Newsletter for Out of School providers in West Sussex
#1/2025 - Monday 20 January 2025
This newsletter includes:
- Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding - applications open for further projects
- Wraparound Childcare Funding Grant - spring term 2025
- Childcare Works provider toolkit launch
- West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conference 2025: Champions of Childhood – Celebrating Early Years Heroes
- Early Years Training
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Following the first round of capital grant applications in November 2024, further capital grant funding remains available to support additional projects. We are pleased to invite new applications for the Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding. This is to support the creation of additional early years and/or wraparound childcare places, which must be made available by September 2025. This capital funding is separate from the School Based Nursery Capital Grant funding.
Projects will be assessed in line with the Childcare Expansion Capital Grant - allocations guidance and reviewed by the capital grant funding panel. The grant is limited and is unlikely to cover the costs of a new building. However, the grant funding may be able to contribute towards building projects in areas where there is clear demand for additional places. West Sussex County Council would expect that, in most cases, the funding awarded to successful projects will not exceed £50,000.
Please visit the Childcare Expansion Capital Funding web page for further information and to apply. The deadline to submit your application is Friday 14 February 2025. Providers are advised to read the following documents thoroughly before submitting their application:
To assess cost certainty the panel require a full breakdown of the costed activity you are seeking capital grant funding for. This will include three quotations/estimates for each element of your plan costing £15,000 and over.
For any questions during this process, please contact: childcareexpansiongrants@westsussex.gov.uk
The next funding window is now open for applications for the Wraparound Childcare Funding Grant. Last term we funded over £1.1 million worth of grants, creating over 1000 wraparound places across the county. The application window is open until Monday 3 March 2025 and places should be available by the summer term 2025, where possible.
Please visit the Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding web page for further information and to apply.
If you have any questions, please email: Wraparound.Childcare@westsussex.gov.uk.
Childcare Works have recently launched a new ‘Wraparound Toolkit’. It has been curated by experts to bring together everything you need to grow, sustain or start, your childcare provision. It is designed for all types of providers at any stage of their journey. Whether you are just starting out, are sustaining your provision, or growing, you will find informative, relevant content.
This toolkit simplifies the wealth of information available to support providers by gathering it all in one place. It contains information specific to operating childcare provision and general information for businesses, childminders and charities. This includes:
- expert marketing,
- HR and leadership and management, and
- partnership working.
Content is organised into six ‘topics’:
- Business Planning
- Business Growth
- Running of Your Childcare Provision
- Leadership and Management
- Partnership Working
- SEND and Inclusive Practice
Each topic contains sub-topics to help you find relevant content easily. To support the different needs of providers Childcare Works have included information in a range of formats. This includes guides, learning, toolkits, templates, articles, case studies and much more. Each resource included in the toolkit is available without cost.
We are pleased to announce we will be running two West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conferences. The first will take place in the south of the county, and the second in the north.
The conferences are for all early years and childcare providers to connect, to be celebrated and be inspired. We have a range of interesting and innovative speakers and workshops to energise you and your team.
Tickets include lunch and refreshments. To book, either click on the booking link for your preferred date below or alternatively, visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and search ‘conference’.
If you experience any issues when booking your place, please email: early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Please see a selection of courses below that have been added to our training programme. 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
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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06/2024 (National Wraparound Childcare Programme; Early years and childcare expansion - Funding timeline of events; e-Bug programme online focus group; Wraparound training)
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05/2024 (Right from the Start: Early Years and Childcare Strategy; Do Something Big Campaign re-launch; Childcare Works HUB; New workforce toolkit; 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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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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