#41/2025 - Wednesday 15 October 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Early Help Focus - West Sussex Family Hubs: fun, friendly family spaces
- October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Publication of Statutory Notices - West Sussex Special Schools
- Early Years Pupil Premium - Share your experiences
- Slides from the recent network meetings
- Early years apprenticeships exploration webinar
- The Department for Education needs your help understanding how you check qualifications
- What’s new from the West Sussex Virtual School?
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
West Sussex Family Hubs: fun, friendly family spaces
Did you know there are 12 Family Hub buildings across six areas of West Sussex, each packed with lovely spaces to explore? From cosy social areas to magical sensory rooms and toy libraries, there is plenty for little ones to enjoy. Families can book a session on the magic carpet, which is popular with toddlers and grown-ups alike.
Family Hubs also offer Healthy Start vitamins for eligible families and breast pumps via referral from a midwife or health visitor. The brilliant Family Hub Support Teams are able to help with everything from childcare funding and SEND to oral health and wellbeing. If families need additional support, the team can connect them with Family Support services too.
Families can visit their local Family Hub in person or contact them via telephone (01403 229900) or Facebook Messenger. Please print and display the attached flyer in your setting to help connect families with their local Family Hub Facebook pages.
You will also find Family Hub teams at toddler groups, libraries, and local events. They are always happy to chat, share helpful advice, and offer support, helping children get the very best start in life. Local Family Hubs can confirm which events, groups, and libraries they will be attending throughout the year, along with dates and times.
Coming Spring 2026: The Best Start Family Hub offer is launching. Find out more on the Best Start in Life website. Follow your local Family Hub on Facebook for updates and events to share with your families. The Family Information Service will also be sharing updates on their Facebook page, so be sure to check there regularly. Please share this information through your usual communication channels.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is a time to reflect on how we can support families who may be experiencing domestic abuse. As early years educators, you may be in a unique position to notice when something does not feel right. If you have concerns about a family in your setting, support is available.
You can contact the West Sussex County Council's WORTH Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse services, who work alongside victim-survivors to help make them and their families as safe as possible. Professional referrals can be made, or you can contact them for advice. Once a referral is submitted, the domestic abuse team within the Integrated Front Door will contact you to discuss your concerns, offer guidance, and plan next steps. If you need help completing the referral form, call 0330 222 8181 or email DomesticAbuseServicesCentral@westsussex.gov.uk.
You can also display the WORTH services leaflet and poster in your setting, to raise awareness and signpost families to support.
Three statutory consultations launched on 2 October, each proposing an increase in planned places at West Sussex Special Schools. The statutory consultations relate to:
- The expansion of St Anthony’s School into the former Jessie Younghusband Primary School buildings.
- The expansion of Oak Grove College by creating a satellite site at The Pines.
- The expansion of Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School by creating a satellite site at Arun House.
These statutory consultations will run for 5 weeks from, 2 October until 6 November 2025 at 11.55pm.
This is an opportunity for people to share their views on the proposals. Your feedback will help the school consultations team to understand the potential impact, both positive and negative, on the local community and across West Sussex.
You can access the consultation information and surveys via the following links:
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact schoolconsultations@westsussex.gov.uk.
IFF Research on behalf of Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) are inviting settings to share their experience of the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding. Your feedback will help develop future policy to better support children from lower-income families.
The EYPP survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. Responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. At the end, you can opt into a follow-up online interview (maximum 55 minutes) to explore your views further. EEF are offering £50 to thank educators for their time.
If you would like any further information, please email EYPPDecisionsSurvey@IFFresearch.co.uk.
Please find attached the slides from our recent network meetings.
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Network - Autumn 2025
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Leader Networks - Autumn 2025
Childminder Networks - Autumn 2025
As part of National Nursery Practitioner Day 2025, early years settings are invited to join a virtual webinar exploring how apprenticeships can help tackle hard-to-fill vacancies and support the development of existing staff. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn how offering jobs with training can strengthen teams and improve outcomes for children.
The webinar will take place on Friday 17 October on Microsoft Teams, from 1.30pm to 3.00pm. To find out more information and book your place, please visit the event page and register.
For any questions about this webinar, please email apprenticeships@westsussex.gov.uk.
Whether you are a setting manager, childminder, or an educator, your experience matters. By sharing how you currently approach checking qualifications, you will help the DfE design a service that better meets your needs.
If you would like to contribute, please complete the DfE survey.
Through its comprehensive programme of free training and events, the West Sussex Virtual School is committed to supporting early years providers in the challenges of including and supporting vulnerable learners. This year, alongside their core offer on attachment and trauma, they are introducing several new topics in their training programme:
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Responding to sexualised behaviour - Gain the knowledge and skills to support young people appropriately and learn where to access further help and advice.
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Responding to shame - Shame is a significant issue for children who have experienced adversity and disrupted attachment. In an education environment, shame can have an enormous impact on the learner. This new course explains why shame occurs, how it presents, and how to reduce its impact.
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Breakfast briefings – An informal opportunity to meet with other colleagues responsible for Children We Care For in your area, hear updates from the Virtual School, enjoy breakfast together and share best practice.
Please book your free place on any of the training and events via West Sussex Services for Education, facilitated by the Virtual School team and their Educational Psychologist colleagues.
Over the past year, we have expanded our offer of training relating to Autism and social communication differences. We now have three courses that support settings with their understanding and strategies around this topic. Below, we have our next two courses coming up in this topic area. 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
- 15 November - PHEP temporary flexibility submission deadline
- 19 November - Portal open for settings to submit estimates for spring term
- 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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#40/2025 (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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#39/2025 (Update on autumn term flexibility for 2 year olds starting after headcount; New childminder start-up grant scheme; Pre-entry Inclusion Funding requests – guidance and deadline reminder; Termly Provider Update; Childminder virtual network; Using paracetamol during pregnancy guidance; Updated childhood vaccination schedule; DadPad - supporting new dads in your setting; Early Years Training
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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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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