thanks for your continued support. The responses will be shared via this broadcast later this term.
Autumn term Free Entitlement (FE) actuals claims – deadline this Friday
A reminder that the Online Provider Portal is open for you to submit your FE claims for 2, 3 and 4 year olds until midnight on Friday 23 September 2022.
Please refer to Setting Update #230 for further information regarding help guides, 30 hour codes and claiming for Afghan families.
-
Headcount day: Thursday 15 September 2022
-
Deadline for submission: Friday 23 September 2022
Please note, if you have an outstanding 30 hour code (Extended FE) query, please still ensure you submit any Universal hours you wish to claim before the above deadline. If you have any queries please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk
Tax-Free Childcare provider search now live
Following on from our previous Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) information in setting update #212, the Family Information Service (FIS) now has a search route on their website which identifies the settings who offer TFC. Parents may base their childcare decisions on whether they could claim TFC and save money on their childcare bills.
If you already offer TFC, and your setting is not listed in the TFC search, please ensure that you complete a termly childcare provider update form. One in three settings are currently not signed up to offer TFC. Please help families save money by signing up to offer TFC and let families know that you offer it.
With the cost of living continuously rising, we want to help families utilise TFC and we need your help to do this. If you have not already signed up to the scheme, then please see the information sheet with step-by-step guidance on how you can join for free.
The FIS has various flyers available to promote the scheme. Having these displayed in your setting would advise parents that they may be eligible to claim TFC and inform them that your setting offers it. The flyers FIS have available is a poster from Childcare Choices, a TFC poster and a poster on 30 hours codes. Flyers can be requested by emailing EarlyHelpCentral@westsussex.gov.uk.
Early Years Stronger Practice - Hubs Advisory Group
To support the roll out of Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs, the National Children's Bureau (NCB) are seeking expressions of interest from the sector to sit on a Stronger Practice Hubs Advisory Group.
The Stronger Practice Hub Advisory Group will work with NCB, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to ultimately ensure the delivery of high-quality hubs, supporting strategically through advice, sector expertise and insight, constructive scrutiny and support.
If you are interested in being part of the advisory group please visit the Foundation Years website to find out more and complete the form, returning it to sph@ncb.org.uk by noon on Wednesday 28 September.
Updated FAQs and webinar recording
Following the completion of a series of Stronger Practice Hubs webinars, and further important questions from across the sector via email, the National Children's Bureau (NCB) have updated their FAQs for the programme.
NCB have endeavoured to combine similar questions and summarise wherever possible. You can find the updated FAQ document, as well as a summary of the changes from the original FAQ document, on the NCB website. The latest version of the document is V.3, updated 16 September 2022.
The FAQ document has been reorganised into further sections to make it easier to navigate. Please ensure you refer to the FAQs before submitting any further queries as your question may already be covered in the document.
On Friday 9 September, NCB hosted a webinar for all early years settings who are looking to get involved in the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme. As well as presentations from NCB, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), the webinar features a Q&A session with attendees.
The webinars are designed to support settings with their applications and are aimed at those involved in the application at senior level, including setting owners, setting managers, early years teachers, EYFS leads, heads of early years as well as headteachers and governors. You can find out more about the programme and watch the webinars here. For any other queries about Stronger Practice Hubs, please continue to email NCB’s Stronger Practice Hubs team.
Updated Quality Improvement Criteria
The new Quality Improvement Criteria has now been published on the West Sussex County Council's website. There have been a number of changes made to the format and content of the document and we hope that this will be a tool that you can use, alongside statutory frameworks and other guidance, as you review and develop your provision to provide high quality, sustainable, inclusive provision for young children. At this term's EYFS Leader Networks, we will be looking at this document and how you can use it to support you.
Virtual Reality demonstrations
Would you like to know more about the effects of trauma on the brain and how to support children who have experienced trauma utilising a therapeutic approach? The Virtual School are holding three demo sessions this term, which are an introduction to the Virtual Reality technology used to support the full trauma awareness training: Building a Beautiful Brain. The demo sessions are online and will last for no more than one hour. (You only need to attend one.)
The dates are:
- 12 October 3.00pm to 4.00pm
- 28 November 2.00pm to 3.00pm
If you would like to attend to find out more about the training and how the staff in your setting can access it then please contact Gemma Peck. gemma.peck@westsussex.gov.uk. All training that the Virtual School offers is free of charge.
Delegates who have attended the full day training: Building A Beautiful Brain have commented:
“The Virtual Reality headsets makes it all more real and powerful. Imaging is one thing, but actually hearing and seeing brings it into another dimension.”
“The training makes me look at the whole child’s background and I am now more confident on how to be there for the child so it will make a difference”
“It was good to watch and have a reflection on trauma and the brain, and how it impacts children.”
- 23 SEP - Portal closes for Autumn actuals
- W/C 17 OCT - Autumn actuals payment expected
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
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.
-
#232 (Increase in Scarlet Fever; autumn term FE actuals claim; setting review meetings; early years inclusion support plan; HAF Christmas 2022 expressions of interest now open; government consultations final reminder; childcare needs survey; Flu immunisation for early years; food poverty a growing concern)
-
#231 (Government consultations - time is running out; autumn term FE actuals claims; DAF and EYPP autumn claims; starting school questionnaire and school applications; BookTrust update; childcare survey; EY stronger practice hubs webinar; EYFS reforms: one year on, lessons learned and future direction)
-
#230 (Autumn term FE actuals now open; claiming FE for Afghan families; childcare needs survey to share with families; stronger practice hubs webinar recordings)
-
#229 (Autumn term FE actuals advance notice; FE stretched claims - termly limits; checks before offering an extended FE place; sufficiency updates deadline reminder; DfE changes press release around relaxing ratios; EYFS reform: one year on, lessons learned and future direction conference; story stuff - impromptu story making)
-
#228 (Ofsted updates, Polio Booster Vaccine, Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs)
| 
