#40/2025 - Wednesday 8 October 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business Focus - Stay informed about your business rates
- Starting school applications
- Keeping your data safe
- Protecting children from flu this winter
- Information for Childminders
- Last chance to secure a funded National Professional Qualification (NPQ) this academic year
- National Education Nature Park
- Congratulations
- SEND and Inclusion newsletter
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Stay informed about your business rates
The government has announced that new business rates valuations will take effect from 1 April 2026. In England, Early Years and Childcare businesses are generally liable to pay business rates if they occupy non-domestic (commercial) premises. Business rates can be a significant cost for many settings so it is important to remain aware of any financial change that could impact your ongoing financial forecasting.
To help you stay informed, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is encouraging providers to set up a business rates valuation account. This lets you:
- check what property details the VOA holds,
- be notified of your new rateable value in advance,
- report errors before the new valuation is finalised,
- plan ahead for any changes to your bill.
For further information and to set up your account visit GOV.UK web page.
You can also find further information to support you with ongoing business and financial planning on our Business and financial planning web page.
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The school applications process is now open for families with children born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 who are due to start school in September 2026.
You should have received a pack of Starting School leaflets and a Starting School poster for your setting. The poster should be displayed within your setting for parents to read and the leaflets should be distributed to the families of children who are due to be starting school in September 2026. Please print additional copies of the poster or leaflet, if required.
You may have parents with children in this age range who are unsure about whether their child should start school in September. Please talk to these families about the potential benefits and risks of delaying their child’s start to school. Make sure that they understand the need to apply for a school place, which can be declined later if no longer needed. It is important that all families with a child in this age group apply for a school place before the deadline of Thursday 15 January 2026.
Parents should be aware that their child must legally be attending school from the term after their fifth birthday, although they can defer their school entry until they are of statutory school age. Children born between 1 April and 31 August, can make a request to delay their start until the following September and start in reception year. More information about the ages that children start school can be found here.
There have been recent reports of cyber-attacks targeting schools and early years settings. As an early years provider, keeping the sensitive information you hold safe is both a legal and safeguarding responsibility.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) help businesses, the public sector and individuals protect their online services and devices. They provide guidance for early years practitioners on how to protect sensitive information about your setting and the children in your care. This includes four key steps to help reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim:
- back up your important information,
- use passwords to control access to your computers and information,
- protect your devices from viruses and malware,
- deal with suspicious messages.
The NCSC provide a poster which you can print and display as a useful reminder.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) offers guidance for small businesses, including simple and practical steps to help you keep your data secure.
What to do if you have been impacted by a cyber incident
If you experience a cyber-attack, you must first report this to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.
You should also report a severe cyber incident to the NCSC if your organisation's ongoing operations, customers, or supply chain are at risk. You can also report less severe incidents to support with threat understanding. Report any incident that involves unauthorised access, malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, or system disruptions, especially if it affects employee or customer data, firmware, software, or hardware. Use the NCSC's Report a Cyber Incident form to submit reports and do not delay, even if you are still confirming the incident.
If the incident involves a breach of personal data, you are legally obliged to notify the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of the incident.
Flu can be very unpleasant for children and can sometimes cause serious problems, such as pneumonia. Children under the age of 5 years have one of the highest rates of hospital admissions due to flu.
Vaccinating children not only protects them but also helps protect the whole family. It reduces the risk of flu spreading to relatives who may be more vulnerable, such as grandparents or family members with long-term health conditions. Vaccination can also help prevent the disruption caused by flu. This means it is less likely that time off work or other activities will be needed, either to care for a sick child or if the parent/carer becomes unwell themselves. Free flu posters and leaflets are available in a range of languages and easy-read formats. These can be ordered to help make flu information clear and accessible for families in your setting.
The nasal spray flu vaccine for children is quick, safe and helps keep families and communities protected over winter. It is offered to children aged 2 to 3 years old, school-aged children (reception to year 11) and children with certain long-term health conditions. Please share this important information about the flu vaccine through your usual communications with families. You can also share this handy web accessible guide or web page. More information is available about how to get the children’s flu vaccine.
Please see this leaflet, which has been designed for practitioners working in early years.
Childcare Works have brought together their most relevant resources for childminders into easy to use collections. One focuses on wraparound provision and the other is all about early years. You will find free support and information available on the Childcare Works HUB.
Are you looking for valuable research-based professional development for a staff member? Have you considered the National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)? All settings eligible for funding will have received an email from the Grow Learn and Flourish (GLF) West Sussex Teaching School Hub team confirming this. All eligible settings have until Friday 10 October to secure your funded place, so please ensure you apply by this deadline.
Other settings are also welcome to apply by Friday 10 October for the best chance of securing a place on the programme. The cost of the qualification is £1148.
For more information about the NPQEYL and to apply, please visit the NPQ page of the GLF West Sussex Teaching School hub website.
If you have any questions about the NPQEYL or eligibility, please email Kellie Hall on khall1@glfschools.org or Caroline Carrol at caroline.carroll@millais.org.uk.
The National Education Nature Park is a free programme for all education settings in England, helping to bring climate and nature into everyday teaching and learning. The programme is commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) and led by the Natural History Museum and Royal Horticultural Society. It supports education settings with Climate Action Plan development and implementation, as required by the DfE over this academic year.
Join the South East Regional team for a webinar on how to get started with the National Education Nature Park. They will introduce the first steps, including habitat mapping, exploring their resources, and sharing examples from settings who are already involved. Discover how you can support children in your setting to connect with nature and improve biodiversity on your site.
The webinar takes place on Thursday 16 October, from 4.00pm to 4.45pm. You can register on the booking page. If you are unable to attend, please still register to receive the recording.
We would like to congratulate Fiona Franklin and Nicola Redman, both childminders from Horsham, who are celebrating 30 years of being childminders this year.
The children and families you have looked after, and all the staff here at West Sussex County Council, wish to say thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
The autumn 2025 SEND and Inclusion newsletter is now available.
Throughout October we have lots of courses running on a variety of topics. Below, we have two courses that still have a few spaces remaining. 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 20 October - autumn term actuals payments due
- 7 November - inclusion funding deadline for autumn term 2025
- 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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#38/2025 (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)
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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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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