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Newsletter for out of school childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Tuesday 9 May 2023
Wraparound childcare: Spring Budget Announcements
As part of the budget announcements, the government announced that they will give local authorities in England £289 million over two academic years, starting in September 2024, to set up wraparound childcare provision in schools. The government's aim is for all primary schools to provide wraparound childcare to pupils between the hours of 8.00am and 6.00pm by September 2026.
Further announcements were made to reform the delivery of childcare and education. These reforms include:
- Incentives for childminders joining the profession to be piloted from Autumn this year (£600 to become an Ofsted registered childminder or £1,200 to register via a Childminder Agency).
- Upfront payment of childcare fees for families on Universal Credit with the maximum claim increased to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two children.
- Increased availability of wraparound care for school-age children.
With any new initiatives such as this, the detail that is often required by ourselves and the sector, will be contained in government guidance. At the moment we have no estimated date as to when guidance will be made available but we will share any further information regarding the proposed implementation and timescales, as soon as we receive it.
Wrap Around Care for Military families
The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme is designed to help support eligible service families with the cost of before and after school childcare. The Ministry of Defence have developed a poster containing further information for eligible service personnel in the UK on the WAC Scheme. You can find information about childcare for service families and further information about the WAC scheme here.
Tax-Free Childcare – new support mailbox available
Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is a government scheme that helps support families with childcare costs. It is for working parents/carers, including single parent families, who earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage and are not receiving tax credits, universal credit or childcare vouchers. It can be used for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability.
If you offer TFC, HMRC have a new mailbox that can be used for any queries relating to the TFC scheme. Please note that this is for use by providers and the local authority only. It is not to be shared with parents/carers - taxfreechildcareteam@hmrc.gov.uk.
Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month - June 2023
Looking forward, June will once again mark Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) History Month in the UK. This is an excellent time to learn more about different aspects of Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater cultures and provides a particular opportunity for pupils from Traveller backgrounds to celebrate their heritage. Many schools across West Sussex have made fantastic efforts to celebrate GRT History Month in recent years, including inviting in parents, holding story-telling workshops, reading traditional Traveller stories and much more. We know that these efforts are really positively received by all children and families involved, including children who are not Travellers themselves.
Even if you don't have many children or young people from a traveller background attending your provision, it is a great opportunity to learn about different cultures within our local community for all children. You can find some useful resources and activity ideas here.
The West Sussex Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) team will be sending out their usual GRT History Month newsletter for 2023. To receive a copy of this year’s newsletter, please subscribe here. You can also access all previous GRT History Month newsletters using the following links:
Paediatric First Aid Blended course now available to book
This Paediatric First Aid Blended course is 12 hours of study, combining six hours of online study followed by a six hour face-to-face training course. It is suitable for those working in an Early Years provision and anybody working with children from birth to 8 years. The course is Ofsted compliant and you will receive a certificate that is valid for three years. All courses run 9.30am to 4.30pm and cost £84 per place.
- Thursday 11 May - Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley - RH11 9BA
- Wednesday 24 May - Kings Church, Burgess Hill - RH15 9LR
- Wednesday 7 June - Kings Church, Burgess Hill - RH15 9LR
- Thursday 8 June - County Hall North, Horsham - RH12 1XH
- Thursday 15 June - Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley - RH11 9BA
- Tuesday 20 June - Field Place, Worthing - BN13 1NP
- Thursday 29 June - County Hall Chichester - PO19 1RG
Please book via the new Learning and Development here. To locate the course, see a useful guide here.
- 1 SEP - HAF Expression of Interest opens
- 1 OCT - HAF Expression of Interest 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
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#4 (Business opportunity in Wisborough Green; HAF - bookings open; HAF - expressions of interest; Ofsted themes; tax-free childcare; wrap around childcare for armed forces families; employment allowance; safe clubs for children; useful web links; green business newsletter)
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#3 (Ofsted out of school providers offering HAF places; national playwork conference is back; reminder to submit termly childcare provider update forms)
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#2 (Sufficiency updates; HAF expression of interest deadline; HAF providers - benefits of Ofsted registration; safe to play campaign; supporting families with childcare costs; safeguarding reminders)
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#1 (Welcome to the first edition of our Out of School Newsletter - Introducing the team; Family Information Service; Early Years and Childcare Advisors; Holiday Activity and Food programme; HAF funding and providers; expression of interest for 2023)
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