Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#4/2025 - Wednesday 29 January 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus: Let’s Talk PANTS with Pantosaurus!
- New website for early years and childcare providers - final reminder
- Champions of childhood: celebrating early years heroes conference 2025 - our keynote speaker
- Autumn Early Years and Childcare Inclusion/Special Educational Needs (SENCO/INCO) Networks
- Sustainability and climate change strategy for education
- Resources for early years and childcare settings
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
This is a copy of newsletter #4 published on 29 January. The previous version could not be viewed on the web browser due to an issue with the link. The issue has now been resolved. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Let’s Talk PANTS with Pantosaurus!
Since 2013, Pantosaurus has helped over six million parents to Talk PANTS and help keep children safe from sexual abuse.
Talk PANTS helps children understand that their body belongs to them, and they should tell a safe adult they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried.
The PANTS rules are:
- Privates are private,
- Always remember your body belongs to you,
- No means no,
- Talk about secrets that upset you, and
- Speak up, someone can help.
Pantosaurus is a useful tool for settings to use to talk to children about keeping themselves safe. Please also share the PANTS NSPCC website with parents/carers in your setting. The online resources and guides helps families to have these important conversations and keep children safe.
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In newsletter #3/2025 we updated you on the work we were undertaking to develop a new website for early years and childcare providers in West Sussex. We are pleased to announce this new website will be going live week commencing 3 February 2025. As part of this new website going live, the current information for childcare providers web pages will become unavailable. All of the same information, and more, will be available on our new website.
Once the new website goes live, any links you have previously saved may break or redirect you to the new website. There also may be a period of downtime where information for childcare provider web pages are unavailable, as the technical migration work is undertaken. We thank you for your patience whilst we make these important improvements to our web pages.
In our newsletter due to be published on 5 February, we will give you further updates on the website, provide you with important links and share an overview of some of the web pages.
We are delighted to announce Ben Kingston-Hughes, Managing Director of Inspired Children, who will be a keynote speaker at our upcoming West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conference 2025. He is an international keynote speaker, author, and multi-award-winning trainer. His blend of humour, neuroscience and 30 years practical experience working with vulnerable children has made his training invaluable for practitioners. His new book “Why Children Need Joy” was a finalist for the Nursery World Professional Book of the Year 2024.
During the conference, Ben will explore what happens in the brain when children play. He will explain how understanding neuroscience enables practitioners to support children to experience incredible play opportunities.
To book onto a conference click the conference name below.
Please see the conference brochure for more information and the schedule.
If you experience any issues when booking your place, please email: early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
The Early Years and Childcare INCO/SENCO Networks are approaching with the events beginning in early March. The networks are county-wide to make them accessible for all settings to attend. They are an opportunity for you to receive updates, information, and guidance relating to the role and your practice.
Please see the brochure for dates, times and locations. To book onto a network meeting, click on the booking link for the date you require within the brochure or you can visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and select your preferred date.
The Department for Education’s sustainability and climate strategy states that by 2025, all education settings (including early years settings) will need to:
- identify a sustainability leadership structure, and
- create a climate action plan that supports sustainable practices.
You do not have to start from the beginning. Consider what you are already doing and use the guidance available to support you. For example:
Did you know that the Childcare Choices website has a guidance and resources section? There is a dedicated section to support you to help parents/carers understand Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE). This includes reminding them to apply/reconfirm their EYFE Working Families codes. You can also find resources about Universal Credit and Tax-Free childcare.
The ’Do Something Big Campaign‘ has a recruitment resource page which can be used to support you with recruitment.
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.
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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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#3/2025 (Business Focus: National Apprenticeship Week - nominate your apprentice for an Exceptional Early Years Apprentice Award; Early Years Conference 2025 - book soon to avoid disappointment; Training required for settings with children aged under 2 years; Termly Provider Update; New website for early years and childcare providers - advance notice; Childcare Works launches Early Years Provider Toolkit; Department for Education (DfE) Early Years Provider Roadshows for 2025; National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL); Early Years Training)
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#2/2025 (Starting school applications - deadline today; Spring term Early Years Funded Entitlement headcount and Early Years Census 2025 - deadline approaching; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - code issues resolved; Transition events 2025; Ofsted Early Years (EY) workshop for professionals; Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme - pregnancy and postnatal exercise; Free online festival for families; Race Equality Week 2025; Early Years Training)
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#1/2025 (Cold health alert extended into the weekend for the South East; Mandatory Early Years Census 2025 and spring term Actuals – action required; Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding - deadline approaching; Wraparound Childcare Funding Grant - spring term 2025; Annual Admissions Consultation 2026/27; Business opportunity in Walberton; Better Health Start for Life - Top Tips for Teeth; Maths Champions – professional development programme; Early Years Training)
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#51/2024 (Safeguarding focus: Making a referral to WORTH services; Photographing and filming children; West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conference 2025: Champions of Childhood – Celebrating Early Years Heroes; Starting School Applications - one month to go; Virtual school support groups; The Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme - the benefits of yoga; Fire safety training for early years and childcare providers; Mental health first aid (adult) training)
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#50/2024 (Online Provider Portal downtime; Early Years Funded Entitlement spring term estimate payments; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - spring term code deadline; Advance notice - mandatory Early Years Census 2025; Final reminder - checking working families eligibility codes webinar; Inclusion Funding - online information updated and availability for 9 months plus; Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding - applications open for further projects; Presentations from INCO/SENCO Networks; Bookstart packs - deliveries starting early 2025)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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