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Newsletter for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 19 July 2023
Welcome to the final edition of the Early Years and Childcare Newsletter for this academic year. However, we will continue to send our weekly newsletters over the summer to provide up to date information to you. We would like to give a huge thank you to you all for your commitment and hard work in supporting children and young people in West Sussex, including those of you who will still be working over the summer holiday period.
Free Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – Autumn Term Estimate Payments
Thank you for submitting your Autumn term Estimate claims. Estimate payments were released this week (week commencing 17 July 2023). Please allow three to five days for payment to reach your bank account.
Please note that these have been paid based on the current rates (£6.04 for 2 year olds and £4.97 for 3 and 4 year olds). The new rates for Autumn and Spring terms, as advertised in our prior Early Years Childcare special newsletter will be applied as part of the Autumn term actuals (child-level data) payments.
You can log back on to the Online Provider Portal to view your payment summary. Please refer to the Estimate Help Guide for step by step guidance on how to do this. If you have any queries, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Final reminder - Early Years Foundation Stage Consultation
In newsletter #273 we reminded you of the Early Years Foundation Stage consultation launched by the Department for Education (DfE). This is a final reminder as the consultation closes on 26 July 2023.
To respond to the consultation before it closes visit the Citizen Space platform and complete the online survey. If you have any further questions please email eyfs.consultation@education.gov.uk.
Revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from September 2023
The government has published the revised EYFS framework which applies from 4 September 2023. This does not include changes related to the current consultation. The main changes are:
- a change to the current statutory minimum staff:child ratios in England for 2 year olds from 1:4 to 1:5,
- clarifying that childminders can care for more than the currently-specified maximum of three young children, when caring for siblings of children they already care for, or when caring for their own child, and
- clarifying that “adequate supervision” while children are eating means that children must be within sight and hearing of an adult (rather than the current wording of “sight or hearing”).
Settings must continue to follow the current EYFS framework until 4 September. Help for early years providers and childminders working with 0 to 5 year olds is available.
Virtual School - Free Support Groups
Please see information from the Virtual School for practitioners wishing to attend group sessions relating to children:
- we care for,
- who are now adopted,
- subject to a Special Guardianship Order,
- subject to Child Arrangements Order, or
- with current or previous social care involvement.
To book a place please email emma.hoare@westsussex.gov.uk.
Summer Oral Health
As the summer holidays beckon, NHS England South East, are keen to share three key messages for good oral health and asked that we share these with settings for children of all ages. These are:
- toothbrushing,
- being “sugar-smart”, and
- visiting the dentist.
For more information on these three areas, please refer to this information sheet.
Paediatric First Aid - Blended Learning
This course is suitable for those working in registered Early Years provision and anybody working with children from birth to 8 years old. This full Paediatric First Aid blended course includes 12 hours of study and is provided through a blended learning offer combining six hours of online study followed by a six hour face-to-face training course. It is fully compliant with Ofsted and the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021 guidelines and is accredited by the First Aid Industry Body and after completion, you are covered for three years. The key word for this course is “Paediatric First Aid”.
This is a popular course and gets booked up quickly.
Cost: £84 per person.
Time: 9.30am to 4.30pm
- 3 October 2023 - Field Place, Worthing
- 3 October 2023 - Kings Church, Burgess Hill
- 3 October 2023 – County Hall North, Horsham
- 10 October 2023 - Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley
- 10 October 2023 - County Hall, Chichester
- 2 November 2023 - Arundel Museum, Arundel
- 15 November 2023 - Field Place, Worthing
- 15 November 2023 - County Hall North, Horsham
- 16 November 2023 - Kings Church, Burgess Hill
- 23 November 2023 - Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley
To book, log on here and search for the key words mentioned above. If you have not accessed the Learning and Development system in its new form, you may need to reset your password or create a new account. If you experience any issues, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
- 31 Aug - Summer term Sufficiency deadline (all providers)
- 04 Sep - Portal opens for Autumn term Actuals
- 29 Sep - Portal closes for Autumn term Actuals
- W/C 23 Oct - Autumn term Actuals payments due
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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#274 (Contingency fund calculations; consultation from UK Health Agency - education setting guidance pack; final reminder - starting school questionnaire consultation; reminder - childminder mentor programme; Ofsted blog; summer network presentations; SEND and inclusion newsletter)
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#273 (neglect questionnaire; reminder - EYFS consultation; National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership; supporting children's mental health and well-being in the early years; early years and childcare online courses; portable appliance testing)
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#272 (Safeguarding focus: sharing safeguarding information to support transitions; possible business opportunity in Adversane; Foundation Years online event; new consultation - working together to safeguard children; Vodcast on the EYFS consultation; West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership training; budgeting tips for the summer holidays; new guide from Health and Safety Executive)
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#271 (Free entitlement autumn term estimates open; 30 hour codes summer autumn deadline; childminder networks; reminder to submit - termly childcare provider update form; Screen in the early years - digital devices and online safety webinar; starting school questionnaire consultation; updated government guidance; transitions to school - transition summary template; retention of staff)
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#270 (Early Years Covid-19 Recovery Programme - autumn 2023; EYFS consultation - new supportive document; Free Entitlement funding rates 2023/24; New Post-Headcount/Exceptional Payment request form available; new consultation - changes to inspection complaints system; scam alert; hot weather advice and guidance; new oral health guidance; early years training)
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