#38/2025 - Wednesday 24 September 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Autumn term Early Years Funded Entitlement actuals – deadline this Friday
- Ofsted Big Conversation
- New strategy to improve West Sussex residents’ health and wellbeing
- Help keep children safe from falls
- Early Years Training
Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is still open for you to submit your EYFE claims for 9 month plus, 2 year old and 3 and 4 year old age groups. The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Friday 26 September.
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 use the introductory guide on our EYFE actuals web page to do this. By removing children's details, it will ensure you do not receive reminders from us about missing submissions. There are also additional help guides on the same webpage to support you with all other tasks related to submitting your actuals.
The next Ofsted Big Conversation for the South East will be held online on Friday 17 October 2025, from 10.00am to 12.00pm, and is free to attend.
This event is for early years and childcare providers. You will hear directly from Ofsted about the revised inspection framework and have a chance to ask questions and share your views. You can book your place via .
A new Health and Wellbeing strategy has been published for 2025 to 2030. The 5 year strategy aims to improve the health and wellbeing of residents across West Sussex, and reduce health inequalities.
The strategy presents the board’s vision of ‘Improving lives together in West Sussex.’ It focuses on 5 priority areas:
- food and nutrition
- school readiness
- transitioning to adulthood, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing
- tobacco control
- health and wellbeing of people in temporary accommodation.
The 3 principles central to the delivery of the strategy are to:
- reduce health inequalities
- build resilient and connected communities
- work in partnership to deliver the strategy
The plan has been developed by the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing board and wider partners. It also includes feedback following a public consultation on the draft strategy held earlier this year.
You can access the full strategy, watch a short animation and access an easy read version on the website www.westsussex.gov.uk/HealthWellbeingStrategy.
Falls can cause serious injuries and even death. Most children who die from falls are under 5 years old. Many fall from windows or balconies, often where safety locks are broken or missing. Children grow and develop quickly and they can suddenly climb or reach things they could not before.
Check your setting for risks, especially near windows and balconies. To help raise awareness of this important topic, please print and display the Child Accident Prevent Trust's (CAPT) falls from windows poster in your setting. CAPT also have a useful web page on preventing falls, which we encourage you to share with parents and carers to help prevent accidents at home. We also recommend sharing it with your staff to help ensure the safety of your setting. It contains useful information on how to prevent serious falls in young children, with practical safety tips.
We have 2 courses which are especially popular right now. If you would like 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
- 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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#37/2025 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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