Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#38/2024 - Wednesday 18 September 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Updates to our phone system - possible longer call wait times
- Early Years Funding Entitlement for 2 year olds
- Starting school applications and extra support
- New Public Mental Health Needs Assessment 2024
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Please be aware the Customer Service Centre are updating their phone system on 26 September 2024. Whilst the new system and processes are put into place you may experience longer call wait times when contacting the Family Information Service, Early Years Funding Team, or Setting Support Phoneline between 26 September and 18 October. If you have a query relating to the Online Provider Portal (OPP) and your query cannot be resolved by the help guides on our web pages, you can email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk.
We would like to remind you that the OPP closes for autumn term Actuals submissions on 27 September at 11.59pm. If you are attempting to submit or amend your Actuals between 26 and 27 September, please be aware that we experience a higher volume of calls and emails whilst the OPP is open for Actuals submission. We may not be able to respond to your query immediately, but we aim to respond within 10 working days (from either mailbox). Please do not attempt to call or email with the same query, as this may contribute to longer processing times for customer queries.
We encourage you to submit your Actuals in good time before the deadline. This will enable you to contact us with any queries or concerns you may have and helps ensure you receive the right support before the OPP closes.
Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for 2 year olds
We have received calls from parents/carers who have advised us that some providers they have spoken to are unsure of the difference between Working Family EYFE and 2 year old Local Authority (LA) Issued EYFE. This has meant that when a parent/carer has tried to obtain a funded place using the six digit 2 year old LA Issued EYFE code, they have been informed that it is not a valid code and that they need to apply for an 11 digit EYFE code for Working Families. This is not correct.
The two types of funding have different eligibility criteria and application processes. To clarify:
2 year old LA Issued EYFE
- Families apply directly to the LA that they live in.
- The application is processed, and if in West Sussex, if the child's eligibility has been confirmed, they will receive a letter via email which contains details of the child's six digit eligibility code.
- You must see a copy of the letter as this confirms when the funding can start.
- If you claim for the child on headcount, step 41 of the Help guide shows you how to add the child’s 6 digit code to their ‘Notes box’. You do not check this six digit code via the eligibility checker or use 'Enter EY Voucher'.
- Children eligible for this type of funding can start at any point in the term, and you can submit a Post Headcount Exceptional Payment (PHEP) form for any child who starts a funded place after headcount.
- Once issued, codes do not need to be reconfirmed and funding is not removed even if circumstances change.
2 year old Working Family EYFE
- Families apply to HMRC via the Childcare Choices website. In order to use the funding in the autumn term, they must have applied by 31 August 2024.
- The application is processed and if eligible the 11 digit code is sent to the parent via a message in their Government Gateway Account.
- The parent must then give the code to you so you can check eligibility using the Eligibility Checker on the Online Provider Portal. This must be done before starting the child's funded place. At Headcount, you will need to recheck eligibility as part of the submission for the child.
- Children eligible for this type of funding should start at Headcount, unless there are exceptional reasons for us to consider. You can submit a PHEP form for consideration in those exceptional circumstances.
- The parent will need to reconfirm the 11 digit code every three months in order to keep using it.
In certain circumstances, children may be eligible for both schemes, but they can only claim for one. We recommend that parents/carers use 2 year old LA Issued EYFE in these cases as it reduces the actions required for both parents/carers and providers.
All children born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 are due to start school in September 2025. Families may be starting to consider the primary school that they would like their child to attend.
Early years and childcare providers will receive a pack of starting school leaflets and a poster from School Admissions in October. The poster should be displayed within your setting for parents/carers to read. The leaflets should be distributed to the families of children born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 who will be applying for a school place this year. Parents/carers will be able to apply for a primary school place from Monday 7 October 2024 until Wednesday 15 January 2025. Please talk to the parents/carers in your setting, whose children are due to start school in September 2025, to make sure that they understand the process and complete their applications on time. If parents/carers have any questions about the school admissions process that you cannot answer, please refer to the information on the starting school web page or contact the relevant Pupil Admissions Team.
Following feedback from early years and childcare providers, and discussions 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 web page if you wish to use it. The questionnaire can be used to support your own practice, but will not need to be submitted to the Healthy Child Programme. You should continue to monitor children’s progress, and work with parents/carers, to identify any concerns that could impact on children making a positive start at school. You can contact the Healthy Child Programme to discuss a child’s health or development needs by calling 01273 242004 or emailing sc-tr.wsxhcpduty@nhs.net.
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. Information to support families in your setting is available on our supporting families web page.
Practitioners may also refer families to appropriate advice and guidance for parents including:
Public Health have been undertaking a needs assessment looking at mental health in West Sussex. Some early years and childcare providers in West Sussex took part in discussions to help inform the assessment, alongside a range of other stakeholders. As part of this process a new Public Mental Health Needs Assessment (PMHNA) has been published. Those who support their local population and communities are encouraged to use this professional document to increase their understanding of the mental health and wellbeing need in West Sussex. It should also be used to support the planning and commissioning of services, inform future strategies, action plans and frameworks for delivery.
Public Health regularly carry out needs assessments of the local population in partnership with the NHS, local authorities, and community and voluntary sector organisations. These contribute to the West Sussex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, which is the evidence base website that underpins strategic public health decision-making in the county. People with lived experience of mental health and those working in services and providing support were at the forefront of co-producing the PMHNA. The joint work between the NHS, county council and community and voluntary organisations on this report demonstrates the strength of partnership working in West Sussex.
The PHMNA will be used as part of the Right From the Start - Early Years and Childcare Strategy and will inform the action plan for one of the strategies priorities. This priority states that "Families are enabled to promote good mental and emotional health for themselves and their children from conception and beyond, so that inequalities are reduced and those with emotional and mental health needs are well supported."
Here are some of our top courses for this autumn term. All of our training courses can be booked via the new West Sussex Service for Education booking system. To book a course, click the course name below. You can also visit our new booking system and search for a range of courses.
If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
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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#37/2024 (Early Years and Childcare Advisors corrected contact information for support; Job centre support with recruitment; Childcare job fair in Horsham in October – meet job seekers; Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme; National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL); Autumn early years and childcare networks; Early Years Training)
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#36/2024 (Business focus - Marketing your early years and childcare business; Early Years Funded Entitlement autumn term Actuals - now open; Early Years Funded Entitlements for Working Families; Claiming Disability Access fund; Early Years Funded Entitlement leaflet for parents and carers - digital copies available; Setting support phone line reminder; Fire safety training; Oral health pilot; PACEY Childcare and Early Years Awards 2024; Early Years and Childcare 2024/25 Training and Events Brochure)
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#35/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Updated Prevent referral form; Right from the Start: Early Years and Childcare Strategy; Applications open for Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding; Registering as a childminder and nanny; Ofsted updates - returning the ID checking form to Ofsted; Join the West Sussex Multiply Bus for a week of learning and fun; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter - August 2024; Early Years Training)
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#34/2024 (Childcare Expansion Forum – joining opportunity extension; New Early Years Funded Entitlement web pages; Ofsted updates - what early years providers and practitioners need to know; Childminders - new to Ofsted inspections, what do you need to know?)
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#33/2024 (Early Years Funded Entitlement for working families - autumn term deadlines; Applying for Early Years Funded Entitlement when on parental leave; Do Something Big campaign - advertising your vacancies; PACEY's first childcare and early years conference)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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