#44/2025 - Wednesday 5 November 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business Focus - Can you offer work experience?
- Early Years Funding Team new email is live
- Rethinking the recruitment and retention of staff
- Early Years Senior Leader Apprenticeship
- Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding
- Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub newsletter
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Jobcentre Plus can help people gain experience in workplaces, such as early years settings. Through their work experience programme, individuals can volunteer for placements lasting between 2 and 8 weeks. The days and hours can be flexible, depending on what works best for both the setting and the volunteer. |
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Benefits of work experience for the employer
By helping people to gain work experience, your business can benefit too. Benefits for your team and setting include:
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build leadership skills - staff who supervise placements can develop their confidence and management abilities
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support your community – offering a placement shows your commitment to helping local people take steps towards employment
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discover new talent – volunteers often bring enthusiasm fresh ideas and a different perspective
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promote diversity – placements can help widen access to careers in early years and bring varied experiences into your team
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grow interest in the sector – giving someone a positive experience may inspire them to pursue a career in early years.
Become a work experience host through Jobcentre Plus
If you are interested in offering work experience, please contact one of the Employer Advisers below:
In newsletter #43/2025, we informed you that the Free Entitlement email address would soon be changing. This change has now taken place.
The new email address is EYFE@westsussex.gov.uk. Please use this new email address from now on.
The FE Finance email address has also been updated to EYFE Finance Team. You may receive queries from this inbox in the future relating to actuals submissions. Please remember to only use this email address in response to queries from the EYFE Finance Team. Any other queries should go to EYFE@westsussex.gov.uk.
Childcare workforce supply, recruitment and retention has been identified as a challenge in the current market for all settings across the country. There is no single answer to the staffing challenge, but our upcoming session, ‘Rethinking the recruitment and retention of staff’, will help you pause, reflect, and explore new ways to attract and retain staff.
This course is part of our expansion support offer for this year. It is part-funded and the cost has been reduced to just £10 per person. To book, click the course name below. You can also visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and select your required course.
Rethinking the recruitment and retention of staff – Tuesday 2 December - 9.30am to 12.30pm – Online - £10 per person
Any booking queries or questions, please contact early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Best Practice Network is now accepting registrations for a one-time opportunity to complete the Level 7 Early Years Senior Leader Apprenticeship.
If you are interested, be sure to register by 9 November 2025, as places are limited.
This programme will not be available again, due to upcoming changes in Government funding rules for Level 7 apprenticeships from January 2026.
This apprenticeship is a rare chance to gain a Master’s in Educational Leadership, without needing a Bachelor’s degree.
Visit the Best Practice Network to find out more.
Following the successful creation of over 2,500 wraparound childcare places, the Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding is now approaching its final phase.
Monday 23 February 2026 will be the last chance to apply for a share of the £4.8 million awarded to West Sussex. This funding supports the development of more than 3,000 wraparound places.
For more information, please contact the wraparound team at wrapaound.childcare@westsussex.gov.uk
Or visit Wraparound childcare - West Sussex County Council.
The October newsletter for Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub is now available.
We have a wide range of courses specific for the leaders and managers within early years settings. To book the below course, click the course name. 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
- 7 November - Inclusion Funding deadline for autumn term 2025
- 12 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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#43/2025 (The Free entitlement email address will soon be changing; Home-based Childcare Awards 2025 – nominations now open; Maths Champions - professional development programme; Changes to Ofsted inspections - Ofsted webinars recordings; Free resources for early years and wrapround providers; Early Years Training)
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#42/2025 (Safeguarding Focus)Safeguarding Month 2025 and upcoming special safeguarding course; Early Years Funded Entitlements for 9 months plus, 2, 3 and 4 year olds – autumn term payments; New Ofsted Inspection Framework - Volunteers Needed; Business opportunity - West Green Primary School; New Making Every Contact Count vaccination training – supporting early years conversations; Information for Childminders; Chichester College Early Years Drop In Session; Congratulations; Early Years Training
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#41/2025 (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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#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
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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