Newsletter for Out of School providers in West Sussex
#4/2024 - Monday 24 June 2024
This newsletter includes:
- National Wraparound Childcare Programme update
- Termly Provider Update form
- Review of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Playwork 2024/25
- Setting Support Phone Line
- Ofsted blogs
- Expansion Support Training Offer 2024/25
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Thank you to all providers who expressed an interest in creating or expanding wraparound childcare places as part of the National Wraparound Childcare Programme. This information has supported the development of our local authority delivery plan which was submitted to Childcare Works/Department for Education on 14 June 2024. Following approval we expect funding to be released to local authorities in July 2024. Further information on the full funding application process for providers will be shared soon. Providers who did not complete an expression of interest will still be able to apply to access funding.
Providers wishing to set up wraparound childcare provision should refer to the Start a Childcare Business page for further information and support. Key documents include:
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The programme handbook describes the programme’s vision and objectives, it sets out the expectations of the programme for all involved and includes details about what funding can be used for. The handbook also encourages providers to promote the availability, where appropriate, of government childcare subsidies to parents, including Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit childcare. Please ensure you are either Ofsted or childminder agency registered and set up to accept Tax-Free Childcare payments to ensure parents in your area can benefit from this financial support.
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Guidance for schools and trusts outlines the role of schools and trusts in providing wraparound childcare. This guidance reiterates messages in the handbook on roles and responsibilities across the system and offers a practical guide for schools and trusts to support parents to access wraparound childcare provision on a school site, including partnering with a private, voluntary or independent provider to run provision.
For any questions, please email: wraparoundchildcare@westsussex.gov.uk.
Have you submitted a Termly Provider Update form lately? We ask early years and childcare providers, including our out of school providers, to complete a provider update form once a term, which amounts to three times a year. The update form is submitted via the Online Provider Portal. The reasons we ask for these updates once per term:
- Families use our website and call us for help to find childcare that meets their needs. Up to date information regarding your provision is important so parents can clearly understand what you offer and what childcare spaces you have available.
- The information you provide could become out of date. It is important you review the information we hold on your provision regularly, to ensure accurate information is displayed on our website.
- If your information is out of date new early years and childcare provision may open in your area unnecessarily. We use your provider and vacancy information to help identify if new early years provision is required.
By submitting a Termly Provider Update you are receiving free advertising for your business on our Family Information Service website, which receives thousands of views per month. If you do not update your details we will remove you from the public list on our website and you could be missing out on free promotion for your business.
The UK Playwork NOS Consortium has been approved to take forward a review of the NOS for playwork during 2024 and 2025. The UK Playwork NOS Consortium comprises of:
The Consortium was established to plan strategically across the four nations for the future of workforce development and sector skills initiatives, including a future review of the NOS. Further information is available in the NOS Information Sheet (June 2024)
A reminder that the Setting Support Phone Line is an advice and support service for practitioners and childminders from early years and childcare settings on any inclusion topic. An Early Years and Childcare Advisor will provide advice and strategies, relating to inclusion, over the phone. The phone line is for inclusion practice support only.
You can contact the Setting Support Phone Line on 01243 777807. Please ask to be transferred to the "Setting Support Phone Line". The phone line is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 1.00pm to 4.00pm. For more information please go to the Setting Support Phone Line page.
The Ofsted:early years blog is about education and care in children’s early years. It provides updates on developments in the early years sector and features current issues which may also be relevant to out of school providers who are on the early years register.
To support providers in their expansion plans, we are offering training and support to upskill both retained staff and recent recruits at a subsidised cost. All Expansion Support courses cost £10 per person. Places are limited to one person per setting, per course. If space allows, we will offer additional places. Approximately six weeks after the course, we will email a short impact evaluation. Once completed, you will be given a free, self-led online NDNA course, which can be completed by any staff member within your setting. The Expansion Support training offer will run until March 2025. We will share more courses via the weekly Early Years and Childcare newsletter and this twice termly Out of School newsletter.
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
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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03/2024 (Free business planning courses; National Wraparound Childcare Programme; Childcare Works - Expansion of Childcare resources; The Holiday Activities and Food programme- when you need to register with Ofsted; SEND and Inclusion Newsletter - May 2024; Virtual school newsletter)
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02/2024 (Welcome our new Early Years and Childcare Team Manager - Wraparound Childcare; National Early Years and Childcare recruitment campaign; Reminder - Expressions of Interest for Holiday Activities and Food programme are open; Update guidance; Wrapround childcare report; Tax-Free Childcare - help parents save money)
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01/2024 (Expansion of childcare offers survey; New Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework; Holiday Activity and Food programme; Setting Support Phone Line; Free workshops - cost of living support for families; Ofsted outcomes; Out of School Alliance - National Wraparound Childcare programme factsheet)
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#8 (Government guidance - the wraparound childcare programme, Capital funding for the childcare expansion, Holiday Activity and Food Programme - Winter bookings, Sufficiency updates - deadline approaching, Consultation on the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, Holiday Activity and Food Programme - Expression of Interest 2024, The Big Ambition survey, Right from the Start: West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Strategy event, The National Playwork Conference)
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#7 (Spring budget - wraparound care update; new targeted setting support - business and sustainability form; holiday activities and food programme - expression of interest; the 14th annual playwork awards; the national conference for out of school clubs)
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