Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#46/2024 - Wednesday 13 November 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Working families eligibility codes - Online Provider Portal webinars
- Post Headcount Exceptional Payment requests for eligible working families of children aged 9 months to 2 years - final reminder
- Early Years Funded Entitlement Payment consultation - Stage Two mandatory survey
- New childminder category - childminders without domestic premises
- Updated Ofsted poster for parents
- Do you love working in early years and childcare? We need your help
- Oral health support
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
The Early Years Funding team are running two online training sessions to support providers in checking the validity of Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families eligibility codes using the OPP. These sessions will cover:
- EYFE for Working Families codes termly application and reconfirmation deadlines,
- how to check a code is eligible using the online eligibility checker via the OPP,
- how to determine if a code is valid for the upcoming term, looking at code start dates, end dates and grace period end dates, and
- understanding the code grace period and what this means.
The sessions will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams. Please click the links below to book via Eventbrite.
If these initial sessions are successful and you find them useful we will then look to plan more sessions in future terms. If you are unable to attend these sessions our OPP step by step guides are available on our web page: www.westsussex.gov.uk/eycportal.
In the Early Years Funding Newsletter shared with you on 12 September 2024, we let you know that West Sussex County Council has the flexibility to approve additional PHEP requests without an exceptional reason. This is only for children aged 9 months to 2 years old, who wish to access an Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families place after headcount, up to and including Friday 8 November 2024.
The online PHEP request form can be found on our webpage. PHEP requests for the above children must be submitted to us no later than Wednesday 13 November 2024.
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 for PHEPs submitted by the above deadline.
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.
On Tuesday 22 October we shared a special newsletter with all early years and childcare providers who offer EYFE. All private, voluntary and independent early years and childcare providers who currently offer EYFE must complete the Stage Two survey.
So far, we have heard from nearly 30% of you. We would like to thank those who have managed to complete the survey already. For those yet to complete it, you will have received an email reminder yesterday, 12 November 2024. From week commencing 18 November, Early Years and Childcare Advisers will contact providers who have not yet responded to the survey, offering support and guidance if needed.
The survey closes at 11:59 pm on Sunday 8 December.
From 1 November new flexibilities for childminders were introduced. These new flexibilities have created a new category of childminder (childminder without domestic premises) who work entirely from non-domestic premises. You can find application guidance for becoming a childminder without domestic premises on the GOV.UK website. Ofsted have provided some useful slides regarding these changes. You can also read a news article on the Foundation Years website, which provides an overview of the changes.
As your local authority, we are carefully assessing the impact of these changes and how they may affect providers. We will keep you informed of any further updates through this weekly newsletter.
Ofsted have updated the "Ofsted's role in regulating childcare" poster for parents. It has information about Ofsted's responsibilities and how parents can contact them. They have updated the phone number parents can call if they have a concern or complaint to 0300 123 4666.
You should remove any out of date posters and replace them to ensure parents have access to the correct contact information.
We need your help to attract more high quality candidates into the early years and childcare sector. To do this, we would like to gather some inspirational statements from early years practitioners. We will use the statements throughout our web pages and printed materials to promote a career in early years and childcare in West Sussex. We are looking for short, motivating statements (two to three sentences maximum). We also ask that early years practitioners submitting statements share:
- their name,
- their role,
- qualification level (if they are unqualified we would like to hear from them too),
- the type of setting they work in, and
- the town where they work.
We will not publish practitioners names, only their role and qualification level, the type of setting and the district or borough they work in.
Please read this document for some examples of what potential candidates looking for a career in early years and childcare would like to know, and what practitioners could send in. Please share this article with practitioners in your setting and support them to submit a statement. You can also submit a statement yourself as we want to hear from a wide range of practitioners.
To submit your statements, or if you have any questions, please email lisa.guy@westsussex.gov.uk. Thank you for your help, we cannot raise the status of careers in early years and childcare in West Sussex without you!
As part of a pilot project, the Oral Health Team are able to offer free support to early years and childcare providers. Please read the Oral Health Team flyer for more information and contact SC-TR.oralhealthpromotionteam@nhs.net to book a visit. The pilot ends March 2025, so please contact them as soon as possible to access this free support.
We have a number of courses designed for leaders, which cover a wide variety of specific topics. To book a course, click the course name below. You can also visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and select your required course.
If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 20 Nov - Portal scheduled to open for spring term estimates
- 29 Nov - Portal closes for spring term estimates
- w/c 9 Dec - Spring term estimates payments due
All private, voluntary and independent early years and childcare providers who currently offer EYFE must complete the Stage Two survey. The deadline for completing the survey is 11:59 pm on Sunday 8 December.
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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#45/2024 (Wraparound childcare grant funding reminder; Spring term National Professional Qualification Early Years Leadership news; Hampshire County Council Inclusion Conference 2025; Information Commissioner's Office tool to develop bespoke privacy notices; Ofsted videos for early years providers; West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership newsletter October 2024; Early Years Training)
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#44/2024 (Business focus: E-learning business support; The West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership: invitation to November Partnership Group meeting; Brighton and Hove childminder conference - November 2024; Childcare Works Hub; Early years provider business opportunity; Early Years Training)
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#43/2024 (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 Co-ordinator 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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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