Newsletter for Out of School providers in West Sussex
#5/2024 - Monday 23 September 2024
This newsletter includes:
- Right from the Start: Early Years and Childcare Strategy
- Do Something Big Campaign re-launch
- Childcare Works HUB
- New workforce toolkit
- SEND support for wraparound and out of school providers
- When do Holiday Activities and Food providers need to register with Ofsted?
- Wraparound training
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We want all children to have the best start in life. The new ’Right from the Start: Early Years and Childcare Strategy‘ sets out our vision and priorities for supporting children in West Sussex. The strategy outlines eight priorities aimed at improving the well-being of young children, reducing inequalities, and ensuring all children have the best start in life. It will also support families to access timely support, including them at the heart of planning so their needs are met.
To best support the children and families we serve, your participation is important. There will be opportunities for you to support the strategy, so please stay informed through our upcoming communications. You can read the full strategy on our web page.
The Department for Education has re-launched their early years and childcare recruitment campaign, ’Do Something BIG, Work with Small Children‘. As part of this, a new Education and Childcare Jobs category has replaced the existing Education Jobs category on the find a job platform. This is where wraparound and early years employers can advertise any available recruitment vacancies, for free.
To make the most of this opportunity, please post any relevant vacancies to the Education and Childcare Jobs advert category. You should also include "wraparound childcare" in the job title, if appropriate. There is helpful guidance on using the platform on our web page and the Department for Work and Pensions web page.
We encourage you to take a look at the Childcare Works HUB for Wraparound Childcare where you will find a range of tools, templates and resources.
Latest resources include:
To help you with workforce recruitment and retention, we want to make you aware of a new wraparound workforce toolkit, which can be found on the Childcare Works website. The toolkit is separated into five sections:
- identifying and attracting people to wraparound childcare,
- advertising wraparound childcare roles,
- interviewing wraparound childcare candidates,
- onboarding wraparound childcare staff, and
- retaining and supporting wraparound childcare staff.
The Setting Support phone line is available Tuesday afternoons from 1.00pm to 4.00pm. It is an advice and support service for all early years and childcare providers on any inclusion topic. When you call the phone line you will have an opportunity to discuss your query, receive appropriate support, signposting to training and support services available.
If you require support for an individual child or require some general inclusive strategies to support children with SEND, you can contact the phone line by calling 01243 777807 and ask to be put through the Setting Support phone line.
Are you a HAF provider or thinking about becoming one? Do you know when HAF provision needs to be Ofsted registered? Read the blog post on the Ofsted early years blog that outlines when a HAF provider must register with Ofsted.
Here are some of our top courses we recommend for wraparound providers 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
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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04/2024 (National Wraparound Childcare Programme update; Termly Provider Update form; Review of the National Occupational Standards for Playwork 2024/25; Setting Support Phone Line; Ofsted blogs; Expansion Support Training Offer 2024/25)
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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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