Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#11/2024 - Wednesday 13 March 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business focus - Funding for apprentices in your setting
- Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime
- Outcomes Framework for children and young people - parent/carer survey
- Department for Education Provider Roadshows
- Transition Events 2024
- Department for Education Early Years COVID recovery programme
- Jobcentre Plus - support with recruitment
- SEND and Inclusion Newsletter - March 2024
- Fraud guide for businesses
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
You can get funding from West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to train apprentices. Any business based in West Sussex can apply for the funding to help upskill their current workforce or bring in new talent.
As a large levy-paying employer, WSCC can transfer up to 25% of its apprenticeship levy funding to other employers for their apprenticeship training, helping to further boost the number of high quality apprenticeships in West Sussex. WSCC can transfer funds to employers for:
- new apprentices,
- apprenticeships which will develop existing employees, or
- where a new employee is part way through their apprenticeship training.
WSCC are not able to transfer funds for apprenticeships that have already started in a business.
The opportunity to apply for funding is open continuously, depending on funds remaining available. You will be contacted within 15 working days of the form submission to inform you whether your application was successful.
Visit the apprenticeship levy transfer web page for more information and to apply.
Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal will be unavailable Wednesday 13 March at 1.00pm to Thursday 14 March at 11.59pm whilst we upgrade our technology. Please note that parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Free Entitlement applications, and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) are seeking views from parents and carers on the Outcomes Framework for children and young people. The purpose of the Outcomes Framework is to describe the outcomes we want our children and young people to achieve. WSCC can then make a clear plan to help children and young people achieve these outcomes over time. You can find out more about the framework and survey web page. The survey is now open and closes at 1.00am on Friday 29 March.
We would really appreciate it if you can share this survey with parents and carers in your setting, as it is important for WSCC to gather as many views as possible. You can share the above link directly with parents and carers or share this post from the Family Information Service Facebook page.
The Department for Education (DfE) is inviting Early Education and Childcare senior managers to its Early Education and Childcare Expansion Provider Roadshow in London. The event will take place on Thursday 28 March from 10.30am to 3.30pm at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford. Registration will start at 10.00am when refreshments will be served.
This event is targeted at group-based setting leaders who have, or will have, a role or interest in providing additional places as a result of the government’s childcare expansion. There are 150 places available for one attendee per setting. Read the Provider Roadshow flyer for more information. You can book a place via the online booking form.
In newsletter 2/2024 we let you know the Transition Events for children starting school in September 2024 will take place between Wednesday 1 May and Friday 13 May. A list of schools already booked onto the events can be found on the transition events web page.
Visit the Transition Events course page on the Learning and Development Gateway to book your place on the relevant event you wish to attend. We recommend that all providers plan to attend the relevant transition events to support children who will be transitioning to school.
Places for the final cohort of the Early Years Professional Development Programme are now full. You can still apply to take part in the Early Years Experts and Mentors programme, and the summer term 2024 is the final opportunity to access this free peer support tailored to your needs. Group based settings can apply via this online form and childminders can apply via this online form. Childminders can apply individually or as a small group of childminders. If you are interested, please fill in the form to request support as soon as possible before the final places are gone.
Jobcentre Plus are able to support providers with the recruitment of staff. This includes free advertising and providing a space to carry out interviews. For more information please see the attached flyer. You can also email Job Centre plus via GatwickDiamond.EAs@dwp.gov.uk or Bognor.employerinbox@dwp.gov.uk.
The Gatwick Diamond email address covers Haywards Heath, Horsham and Crawley. The Bognor email covers Bognor, Littlehampton, Chichester and Worthing. If you are in an area that is not covered by one of these email addresses, please contact either of the above email address and you will be directed to the correct team.
The March SEND and Inclusion Newsletter is now available.
In newsletter 5/2024 we let you know that some Early Years and Childcare providers emails had been the target of hackers. Lloyds bank has a useful Fraud Guide for Businesses which contains information to help keep your business safe. You can also visit Lloyds invoice fraud web page to help you identify fraudulent emails requesting payment from your business.
Useful information
- 22 Mar - Portal closes for Summer term estimates
- W/C 01 Apr - Summer term estimate payments due
- 12 Apr - Spring term Sufficiency deadline
- 15 Apr - Portal opens for Summer term actuals
- 02 May - Headcount day
- 10 May - Portal closed for Summer term actuals
- 31 May - Inclusion funding deadline for Autumn term
- W/C 03 Jun - Summer term actuals payments due
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:
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 EYCA team using the following email addresses:
Where there are not clearly evidenced reasons why the setting had no option but to close, there could be implications for funding received as per the government guidance.
-
#10/2024 (Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for working families – reminding parents to check and reconfirm their codes; Checking Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) codes; Advanced Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Network meeting presentations; New Ofsted early years blog post - Ofsted priorities for the early years sector; Early Years Training; Lose weight for free)
-
#09/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Free county lines video and resource pack; Early Years Funded Entitlement - Provider Declaration; Online Provider Portal downtime; Ofsted inspections - Support from the Early Years and Childcare team; New resource to support practitioners with Early Years Foundation Stage assessment; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter - February 2024; Early Years Training)
-
#08/2024 (Business focus - Things to think about when making changes to your Ofsted registration; Early Years Funded Entitlement - Spring Term payments; Early Years and Childcare heroes - Do you know someone who deserve an Honour?; Ofsted curriculum roadshows in West Sussex; Foundation Years Live - March events; Kent Early Years Strong Practice Hub webinar recordings - Maths and Self-regulation; Early Years Training)
-
#07/2024 (Statement from the Department for Education on charging; Level 3 qualifications and offering Early Years Funded Entitlements; Early Years Funded Entitlement eligibility checker updated; Notice of planned downtime; Early Years Foundation Stage Leaders Network slides; Final chance for free training and support; Early Years Conference - Embracing Inclusivity; SEND and Inclusion Newsletter; Early Years Training)
-
#06/2024 (Free Entitlement for 2 year old funding; Early Years and Childcare newsletter webpage; Jobcentre Plus - support with recruitment; Letter from Department of Education to Early Years and Childcare providers; West Sussex Health Visiting and School Nursing services survey; Early Years in Mind new guide on self-regulation; Early Years in Mind survey; Newsletter from Early Years Stronger Practice Hub; Webinars from WORTH services; Learning and Development Gateway - new payment system live; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
|
