#13/2026 - Wednesday 1 April 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Advanced warning - Online Provider Portal (OPP) downtime
- Update: confirmed changes to Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework safer sleeping requirements
- Summer 2026 – increase in funded weeks for term time only providers
- Understanding Month of the Military Child
- Early Years Specialist Advisory Teachers (EYSATs) referral deadline 2026
- Updated childcare sufficiency assessment
- Healthy Child Programme Continence Support 2026
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Please be advised that the OPP will be unavailable from 9.00am to 11.00am on Thursday 9 April 2026. This is due to essential maintenance that is taking place.
Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit Early Learning for 2 year olds (LA Issued) applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public.
Registered early years providers should now have received a direct communication from the Department for Education outlining upcoming updates to the statutory framework regarding safer sleeping practices. The full details are also available on the NDNA web page.
Early Education Minister Olivia Bailey has confirmed that the EYFS wording on safe sleep will be strengthened, with changes due to come into effect from September 2026, subject to parliamentary processes. These updates form part of the government’s response to the Campaign for Gigi, following the tragic loss of Genevieve Meehan in 2022. The Minister emphasised that children’s safety “is my utmost priority” and reminded all providers that they should already be following NHS safer sleep guidance.
The EYFS currently requires regular checks on sleeping children and adherence to NHS safer sleep advice. The new wording introduces clearer, more specific expectations, particularly for children under 2 years. Providers will be required to ensure:
- all babies and young children are placed down to sleep safely
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children under 2 years must sleep on their back in their own separate sleep space on a firm, flat surface
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babies aged 1 year and under must only be placed to sleep in a cot
- Sleep spaces may contain only:
- A firm, flat, waterproof mattress, and
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Lightweight bedding firmly tucked in below shoulder height, or a correctly fitted sleep bag.
What providers need to do now
Although the new EYFS statutory framework wording will not be statutory until later this year, providers are expected to already be fully compliant with safer sleep practices in line with NHS guidance and the Lullaby Trust. The Minister urges all providers to review their current sleep procedures, staff training, and equipment to ensure they reflect the safest possible practice.
We would like to clarify the number of weeks that term time only providers can claim for children in summer term 2026. This is revised guidance, and it now confirms that all term time only providers may claim 13 weeks for all children, not only for newly eligible children as previously communicated.
For term time only settings we usually fund 12 weeks in spring, 12 weeks in summer and 14 weeks in autumn. However, from summer 2026 the Department for Education will fund local authorities for 11 weeks in spring, 13 weeks in summer and 14 weeks in autumn.
What does this mean for children’s eligibility years?
The change in funded weeks affects Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) children who began their eligibility year in autumn 2025 or spring 2026, as the increase to 13 weeks in summer 2026 impacts their overall annual entitlement.
To support providers through this transition, we are offering the following 2 options for making summer 2026 actuals claims:
Option 1 – claim 13 weeks in summer 2026 for all children
- Providers may submit 13 weeks for all EYFE children in summer 2026.
Please note, for children who became eligible in autumn 2025 or spring 2026, claiming 13 weeks in summer 2026 may mean their total entitlement exceeds 38 weeks by the end of their eligibility year. This could result in an adjustment in their third term. Any overclaims will be identified through our standard pre‑payment checks, and we will notify you by email in a future term if adjustments are required.
Option 2 – adjust summer 2026 weeks based on each child’s eligibility year
Providers may instead calculate summer term weeks individually:
- For children starting or restarting their eligibility year in summer 2026 providers may claim 13 weeks.
- For children who started their eligibility year in autumn 2025 or spring 2026 providers should reduce their summer term to 12 weeks to ensure their annual total remains 38 weeks, minimising the risk of overclaiming in their third term.
Please note, all claims are subject to usual checks and valid eligibility codes.
Reminder - additional funded week for spring 2026
Our previous guidance on the additional funded week in spring 2026 still applies. If a term time only provider was only able to deliver 11 weeks in spring 2026 (while funded for 12 weeks), you should still deliver the additional week in summer 2026, where possible.
Month of the Military Child is marked each April to highlight the unique experiences of children growing up in Armed Forces families. These children may navigate frequent moves, changes in childcare settings, or periods of parental deployment, all of which can affect well‑being and stability.
Why this matters in early years and childcare:
Early years and childcare settings play an important role in:
- providing stability during moves
- supporting emotional wellbeing
- helping families feel welcomed and understood
The dandelion is the symbol of military children because it can thrive anywhere, representing adaptability and resilience.
How you can support military children:
- ask whether a child is from a military family when settling in
- find out how the family would like their child to be supported, particularly around times that could be more challenging for the family
- offer predictable routines
- provide nurture groups or check‑ins around parental deployment periods
- display inclusive images or books representing armed forces families
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The EYSATs team requests that all referrals from Early Years (EY) settings are completed and submitted by 31 May 2026. This will support the timely arrangement of Supported Transition Meetings with schools.
To make a referral, EY settings should complete the short referral form on the Specialist Advisory Teachers for Early Years SEND Transition web page on the West Sussex Services for Education website, and return it to eysatreferrals@westsussex.gov.uk.
Please check the referral criteria on the Referral Flow Chart on the website before completing a referral.
Further information is available on the Specialist Advisory Teachers for Early Years SEND Transition web page including an example referral form, a leaflet for parents, and other useful transition resources.
Each year, we update and publish an annual childcare sufficiency assessment ‘Securing Sufficient Childcare in West Sussex’. This document uses information from a range of sources to identify possible gaps in childcare provision and can support new providers to identify where there is likely to be a demand for childcare and what type of childcare is most needed. It also informs local planning to ensure ongoing sufficiency of childcare.
The updated annual report covers the period of 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 and can be found on our web page.
At the recent spring SENCO Network meetings, the Early Years Specialist Advisory Teachers (EYSATs) discussed the updated Healthy Child Programme's toileting support. They talked through the refreshed guidance and highlighted where families can find help, especially for children who will be starting school in September. The slides from the presentation can be found here.
You can also find the toileting resources that were shared at the meeting on the EYSATs web page. The videos mentioned during the session will be shared in the weekly newsletter once they are released.
The new early years training programme is now live and viewable here, with all courses now bookable. The programme for 26/27 contains many courses that were fully booked last year, newly introduced courses for this year, as well as the continuation of the £10 ‘Expansion Support Training Offer’ on a range of courses.
With that in mind, please see a new suite of courses that has been created to meet the demands around speech and communication and themes that have arisen from Ofsted reports we have received in the past year. 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
- w/c 6 April - Payments for summer term estimates due to be released
- 10 April - Spring term sufficiency deadline
- 13 April - Portal opens for settings to submit actuals for summer term
- 30 April - Headcount day for summer term
- 8 May - Portal closes for settings to submit actuals for summer term
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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#12/2026 (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 - updated statutory guidance; Update on Post Headcount Exceptional Payments Request Forms processing times; Launch of the West Sussex SEND Strategy 2026–2030; New Ofsted blog post - scam text messages claiming to be from Ofsted; Updated guidance for childminders on household expenses; Digital tools webinar for early years and wraparound providers; Childminder‑led language enrichment webinar; Early Years Training; Grow, Learn and Flourish West Sussex Teaching School Hub – March 2026 newsletter)
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#11/2026 (Safeguarding Focus: Monitoring child absence in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage; Provider Declaration 2026/27 reminder; Have you completed the Early Years Education and Childcare Workforce Review?; Church Lane Nursery celebrates national award win; Join the West Sussex Virtual School for breakfast this summer; White Paper on education reform – open consultation; Education Endowment Foundation: Take part in a funded research project and build strong vocabulary from the start; Strengthening professional connections for foster carers and kinship carers; Early Years Training)
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#10/2026 (Good Level of Development Focus – Using Early Years Pupil Premium to narrow the attainment gap; Important action for existing Early Years Funded Entitlement providers; Common error when submitting your Provider Declaration form; Early Years Network Group - update; Tax-Free Childcare; Starting Reception webinar and new toothbrushing guide; Maths Champions programme; Early Years Training
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#9/2026 (Business Focus - Free cyber security support for businesses; Early Years Funded Entitlement - summer term 2026 estimates now open; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families eligibility codes; Webinars available - completing your Annual Provider Declaration; Have you completed the Early Years Education and Childcare Workforce Review?; Grants and funds available to support outdoor education; Parental conduct; Early Years and Childcare Inclusion/Special Educational Needs Network; Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub: summer term training and networks; Early Years Training)
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#8/2026 (Early Help Focus - Best Start Family Hubs; White Paper on Education Reform - Update from Claire Hayes, Assistant Director of Education and Skills; Early Years Funded Entitlement - Indicative Budget report; Wraparound parent survey; 23rd National Playwork Conference for early years and wraparound care settings; The second early years education and childcare workforce review has landed; Transition events; Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub: summer term training and networks; SEND and Inclusion Newsletter; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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