Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#43/2024 - Wednesday 23 October 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Early Years Funded Entitlement - autumn term actuals payments
- Autumn term Post Headcount Exceptional Payment requests for children aged 9 months to 2 years
- Inclusion/Special Educational Needs Coordinator networks autumn 2024
- Updated childhood immunisation web page
- Early years and childcare workforce steering group
- Passionate and inspiring leaders wanted for a project in secondary schools
- Changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework
- Update - Ofsted Big Listen
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Please be advised that autumn term payments have been released for:
- EYFE actuals where there are no outstanding queries.
- Disability Access Fund for all approved applications where valid evidence was provided.
Payments are expected week commencing 21 October and can take three to five working days to show in your account. This does not guarantee that funds will clear into your account on Monday 21 October, but they could clear at any time during this week. If you have not received funds into your account by 11:59pm on Friday 25 October, please contact the Early Years Funding team from Monday 28 October. You can email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or call us on 01243 777807.
Once you have contacted us with your query, please do not attempt to call or email with the same query. Your query is important to us but repeated emails and phone calls relating to the same issue may contribute to longer processing times for all customers. Please be reassured we do our best to reply to all customer queries as soon as possible and we thank you for your patience.
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is now closed for autumn term submissions, but you can still log back in to view your payment summary. Please refer to the OPP actuals web page and 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.
In newsletter #39/2024, we let you know that West Sussex County Council has the flexibility to approve any PHEP requests for children aged 9 months to 2 years, who wish to access an Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families place between 23 September, up to and including 8 November 2024. This is due to the additional data submission required by the Department for Education for autumn term 2024, as detailed in the autumn Early Years Funding Newsletter.
PHEPs for children aged 9 months to 2 years old will therefore be approved without the need for an exceptional reason. Approval is subject to a valid EYFE for Working Families eligibility code for the autumn term, and our usual checks. This flexibility applies to autumn term 2024 only.
The online PHEP request form can be found on our web page. PHEPs for the above children must be submitted to us no later than Wednesday 13 November 2024.
For children starting an EYFE for Working Families funded place after 8 November 2024, normal requirements will apply and a child must have an exceptional reason to start post headcount.
The first early years and childcare INCO/SENCO network is taking place on 4 November. The networks are county-wide to make them accessible for all providers. They are an opportunity for you to receive updates, information and guidance relating to the INCO/SENCO role and your practice.
Please see our 2024/25 network brochure for dates, times and locations. To book on to a network meeting, click on the booking link for the date you require within the brochure. Alternatively, you can visit the West Sussex Services for Education booking portal and select your required date.
West Sussex County Council has updated the childhood immunisation web page. This page provides vital information on:
- the NHS vaccination schedule,
- the importance of timely immunisations, and
- addresses common concerns from families.
Vaccinations protect children and adults from serious diseases. They also help keep our community safe by helping to stop diseases spreading to people who cannot have vaccines.
As an early years and childcare provider, you can help by reading the page and sharing it with families in your setting. Encourage parents/carers to stay informed and ensure their children are up to date with their vaccines.
Are you passionate about careers in early years and childcare? Is your setting good or outstanding? If so, you could be part of our early years and childcare (EYC) workforce steering group. You will collaborate with a wide range of partners to:
- develop and implement an EYC workforce plan to support the recruitment and retention of a high quality workforce,
- raise the profile of EYC and careers in the sector across the county, and
- define clear and accessible entry pathways and progression routes through the sector.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email lisa.guy@westsussex.gov.uk. Lisa Guy will then contact you to provide further information and next steps. The first meeting will be on Tuesday 12 November, 10.00am to 11.30am on Microsoft Teams.
We are inviting passionate and inspiring leaders in the early years and childcare sector to participate in Project Pitch 2024, an initiative aimed at cultivating the next generation of practitioners. This pilot program is currently collaborating with four schools, three located in Crawley and one in Shoreham.
We are seeking four leaders, from good or outstanding settings, who will deliver an introductory session on early years and childcare in a school setting. This two-hour session will include a group activity designed to engage students and encourage teamwork while demonstrating essential skills relevant to the sector. Leaders will provide feedback to students, highlighting their strengths and attributes, with support from the class teacher throughout the process.
Ideally, participants will also bring an apprentice, student, or young team member to contribute by sharing their motivations for entering the early years and childcare field. If you believe a suitable candidate is available, we would appreciate your support. If not, your involvement as a leader is still welcomed.
As this is a pilot project, we can offer an £80 incentive to cover travel and staffing costs for each of the four participating settings. Please see the Project Pitch flyer for more details. Please email lisa.guy@westsussex.gov.uk if you would like to be involved or to find out more.
The EYFS statutory frameworks have been updated. The Department for Education have provided clarification for childminders working both with and without domestic premises. They have also clarified the qualification requirements for staff counting in the level 6 staff:child ratios for group based providers. You can read a full summary of the most recent changes here.
At the beginning of 2024 the Ofsted Big Listen asked for views on Ofsted's work, from schools, children’s social care, teacher training, early years professionals and children themselves. Ofsted have now published a video named "What will change for the early years in response to our Big Listen?". This video outlines some of the changes that will be made for the early years and childcare sector. You can also find out more by reading the consultation outcome.
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.
We’re committed to providing excellent support to all providers we engage with. Please take a moment to complete our Early Years and Childcare Provider Feedback Survey and let us know about your experiences. Your feedback will help us improve our service and better support settings like yours. You can visit the web page or scan the QR code.
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#42/2024 (Safeguarding focus: Supervising mealtimes – preventing choking; Free support groups for early years practitioners; Childhood immunisations – new web page; Autumn term network presentations; SEND and Inclusion Networks; Brilliant Babies to Terrific Toddlers – A Tool for Reflection; Help Ofsted to develop their understanding of vulnerability & inclusion; Best Start in Life Ofsted report; Early years provider business opportunity; Early years training)
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#41/2024 (Starting school applications; Transition events; Advertise and update your childcare vacancies; Early years SEND assessment guidance and resources; New training module available - supporting individual differences and needs; New Ofsted blog post; Early Years Training)
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#40/2024 (Business focus: Have you ever thought about employing an apprentice?; UK Health Security Agency Outbreak Packs for Education Settings; Supporting physical development in the early years; Promoting careers in early years and childcare at local job fairs; Early years provider business opportunity; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter - September 2024; Presentations for early years practitioners; Early Years Training)
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#39/2024 (Safeguarding focus – Lockdown processes; Autumn term 2024 Headcount submissions close this Friday; Autumn term Post Headcount Exceptional Payment requests for eligible Working Families of children aged 9 months to 2 years old; Ofsted Outcomes; October childcare job fair, Horsham – only a few stalls left; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter - September 2024; Oral Health Training; National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership; Early Years Training – Phonics)
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#38/2024 (Updates to our phone system - possible longer call wait times; Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for 2 year olds; Starting school applications; New Public Mental Health Needs Assessment 2024; Early Years Training
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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