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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 November 2022
Get involved in our Early Years Strategy
We wanted to remind you that we need your input into our Early Years Strategy. For more information on this, please refer to the information that was sent out in setting broadcast #237 on 19/10/22.
The provider focus group will be taking place on 7 December 2022, 6.00pm to 8.00pm via Microsoft Teams and will be led by Katie Clarke from Cumbria County Council.
To express interest in taking part in this session, please email: family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk. Spaces are limited and if we have more requests to join, we will endeavour to ensure a balanced representation. Further session information will be sent at a later date. For those who are unable to attend, we will contact you to let you know how you can share your views.
Free Entitlement Spring Term 2023 Estimates – Open Today
The Online Provider Portal is now open for you to submit your Spring Term estimates for Free Entitlement (FE) 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal
- Headcount Day for Spring Term is 19 January 2023.
- The deadline for estimate submissions is 25 November 2022.
Help and guidance: Our quick and easy Estimate video guide and our PDF Estimate help guide can be found here. Please note, we only require estimate information at present and we will request your actuals (child-level) data in due course. If you have any questions, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
Starting School Applications Reminder
The school applications process is still open for families with children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 who are due to start school in September 2023.
You may have some parents who have a child in this age range who are unsure if they want their child to start school in September. Please talk to these families about the potential benefits and risks of delaying their child’s start to school and make sure that they understand the need to apply for a school place, which can be declined later if no longer needed. It is important that all families with a child in this age group apply for a school place before the deadline of 15 January 2023.
Please ensure the poster is displayed within your setting for parents to read.
Deadline for Spring term pandemic recovery support fast approaching
The Experts and Mentors Early Years Covid-19 Recovery Programme from the Department for Education (DfE) is focused on supporting Early Years practitioners and leaders in addressing the impact of the pandemic on the youngest children. The programme will provide a mixture of face-to-face and virtual support to settings and will include leadership support, coaching for leaders, and mentoring for practitioners. By joining the programme, settings will receive the support of fellow early years professionals, who are passionate about supporting others to improve practice and outcomes for children. This support is free and available across the country, for eligible settings. The programme supports Private, Voluntary or Independent (PVI) nursery settings, maintained nursery schools and school-based nurseries.
To submit an application to receive support from the programme, and for further information on eligibility, visit Pen Green’s website or by visiting the Foundation Years website.
The DfE are currently looking for settings who are interested in receiving support from January 2023, for the Spring term (academic year 2022/23). To receive support in the spring term, settings must complete the application form by Friday 11 November 2022. We expect that information about the Childminder Mentor Programme will be available to share with you shortly.
Training Opportunity - Level 3 Inclusive Practice Course
As part of a package of support from the EYs SEND Partnership and Dingley's Promise, we are offering practitioners the chance to undertake the NVQ Level 3 Inclusive Practice course and become Inclusion Champions for Dingley's Promise and West Sussex.
The course runs over a 4 month period and is online learning completed in practitioners own time. More information on the course can be found here.
These places are limited. Please read the information and complete the Expression of Interest form and return via email to FISInclusion@westsussex.gov.uk by Friday 18 November.
Winter Holiday Activity and Food Programme
The Winter Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) is ready to accept bookings for the Winter Holidays this week.
HAF provides access to a wide range of holiday activity clubs for school children aged 4-16 who are eligible and in receipt of benefits related Free School Meals. A meal will be included.
Eligible families can search for providers and find details of how to book here. More providers will be added throughout November and we encourage families to keep checking if they can’t find what they are looking for straight away. You can see the HAF webpage for more information and share the flyer with any families you think may be eligible.
Home learning environment resources and campaign
The Department for Education have launched new online resources to promote the importance of the home learning environment (HLE) in boosting children’s language and socio-emotional development in the early years. HLE is just one part of the wraparound support provided to ensure every child has the best start in life and support for the HLE will be delivered through the new network of Family Hubs. The new webpages provide a full range of evidence-based, detailed – yet accessible – advice for parents on activities they can do with children at every stage between birth and 5 years old, and a search facility to connect them to local support.
Specialist Advisory Teachers – Early Years SEND Transition
Further to information in broadcasts #234 and #235 introducing the new team of four Specialist Advisory Teachers (SATs) - Early Years SEND Transition, we can now provide further information.
Their role is to help children with additional needs to experience a positive transition from home and/or pre-school to Reception. They currently provide advice, guidance and support to Early Years settings and schools. Children can be referred by Early Years settings and schools to this service, in consultation with parents. Other teams, such as Portage, the Fair Access Team and SENAT can also refer children with parental permission. SATs also work with the ‘SEND Under 5’s’ process to consider support for settings, children and their families to help them plan a successful transition to school.
The referral form for Early Years settings can be found by clicking the link: Specialist Advisory Teachers – Early Years SEND Transition | Tools for schools (local-offer.org) Please be aware referrals cannot be made until the Spring Term 2023, please talk to a locality Early Years Childcare Advisor (EYCA) before making a referral for a child in your setting.
What about assessment in the revised EYFS? (Webinar)
The aims of this course are to enhance your understanding of the approaches to assessment as set out in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). You will refresh existing systems and implement a revised approach with confidence. You must have a secure grasp of the changes to the EYFS from September 2021 to benefit from this course. The cost of this is £26 per place.
Tuesday 29 November – 1:00pm to 4.00pm - EYT 22/2452
Monday 27 February - 1.00pm to 4.00pm – EYT 23/277
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.
West Sussex Libraries
Have you discovered all that West Sussex Libraries has to offer?
Early Years providers, including registered childminders, pre-school settings and Family Hubs can join the library for free and get access to a range of benefits. Highlights include access to a wide range of book stock and sensory resources, free book reservations, a seven-week loan period on items borrowed and no fines on overdue items. If you would like to register your setting for a library card, simply visit your local library with headed notepaper showing the settings contact details plus personal ID or staff badge.
Every library in West Sussex has baby and picture books for under 5’s, beginner reads, story books and audiobooks on CD, comic and picture books for older readers and information books for homework, hobbies or interest. They also run fun weekly children’s activities in all of their libraries and everyone is welcome to join in. Want to see a rhyme time or Storytime in action? Visit your local library to take part or watch one of their pre-recorded sessions.
Larger libraries contain a range of specialist resources such as multi-sensory stories, Understand Me, the Communication Library devices, giant print and braille books, tactile books, books with signing and stories on CD and MP3, and dual-language picture books for families with English as a second language. Anyone can borrow these - reserve online or speak to a member of staff and they’ll deliver them to your local library for free.
Don’t forget, they have a team of friendly Family and Wellbeing librarians who are happy to assist with specialist enquiries or help recommend book titles to help support children experiencing new or difficult situations or visit your setting to talk about the library offer.
You can find libraries on social media via Facebook and Twitter. You can join their family-dedicated Facebook group Family Corner.
Keep in the loop with library news and updates about books, reading and children’s related topics by Signing up to receive their monthly newsletters.
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- 9 NOV - Portal opens for FE Estimates
- 25 NOV - Portal closed for FE Estimates
- w/c 9 DEC - FE Estimate payments due
- 31 DEC - Sufficiency for Autumn term deadline
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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#239 (Early years education recovery programme; contacting your EYCA team; online provider portal feedback form; new flyer to replace CFC registration form in welcome packs; network meetings; West Sussex disability register; the SrHEC approach; new vodcast on online safety; safety resources for autumn; anti-bullying week; early years training)
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#238 (Safeguarding focus: disclosure and barring service; safe to play launch; road safety week; updated health protection guidance; energy bill relief scheme survey; early years funding boost; SEND newsletter; assessment course; - Ofsted blog - committee run childcare; support with the cost of living)
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#237 (Input into our Early Years strategy; autumn actuals payment expected; 2 year old funding criteria extended to include all families with no recourse to public funds; retaining and recruiting practitioners; business focus; launch of seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccinations programmes; early years food and nutrition survey; early years professional development programme - phase 3; support for early years settings from the experts and mentors programme; EYFS reforms One Year On conference; I CAN is now Speech and Language UK)
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#236 (Government's energy support scheme; starting school questionnaire; wrap around childcare for armed forces families; network meetings; early years designated lead forum; virtual school website; inclusion courses; home learning environment campaign launched; new blog on the early years experts and mentors programme)
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#235 (Starting school applications; Ofsted roadshows; new foundation years vodcast and blog; autumn term network meetings; updated contact details for SAT EY SEND transition teachers)
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