#16/2026 - Wednesday 22 April 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus: Safeguarding during transitions - what you need to do; West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership safeguarding drop-in sessions
- West Sussex Best Start Plan
- Inclusive Early Years Fund
- New practical advice for families to get children school ready
- Foster carers event from the Virtual School
- Funded Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualifications
- Help improve the ‘Check an early years service qualification’ online service
- Thriving In Education Grants
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Safeguarding during transitions: what you need to do
As early years and childcare settings, you support children through transitions all year round as part of everyday practice. This might include children moving between rooms, starting or leaving your setting, moving to another provider, or adjusting to changes in personal family circumstances. With primary school allocations announced in West Sussex on 16 April, transitions may now be more at the forefront of your thinking and conversations with families
Transitions are an important part of children’s learning and development. National safeguarding guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026) and the Department for Education’s (DfE) Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners, emphasises the importance of sharing relevant information, using professional judgement and ensuring that all professionals involved with a child are aware of concerns that may affect their welfare. Missed opportunities to share information and take timely action have been identified in reviews where children have suffered harm. Therefore, it is important that we take care to record concerns accurately and share relevant information in a timely way whenever children experience transition or change.
The DfE’s Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners is clear that safeguarding is a shared responsibility. You are expected to share relevant information when it helps keep a child safe. You should not let uncertainty about consent, GDPR or “who is responsible” delay action. Using your professional judgement, sharing information in a lawful, proportionate and timely way, and seeking advice early are all key parts of good safeguarding practice.
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At this point in the year, you may find it helpful to:
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Review safeguarding records and procedures to ensure concerns are recorded clearly, patterns over time are visible, actions and decisions are documented, and processes remain up to date and understood by staff.
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Remind staff to raise worries promptly and to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, if they notice changes or have concerns.
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Ensure transitions are carefully planned, with attention to children’s emotional wellbeing and continuity of care.
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Support effective transitions by contributing to transition discussions or meetings where appropriate (including with schools or other settings) and by sharing relevant safeguarding information so children’s needs and any concerns are understood from the outset.
Safeguarding is an ongoing responsibility, and transitions offer a helpful point to reflect on information sharing and ensure concerns continue to be identified and followed up as children experience change.
The West Sussex County Council early years transition webpage brings together local guidance and resources to support effective transitions, including expectations around information sharing and safeguarding.
The transition guidance provides more detailed expectations for settings. Information about sharing safeguarding information during transition can be found on pages 4 and 5.
The transition summary template should be completed for each individual child towards the end of the summer term and shared as part of transition arrangements where appropriate.
An example of a completed transition summary is available to support settings in understanding how information can be recorded and shared clearly.
West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership safeguarding drop-in sessions
The West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership have introduced free, 30 minute, themed drop-in sessions to provide a space to learn, reflect and discuss different topics around safeguarding. There is no need to book - simply log on using the link in the flyer.
The weekly online drop-in sessions are taking place until 19 May 2026.
We are pleased to introduce the West Sussex Best Start Plan, a shared commitment to prevention, early intervention, and strong relationships. At its heart is a simple principle: when parents and families are supported, children flourish. We all have a responsibility to ensure every child can thrive, whatever their background or circumstances.
Acting early and working together makes a real difference. Developed with key partners across the system, this plan reflects what we know about the essential building blocks for a healthy, fulfilling life. It recognises the challenges many families face and sets out a clear, collective commitment to respond. By investing in the earliest years, from pregnancy through to age 5, we can help every child reach their full potential.
This plan does not attempt to capture all the excellent work already taking place across West Sussex. Instead, it focuses on how we will continue to collaborate, strengthen partnerships, and deliver support that truly meets the needs of families. Every family in West Sussex is at the heart of this Best Start Plan. Parents, carers, practitioners, and wider partners each play a vital role in shaping and delivering it over the next 3 years. Through a strong, connected network of family help, we aim to make West Sussex a place where every child has the best possible start, a foundation to feel safe, healthy, happy, connected, and ready to achieve.
The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance on a new Inclusive Early Years Fund for the 2026/27 financial year.
This new funding aims to help early years settings that deliver the funded entitlements to develop setting‑wide inclusive practice.
Key points for providers:
- the fund is not linked to individual children and will not require application or panel processes.
- funding is intended to be paid upfront as a single lump sum.
- the focus is on supporting inclusive environments and practice across the whole setting, rather than individual packages of support.
- it sits alongside existing funding such as SEN Inclusion Funding and Disability Access Funding and does not replace them.
The DfE expect local authorities to:
- communicate details of the local approach to distribution and indicative allocations to DfE and providers before the end of May 2026
- confirm allocations to providers before the end of August 2026
- pay providers before the end of September 2026 via a single lump-sum payment
- ensure that providers are using the fund for its intended purpose and should expect early years providers to retain financial records (for example, a detailed spreadsheet or receipts if appropriate) showing how the funds have been spent
What happens next?
We are currently reviewing the guidance and methodology for how this funding will be distributed in line with the national guidance.
We will share further information with providers as soon as local arrangements are confirmed.
Families whose children will be starting Reception this September can now access practical advice to help them feel confident about the move to school. The Best Start for Life preparing for school web page focuses on the everyday skills that help children settle well, such as communication, independence and confidence. Parents and carers can find simple ideas to try at home and advice on where to get free resources and local services if needed.
Please share this information with families at your setting.
GOV.UK guidance has also been released which sets out how schools, nurseries, and childminders should work together as one system around families to get children ready for Reception.
The Virtual School is holding a face-to-face event in Worthing which will provide foster carers with a unique opportunity to hear from West Sussex specialist teams and take part in collaborative, education-focused workshops.
If any children in your setting currently live with foster carers, please share this flyer with them.
If you have any queries, please contact wsvs@westsussex.gov.uk or fostering.training.coordinator@westsussex.gov.uk.
For further updates and developments from the Virtual School, please see the latest newsletter.
Best Practice Network has been allocated 9,500 funded places for the Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification, by the Department for Education from 2026 to 2028.
The qualification is for:
- Level 3 educators in private, voluntary or independent settings
- Ofsted-registered Childminders
- Childminders registered with a Childminding Agency
To apply, you must have:
Childminders are eligible if they hold a full and relevant Early Years Level 2 qualification, have completed at least one Early Years Level 3 training module and have significant experience working in Early Years.
For more information and for details on how to apply, please visit the Best Practice Network web page.
The Department for Education (DfE) is inviting early years practitioners to share their feedback on the Check an early years qualification online service.
Completing the survey will help the DfE understand what works well and where the service could be improved, so they can support you. If you have any questions, please contact the DfE at research.early-years-quals@education.gov.uk.
As shared in our Special Newsletter on 17 April, we shared information about a grant for early years education settings to support children's mental health and emotional wellbeing.
An example of a completed application is available with apologies for its omission in the original article. The example is provided to support you in formatting your application only. We are looking for ambitious and creative evidence-based plans that we can support with the funding.
The Early Years Education and Childcare training team recently released the new early years training programme for 2026/27. The brochure can be found here.
A variety of safeguarding courses and dates are available. It is important to book early, as safeguarding courses fill quickly.
To book, please click on the course name below or log in to the booking portal, West Sussex Services for Education.
We also have 3 courses focusing on autism and social communication differences. Below are 2 of the courses that are running in the summer term. 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 courses, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 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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#15/2026 (Good Level of Development Focus - Physical activity and children's development; Summer term 2026 census and actuals claims - action required; Transition events 2026; Supporting families - Starting Reception website; Month of the Military Child - activities for settings; Early Years Training)
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#14/2026 (Business Focus: Wickes Community Programme - support for local projects; Get Tax Confident; National Living Wage increases to £12.71 per hour;
Online Provider Portal downtime; Where to find your submitted forms on the Online Provider Portal; Early years speech and language referral deadline;
Stronger Practice Hub March Newsletter; Early Years Training)
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#13/2026 (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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#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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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