Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#21/2024 - Wednesday 22 May 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Free Communication Friendly spaces event - change of time
- Help for early years providers - new nutrition content
- New Ofsted blogs
- SEND and Inclusion newsletter - May 2024
- Reminder - Ofsted's Big Listen consultation
- Reminder - Early Years Foundation Stage safeguarding consultation
- National Smile Month 2024
- Early Years Training
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In newsletter #19/2024 we let you know about the free Communication Friendly Spaces event. The time for this event has now changed and it will now take place on Thursday 23 May 4.30pm to 6.15pm. The time has been changed to enable more practitioners to attend. If you have not yet booked your place you can do so via the online form.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework states, "Where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious." Establishing healthy eating habits at a young age is important for long-term health. Early Years and Childcare providers can help set solid foundations for children’s future health by providing children with nutritious food. Help for early years providers has added new nutrition content, including videos, to help you fulfil the requirement to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food for children in your care. The content:
- explains the importance of introducing good food habits from birth,
- includes information on the dietary requirements of babies and young children and how to plan a balanced menu,
- provides recipe cards for tasty, cost effective, nutritious recipes you can use in your settings,
- gives tips on how to introduce solid foods safely to babies,
- provides information on food safety, and
- links to further reading and resources.
For more guidance on supporting children in the early years, visit the Help for early years providers website.
To celebrate Childminding Week, Ofsted published “Celebrating childminders and welcoming change”on the Ofsted: early years blog, recognising the excellent work of childminders and the high quality of provision they offer. 97% of Ofsted-registered childminders were rated good or outstanding at their last inspection which is the highest of any type of provision that Ofsted inspect. The blog also includes a video message from Ofsted's Chief Inspector and outlines some planned changes to the registration of childminders.
“Maintaining quality early years provision in the face of workforce challenges” has also just been published. In this post, Ofsted highlighted:
- some of the ways these workforce challenges are evident when they are inspecting,
- what providers are doing to mitigate some of these negative impacts, and
- the importance of continued good leadership and management in times of high staff turnover.
The May SEND and Inclusion newsletter is now available.
In newsletter #14/2024 we let you know about the Ofsted Big Listen. They want to hear your views on the priorities for Ofsted that are important to you. Visit the Ofsted Big Listen web page to find out more and have your say. Please also share these surveys with parents and carers, so they can share their views and also support their children in completing the children's survey. You have until Friday 31 May to have your say.
In newsletter #17/2024 we let you know about the Department for Education's consultation regarding proposals to strengthen the safeguarding requirements within the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Visit the GOV.UK web page to find out more and have your say. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 17 June 2024.
13 May to 13 June 2024 is National Smile Month. You can help celebrate National Smile Month by creating activities for children around dental health, from a Tooth Fairy competition to having a Great British Brushathon. The oral health foundation have downloadable resources and ideas for activities on their website.
This week, we would like to share two newly developed courses for the 2024/25 Early Years training offer. These are bookable on the Learning and Development Gateway and can be found by clicking the link below.
Visit the Learning and Development Gateway to book your course. Please remember that you are required to book a space first on Learning and Development Gateway and then pay via the payment steps and link, which are shown on the course page. Your space is not confirmed until both booking and payment are completed. If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 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.
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#20/2024 (Business focus - Free business planning courses; Online Provider Portal downtime; Termly Provider Update; Final reminder - Wraparound Programme Funding; Reminder - Consultation on an experience-based route for Early Years practitioners; Coping with a Crying Baby and Safer Sleep - Free webinar; Childminding Week 2024; National Numeracy Day 2024; Now module available - Effective curriculum and assessment; Virtual school newsletter; Early Years Training)
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#19/2024 (Summer Term 2024 Headcount submissions close this Friday; Update on the Expansion of Childcare; Contact number for FE Finance; Advertise your job vacancies on the West Sussex County Council website; Tools for Schools website migration; Wraparound Programme Funding; Final reminder - Childminder consultation; Consultation - Experienced based route for Early Years practitioners; Free Communication Friendly Spaces event; Early Years Training)
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#18/2024 (Wraparound Programme Funding - Expression of Interest; Ofsted Big conversation; Starting school vaccinations; Reminder - Childminder recruitment and retention consultation; Early Years Training)
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#17/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Unregulated medical treatment for children; Online Provider Portal downtime; Help us to help you - eligibility code queries; Fire safety in Early Years and Childcare settings; Transition Events; Early Years Foundation Stage consultation - Safeguarding requirements Early Years Training)
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#16/2024 (Early Years Funded Entitlement Summer Term Actuals; Validating 2 year old working families eligibility codes; Early Years Funded Entitlement leaflets for parents; Claiming Disability Access Fund (DAF); Transition Events; Department for Education Roadshow - new date; Oral Health in Early Years pilot programme; Brilliant Babies to Terrific Toddlers - A Tool for Reflection; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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