Newsletter for Out of School providers in West Sussex
#3/2026 - Monday 11 May 2026
This newsletter includes:
• New Quality Framework to support high quality wraparound practice
• Recruiting and retaining your school age childcare workforce
• Reporting serious childcare incidents within 14 days
• Safeguarding guidance for providers
• Safeguarding E-learning for out of school settings
• Local Authority Designated Officer contact details
• Qualifications and training
• Managing transition toolkits
• Making the most of digital tools – Childcare Works
• Updates for Holiday Activities and Food providers
• Promoting Healthy Smiles in Early Years and Wraparound Care
• BrightBites – free oral health sessions for settings
• Network dates
• Out of school alliance membership
• Early Years Training
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We are pleased to share our new Quality Framework for School-Aged Childcare, developed to support settings in their ongoing quality monitoring and improvement processes.
The framework has been developed to support high‑quality, reflective and child‑centred practice. It offers a practical and flexible approach to thinking deeply about what quality looks like in your setting, helping teams to identify strengths and plan meaningful improvements that respond to children’s needs, rights and interests.
Rooted in Playwork Principles, the framework recognises play as a fundamental right and an essential part of children’s wellbeing and development. It supports settings to create environments where children can freely choose and direct their own play, guided by adults who understand and value play in all its complexity.
The framework also aligns with Ofsted requirements and the Early Years Foundation Stage where applicable. This helps providers meet statutory expectations around safeguarding, welfare and learning, while moving beyond compliance to focus on the quality, richness and enjoyment of children’s everyday experiences.
The framework is intended to be used flexibly. Settings may find it useful in team meetings, supervision, self‑assessment, quality reviews and ongoing professional discussions, supporting a culture of continuous improvement and shared understanding.
We encourage all providers to explore the framework and begin using it to support reflective practice and quality monitoring across their setting.
The Department for Education has published a School‑Age Childcare Workforce Toolkit, designed to support providers with recruiting and retaining staff across wraparound and out of school childcare settings. The toolkit includes a range of practical tools, templates and tips to help build a skilled and sustainable workforce.
When planning staffing, providers must ensure they have sufficient staff based on the number of children attending and their ages. For children aged 5 to 14, including those attending reception during the school day, staffing levels must meet the requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for group‑ and school‑based providers.
All providers must follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure staff suitability. Further guidance is available on our staff suitability web page.
Providers can also advertise vacancies for free through the West Sussex Jobs in Early Years and Childcare bulletin.
Ofsted has updated its guidance to clarify reporting timescales for serious childcare incidents. Providers are expected to report significant events as soon as possible, but always within 14 days of the incident.
Please ensure managers and safeguarding leads are aware of this timescale and that reporting procedures support prompt notification within your setting. You can find full guidance on GOV.UK.
The Department for Education has published new non-statutory Safeguarding guidance to help out of school settings operate safely and protect the children who attend them.
It aims to help providers create safe environments that promote children’s welfare and sets out recommended policies and procedures covering:
- safeguarding and child protection
- the suitability of staff and volunteers
- health and safety
- governance
The Department for Education (DfE) has created a free, self-guided e-learning course on safeguarding in out-of-school settings, based on their own safeguarding guidance. The course provides an introduction to safeguarding for providers, staff and volunteers.
The training is made up of 6 short modules, taking around one hour in total to complete. Modules can also be completed individually. Those who successfully complete the module and pass the short knowledge check will receive a digital certificate.
To sign up, please visit the GOV.UK website and go to the 'E-learning' section.
While the guidance is specifically aimed at providers not required to register with Ofsted, it offers useful learning and good practice for all out of school settings.
All new contact with the LADO must now be made through an Online Portal. Please complete and submit either the online LADO Referral form or the LADO Request for Information form, depending on the nature of your enquiry.
For more information about this change, and for guidance or support regarding concerns or allegations involving someone who works with children, please visit the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership website.
If your out of school club only cares for children of reception age and above, and are registered on the Early Years Register or the Compulsory Childcare Register, Ofsted does not require staff to hold specific childcare or playwork qualifications. However, providers must still be able to demonstrate that staff have the appropriate training, skills and experience to carry out their roles effectively.
Settings registered on the Early Years Register that care for children under reception age must meet the Early Years Foundation Stage qualification requirements for children under school age.
Providers registered on the Voluntary Part of the Childcare Register must ensure that at least one person holds a relevant Level 2 qualification, appropriate to the type of provision offered (for example, a Level 2 sports coaching qualification for sports‑based).
These requirements apply to all Ofsted‑registered out of school clubs, including those run by schools. Being school‑based does not exempt a setting from meeting qualification expectations.
Please note, there are mandatory training requirements for areas such as first aid, food safety and safeguarding, which vary depending on your Ofsted registration type.
West Sussex County Council has commissioned a new Managing Transition Toolkit to support primary‑aged out of school, wraparound, and Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme childcare providers. The toolkit is designed to help settings support children who may find transitions between home, school and childcare more challenging.
Each toolkit includes a practical resource sack containing a carefully selected range of items to support children during transition periods. Resources include, but are not limited to:
- a dark tent
- fidget toys
- a blanket
- ear defenders
- playdough
- a copy of the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice
To receive a free toolkit, providers must book onto one of the in‑person network events:
Places are limited, so early booking is recommended. If events are fully booked, providers will be added to the online network and prioritised for toolkit delivery or collection.
Once you have booked onto a network event, email the Wraparound Childcare Team at wraparound.childcare@westsussex.gov.uk to confirm your eligibility for a toolkit.
If you are unable to attend an in‑person network, please contact the team to discuss alternative arrangements.
Childcare Works has published a recorded webinar exploring how early years and childcare providers can make the most of digital tools. The recording is now available to view here. You can also click the image to watch the video on Vimeo. It will open in a new window. |
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More than 1,700 children took part in the HAF programme across West Sussex this Easter. The HAF team are looking forward to supporting even more children during the summer holidays. If you are currently delivering HAF, please note the updates below.
- All HAF providers must follow Ofsted rules. Even if you are not registered with Ofsted, you may still be inspected to check that you are meeting the requirements of the exemption you are working under. If you are unsure about exemptions, visit the Ofsted registration exemptions web page for guidance.
- All HAF providers are strongly encouraged to register with Ofsted. This helps reassure parents that you meet required standards and allows families to use the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. If you do not currently offer Tax-Free Childcare, and would like to sign up, please visit the GOV.UK sign up page.
- The Household Support Fund, which helped families facing financial difficulties, ended on 31 March 2026. Families who receive benefit-related free school meals will no longer get food vouchers during school holidays. Any families needing help should be signposted to the West Sussex Community Hub for support.
- All HAF providers must now be registered as a food business with their local district or borough council. If you haven’t done this yet, you must complete registration before the summer holidays begin.
If you would like to deliver HAF during the Christmas holidays, you can submit an Expression of Interest between 17 August and 20 September. For more information, please visit the HAF web page or contact the HAF team on HAF@westsussex.gov.uk.
Supporting children’s oral health from an early age is an important part of promoting their overall wellbeing. Establishing good habits around tooth brushing, healthy eating and routine dental check‑ups helps reduce tooth decay and supports children to feel comfortable, confident and ready to learn.
The West Sussex Oral Health campaign provides practical advice, tips and resources to support early years, out of school and wraparound settings in sharing positive oral health messages. These materials can be used with children and shared with families to encourage consistent routines at home and in your setting.
BrightBites is a free UK‑wide oral health programme that can be delivered in nurseries, pre‑schools, holiday clubs and wraparound childcare settings.
BrightBites sessions are:
• fun, interactive and child friendly
• approximately 30 minutes long
• delivered by trained volunteers
Sessions focus on helping children understand:
• toothbrushing and daily routines
• the names and purpose of different teeth
• sugar awareness
• visiting the dentist
• why looking after our teeth is important
Each child who takes part also receives a free toothbrush and toothpaste, helping to encourage positive habits beyond the setting and at home.
To take part, please register your setting for Brightbites on their website.
By using engaging programmes such as BrightBites, early years and wraparound providers can play a key role in improving children’s oral hygiene, reducing tooth decay, and supporting a lifetime of healthy, happy smiles.
The OOSA provides information and support to individuals and organisations setting up and running out of school clubs, including breakfast clubs, after school clubs, holiday clubs and playschemes.
West Sussex County Council are offering settings one year's free membership to the OOSA. Please email the training team early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk to request an access code.
To support out of school providers and the increasing demand for wraparound care, we offer a number of courses within our training programme that are specifically designed for those working in these settings.
These specific courses are also part of our expansion support offer for this year, and are part-funded and reduced in cost to only £10 per person. 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.
Useful information
Look out for more information on the summer term wraparound data collection. We expect to collect data from providers on their number of places, what status this contributes towards (for example, full wraparound or partial) and the likelihood of these places being retained. The recommended reporting week for providers is w/c Monday 8 June 2026.
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:
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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02/2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025 - What providers need to know; Out of School Alliance - free membership offer; Tell us which schools you provide pick up and drop off for; New training to help every child and young person thrive; Parental conduct; Tax Free Childcare; Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub: summer term training and networks)
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01/2026 (Wraparound Programme Funding – Management Information spring return; Wraparound Childcare Parent Survey; Wraparound Childcare Programme funding – deadline; Holiday Activity and Food programme - expression of interest ; Out of School Provider Training Opportunities; Out of School Networks; Use your free, funded Paediatric First Aid place - reminder; Why a SEND information report matters; Weekly online safeguarding drop-in sessions; Making a safeguarding referral; Setting Support phone line; Childcare Works - free resources)
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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)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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