Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
We apologise that the edition of this newsletter emailed to you earlier today contained incorrect information in the Early Years Training article. Please delete the previous version that was sent to you.
#23/2024 - Wednesday 05 June 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Online Provider Portal downtime
- Early Years Funded Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – summer term payments
- Business Opportunity for Early Years Provision in Horsham
- Starting School
- Get ready for summer – Encourage families to check vaccinations are up to date
- Oral Health Support in Early Years
- Early Years Training
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Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal will be unavailable all day on Tuesday 11 June whilst essential maintenance takes place. Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
Please be advised that summer term payments have been released for:
- EYFE actuals where there are no outstanding queries.
- Disability Access Fund (DAF) for all approved applications where valid evidence was provided.
Please note, payments can take three to five working days to show in your account.
The Online Provider Portal is now closed for summer term submissions, but you can still log back in to view your payment summary. Please refer to the provider portal help and guidance PDF and open the Actuals help guide for step by step guidance at www.westsussex.gov.uk/eycportal.
For those that have outstanding queries, we will be in touch with you to resolve any issues within the next week. There is no need to contact the team.
We wish to share a possible business opportunity for a high-quality Early Years provider in Horsham. This is in a purpose built facility on the site of Bohunt Horsham school. Based on parent consultation, it is anticipated that this will be for ages 2-4, with potential to expand to include under 2’s. Opening times can be negotiated with the successful provider, alongside term time only/all year round.
For further information about the opportunity and an application pack please contact enquiries@bohunthorsham.com for the attention of Georgette Ayling by 15 June 2024.
Following this, should you require support from an Early Years and Childcare Advisor, you can request new business support via the start a childcare business page.
Please note, any provider wishing to explore this opportunity should ensure they seek appropriate legal advice as well as carrying out due diligence in terms of business planning and cash flow forecasting.
Thank you to all of those who attended the recent Transition Events and making them such a success. We hope that the plans for children starting school in September are progressing well. As we move towards the end of term, we would like to remind you of the agreed paperwork to share a summary of each child with the school that they are moving to. The content of the paperwork has been updated for this year following feedback from schools and settings. An example of the completed paperwork can be found, alongside a guidance document on our Early years transitions webpage. Please ensure you know how and when you are going to share this information with schools.
As we approach the end of the academic year, it is a good time for parents and carers to make sure that their child is up to date with all their routine vaccinations.
For younger children, their pre-school booster vaccinations will help to keep them protected against serious childhood diseases including measles and whooping cough (pertussis).
Measles and pertussis cases are rising in England – all children are at risk if they are not fully protected. If in doubt, vaccine status can be checked via their personal child health record (Red Book) or contact their GP surgery.
For older children, schools are a vital partner in facilitating in-school vaccination sessions. If a child has missed one of these sessions, we ask that schools signpost parents and carers to catch-up sessions, details for which are available from the school immunisation teams.
Oral Health are offering support to early years providers to promote key messages to staff, children and families. Please see the update from the team and contact them to book a visit for next term.
This week, we have three courses that have been popular with bookings over the last month! Ranging from the topic of leadership through to provision and curriculum, one of these three courses below should spark your interest! These are bookable on the Learning and Development Gateway and can be found by searching key words relevant to the course title or clicking the links on the titles below.
Visit the Learning and Development Gateway to book your course. Please remember that you are required to book a space first on the 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
- W/C 03 Jun - Summer Term actuals payments due
- 19 Sept - Autumn Term headcount day
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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#22/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Coping with a crying baby and safer sleep resources; Advanced warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Early Years Evidence Store expands to explore self-regulation and executive function; Final reminder Ofsted's Big Listen consultation - for adults and children; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter - May 2024; Early Years Training)
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#21/2024 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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