Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#19/2025 - Wednesday 14 May 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business Focus - explore our business support web pages for settings
- Summer term Early Years Funded Entitlement actuals – deadline this Friday
- Right From The Start Early Years survey
- Childminding Week
- Early Years Funded Entitlements for Working Families - 30 hours applications open now
- New Ofsted research report
- Wraparound settings - inclusive provision
- Fully funded Early Years SENCO training - apply now
- Department for Education launches new consultation on floor space requirements
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Have you explored the business support web pages on our information for childcare providers website? The website has been developed in collaboration with Early Years and Childcare professionals, including feedback from our Early Years and Childcare Expansion Forum. It has been carefully designed to support you in running your early years and childcare setting.
The business support web pages bring together key tools and guidance. You can find clear, practical information to help with the everyday running of your setting. This includes advice on marketing, hiring and retaining staff, managing money, and understanding legal responsibilities. Highlights include:
- clear guidance on writing a business plan, managing finances, understanding tax responsibilities, and invoicing
- information on how to promote your setting through the Family Information Service to reach more families
- practical strategies to help you market and promote your setting effectively
- guidance for providers who are planning to close their setting permanently
- access to business and sustainability support from our early years and childcare teams
Visit our business support web pages and take advantage of the wide range of resources available to help you.
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The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is still open for you to submit your Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) claims for 9 month plus, 2 year old and 3 and 4 year old children. The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Friday 16 May.
If you have no children to claim for this term, you must log in to the OPP and check your headcount information. We carry forward children’s details from the previous term, so you need to log in and remove any children's details that may have been carried forward. You can find useful guidance on how to do this on the EYFE actuals web page. By removing children's details, it will ensure you do not receive reminders from us about missing submissions.
It has come to light that some information regarding the payment dates for summer term 2025 actuals was incorrect on our website. As confirmed in newsletter #16/2025 payments will be released week commencing 9 June 2025, for providers with no outstanding queries. Payments are released by the Early Years Funding team during this week. They can then take three to five working days to show in your bank account. For example, if your payment is released by us on Wednesday 11 June 2025 it may not appear in your bank account until 16 to 18 June 2025, taking the weekend into consideration. If there are any outstanding queries, we will contact you to resolve them. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused if you were not aware of the correct payment date.
In newsletter , we asked you to share a with parents and carers who attend your setting. The responses will help us better understand how early years services can be improved. To ensure we gather as many local experiences as possible, the deadline has been extended to Sunday 18 May. We would really appreciate it if you could share the survey through your usual communications channels. A flyer is attached to make this easier to circulate.
Thank you for your continued support.
This Childminding Week, the Family Information Service (FIS), Local Offer and Family Hubs will be raising awareness of the benefits of using a childminder. We will be sharing posts on social media and promoting information sessions for anyone thinking about becoming a childminder. We will also be highlighting our web page about . These resources will be shared on both the FIS, Local Offer and Family Hub Facebook pages.
Whether you are a childminder yourself or work alongside them, it would be great to have your support in celebrating childminding week.
If you do not follow us already, visit our FIS Facebook and the Local Offer Facebook pages.
From 12 May, eligible working parents can apply for up to 30 hours of funded childcare per week. This will see the current 15 hours of funded childcare for eligible working families with children under 3 years, from the term after their child turns 9 months old until they reach statutory school age, extended to 30 hours per week. This increased funded childcare amount can be accessed from September 2025. Application and reconfirmation of codes remains subject to the normal eligibility criteria for Early Years Funded Entitlements (EYFE) for Working Families.
As an early years and childcare setting, it is important that you are aware of these changes. This is so you can prepare your business and signpost eligible families who access your provision. Read our EYFE for Working Families - final phase guidance for more information.
Last week, Ofsted published a new report Getting it right from the start: how early years practitioners work with babies and toddlers. This report looks at the prime areas of learning and the impact of getting this right for children from birth to 2 years old. In their report, Ofsted highlighted some implications for settings.
Practitioners should:
- actively support and guide babies and toddlers in refining their physical development
- reflect on their understanding and knowledge of high-quality interactions with babies and toddlers, and keep up to date with developments in this area
- reflect on their curriculum for babies and toddlers, and use and develop routine times for implementing their curriculum
- reflect on how they perceive themselves professionally – practitioners who saw themselves as both carers and educators were better able to support children’s development
Managers/leaders should:
- support practitioners to identify gaps in their learning, especially before the government introduces its childcare reforms in September 2025, which will increase access to early years education and care for babies and toddlers
- provide time, space and supervision for practitioners to meet professional standards and address their development needs relating to the education and care of babies and toddlers
- actively address misconceptions about working with babies and toddlers, and support practitioners to overcome barriers to high-quality care
Childcare Works is supporting local authorities with the rollout of the National Wraparound Programme. During this work they have identified Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as areas where support may be needed.
Childcare Works have worked with NASEN to develop a series of bitesize training sessions, to support wraparound settings to offer inclusive environments for all children, including children with SEND. Further information, including links to the recorded sessions, is available in the Childcare Works leaflet.
The Department for Education has asked Best Practice Network to provide 1000 Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) training places in the 2025/26 financial year.
Training is available across England and is open to early years educators currently working as, or due to start working as, a SENCO in their setting.
Applicants from group-based private, voluntary or independent settings must hold a full and relevant level 3 early years qualification. Childminder applicants must hold at least one of the following:
- a level 2 early years level qualification
- a full and relevant early years level 3 qualification
- have fully completed at least one level 3 early years training module and have significant experience of working in early years
Training will commence in June 2025 and applications are open now. For further information, and to complete your application, visit the Early Years SENCO Level 3 Best Practice Network web page.
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a new consultation on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) floor space requirements.
Currently, the EYFS for group and school-based providers, and childminders states that providers are required to meet the following indoor spaces requirements:
- 3.5m² per child under 2 years old
- 2.5m² per 2 year old
- 2.3m² per child aged between 3 and 5 years old
The consultation is seeking views on whether or not free-flow outdoor areas should be included in floor space measurements for children aged 2 years and above.
The options presented in the consultation are:
- Including ‘free-flow’ outdoor space in the EYFS space requirements without a cap to allow providers with the physical structure to meet the definition of ‘free flow’ outdoor space to increase the number of children in their setting.
- Including ‘free-flow’ outdoor space in the EYFS space requirements with a cap to mitigate potential risks around overcrowding.
The consultation asks respondents to share any alternative ideas on indoor space requirements. Respondents also have the option to state if their preference for floor space requirements is to remain as they are.
The consultation closes on 11 July 2025, with the government expected to provide a response in autumn 2025.
This week, we are focusing on our courses that have been designed for early years leaders and managers. These courses are subsidised and only cost £10 per person. To book, click the course name below. You can also visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and select your required course. The new 2025/26 training brochure with all of our courses and course descriptions can be found here.
If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 21 April to 16 May - portal open for summer term actuals
- 30 May - Deadline for Inclusion Funding action plan submissions
- w/c 9 June - summer term actuals payments due
- 30 June to 15 August - portal open for autumn term estimates
- 29 August - summer term Sufficiency deadline
- 1 September to 26 September - portal open for autumn term actuals
- 18 September - autumn term headcount day
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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#18/2025 (Summer term 2025 actuals claims - action required; Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families codes – new online request for support for; Termly Provider Update; Childcare Expansion Capital Grant funding - deadline approaching; Early Language Support for Every Child - Free Event; National Wraparound Childcare Programme Grant Funding; National Professional Qualification (NPQ) Autumn 2025 update; West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSSCP) free training, Early Years Training)
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#17/2025 (New nutrition guidance from the Department for Education; World Hand Hygiene Day 2025; Dadpad - New app launch event; Reminder to sign up to Operation Encompass; Help parents save money on childcare costs; Early Years Training)
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#16/2025 (Safeguarding Focus - Use of socket covers; Final reminder - Ofsted consultation on inspections; Spring term 2025 actuals claims - actioned required; Chronology training - Train the Trainer; Early Years Training)
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#15/2025 (Starting school places; Help us shape early years services - deadline approaching; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families codes – new online request for support request; Improved way to submit Disability Access Fund evidence; New Local Authority Designated Officer portal for referrals; New Ofsted blog post; Early Years Training)
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#14/2025 (Business Focus - Updated Childcare Sufficiency Assessment; Ofsted consultation on inspections - have you had your say?; Are you prepared for the new climate change requirements?; Free safeguarding training; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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