Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#49/2024 - Wednesday 4 December 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Changes to information gathering for SEND Under 5's and Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment
- Advanced warning - Online Provider Portal downtime
- Emergency closure planning and response for settings
- Wraparound childcare funding - last week to apply
- Final reminder - Have your say in the Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) Payment Consultation – Stage Two mandatory survey for EYFE providers
- Norovirus symptoms and how to prevent the spread of infection
- SEND and Inclusion Newsletter - November 2024
- Safer sleep for babies and coping with a crying baby
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
The Early Years Individual Support Plan (EYISP) is being replaced. From January 2025, when asked to conduct "Information gathering" as part of the SEND Under 5 process, a new information gathering form must be used instead of the EYISP plan. The EYISP will be removed from our web pages in January 2025 and replaced with the new form and guidance materials. This new information gathering form will be accompanied by two supportive documents, to help you complete the information gathering process.
This form will be submitted to the Special Education Needs Assessment Team (SENAT). If you have already begun an EYISP for a child this term, you can continue to use this document. But please be aware EYISPs will not be accepted after Friday 31 January 2025. If the incorrect paperwork is submitted after this date, it will be rejected by SENAT. If you have not yet started an EYISP for a child this term, we recommend using the new information gathering form.
The new documents that should be used as part of the "Information gathering" process are as follows:
Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal will be unavailable on Thursday 12 December from 1.00pm and all day on Friday 13 December whilst essential maintenance is taking place.
Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
As we move into the winter months, we would like to remind you of all the useful information available to support you with emergency planning and response as a result of any unforeseen circumstance particularly in an emergency.
Emergencies could include closures because of adverse weather conditions, flooding, problems associated with buildings/property and in extreme cases, such as insufficient staffing due to illness.
You should assess the risk of any potential impact on your setting and inform your local Early Years and Childcare (EYC) team if you are considering closing for a temporary/short period of time. Also if you require further support, please contact your nearest EYC team using the email addresses at the bottom of this newsletter.
Please can we remind you that it is the setting’s responsibility to risk assess whether you chose to close or remain open. For settings offering Early Years Funded Entitlements the Provider Declaration states:
4.33 Should the setting need to close in the event of an emergency, it is expected that you make up any loss of EYFE hours wherever reasonable. You must contact the Family Information Service (FIS) to discuss the circumstances and anticipated length of closure.
If a significant event occurs that impacts your setting directly you should notify Ofsted or the Childminder Agency you are registered with.
Well done to everyone who has successfully applied for wraparound childcare funding, creating new and expanding provision across the county.
This term, we have created just over 30% of all our places.
- In the central area (Adur, Worthing and Horsham), we have created 234 spaces out of a planned 674 spaces (35% completion).
- In the eastern area (Crawley and Mid-Sussex), we have created 126 spaces out of a planned 826 spaces (14% completion).
- In the western area (Arun and Chichester), we have created 464 spaces out of a planned 1147 spaces (40% completion).
The funding window for this year closes on Thursday 12 December so there is still time to apply for funding before the Christmas holidays.
Please refer to the Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding web page for further information or contact the setting support mailbox for your area, email addresses are at the bottom of this newsletter.
Stage Two of the EYFE Payment Consultation ends this week. All private, voluntary and independent (PVI) early years and childcare providers who currently offer EYFE must complete the Stage Two survey. We are currently awaiting responses from 28% of providers.
The consultation offers West Sussex PVI providers to choose their preferred option of how they are paid EYFE:
- two payments per term: one estimate payment at the beginning of the term and one actuals payment prior to half term, or
- monthly payments: estimates are split to allow a payment each month, with actuals paid at the beginning of the final month of the term
You will find a briefing video, a Payments Schedule Modelling Tool, and further information on this consultation at the link above.
Early Years and Childcare Advisers are making contact with providers who are yet to complete the survey to offer further guidance and support. The deadline for completing the survey is 11:59 pm on Sunday 8 December.
Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug (though it can occur year-round), is a stomach bug that causes sickness and diarrhoea. Currently, there are high numbers of norovirus cases being reported across the country.
Norovirus spreads easily, especially in places where people are in close contact, such as hospitals, care homes, schools and nurseries. Outbreaks can be more common in these settings.
Please read the attached information to learn more about norovirus symptoms and what steps to take if you or someone you know is affected. Please share this information with families at your setting to help raise awareness.
The November SEND and Inclusion newsletter is now available.
A free 2 hour webinar is available for all professionals working with parents/carers of young babies or those expecting a baby. The webinar will be delivered by nurses from the NHS Sussex safeguarding children team.
You will learn about the importance of sharing new safer sleep information with families and how to have effective conversations around crying babies.
Please see the safer sleep course flyer for more details about the webinar, upcoming dates and how to book.
Please see below for some recently added courses to our training offer. 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
- w/c 9 Dec - Spring term estimates payments due
- 16 Jan 2025 - Spring term headcount day
- 6 Jan 2025 - Portal opens for spring term actuals
- 21 Jan 2025 - Portal closes for spring term actuals
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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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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#48/2024 (Business focus - Management and leadership courses; Offering Early Years Funded Entitlement from January 2025; Early Years Funded Entitlement - checking Working Families codes workshop; Wraparound Childcare Funding Programme - 2024 deadline; Starting school applications; Creating accessible spaces for children with cerebral palsy; Infection prevention; Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme social media launch; Early Years Training)
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#47/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Why language matters - criminal child exploitation, Safeguarding special newsletter, Early Years Funded Entitlement spring term 2025 estimates now open, Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - spring term code deadline, Early Years and Childcare expansion - funding timeline of events, Autumn Budget 2024, Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub November newsletter, Early Years Training)
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#46/2024 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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