#7/2026 - Wednesday 18 February 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus - DBS launches new podcast for employers and safeguarding professionals
- Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime
- Product recall - non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products
- Celebrating early years in West Sussex: share our new videos
- Guidance for childminders using non-domestic premises
- Ofsted launches new QR code badges for promoting inspection findings
- Help for early years providers: Toilet training guidance
- Pearson National Teaching Awards – entries now open
- Virtual School Theraplay-Informed workshops
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
DBS launches new podcast for employers and safeguarding professionals
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has launched 'DBS Discussions: Safeguarding in Focus', a new podcast series for employers and safeguarding professionals.
The podcast aims to:
- explain DBS processes
- answer common questions from employers and organisations
- provide clarity on eligibility, regulated activity and barring decisions
- support better understanding of how DBS contributes to safeguarding
DBS Discussions: Safeguarding in Focus is available on Spotify, Amazon and YouTube.
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Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be unavailable from 12.30pm on Thursday 19 February for viewing and submitting forms, but you can still access the funding area.
The OPP will be completely unavailable on Friday 20 February until 5.00pm. This is due to essential maintenance that is taking place. Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an and an updated on 5 February 2026, reminding the public not to use 4 specified non-sterile alcohol-free wipes products.
During outbreak investigations in 2025, the following products were found to be contaminated with Burkholderia. These 4 products should not be used under any circumstances:
- ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
- Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free
- Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
- Reliwipe Alcohol free Cleansing Wipes (testing revealed contamination with a Burkholderia strain not related to the outbreak cases)
We ask if you could all check all first aid kits in use to remove and dispose of any affected products listed above.
As mentioned in newsletter #4/2026, our 2 new early years videos are now live and ready to share.
You can find them on the Family Information Service Facebook page, and we encourage you to reshare the posts on your own Facebook pages to help reach more families. If you don’t use Facebook, you can also share the videos directly via YouTube.
- the benefits of accessing childcare, for parents, carers and children - Facebook and YouTube
- do you want to be an early years education and childcare influencer? - Facebook and YouTube
These videos highlight the value of early years education, showcase a range of providers across West Sussex, and promote careers in the sector. They are a great resource to engage families and raise awareness of high-quality childcare for all children, including those with SEND.
Thank you for helping us share these videos and for everything you do to give every child the best possible start in life.
If you want to spend some or most of your time running a childcare provision from new non-domestic premises under your existing registration, or if you want to add a new non-domestic premises to your childminder without domestic premises registration you must refer to the Ofsted guidance.
This guidance applies to:
- childminders (caring for children in your own or someone else’s home)
- childminders without domestic premises (caring for children on non-domestic premises, such as church halls or parts of a school)
- providers of childcare on domestic premises (you and 4 or more other people caring for children, in your own or someone else’s home)
The application form has recently been updated with new, clearer steps.
New Ofsted QR code badges are now available for all educational and early years providers. These badges link directly to a providers individual page on the Ofsted reports website. You can display them digitally or in print to provide easy access to your latest inspection results.
In newsletter #2/2026, we shared the new potty training guidance from Kindred Squared. They have now developed toilet training guidance to complement the potty training guide for parents and carers.
The new provider guidance offers clear, practical advice to help settings support toilet training in a consistent way, working in partnership with families.
Entries for the Pearson National Teaching Awards are open until the end of February, and it is completely free to take part. Each November, BBC’s The One Show highlights inspiring winners and finalists from across the UK. The awards provide a great chance for early years teams to gain national recognition.
Why enter?
- national recognition across TV, online and print media
- free media‑support training for featured settings
- a meaningful way to celebrate your team’s dedication and creativity
To enter, follow the steps on the Teaching Awards website.
The West Sussex Virtual School have confirmed that there are still some places available on their spring Theraplay-Informed Workshops. Theraplay is a play-based therapeutic intervention that enhances attachments between children and their key adults.
Based on the principles and simple, structured play-based approaches of Theraplay, the free 2-hour workshop provides:
- an overview of the core concepts of Theraplay
- practical activities based on the 4 dimensions of Theraplay
- quick and easy ways to incorporate Theraplay activities in your work
To book, click on your preferred course date 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.
If you have already attended an open session, the Virtual School can also deliver a Theraplay‑informed workshop within your setting. To enquire, please contact emma.hoare@westsussex.gov.uk.
Providing an inclusive environment for all children is essential in all early years education settings. The Role of the Inclusion Coordinator is a 2 part course. In this course you will explore what an inclusive environment means. You will look at how it can be achieved using guidance and strategies, whilst also examining the role of the inclusion coordinator.
To book, click on the course 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 23 February - Payments for spring term actuals due to be released
- 4 March - Portal opens for settings to submit summer term estimates
- 27 March - Portal closes for settings to submit summer term estimates
- w/c 6 April - Payments for summer term estimates 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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#6/2026 (Product recall: Aptamil and Cow and Gate First Infant Milk and Follow on Milk formula; Fully Funded MA in Early Years Education with Early Years Teacher Status – applications now open; Wraparound Childcare Parent Survey –reminder; Updated Quality Improvement Principles – The National Children’s Bureau; New podcast for early years practitioners; Maths Champions - professional development programme; Virtual school newsletter; Early Years Training)
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#5/2026 (Business Focus - Employment Rights Act 2025: What Providers Need to Know; Small Hands, Big Planet: Climate action workshop for early years educators; Product recall: Hobbycraft “Giant box of craft”; Do you have any staff vacancies to fill?;Early years education and childcare jobs fairs; Bursaries for Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector; Ofsted inspections since November 2025;Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub Virtual Training and Networks; Early Years Training)
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#4/2026 (Safeguarding focus, Spring term 2026 termly census and actuals - deadline this Friday; Product recall: Aptamil First Infant Formula (800g); Early Years Education and Childcare Conference 2026 - last chance to secure an early bird space; Termly Provider Update; Checking Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) codes; Celebrating early years in West Sussex: watch our new videos; Nominate a colleague for a King’s Birthday Honour; New training to help every child and young person thrive)
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#3/2026 (Starting school applications - window has now closed; Early Years Initial Teacher Training; Wraparound Childcare Parent Survey; Early Years Skills Bootcamp; Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub - Makaton Training; Call for early years apprentices and practitioners to share their story; Words for Life – a useful resource to share with families; Wellbeing and Climate Action; Early Years Training)
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#2/2026 (Starting school applications - window closes tomorrow; Important safety alert - check your formula now; Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime; Why a SEND information report matters; Bursaries for Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator); Apply to become an Early Years Stronger Practice Hub – deadline approaching; New Potty Training Guide launched for settings and families; Keeping your setting healthy this winter; Early Years Training - submitting actuals claims and census details webinar; Early Years Training - new ideas and activities for the children in your setting)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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