#31/2025 - Wednesday 6 August 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- 'Activate' - a new physical activity campaign
- Winners of the early years and childcare workforce review prize draw
- Skills Bootcamps to boost careers and recruitment across West Sussex
- Leading excellence in early years: quality first teaching - application deadline extended
- Early Years Training – new date added
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
This summer, Joe Wicks has launched a new animated physical activity series called 'Activate', designed to get children moving and having fun. Created in partnership with Studio AKA (the makers of Hey Duggee), 'Activate' is part of a new government-backed initiative to reach families and schools across the country.
The series features short, five-minute episodes packed with energy and movement, perfect for little bursts of activity at home. The first four episodes are on The Body Coach YouTube channel, with new ones released weekly over the summer.
Please share this exciting new series with families in your setting. It is a great way to support children to stay active and engaged throughout the holidays.
Congratulations to Catkins Nursery in Horsham and Robins Nest Day Nursery in Haywards Heath who completed the early years and childcare workforce review and are the lucky winners of our prize draw.
Thank you again to our winners and all providers who completed our workforce review. If you missed it, you can read the highlights of the review and how we plan to act on your feedback.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has launched Skills Bootcamps, a new initiative designed to help people gain in-demand skills that local employers are actively seeking. The programme offers access to industry-recognised, flexible training courses tailored to meet current workforce needs.
Skills Bootcamps are open to anyone aged 19 or over who live or work in West Sussex, whether employed, unemployed or self-employed. They are designed to be inclusive and accessible, with tailored support available to help all learners succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.
The courses last up to 16 weeks and have a guaranteed job interview or career progression opportunity. Participants gain both technical and soft skills relevant to local industries, helping them secure employment, start an apprenticeship or advance their careers. In addition to up to date industry-relevant knowledge, learners receive tailored support, including:
- coaching and mentoring from industry experts
- CV support and interview practice
- regular check-ins during and after the course.
There are three Skills Bootcamps specifically designed to support the early years and childcare sector:
- Becoming a childminder – created to encourage more people to become childminders.
- Early Years Educator - designed to encourage more people into the sector. It is important to stress that this is not a level 3 full and relevant qualification, but an introduction for those wishing to start their career in the sector. The bootcamp aim is to offer participants who successfully complete the bootcamp a job interview with an early years provider.
- Early years leadership and supervision – this bootcamp is designed to prepare practitioners who have an interview lined up for a leadership role.
More details to follow, but you can explore how your business can benefit on the WSCC Skills Bootcamps website.
As first shared in newsletter #28/2025, we told you about the new and exciting ‘Leading excellence in early years: quality first teaching’ programme for current and aspiring leaders.
The programme has been designed to support those who are keen to develop their professional skills and knowledge to make a real difference in their setting, particularly for children facing vulnerabilities that affect their attainment. The programme will run from October 2025 to March 2026. Please read the Programme Overview for further information.
There are only 12 spaces available for practitioners to attend this programme. Funding is provided for release time to attend the sessions and complete tasks in the setting. If this is of interest to you or for a member of your team, please complete the application form and return it to sue.woods@westsussex.gov.uk and lisa.guy@westsussex.gov.uk by Friday 12 September 2025. Please complete the application form carefully as this could affect your application eligibility.
Due to high demand for the November 2025 Advanced Safeguarding course, we are pleased to release a second date in Spring 2026. The course will build on the content covered in refresher and Designated Safeguarding Lead courses, exploring in greater depth the wider concerns and issues relating to protecting children from abuse.
To book and view further course details, 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
- 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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#30/2025 (Help us gather feedback on the Impact of Early Years Funded Entitlement; Changes to apprenticeship standards; Operation Encompass; Summer term network meetings; Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs; Early Years Training)
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#29/2025 (Safeguarding Focus - Safeguarding self-assessment tool and keeping babies safe resources; Have your say on the future of local government in West Sussex; Family Hub availability over the summer holidays; Childcare Choices - digital leaflet available; Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Newsletter)
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#28/2025 (Revised Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework; Ofsted renewed inspection framework webinars; Early Years Foundation Stage safeguarding and welfare requirement changes; Leading Excellence in Early Years: Quality First Teaching; Vaccinated children should not be excluded from settings; Paying for childcare – new resource to share with parents; Childcare Choices provider updates; Funded level 3 qualification opportunity; Early Years Education with Early Years Teacher Status MA - additional funded places available; Early Years Training)
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#27/2025 (Workforce Focus; Help us gather feedback on the Impact of Early Years Funded Entitlement; Children starting school; SEND and Inclusion newsletter; Grow, Learn and Flourish West Sussex Teaching School Hub end of year review; Early Years Training; Summer Reading Challenge - coming to a library near you)
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#26/2025 (Business Focus - Limiting place capacity; Early Years Funded Entitlement - autumn term 2025 estimates now open; Post Headcount Exceptional Payment forms for 9 months plus funding claims; Department for Education consultation on floor space requirements - closing soon; Celebrating success of our early years superheroes - Toybox Day Nursery; Kent & Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub newsletter; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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