#32/2025 - Wednesday 13 August 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business Focus - Wrapround Programme Funding Grant
- Reminder - Early Years Funded Entitlement autumn 2025 term estimates close this week
- Online Provider Portal training - now available to book
- Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime
- It is never too late to have vaccinations
- Early Years Training
- Nominate a colleague for a King’s Birthday Honour
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
The Department for Education (DfE) has recently announced that there will now be a more flexible approach to the final stages of the Wraparound Programme.
Confirmation that any un-spent grant can be carried forward into 2026-2027 means we can open another round of funding. The funding panel will be accepting applications for grant funding from 8 September and will continue to do so until the remaining grant money is spent. We will do this on a term-by-term basis, reviewing and processing the applications as they arrive, on a first come, first served basis.
We are also able to offer funding to schools that do not yet meet the DfEs expectation of full wrapround. The aim for all schools remains that they endeavour to provide the full wraparound offer for parents, opening 8.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday. We understand that some schools do not need this to meet parents’ needs or find it too risky or difficult to provide right now. The DfE would rather schools offer some childcare than none at all.
We will now fund partial places in a way that supports the ethos of the wraparound programme, specifically:
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- that funding is used to create/expand provision that will meet the needs of local families, using evidence of demand and potential demand which may show, for example as higher levels of demand for after school places in some schools where existing provision is not meeting demand
- that funding increases availability of places, as with full wraparound places, this could be through creating new provision, expanding hours of existing provision or expanding the number of places at existing partial provision
- that funded places are consistently available throughout term-time, so that parents can rely on childcare for work
- that schools/providers are encouraged to see partial places as a bridge to potential full places in future
- families should have access to childcare at least three days per week, though the number of places available on different days may vary
- families should have access to childcare before and after school; before school provision should be available for at least 30 minutes and after-school provision should finish no earlier than 90 mins after the school day. There may be a different number of places available before and after school. As now, this childcare could be available with different childcare providers
- by exception, for special schools, funding partial places with shorter hours or fewer days, to support the school or provider as they work towards a fuller offer can now be considered.
For more information, please contact the wraparound team at wraparound.childcare@westsussex.gov.uk or visit Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding web page.
The Online Provider Portal is still open for you to submit your autumn term estimates for Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for 9 month olds, 2, 3 and 4 year olds. The deadline for estimate submissions is 15 August 2025.
For information on the EYFE expansion and the maximum number of EYFE hours available from September 2025, please refer to our EYC Special Newsletter sent 30/06/2025. Estimates for 2 year old EYFE for Working Families and 2 year old Local Authority Issued EYFE will be a combined figure.
- headcount day for autumn term is 18 September 2025
- payments are scheduled to be received by providers week commencing 25 August 2025
- for providers receiving monthly payments, the August payment date remains the same. You will receive 23.3% of your estimated payment for the term in August, with the rest paid in September and October, following the monthly payment dates shown on our website.
If after viewing the guidance available on our website you require further support, in the first instance please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk, or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
As mentioned in the EYC Special Newsletter, we will be offering free online sessions to support you in submitting actuals claims (also known as headcount claims).
In each session we will cover:
- how to add, amend and remove children from your claim
- how to determine if a Working Families code is valid for the upcoming term. Review code start dates, end dates and grace period end dates
- the changes to submissions following the entitlements expansion, particularly changes around claiming funding for the 2 year old age group
- how to include claims for Early Years Pupil Premium and Disability Access Fund
- time for questions at the end of the session.
The sessions will be held online via Microsoft Teams and are bookable through the links below.
Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be unavailable from 12.30pm on Thursday 21 August for viewing and submitting forms, but you can still access the funding area.
The OPP will be completely unavailable on Friday 22 August until 5.00pm. This is due to essential maintenance that is taking place. Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
Illnesses like measles and whooping cough can spread very easily between children who are not vaccinated. These illnesses can make children very sick, leading to hospital stays or lifelong problems. It is important that vaccines are given on time for the best protection. If a child is not vaccinated, they are not protected.
It is never too late to have vaccinations, the school holidays are an ideal time to make sure children are up to date with their vaccinations.
There have been recent changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Please share the updated schedule with families in your setting via your usual communications.
Families can also check their child’s red book or speak to their GP practice or health visitor to see if they have missed any of their vaccinations. They can visit the childhood immunisations page for more information and support.
Language comprehension, which is necessary for both reading and writing, starts from birth. In early years, you can start to develop a child’s love for reading and writing through a variety of engaging activities. We have 2 courses coming up that could support you with this. 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.
Do you know someone in the Early Years, Families and Childcare sector who goes above and beyond in their work? As the King’s Birthday 2026 Honours round approaches, the Department for Education is encouraging nominations for colleagues who have made a real difference in this sector.
The Honours system recognises individuals who:
- have made significant achievements in public life
- show outstanding commitment to serving and supporting others
- help raise standards in the sector through their dedication and impact.
To nominate someone, you should:
You can submit more than one nomination, and we encourage you to share the form with colleagues who may also know someone deserving of recognition.
When writing your nomination, please provide as much detail as possible, such as:
- the individual’s achievements and contributions
- real examples of what they have done
- their personal story and challenges they may have overcome
- the wider impact of their work
- what makes their contribution stand out from others in similar roles.
Nominations close on Sunday 21 September 2025. If you have any questions, please contact jane.flaherty@education.gov.uk.
This is a great opportunity to celebrate the individuals who make early years and childcare such a vital, inspiring sector.
Useful information
- 30 June to 15 August - portal open for autumn term estimates
- w/c 25 August - autumn term estimates payments due
- 29 August - summer term Sufficiency deadline
- 1 September to 26 September - portal open for autumn term actuals
- 18 September - autumn term headcount day
- w/c 20 October - autumn 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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#31/2025 ('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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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