#34/2025 - Wednesday 27 August 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus - Neglect guidance
- Congratulations to Welcome House Day Nursery
- Supervised toothbrushing
- Free toilet training posters and handouts
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. It can have a long-lasting impact on a child’s physical, mental and emotional development, and in some cases can even be life-threatening. Early years practitioners are in a unique position to identify concerns and take action to safeguard children.
This neglect guidance has been designed to refresh your awareness of what neglect is, outline what children need, and directs you to the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership Neglect web page. There, you will find the Neglect Strategy 2024–2029 alongside a range of tools and resources to strengthen your practice in identifying and tackling neglect.
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Congratulations to Welcome House Day Nursery who have received their fourth consecutive 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating. Well done to the whole team for this amazing achievement.
Please see this update from Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust on the implementation of supervised toothbrushing in West Sussex.
Foundation Years has released free downloadable toilet training posters and handouts for early years settings. These simple, practical resources help support children to learn to use the toilet, both at home and in your setting.
You can use them in your setting or share with families to support children.
Visit the Foundation Years website to access these free resources.
Observation is important in early years settings. This includes observing the children and their development throughout the day and peer to peer observation with your staff. We have 2 courses coming up that could support your setting. 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
- 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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#33/2025 (Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Early years expansion and budget grant payments; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families eligibility codes; Increasing awareness of the 2 year health and development review; Access to urgent NHS dental care; Online Provider Portal Training; Funded Level 3 Specialist in Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator qualification; Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub; Early Years Training)
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#32/2025 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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