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
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Wednesday 13 September 2023
Inclusive practice in early years settings
Supporting children in early years is what all settings and childminders do day in day out. Responding to children’s individual needs and seeing them flourish is one of the privileges of working in early years. It can be particularly rewarding when you see a child who has struggled initially thriving in the setting and making good progress.
All early years and childcare providers have a legal duty to support the children in their setting regardless of their background or need. This can come with challenges, and these are particularly relevant as the sector manages the current financial and staffing issues.
We have created a guidance document with some useful recommendations to help you think through how you can best support all children in your setting to ensure that they can reach their full potential. This guidance covers the following areas:
- Business Planning for inclusion,
- Planning Places,
- Parent Partnership,
- Induction, and
- Training.
Department for Education COVID-19 Recovery Programme
We would like to remind you of the Department for Education COVID-19 Recovery Programme in early years, which you may be interested in for your setting. This can support settings, including childminders, in their continuous improvement and is free to access.
The programme includes:
The experts and mentors programme both provide tailored support to groups settings and childminders including:
- Developing an understanding of how to identify and support SEND
- Developing strategies for supporting children with managing big emotions through co-regulation
- Reducing paperwork
- Curriculum and planning
- Developing confidence with the revised EYFS changes
- Professional self-reflection, identifying strengths and areas to develop in your setting
- Supporting children whose communication, language and social development has been impacted by COVID-19
Please see the websites linked above for more information and to take part in any of these programmes while they are available.
Starting school applications
All children born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 are due to start school in September 2024 and families will be starting to consider the school that they would like their child to attend.
At the beginning of October, settings will receive a pack of starting school leaflets and a poster from School Admissions. The poster should be displayed within your setting for parents to read and the leaflets should be distributed to the families of children who are due to start school next year and will be applying for a school place this year. Parents will be able to apply for a school place from Monday 2 October 2023 until Monday 15 January 2024. Please talk to the parents of children in your setting due to start school in September 2024 to make sure that they understand the process and complete their applications on time.
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:
Following feedback from early years settings and discussion with the Healthy Child Programme, the online Starting School Questionnaire will no longer be used. A printable copy of the questionnaire will continue to be available on our website for any settings that wish to use it for their own purposes.
Early years settings should continue to monitor children’s progress, and work with parents, to identify any concerns that could impact on children making a positive start to school. Where additional support needs are identified at any point, practitioners should speak to the child’s parents/carers and plan for the additional support that is required. This may include referrals to outside agencies with parental permission. This may include the Healthy Child Programme whose contact information can be found in newsletter #257.
Useful resources for early years professionals and parents:
Transition Events 2024
The dates for our Transition Events for children starting school in 2024 can be found on our website. We are currently prioritising schools booking their places on the events but bookings are open to settings on the Learning and Development Gateway by searching the key word 'transition'. We recommend that all settings make a note of the dates and plan to attend the relevant events to support the children in your setting.
Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment Support survey
The Department for Education has launched a short survey to seek the views of early years practitioners, teachers and school and setting leaders on assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Feedback from the sector will help shape future policy development in this area.
If you work in the early years, please take the time to fill in this survey via SurveyMonkey. This survey closed on Tuesday 3 October.
Final Reminder - Changes to Ofsted’s post-inspection arrangements and complaints handling consultation
In newsletter #278 we reminded you of Ofsted’s post-inspection arrangements and complaints handling consultation. This is a final reminder as the consultation closes on Friday 15 September 2023. The consultation document, which includes a list of the proposed changes, is available here. You can respond to the consultation via the online survey.
New fire safety legislation
From 1 October 2023, new fire safety legislation will come into effect which includes new duties for businesses and buildings owners. The new legislation will apply to all non-domestic premises as well as the communal parts of residential buildings. Changes to this legislation have been introduced through the Building Safety Act 2022, and represent the next phase of the government's fire safety reform programme. The main changes under the legislation include:
- responsible persons will now need to record both fire risk assessments and fire safety arrangements in full, regardless of the size or purpose of the business or premises,
- enhanced requirements for cooperation and coordination between responsible persons in premises where more than one responsible person is present, and
- provision of information to residents setting out the risks from fire within their building and the fire safety measures provided to keep them safe.
To help businesses and property owners prepare for the legislation, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) are holding two free, online session to explain the new legislation and answer any questions.
You can read more about the changes on WSFRS’s website.
Reminder - Submit your Termly Provider Update form and Sufficiency information
Please remember to submit your Termly Provider Update form and Sufficiency information for the Autumn term. The deadline for submission is 31 December 2023, but we would encourage you to submit early from 4 September 2023.
Please note that the termly submission of the Termly Provider Update form and Sufficiency information is mandatory for all Free Entitlement providers and is required to allow us to display a setting’s information on the Family Information Service (FIS) website. Failure to submit before the deadline may lead to your setting being removed from the FIS website. We would like to highlight that termly submission is also a condition of offering Free Entitlement as per the Provider Declaration 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024, section 4.2.
Guidance for submitting your Termly Provider Update form and Sufficiency information can be found on our website.
Early Years training
New staff in the setting? We have two, excellent introductory courses to support their development:
A look at writing readiness and pencil grip (webinar) is for practitioners working with 3 and 4 year olds. The aim of this webinar is to understand typical developmental stages and needs in children’s journey towards becoming confident and competent at writing. It aims to strengthen your professional knowledge and ability to provide appropriate and enjoyable mark making resources and activities. The key word for this course is "pencil" and costs £17 per person.
- Thursday 28 September - 7.00pm to 8.30pm
- Tuesday 27 February - 7.00pm to 8.30pm
A Look at Our Words – The impact of what adults say (webinar) is for anyone working in early years. Some of our daily spoken and unspoken messages might include unconscious societal assumptions related to gender, social class, ethnicity, or culture. The aim of this webinar is to support you to develop your awareness of the power and impact of your words and communication behaviours on children. The key word for this course is "words" and costs £17 per person.
- Thursday 16 November - 7.00pm to 8.30pm
To book log on to the Learning and Development Gateway and search for the relevant course using the corresponding keyword. If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
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.
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.
We have a range of online training available for you to access for your staff to ensure they have the most up to date information to support them in their role:
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#282 (Free Entitlement Autumn term actuals - now open: introducing the Setting Support Phone line; new Targeted Setting Support form; Setting Review Meetings; fully-funded level 3 early years SENCO training; EYFS leaders networks; talking clearly - webinar)
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#281 (Advanced notice of planned downtime; final reminder - submission of sufficiency information; cash flow management; Tiny Happy People Champion training; childhood immunisations campaign - back to nursery resources; new Foundation Years vodcast - EYFS changes from September; early years training)
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#280 (Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Early Talk Boost programme from Kent Stronger Practice Hub; Foundation Years online event; East Sussex early years conference; early years safeguarding training)
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#279 (Advanced warning of downtime; reminder - early years funding consultation; early years training)
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#278 (Changes to the early years inspection handbook; Ofsted early years FAQs; support for childcare and the early years inquiry; reminder - changes to inspection complaints consultation; new vodcast - implementing evidence-informed practice in early years; safeguarding training - domestic abuse; online early years courses)
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