#37/2025 - Wednesday 17 September 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus – Designated Safeguarding Lead networks and How Martyn’s Law will affect education settings
- Autumn term 2025 actuals claims - reminder
- Autumn term flexibility for 2 year olds starting after headcount
- Post Headcount Exceptional Payment forms for children claiming in the 9 months plus age group
- Submitting actuals correctly for 2 year olds
- Ofsted guidance on school-based early years and childcare settings
- Supervised toothbrushing in early years settings - support available
- Childminder Groups
- Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub newsletter
- Early Years training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
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New networks for Designated Safeguarding Lead’s
This year we have started a termly network just for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) in early years settings. These free sessions are held across the county and give DSLs a chance to hear the latest local and national updates, and talk about current issues with others in similar roles. You can find the dates for the autumn term below. You can find the dates for the autumn term below.
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If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
How Martyn’s Law will affect education settings
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, was passed and received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025.
The Government has published guidance for education settings, including early years and childcare settings, on how you will be affected when this law is implemented. Please take some time to read through this information.
In #newsletter 35/2025, we confirmed the Online Provider Portal (OPP) is now open for you to submit your Early Years Funded Entitlement claims for the 9 month plus, 2 year old and 3 and 4 year old age groups.
To support your claim, please see our 'information to consider when submitting autumn term 2025 actuals claims' document. For a step-by-step guide on how to claim, please refer to the 'How to claim child-level funding (actuals)' help guide on our Early Years Funded Entitlement actuals web page.
There is also further information you can read in our Early Years Funding Newsletter – Autumn 2025.
As a reminder, please see the key dates below:
- Headcount day: Thursday 18 September 2025
- Deadline for submissions: Friday 26 September 2025 at 11.59pm
The Department for Education has asked local authorities to report how many 9 month and 2 year old children are accessing the Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families this autumn term. The autumn data collection count week is 3 November 2025.
Due to this, West Sussex County Council can approve Post Headcount Exceptional Payment (PHEP) requests for eligible children who want to start an EYFE for Working Families place between 29 September and 7 November 2025. These PHEP’s will be accepted without the need for an exceptional reason. Please note, approval is subject to a valid EYFE for Working Families eligibility code for the autumn term, and our usual checks.
The online PHEP request form can be found on our requesting funding after headcount web page. PHEP’s for the above children must be submitted to us no later than Wednesday 12 November 2025.
For 2 year old children starting an EYFE for Working Families place after 7 November 2025, normal requirements will apply and a child must have an exceptional reason to start post headcount.
A reminder that children accessing Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families in the 9 Months Plus age group can now start at any point in the term, without the need for an exceptional reason. Please see #newsletter 26/2025 for further details.
Ofsted has updated the registering and inspecting school-based provision guidance, clarifying when schools must register their early years or childcare provision. The changes aim to reflect current delivery models and provide clearer definitions and examples. Key updates include:
- clarification of exemptions under the Childcare Act 2006, especially the term ‘made at the school’
- new registration requirements for schools previously considered exempt
- implications for federated schools, academies, and independent schools, particularly regarding provision for children aged under 2 years
- inspection criteria now depend on the age of children, location of provision, and who delivers it.
Ofsted have published a 'registering and inspecting school-based early years provision: what the updated guidance means for you' blog post, which provides a summary of the changes made.
These updates are closely linked to the wider reforms to early years inspections, which take effect from 10 November 2025.
As highlighted in the Early Years and Childcare Special Newsletter, Ofsted is introducing a refreshed inspection framework. This means it is important for schools to ensure their setting is correctly registered. Further to this special newsletter we also wanted to clarify that Ofsted will inspect ‘safeguarding’ in early years and childcare settings as a separate ‘met’ or ‘not met’ core evaluation area with an accompanying narrative.
You may be aware that there is guidance in place for early years settings to implement supervised toothbrushing. This is not as scary as it sounds. You are not expected to brush anyone’s teeth for them. The Oral Health Promotion Team, part of the Special Care Dental Service, is commissioned by West Sussex County Council to support each setting with getting started. Here is what they offer:
- a site visit to advise on the best way to carry out toothbrushing in your setting
- all resources provided, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, storage racks, and a digital folder with letters, consent forms, risk assessments and more
- termly deliveries of new brushes and paste
- take-home packs for children twice a year.
Many schools in West Sussex already have toothbrushing programmes in place, and support is available if you need help. For further information or to express interest, please email the Oral Health Promotion Team at sc-tr.oralhealthpromotionteam@nhs.net.
Early Years and Childcare Advisors (EYCA) are working with childminders to develop local networking opportunities. If you are part of a local group, and would be happy to welcome new members, or you are a childminder and are interested in helping to set up a local group, please email your nearest EYCA team using the following email addresses:
The September newsletter for Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub is now available.
Starting a new academic year means new children and new routines at your setting. To deepen your understanding around behaviour, 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.
Useful information
- 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
- 2 January 2026 - autumn term sufficiency deadline
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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#36/2025 (Starting school applications; New opportunity to join our Provider Forum; SEND updates - new online Child Development Centre referral form; Response to community impact from national and local protests; Grow, Learn and Flourish West Sussex Teaching School Hub – September 2025 newsletter, Congratulations, Early Years Training)
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#35/2025 (Business Focus - Funded course to support your childcare business; Autumn term 2025 actuals claims - action required; Online Provider Portal training - available to book now; Best Start in Life replaces Childcare Choices; Safeguarding in out-of-school settings; Free potty training webinar for parents/carers; Training opportunity with Ben Kingston-Hughes)
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#34/2025 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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