#23/2026 - Wednesday 10 June 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Business Focus - supporting the Early Years workforce
- Operation Encompass - reminder for settings
- Virtual School support with transitions and training opportunities
- Childminder assistants - where to start with recruitment
- Webinar - creating a reading‑rich culture
- National Year of Reading
- Early Years SENCO Level 3
- Training opportunity in the Arun Area
- Update from Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub
- Early Years Training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Business Focus - supporting the Early Years workforce
Early education and childcare providers continue to manage significant recruitment and retention pressures, including challenges linked to pay, workload, qualification requirements, wellbeing and increasing demand for places.
We recognise that many settings are already working creatively and flexibly to recruit, support and retain staff in a difficult climate. National resources may help with this work, including the Department for Education (DfE) Early Years Careers recruitment resources and guidance on setting up an early years provider business from Foundation Years.
Local workforce support is available on the West Sussex County Council Staffing web pages, including information on recruitment, retention, wellbeing and advertising early years and childcare roles. Settings are encouraged to advertise all vacancies, including apprenticeships, on the jobs in early years and childcare bulletin, using the quick and easy template on Advertise early years and childcare jobs web page.
Stable, valued teams make a real difference to children, families and the quality of provision. Where possible, settings may find it helpful to focus on approaches that support staff to feel listened to, well inducted, supervised, and able to develop in their roles. The DfE Help for Early Years Providers, early years CPD and support, and early years child development training web pages offer further support. Please contact your Early Years and Childcare Setting Support team if workforce pressures may affect sufficiency, quality or continuity for children and families. You can do this by completing the Targeted Setting Support request form on the Request targeted support web page.
To support settings with these ongoing workforce challenges, Early Years Training is offering 2 online courses focused on safer recruitment practice and approaches to strengthening workforce retention. These sessions are designed to give managers and leaders space to reflect on current practice and consider practical steps that may support recruitment, retention and staff wellbeing in their own settings.
Both courses are part of this year’s expansion support offer and are part‑funded, reducing the cost to £10 per person. This is intended to help ensure training remains accessible for a wide range of providers.
Further details and booking (via West Sussex Services for Education):
For booking queries, please contact early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
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Operation Encompass is a safeguarding process that helps settings support children who may have been affected by domestic abuse. When Sussex Police attend a domestic abuse incident where a child is linked to an early years or childcare setting, they may share a notification with the setting’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). This allows the setting to provide timely, appropriate support for the child. At the moment, Operation Encompass is only available to group-based early years settings in West Sussex. It does not include childminders yet.
To receive Operation Encompass notifications, you must make sure your DSL information is up to date on the Online Provider Portal. The Family Information Service uses this information to share contact details with Sussex Police.
It is important that you regularly check your staff information, DSL details and secure email address are correct. Please read this Frequently asked questions document to help support with any common queries that may arise.
The final half term of the academic year often brings a mix of emotions, as children and staff prepare for changes in September. While many transitions are positive, they can be challenging for children who have experienced loss, adversity or trauma. Moving on from familiar people, places and routines may trigger memories of past uncertainty, leading to feelings such as sadness, loneliness or a sense of danger. For these children, change may not feel emotionally or physically safe, even when as professionals we know it is. Supporting them to develop a sense of felt safety is key to helping them manage transitions positively.
The Virtual School offers information and advice to education providers supporting children known to Social Care. For support with this, please contact the team.
The Educational Psychology Service also provides telephone consultations to help educators explore supportive approaches, including 60-minute consultations (funded by Pupil Premium) for Children We Care For and 30-minute consultations for all other children. If you are planning continual professional development for the next academic year, visit the Training and Events section of the Virtual School website for sessions available at no additional cost to West Sussex settings.
The Virtual Reality Training Impact of Trauma – Through the Eyes of a Child remains popular. A new autumn term session is available on Wednesday 4 November, from 9.30am to 3.30pm at Broadwater Baptist Church in Worthing. Please book your place via the link above.
More childminders are choosing to employ assistants. Employing assistants means you can expand your offer and grow your business. It can also bring other benefits, like adult company, sharing responsibilities and supporting quality.
However, employing an assistant does mean you are responsible for their practice and take on employer duties. You can find more information on Coram Pacey's working with other childminders page.
If you would like to learn more about registering a childminder assistant, you can read the following blog from Jayne Coward, Deputy Director for Early Years Regulatory Policy and Practice.
The National Literacy Trust is hosting a free online webinar, From vision to practice: Bringing a reading‑rich culture to life across the early years community, on Wednesday 24 June, 3.30pm to 4.30pm. The session is aimed at early years practitioners, teachers and childminders.
The webinar will share practical examples of how to use stories with intention to support children’s language development and deepen learning in everyday practice. Settings may find this useful for strengthening their early literacy approach and promoting a consistent reading culture across the early years.
The National Year of Reading 2026 is a major UK wide campaign delivered by the National Literacy Trust and the Department for Education to combat the sharp decline in reading for pleasure among children, young people, and adults.
The campaign's theme, 'Go All In', encourages everyone to use reading as a way to deepen their engagement with hobbies and passions they already love. You can find out more at National Year of Reading 2026 | Go All In. The website includes information for families with children aged 0-5.
The National Literacy Trust has added information to their website for families, Share stories with me. They have created a booklet for families and practitioner guidance to support you in using this resource with families.
In #newsletter 16/2026 we told you about the virtual Early Years SENCO qualification. This qualification is fully funded by the Department for Education and is for eligible educators. It is delivered by the Best Practice Network.
The June Early Years SENCO intake is now full. To join the July programme, please apply no later than 21 June.
Following the success of last year’s training day, William Older Playgroup in Angmering are delighted to welcome Ben Kingston-Hughes back to their setting for another inspiring full-day event on Wednesday 2 September, 9.30am to 3.30pm.
Feedback from the previous sessions was positive, with many finding Ben’s approach refreshing, thought-provoking and practical.
This year’s training is titled 'Seeing Through Behaviour to the Child Underneath' and will explore behaviour, vulnerability, positive interactions and understanding the child behind the behaviour. Ben will also be sharing more around the theme of joy, building on ideas many attendees said really resonated last time.
Spaces are limited. To book a place, please email williamolderplaygroup@gmail.com and the setting will confirm your booking.
Further information about the event can be found on this flyer.
The Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub (K&BEYSPH) is now recruiting for 3 Early Years Learning Leads to work alongside the Early Years Stronger Practice Hub. If you are interested in finding out more or applying for this role, please read this flyer.
As mentioned in #newsletter 20/2026, this is the last month that early years practitioners can apply to be part of the National Day Nurseries Association Maths Champion programme. To find out more about this opportunity before it finishes, please scan the QR code in the attached flyer.
To find out more about other webinars and events this term, please read the K&BEYSPH forthcoming webinars, networks and events document.
Throughout the year, we monitor trends and feedback from the ‘Next steps’ in Ofsted reports to ensure our training reflects current priorities. One key theme is the need to focus on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to learning.
Below are 3 of the training programme’s courses that we believe focus on this specific area. 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
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.
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.
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22/2026 (Deadline approaching - Thriving in Education grant; Safer sleep guidance for early education and childcare settings; Early Years Funded Entitlements for 9 months plus, 2, 3 and 4 year olds – summer term payments; Expression of interest - Level 3 SENCO award in south of the county; National Professional Qualification Autumn 2026 update; GLF West Sussex Teaching School Hub – May 2026 newsletter; Free resource - Early Years Sustainability and Climate Change Audit; New guidance to help children starting school; Early Education Training)
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21/2026 (Inclusive Early Years Fund 2026/27; Early education training - paediatric first aid summer dates; Our fully funded bursary for a Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years sector means you can start at any time; NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for the Early Years Workforce; Support your practice with free early years child development training; Thriving in Education grant reminder; Ofsted blog post for childminders; Stronger Practice newsletter)
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20/2026 (Safeguarding Focus - Switched on to privacy: resources for early years, school-age childcare and out-of-school settings; Worthing Children’s Development Centre – new referral process; Childminder inspection experience survey; Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub - training opportunities; Attunement and Interaction - the magic of communicating without words; Virtual School - newsletter, Personal Education Plan reminder and training opportunities; Childhood immunisations; Early Education Training)
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19/2026 (Good Level of Development Focus - Mathematical development; Childminder appreciation week - a big thank you to all of our West Sussex childminders; Updates to Ofsted documents; UK Health Security Agency advice for Early Education settings; Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer Apprenticeship; Early Years Specialist Advisory Teachers referral - deadline approaching; Termly Provider Update; SEND and Inclusion newsletter; Early Education Training)
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18/2026 (Business focus: Committee run provision; Summer term 2026 termly census and actuals - deadline this Friday; Reporting serious childcare incidents within 14 days; Qualify as an Early Years Teacher while you work; Bursaries for level 3 diploma working in the early years sector; Crawley College NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational entry for Early Years; Updates for Holiday Activities and Food providers; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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