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In the first version of this newsletter there was an error in our 'Deadline approaching - Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - summer term 2025 code' article. We have now amended this error.
Please delete any previous versions of this weeks newsletter. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#12/2025 - Wednesday 26 March 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Deadline approaching - Early Years Funded Entitlement summer term 2025 estimates
- Deadline approaching - Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - summer term 2025 code
- The Department for Education frequently asked questions guidance about charging
- Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework
- Early years qualifications – new check service
- New Ofsted webinar
- Transition events
- BBC Tiny Happy People survey
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
The deadline to submit your summer term estimates, via the Online Provider Portal for EYFE for 9 month olds, 2, 3 and 4 year olds is Friday 28 March 2025.
For further information please refer to our previous estimates article here.
If, after viewing the estimates guidance available on our web page you require further support, in the first instance please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk, or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
In order for children to access EYFE for Working Families places in the summer term 2025, please advise eligible parents to:
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apply now to ensure they have their eligibility code by 31 March 2025 - www.westsussex.gov.uk/fundedchildcare
- log in to their childcare account to check their details are up to date, and reconfirm their eligibility by 31 March 2025 - gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account
- contact the HMRC helpline if they are experiencing issues applying or reconfirming on 0300 1234 097.
Please use the eligibility checker via the Online Provider Portal to check the code dates are valid ahead of the summer term:
To claim EYFE for Working Families in the summer term 2025, the eligibility code must have a start date of 31 March 2025 or earlier. It must also have a grace period end date of 31 August 2025, or later. Please note that grace periods can only be used where EYFE has been accessed previously by the child at your setting. Grace periods cannot be used if a child is starting a new EYFE place at your setting.
Eligibility codes must be checked by you and be valid before a child takes up their EYFE hours.
The DfE have published a useful FAQ document about the updated charging section of the early education and childcare entitlements statutory guidance, which is effective from 1 April 2025. This can be used in conjunction with the actual guidance when considering charging practice.
Ofsted have produced helpful frequently asked questions documents. These relate to delivering the current and revised EYFS statutory framework in relation to the EIF. There are separate documents for:
- Registered early years providers
- The EYFS in schools
- Childminders
Visit the Ofsted website to view these guidance documents. You can read a summary of the upcoming changes to the EYFS statutory framework here.
The Department for Education have launched a new online early years qualification check service. Previously, you could only check qualifications using the early years qualifications achieved in the UK checklist. Now you will also be able to use the early years qualification check service to check individual qualifications are full and relevant by answering a short series of questions.
In early 2025, Ofsted launched a consultation on the proposed changes to the way Ofsted inspects education. In this webinar they explain what the proposals mean for early years providers:
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report cards: these will offer parents and carers more detailed information than the current reports, including a new 5-point grading scale to evaluate more areas of a provider’s work and short summaries of what inspectors found
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education inspection toolkits: these will be used by inspectors and provision leaders to encourage professional dialogue when considering evaluation areas and reaching grades, and to support leaders on their continuous improvement journey
- other changes to the way they carry out inspections.
You can watch the webinar on YouTube.
The transition events will run this year between 6 and 16 May. If you have not yet booked your place, please do so. Booking early supports the events to run smoothly. You can book your place at West Sussex Services for Schools. You can find more information, including transition guidance and the updated paperwork for this year on our early years transition web page.
It is important that all settings use the correct paperwork to give consistent information to schools. At the events, the paperwork gives an overview of all children who will be transitioning to each school.
BBC Tiny Happy People are collaborating with Sherbet Research to understand if and how their resources are being used by early years and childcare professionals across the UK. The aim of this survey is to gather information on whether you are using BBC Tiny Happy People resources with families, which resources you are using, when, and how. They would also like to hear whether there are any barriers and your suggestions for improvement. The survey takes under 10 minutes to complete. You can complete the survey here.
The early years training programme will be shared with all settings next week. We have several courses currently listed and available to be booked on to, including the 2 courses below. To book, 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
- 28 March - portal closes for summer term estimates
- w/c 7 April - summer term estimate payments due
- 18 April - spring term Sufficiency deadline
- 21 April to 16 May - portal open for summer term actuals
- 8 May - summer term headcount day
- w/c 2 June - summer term actuals payments due
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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#11/2025 (Safeguarding Focus - Safer recruitment for staff from overseas and those who have lived abroad; Recording attendance of children and visitors; Reminder - Provider Declaration 2025/26; New resource to support setting's Early Years Pupil Premium spending; Reminder - Operation Encompass briefings; World Oral Health Day – new resources to download and share; 'Little Moments Together' campaign ;Pelvic floor exercises for new parents)
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#10/2025 (Early Years Funded Entitlement summer 2025 term estimates now open; Operation Encompass information; New careers in early years and childcare website; Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice copies posted to you; National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership; SEND and Inclusion Newsletter - Spring 2025; Early Years Training)
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#9/2025 (Business Focus- Paying employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices; Provider Declaration for 2025/26 - number of funded weeks in spring and summer terms 2026; Information on supporting special education needs and disabilities; Early years and childcare workforce review – deadline extended; Confused about staff-to-child ratios?; Workplace recycling changes from 31 March 2025 - early years and childcare providers impacted; New website - Careers in early years and childcare, 1 week to go; Webinar for early years providers: improving the way Ofsted inspects education; Changes to apprenticeship expectations for adult learners; Early Years Training)
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#8/2025 (Reminder - Online Provider Portal downtime; Wraparound Childcare Funding Grant; Early Years Funded Entitlements spring term payments; Champions of childhood: Celebrating early years heroes conference 2025 - spaces are limited; Coming soon - careers in early years and childcare website and Jobs in early years and childcare newsletter; Childcare Works Wraparound and Early Years Provider Toolkit; Supporting regular activity and exercise before and after pregnancy; Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter; Early Years Training)
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#7/2025 (Safeguarding Focus: Updated safeguarding letter for parents and carers; Advanced warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Changes to the setting support phone line; Early Years Funded Entitlement - Indicative Budget report; When do you need to notify Ofsted?; Champions of childhood: Celebrating early years heroes conference 2025 - meet our workshop leader; Specialist Advisory Teachers for Early Years SEND Transition (EYSAT’S); Fire Safety Training; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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