#45/2025 - Wednesday 12 November 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Get winter ready – support for you and the families in your setting
- More opportunities from the Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub
- Carbon Literacy training
- Get free climate action support for your setting from a Climate Ambassador
- Early Years Training – last chance to secure a free space
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Winter can be challenging, especially for those with respiratory conditions, low incomes, or other vulnerabilities. Cold weather often puts extra strain on the NHS and public services, and health issues can escalate quickly. By preparing early, you can reduce health risks, lower energy costs, and feel confident going into the colder months.
Please share and display this poster to help any individuals you work with, or families in your setting.
Citizens Advice is offering expert guidance and practical help to ensure households in West Sussex are ready before the cold sets in.
Our local Stronger Practice Hub has asked us to share the following opportunities with you. These are in addition to those mentioned in newsletter #44/2025:
The Carbon Literacy Project has launched a new training toolkit specifically designed for education settings. Carbon Literacy for Schools builds knowledge, confidence, and practical skills for addressing climate change within all education settings. The toolkit enables collective climate action and a whole-setting shift towards sustainability, providing a full day’s worth of accredited training. It is suitable for all leaders, educators and volunteers, fostering a whole-setting approach to climate education and action.
The toolkit is available to all education settings free of charge when purchasing a block of learner certificates. The offer is subject to a minimum order based on setting size, and certificates are £15 each. It has been designed for in-house delivery through peer-to-peer learning, helping to minimise financial costs.
To find out more about the course toolkit, visit the Carbon Literacy Project’s web page, watch the launch webinar or read this blog.
To access the training toolkit and confirm the certificate quantity for your setting, please contact schools@carbonliteracy.com.
There is information about Carbon Literacy training for education settings on West Sussex Services for Education. Settings are also welcome to contact sustainability@westsussex.gov.uk with any comments or queries.
The Department for Education (DfE) fund the Climate Ambassadors programme. This initiative offers every education setting in England free access to expert support to develop and deliver impactful climate action plans.
Request a Climate Ambassador to support your setting with:
- getting started, creating and progressing your climate action plan, and helping to inspire action in your setting
- increasing biodiversity within your area and improving access to green space for children and staff
- advice on how you can integrate climate education and green careers inspiration across teaching and learning activities
- upskilling your staff to build their confidence in teaching about climate and sustainability
You can find out more by contacting the south east region hub climateambassadors_se@reading.ac.uk or submitting a request.
The DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy sets out an expectation that all education settings will have a Climate Action Plan and a Sustainability Lead in place by 2025.
Due to increased demand and interest, we have reopened bookings for our free business course: Strengthen, Grow and Future-Proof: Building Your Sustainable Childcare Business. The course has two parts. The first part, a short online webinar, ran in October. New bookings are now open for the face-to-face sessions happening next week. We will send through materials covering what was discussed in the October webinar.
This free course will help you review how your business currently operates and identify opportunities for improvement, with expert guidance every step of the way. You will explore where your business could be in 6 months, what is working well, and what needs development. We will also cover how to create detailed, accurate business plans to support growth, staff development, and staff engagement. This course will be engaging and enjoyable for all, whatever your required outcomes may be.
You can choose from 2 locations for the face-to-face sessions. For more information about the course, please click the course name below. However, to book your place, you will need to please contact us directly via and we will support you with joining on to the course. You will not be able to book via the web pages below.
If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 12 November - PHEP temporary flexibility submission deadline
- 19 November - Portal open for settings to submit estimates for spring term
- 12 December - Portal closes for settings to submit estimates for spring term
- w/c 29 December - Payments for spring term estimates due to be released
- 1 January 2026 - Early bird discount for the West Sussex Early Years Education and Childcare Conference ends
- 2 January 2026 - Autumn term sufficiency deadline
- 5 January 2026 - Portal opens for settings to submit actuals for spring term
- 15 January 2026 - Headcount day for spring term
- 30 January 2026 - Portal closes for settings to submit actuals for spring term
- w/c 23 February - Payments for spring term actuals due to be released
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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#44/2025 (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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#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
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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