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
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Wednesday 30 November 2022
Safe Arrivals and Departures
There have been a few incidents reported recently in different local authorities of children who have been collected by adults who are not authorised by the child's parents/carers - and even of children being dropped off at the wrong setting and welcomed in. Incidents like this must be reported to Ofsted and LADO.
To make sure this situation doesn't occur in your setting, please review your drop off and collection routines to ensure procedures are effective in keeping children safe and that all staff understand what they should do in different scenarios. If you have new or temporary staff who may not know the children and their families well, consider how you can support them to make sure the right children come and go to the right room and the right family.
As drop off and pick up routines have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and you may now be returning to previous arrangements, it may be helpful to remind parents/carers about your routines and what they should do if a different person is going to drop off or pick up their child from your setting or if they are late in picking up their child.
Safer sleep in winter
With the colder months now upon us, it is important to know the safer sleep information which should be used in your settings and shared with your team. The Lullaby Trust has produced some guidance which all of your staff should understand and apply within the setting as well as sharing with families. This is particularly important this year as many families will be worried about keeping their heating on and may be tempted to wrap their baby up to keep them warm.
We have had some recent feedback from settings being inspected by Ofsted where sleep arrangements have been challenged. Please consider the following within your setting to make sure that your sleep arrangements are effective in keeping children safe:
- Regular checks for sleeping children.
- Ensure children are sleeping on a firm, flat surface.
- Ensure beds, blankets etc are clean and in good condition.
- If a child has additional needs requiring a different arrangement for sleep within your setting to your usual procedures, make sure you have risk assessed their sleep plan, including consideration of evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency. We would recommend that you carry out a practice evacuation to test the arrangements.
The Lullaby Trust has lots of information on safer sleep so please take a look here, as well as the EYFS Statutory Framework sleep requirements (section 3.60 on page 36) and the NHS sleep guidance so that you can ensure your arrangements are in line with current advice and share the key messages with your families.
Safeguarding Training
The Early Years Training team delivers a bespoke suite of Safeguarding & Child Protection courses, designed specifically for the Early Years sector, alongside the West Sussex LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer), the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Early Years and Childcare Advisors.
As Early Years professionals are required by Ofsted to refresh their safeguarding knowledge every two years, we have developed a suite that is easily accessible, with both, face-to-face and virtual sessions available throughout February and March at low cost, as the training is subsidised by the County Council.
Spring Term courses:
- EYT 23/251 Safeguarding and Child Protection for the Designated Person in Early Years Settings (Face to face) Arundel Museum, Monday 6 February 2023, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
- EYT 23/244 Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years Refresher (Face to Face) Venue: Arundel Museum, Monday 6 February 2023 1.30pm to 4.30pm
- EYT 23/245 Safeguarding and Child Protection for Early Years and Childcare Practitioners (Face to Face) Chichester - County Hall, Thursday 23 February 2023 9:30am to 3.30pm
- EYT 23/256 Safeguarding and Child Protection for the Designated Person in Early Years Settings (Webinar) Online Learning, Wednesday 1 March 2023 6.30pm to 9.30pm
- EYT 23/254 Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years Refresher (Webinar) Online Learning, Thursday 9 March 2023 6.30 pm to 9.30pm
- EYT 23/416 Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years Refresher (Webinar) Online Learning, Friday 24 March 2023 9:30am to 12:30pm
To book, simply visit the Learning and Development Gateway at www.westsussexcpd.co.uk and search for the course by typing the EYT code.
Support for Families with English as an Additional Language
Families with English as an Additional Language (EAL) may find it particularly difficult to negotiate the school application process. Our Ethnic Minorities Achievement Team (EMAT) can offer support to families who speak Bangla, Portuguese, Russian, Ukraine, Romanian and Bulgarian to complete a school application for their child. If you have families in your setting who would benefit from this support, please email emat@westsussex.gov.uk.
Starting School Questionnaire
Thank you for your support with sharing the Starting School Questionnaire with your families. From the completed questionnaires, there may be some issues identified that you can support the family with yourself. If there are issues that you feel unable to deal with, please contact a relevant professional to discuss next steps.
Please make sure that families are aware that they need to complete a school application, by 15 January 2023 in addition to completing the questionnaire.
If there are any questions that the family have asked about the school admissions process that you cannot answer, please refer to the information on the website or contact the Pupil Admissions Team - admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk, admissions.south@westsussex.gov.uk or call 033 301 42903.
Invest4 Grant Fund
The Invest4 Grant Fund will re-open on 1 December for the submission of applications and business grants of up to £20,000. You can request an application form from the Grant Fund Manager. Please note this will take you to a Brighton and Hove webpage/email, however West Sussex businesses are eligible to apply.
The Invest4 Grant Fund has been created to help new businesses to start-up, and to help growing businesses to grow more quickly. The fund is open to most business owners and start-up founders who are based in the coast-to-capital area and more than 90% of those who apply are given a cash award. Cash awards can be used for:
- Equipment and machinery.
- Consultancy services.
- Premises improvements.
- New IT systems or IT system upgrades.
- Moving all or part of your business online.
- Developing a new website or upgrading a current website.
- Leadership and management development training.
National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership
We’re pleased to be able to tell you about the new, Department for Education-funded, National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) which has been developed to increase knowledge of leadership in early years settings, strengthen staff approaches to teaching and learning, and support children whose development has been impacted by the pandemic.
Participants will gain skills and confidence so they can deliver high-quality education and care to support children’s development, become a better organisational leader and develop staff so they can reach their full potential.
The course is free, flexible and designed by sector experts to help professionals across the sector to develop their career.
The next cohort commences in February 2023 and a further two funded cohorts will be offered in 2023/2024.
You can watch this animation and find out more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply on GOV.UK
Casting Long Shadows - New report from the First 1001 Days Movement
A new report, released by the First 1001 Days Movement and Institute of Health Visiting, looks at the ongoing impact of the pandemic on babies, young children and their families, and the services that support them. It calls for governments to act as a matter of urgency to improve outcomes and tackle inequalities for babies and children. You can access the report here.
Foundation Years vodcast on improving the Home Learning Environment
Foundation Years is pleased to share with you a new vodcast offering some top tips for improving the Home Learning Environment for the early years.
In a changed format to the previous Foundation Years vodcasts, Gill Holden, Early Childhood Programme Lead at the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), introduces a collection of insights and experiences from a host of early years practitioners from across the sector. The Foundation Years vodcasts are designed to support staff in implementing good practice in delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Opportunity to Help Develop Support for Children with SEND
West Sussex County Council is working to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, building on the work of the SEND & Inclusion Strategy. To support this work, we want to get the views and experiences of professionals who work with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We would be grateful if you would take the time to complete this survey, which should take no more than ten minutes. The survey will close on 18th December 2022. Do please complete the survey as openly and honestly as possible. Your responses will be anonymous.
SEND and Inclusion Newsletter
The December edition of the SEND and Inclusion Newsletter can be found here.
- W/C 5 DEC - FE Estimate payments due
- 31 DEC - Sufficiency for Autumn term deadline
- 3 JAN 23 - Portal opens for Early Years Census
- 4 JAN 23 - Portal opens for Spring headcount claims
- 19 JAN 23 - Spring Headcount day
- 27 JAN 23 - Portal closes for Spring headcount claims
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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#242 (Final reminder - FE spring term estimates; post headcount/exceptional payment requests; local offer information; supporting parents with childcare costs; HAF programme; EYPDP - phase three; first early years stronger practice hubs announced; best start in life review; measuring wellbeing in early years settings; five to thrive essentials; a look at dynamic displays)
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#241 (Childcare survey results; termly childcare provider update form; drones and education settings; DfE childminder mentor programme; DfE EY SENCO training; new foundation years blog; intermediate child development)
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#240 (Get involved in our early years strategy; FE spring term estimates open; starting school applications reminder; deadline for spring term pandemic recovery support; level 3 inclusive practice course; winter HAF; home learning environment resources and campaign; specialist advisory teachers referrals; assessment in the revised EYFS; West Sussex libraries)
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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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