Education Matters March 2023

In the March 2022 'Opportunity for All' White Paper, Nadhim Zahawi asserted that "a flourishing schools system (...) will only be made a reality by building on a great early years education". Despite the White Paper having been discontinued, the sentiments of this statement are truer than ever and remain essential to our approach. 

With this in mind, we are pleased to bring you an edition of Education Matters focused on the early years. The WSCC early years and childcare advisory team have taken the opportunity to reflect on what we mean by 'high-quality' early education and co-produced a wonderful article examining research on, and highlighting examples of high-quality practice in settings across West Sussex. 

As the early years transition period fast approaches, we have also taken the opportunity to catch up with the early years and SEND team at St Margaret's Church of England Primary School in Ifield, Crawley, to explore transitions, inclusion, and speech & language. I hope that you will find their positive dialogue on the importance of forming relationships and working collaboratively both informative and uplifting. 

Moreover, in response to the cost of living crisis, this edition features articles from the Family Information Service on the 'right to request' and tax-free childcare, which hopefully prove to be useful and informative, both for you in school and your parents/carers at this difficult time.

Best wishes

Paul Wagstaff, Assistant Director Education & Skills

What are the key elements of high-quality early years provision?

This article, co-produced by the early years and childcare advisory team, examines the concept of high-quality early education through a research lens. It also celebrates the attainment of high-quality provision across the West Sussex landscape, and briefly outlines the support available from the team to sustain and improve quality provision across our settings.

What is 'The Right to Request'?

Are you looking to explore the demand for wrap around care at your school? Or carry out meaningful consultations to assess need and demand? Then look no further!

In this article, Katie Crompton, Early Years and Childcare Team Manager - Sufficiency, explains 'right to request', what steps a school should take during the process for a parental request, and where to seek further information and guidance on this topic. 

Tax-Free Childcare

It is estimated that 1.3 million working families in the UK are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare (TFC). However, only a small percentage are making use of the scheme. Around 75% of families are losing out on this support, 5% of which said they do not use TFC because their current provider is not signed up to 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 your school has an onsite wraparound care service, but is not already signed up to the scheme, please see the information sheet with step-by-step guidance on how to join TFC.

TFC is a government scheme that helps support families with childcare costs. It is for working parents/carers (including single parent families) who work at least 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage. It can be used for children aged 0-11 or up to the age of 17 if disabled, for those families who are not already receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.

For every £8 that a parent pays into an online account, the Government will add an extra £2 – equating to up to £2,000 per child per year or up to £4,000 if their child has SEND. More information on how parents apply can be found on the Government website.

HMRC has produced a Tax-Free Childcare guide for parents, which explains the reasons and benefits for signing up to the scheme.

How you can help:

• If TFC is something your school already offers, regularly remind parents of this to ensure those eligible can take advantage of saving money on their childcare bills.
• If you do not provide wraparound care, remind families to visit the Childcare Choices website to check what other Government financial support they could be entitled to.

Early years transition

West Sussex are committed to supporting children to make successful transitions throughout their early years and into school. 

WSCC transition events provide a forum to share information and strategies to enable children with positive transitions. They also help schools identify children who may need an enhanced transition with additional support from the SEND and Inclusion service. For further information, guidance, support documents, proformas, and the dates of the events, please see our transitions webpage.

Could you provide a child with disabilities overnight care in your own home for a minimum of two nights a month? Become a short-breaks foster carer!

Open your heart and home for two nights a month and help a child with disabilities to experience different activities, make new friends and develop their independence.

West Sussex County Council needs more caring individuals to support full-time foster carers and children’s birth families – giving children a chance to broaden their horizons and have fun. In return, you will receive competitive pay of up to £6,850 a year (for 24 nights), as well as ongoing training and a wealth of specialist support. Give the friendly Fostering Recruitment team a call on 0330 222 7775 or visit the website for more information.

Meet the Trusts event – Fontwell Racecourse, Arundel

Thank you to all of those who were able to join us for the Meet the Trusts event that took place on 9 March 2023. Over 200 people attended the event, with 25 trusts exhibiting along with speakers from existing academies, the Department for Education (DfE), National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and West Sussex County Council. Whether you were able to attend or not ,you may find it useful to access the resources and information that is now available following this event. We have set up a new page on WSSfS to host the PowerPoint presentations delivered on the day, the MAT compendium of trusts, a link to the Academy Start Up Pack and a list of Trusts exhibiting on the day.

We hope that you found the day a useful way to explore options, obtain more information, and inform your future discussions. If you require any further information or support on this topic, please do not hesitate to contact the team via school.services@westsussex.gov.uk.

Pictured below at the event from left to right: Paul Wagstaff (Assistant Director Education & Skills), Paul Schofield (Deputy Director, South East Regions Group), Lucy Butler (Director of Children, Young People and Learning), Nigel Jupp (Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills)