Newsletter for Out of School providers in West Sussex
This newsletter includes:
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#2/2026 - Monday 9 March 2026
The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in December and represents the biggest overhaul of UK employment law in decades. Royal Assent is the final step in the law‑making process, where the monarch formally approves a Bill so it becomes an Act of Parliament (a law).
Please see below for the key changes that will affect childcare providers as employers.
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From April 2026:
- the 26-week qualifying period for paternity leave is removed. Employees can take paternity leave from their first day of employment
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be payable from the first day of sickness, as the current 3 day waiting period is being removed. The lower earnings limit is also being removed, with those earning below the current threshold will receive 80% of their average weekly earnings.
- Fair Work Agency established - a new single enforcement body responsible for National Minimum Wage, holiday pay, and SSP compliance.
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From January 2027
- the unfair dismissal qualifying period will be reduced from 2 years to 6 months. This means that employees hired after January 2027 will gain unfair dismissal rights.
What you should do now
- review and update your staff handbook and employment contracts
- check your sickness absence policies are ready for day 1 SSP (from April 2026)
- review your probationary period processes
- budget for increased sickness costs and potential dismissal liabilities
Have you joined the Out of School Alliance (OOSA) yet? If not, West Sussex County Council is offering free membership for Wraparound Childcare providers for 2025/26.
The OOSA is dedicated to helping providers build exceptional out of school clubs across the country. They provide:
- helpful resources and guidance
- an activity library
- short training courses
- support with running and improving your setting
You can view full details in the Out of School Alliance brochure.
To get your free membership, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk with the following information so we can send you a code to set up your membership:
- manager’s name (the person who will use the membership)
- setting name
- host school
- setting email address (this will be your username)
- postal address
This offer ends on 31 March 2026.
Wraparound childcare is essential for families. Keeping your information up to date helps them plan ahead and pick the best childcare for their needs.
On page 5 of 7 in the termly provider update form, there is a section where you can list the schools you pick up from or drop off to.
 This is a key part of advertising what you offer because, even if you are based on a school site, it makes it clear to us and parents and carers which schools your setting supports. If you are a school that provides its own before and after-school care, you still need to complete this section.
We know settings support schools in different ways, for example:
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childminders may care for children in their own home and physically take them to and from school.
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before and after-school clubs may run on a school site and collect children from classrooms.
- some providers operate off‑site, collecting children from school and then returning to their own setting.
By listing the schools you support and keeping your details up to date, you help us to:
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track and monitor wraparound provision for each school
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provide accurate advice to parents and carers looking for childcare that can drop off or collect from their child’s school
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support your business by making your services visible to families who need them
Please check your details in your termly update form on the Online Provider Portal and update anything that has changed. Keeping your opening times up to date also helps reflect your full childcare offer.
We are currently reviewing and improving the termly provider update form, as we know it does not yet give clear guidance on how to list schools or describe your wraparound offer. We will share updates as soon as changes are made.
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, has announced a major £200 million national investment to improve SEND training for everyone working in early years settings, schools and colleges.
The aim is to make sure all staff have the tools, confidence and skills to support children with SEND, so that inclusive practice becomes the norm across every setting.
Key points for early years settings:
- a new national CPD programme will offer free, accessible training for all early years practitioners.
- training will focus on inclusive practice, child development, and practical strategies to support children with SEND from the very start of their education.
This forms part of wider SEND reforms focused on making provision more consistent and improving support in local, mainstream settings. You can read the full letter here and the press release on GOV.UK.
We are aware that some settings have shared concerns about parental conduct. As a result, we have been looking at ways to support you in dealing with these concerns.
We have developed some draft templates for a Code of Conduct policy and a poster. These have been designed for you to adapt to your individual setting if you would like to use them. We recommend that you develop these in consultation with staff and families to ensure that they meet your setting's needs and are appropriate in your context. If you already have policies in place that meet your needs, we are not asking you to change what you already have in place but you are welcome to use these as a guide.
TFC is a scheme available for eligible working parents who can receive a £2 top up for every £8 towards the cost of their childcare. It can be used for wrapround childcare and holiday schemes as well as at early years settings.
The Family Information Service has a search route on its website which identifies the settings who offer TFC. Parents and carers may base their childcare decisions on whether they could claim TFC and therefore save money on their childcare bills.
If you already offer TFC, and your setting is not listed in the TFC search, please ensure that you complete the termly childcare provider update form. If you do not currently offer this, please help families to save money by signing up to offer TFC.
The Best Start in Life website has lots of useful information about the scheme, including frequently asked questions, which can be shared with parents and carers at your setting.
Find out about the free webinars, networks and events available this summer from the Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub in their summer term 2026 training and networks booklet (PDF).
The free, termly networks for out of school leaders will run next week. These sessions give wraparound leaders the chance to hear the latest local and national updates and discuss current issues with other local providers. They cover all key aspects of running high‑quality wraparound provision, including business, welfare and day‑to‑day practice.
To book, click on your preferred course date and location 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
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:
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:
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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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06/2025 (Wraparound Programme Funding – Management Information autumn return; Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding - final deadline; Tell us which schools you support; Leases and licenses; Wraparound Childcare Toolkit; Setting Support phone line; Careers in early years and childcare website; Out of School (Wraparound Childcare) Impact Survey; Out of School Networks; Use your free, funded Paediatric First Aid place - reminder; Out of School provider training opportunities)
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05/2025 (Wraparound Programme Funding Grant; Monitoring visits; Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding – Management Information autumn 2025; New networks for Designated Safeguarding Leads; Early Years Training - free paediatric first aid training; Out of School providers networks and training; Out of School Alliance - one year free membership; Are you interested in a Level 2 Playwork Apprenticeship?; Termly Provider Update; Careers in early years and childcare website)
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04/2025 (National Wraparound Childcare Programme Grant Funding; Monitoring visits; Management information survey - grant funded providers only; Working together to safeguard children - update; Out of School Alliance - one year free membership; Careers in early years and childcare website; Early Years Training – funding for one free paediatric first aid training per setting)
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03/2025 (National Wraparound Childcare Programme Grant Funding; Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding – applications open for further projects; Leases and Licenses; Careers in early years and childcare website; Out of School Alliance - one year free membership; National Wraparound Childcare Programme - information for maintained schools and academy trusts; Supporting wraparound providers to provide inclusive provision; Training opportunities for wraparound and out of school providers)
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02/2025 (National Wraparound Childcare Programme Grant Funding - deadline extended; Inclusive practice in wraparound provision; Wraparound Childcare Toolkit)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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