#46/2025 - Wednesday 19 November 2025
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus
- Early Years Funded Entitlement - spring term 2025 estimates now open
- Starting school applications help from the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service
- Best Start in Life – supporting parents from pregnancy to childcare
- You are invited - strengthening support for families event
- Supervised toothbrushing champions
- SENCO/INCO network meeting slides
- Sustainability Support for Education free email series
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Lockdown processes
Preparing for and responding to internal and external incidents is important for all providers. Having clear plans in place helps to minimise disruption to the learning environment and ensures the safety of children and staff.
You will have procedures in place for a range of emergency situations, but some cases will benefit from a security-related 'lockdown'.
There is guidance available from West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and the Department for Education (DfE) to help you develop your lockdown procedure, and your communication with parents/carers when a lockdown has been carried out.
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There are additional resources that can support you with emergency planning and responses.
For local emergency incidents, please be aware that a multi-agency meeting will be held if it is thought a setting may be impacted. If any action is needed, impacted settings will be made aware. You may also receive a special newsletter from us to keep you informed about local emergency situations.
If you feel your safety or the safety of staff and families in your setting is in immediate danger you should contact the police by calling 999.
References
Obtaining references for employees is an important part of ensuring only those safe to work with children can do so. If a current employee requests a reference for a new job, you should supply that as soon as possible. ACAS provides provides guidance on writing references. If you are taking over or buying a childcare setting, please make sure that you obtain references for all employees from the previous owner. Ofsted has asked local authorities to inform them of any provider who does not supply references on request.
Safeguarding refresher and Designated Safeguarding Lead training
With January fast approaching, we wanted to remind you of 2 face-to-face courses running on Friday 19 January 2026.To accommodate settings that prefer in-person safeguarding training, we run sessions throughout the year. January availability is limited, so early booking is advised.
To book, please click on the course name below or log in to the booking portal, West Sussex Services for Education.
Any booking queries or questions, please contact early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is open for you to submit your spring term estimates for EYFE for 9 month olds, 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
Please note that estimates for 2 year old EYFE for Working Families and 2 year old Local Authority Issued EYFE will be a combined figure.
- headcount day for spring term is 15 January 2026
- the deadline for spring term estimate submissions is 12 December 2025
- payments are scheduled to be received by providers week commencing 22 December 2025
You may have seen information stating estimate payments would be received by providers week commencing 29 December. This is incorrect. Payments will be scheduled for week commencing 22 December 2025, as shown above. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
For providers opting for monthly payments, the December payment date is also 22 December 2025, the same as the standard payment schedule. Please remember that you will receive 35% of your estimate payment for the term, with the remainder of your estimate being paid in January as per the advertised monthly payment dates on our how providers receive funding payments web page.
If, after viewing the guidance available on our website you require further support, please email eyfe@westsussex.gov.uk, or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
EMTAS Liaison Officers can offer support for any families who need help submitting school applications for their children. Please get in touch with the team if there is anyone in your setting who could benefit from this.
The deadline for all primary, infant and junior school applications is Thursday 15 January 2026.
More information and the contact details for EMTAS can be found in the School Applications Deadline for Early Years and Infant to Junior flyer.
In September 2025, Best Start in Life officially replaced Childcare Choices. The campaign then launched in October 2025, marked by the release of "The Story of You” film featuring Mummy Pig and other well-known personalities. The video celebrates the journey of early childhood and reminds parents of the vital role they play, as well as the support available to them.
The Best Start in Life parent hub provides trusted resources to guide families from pregnancy through to childcare. Parents can also sign up for:
Please share these resources with families in your setting so they can access all the support available.
Early Help are pleased to invite you to their annual partnership event, which focuses on working together to make a real difference to children and families across our communities.
This year, following valuable feedback, Early Help has combined Crawley, Horsham, and Mid-Sussex into one collaborative session. During the event, they will:
- share progress and future developments relating to the Families' First Programme in West Sussex
- explore the expansion of Best Start Family hubs, the universal, online and community outreach offer for families in Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex
- share updates about their local approach to identifying, assessing, and responding to early indicators of child exploitation, keeping young people and communities safer and much more
You will have time to meet others, build connections, and learn about the services and support available for families in Crawley, Horsham, and Mid-Sussex.
The event will take place on Tuesday 10 March 2026 at Rawson Hall, Bolney. An Eventbrite invitation will be sent out shortly to book your places.
Are you an early years setting who would love to showcase the great work you are doing with supervised toothbrushing?
The Local Government Association (LGA) is seeking settings that take part in supervised toothbrushing and are willing to be showcased as role models for the programme. The most important thing is that you are happy to share your enthusiasm and how you are making it work for your setting. LGA have regular requests from MPs interested in the programme, including opportunities to visit settings – this is your chance to champion children’s oral health.
If you would like to be a supervised toothbrushing champion, please complete the short online form.
If you have any queries, please contact supervisedtoothbrushing@dhsc.gov.uk.
Please find attached the slides from our recent SENCO/INCO network meeting.
Sustainability Support for Education is providing a free 5-day email series, designed by specialists, to help education settings build their climate action plans before Christmas.
With 1 clear, actionable step each day, you will have what you need to:
- understand what a climate action plan is, and why your setting needs one
- identify priority actions for your setting
- pick some quick wins to build momentum
- get your leadership, colleagues and young people on board
Your climate action plan is a living document that captures the steps your setting will take to become more sustainable and climate resilient. It helps you set goals, prioritise actions, and reduce your environmental impact bit by bit.
Does your setting already have a climate action plan? Please let Sustainability Support for Education know via this mini poll.
Sustainability Support for Education, commissioned by the Department for Education, helps education settings find trusted resources to support their sustainability journey.
In early years settings, children may display a wide range of behaviours. Responding consistently, modelling positive behaviour ourselves, and creating a safe, supportive environment are key to encouraging positive behaviours.
We offer a range of courses covering behaviour-related topics, from our short ‘Behaviour Strategies’ sessions to building resilience and self-regulation through ‘Emotion Coaching’. Below, are 3 courses that are coming up. 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
- 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 22 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:
It is important you follow the correct steps and notify the relevant teams and professionals if your setting needs to close.
Contact your local setting support team and visit our closing your early years and childcare setting web page for step by step support.
We share a weekly Jobs in Early Years and Childcare bulletin with members of the public. You can find guidance and a template for submitting your job adverts to this bulletin on our advertise early years and childcare jobs web page. You will also find useful guidance on advertising your job vacancies on other platforms.
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#45/2025 (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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#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
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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