#35/2026 - Wednesday 9 September 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Good Level of Development Focus
- Product recall - Vicloon baby teethers
- Starting School Applications
- Portage workshop - A small steps approach to learning for children with special educational needs and disabilities
- Safer recruitment considerations and the disclosure and barring service (DBS)
- Making Every Contact Count vaccination training – supporting early years conversations
- Operation Encompass - Update from Sussex police
- New, free training from the Virtual School – everyone is welcome
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
Starting Reception
The start of the new academic year is a time of transitions for children, families and early educators. Thinking about starting reception may seem too early, but there is lots to plan and do. Many families will be looking round and applying for a school place over the coming weeks, giving a great opportunity to help and support them to understand how they can help their child's readiness for school.
For further information to support families to ensure their child is ready for school click this link.
Specific courses - Communication and language
Children are defined as having reached a Good Level of Development at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, if they have achieved the expected level for the early learning goals in the prime areas of learning.
With this in mind, we have focused on courses around communication and language. We have three short courses, under the suite of courses titled Communication Club. These have been introduced based on Ofsted’s recommendations on setting’s reports over the past year.
If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
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We have been made aware of two product recalls relating to Vicloon Baby Teethers. Please use the following links to see the products affected.
Vicloon baby teether
Vicloon set of seven teething toys
All children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 are due to start school in September 2027.
At the beginning of October, settings will receive a pack of starting school leaflets and a poster from School Admissions. The poster should be displayed within your setting for parents to read and the leaflets should be distributed to the families of children with birth dates between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023.
Parents will be able to apply for a school place from Monday 5 October 2026 until Friday 15 January 2027. Please talk to the parents of children in your setting due to start school in September 2027 to make sure that they understand the process and complete their applications on time.
If there are any questions that the family have asked about the school admissions process that you cannot answer, please refer to the information on our website or contact the Pupil Admissions Team.
A copy of the Starting School Questionnaire is available to print, for any settings that wish to use it to help them understand any concerns that families have about their child starting school.
Early years settings should continue to monitor children’s progress, and work with parents, to identify any concerns that could impact children in making a positive start to school. Where additional support needs are identified at any point, settings should speak to the child’s parents/carers and plan for the additional support that is required. This may include referrals to outside agencies with parental permission.
Contact details for the Healthy Child Programme:
Telephone 01273 242004 or email sc-tr.wsxhcpduty@nhs.net.
Practitioners may also refer families to appropriate advice and guidance including Preparing for school - Best Start in Life.
Information for providers is available on our website - Supporting families - West Sussex County Council.
The Portage Workshop is an introduction to the Portage Approach to working with children with additional needs and their families. Central to the course are the ‘Portage Principles’ and the ‘Three Circle Model of Portage’. The Workshop has a core curriculum consisting of seven modules.
The course is aimed at the Early Years Workforce, including Portage home visitors, Early Years Practitioners/SENCOs working with Under 5s in PVI, Maintained and Children’s Centre settings; Reception Class Teachers; Teaching Assistants; Parents/Carers; Childminders and Foster carers. During this 2 day course we will explore the following core curriculum:
- The portage model
- Supporting the development of play
- Using clear language
- Planning sucessful outcomes
- Planning, recording and sharing outcomes
- Using a small steps approach
- Positive approaches to children's behaviour
Dates:
- 7 and 8 October 2026 9.00am - 3.30pm - in person training
- 11 October 2026 9.30am - 11.00am - short online follow up session
Venue: Horsham Nursery School, Harwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5UT
Cost: £100 per person
You can find out more about the course and how to book on the West Sussex Services for Education website.
Please contact early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk or portage.enquiries@westsussex.gov.uk if you have any questions.
On behalf of the West Sussex Local Authority Designated Officer, we would like to draw your attention to some important considerations regarding safer recruitment practices and the DBS Update Service. This follows the identification of a situation where an individual in a position of trust was able to move between roles using the DBS Update Service, despite relevant information not having been updated on their existing certificate.
For those subscribed to the DBS Update Service, it is important to note that checks against information other than convictions are not updated continuously. The DBS advises that these checks are typically refreshed every nine months and will only be conducted at the same level as the original DBS certificate. In contrast, information relating to convictions is updated on a weekly basis.
It remains at an organisation's discretion whether to accept an existing DBS certificate that is subscribed to the Update Service or to request a new DBS check as part of the recruitment process.
From a safeguarding perspective, it is essential that organisations are aware of the limitations of the Update Service and ensure that safer recruitment procedures remain robust. This includes communicating these considerations to those responsible for recruiting individuals into positions of trust, particularly where reliance may be placed on the Update Service rather than obtaining a new Enhanced DBS check.
It is also important to recognise that there are differences between the various levels of DBS checks referenced below, and these should be carefully considered when making recruitment decisions.
In newsletter #31/2026 we let you know about some new dates for the Making Every Contact Count vaccination training.
There are still places available so if you would like to book a space please read the flyer for upcoming dates and book your place via the Learning and Development Gateway.
Please read an update from Sussex Police regarding Operation Encompass.
To find out more about the programme and to sign up, please see our website.
The WSCC virtual school have a range of free training that is open to all.
They are keen to ensure that the training they provide supports you in meeting the challenges and issues settings have expressed they are experiencing. Alongside the core offer around attachment and trauma, there are new topics being covered this year including:
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Beyond sorry - helping children and adults move forward after difficult moments - Learn why relational repair matters, understand barriers to repair, use the REPAIR framework, and build a culture of repair across your setting.
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Understanding and supporting young people with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - Gain a better understanding of FASD, recognise its impact on learning and behaviour, and explore practical strategies to support children and young people.
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"You don't understand": The impact of adversity and trauma on language and communication - Understand how trauma can affect language and communication, recognise hidden communication needs, and learn strategies to support development.
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"You're Not the Boss of Me": Responding to a high need for control in children who have experienced trauma - Explore why children who have experienced trauma may seek control, understand the reasons behind challenging behaviour, and learn supportive, trauma-informed approaches
To browse the full training offer, please explore the 26/27 Training Programme Brochure. All courses delivered by the Virtual School can be booked via the training and events section of their website.
Useful information
- 1 September - portal opened for settings to submit actuals for autumn term
- 17 September - autumn term headcount day
- w/c 21 September - autumn term monthly estimate payments due to settings
- 22 September - portal closes for settings to submit actuals for autumn term
- 1 October - Department for Education census day for autumn term
- w/c 19 October - autumn 26 actuals due to settings who are paid twice termly
- w/c 26 October - monthly estimate payment due
- w/c 23 November - actuals payment due for settings who are paid monthly
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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#34/2026 (Autumn term 2026 census and actuals claims - action required; New opportunity for early education leaders, including childminders, to join our early years provider forum; Protecting children this autumn; Home learning environment guidance; New safer sleep Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) prevention training; Free family learning courses staring this September; Early years training)
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#33/2026 (Safeguarding focus - Changes to the early years foundation stage from 1 September 2026: suitable people; Early Years Training - safeguarding and child protection; Inclusive Safeguarding: Strengthening Protection for Children with Disabilities conference; Update - missing payment remittance documents; Schema Play with Tamsin Grimmer; Screen use guidance for early years providers; Guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation; Hello from Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub; Early Years Training)
- (Business Focus - The power of work experience in early education and childcare; Inclusive Early Years Fund 2026/27; Webinars now available - changes to claiming for children after headcount from autumn 2026; Early Years Teaching Degree Apprenticeship at Roehampton University; Early Years Training)
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#31/2026 (Moderate air pollution alert and amber heat-health alert; Early Years Funded Entitlement autumn term estimates - submissions close Friday; Paying your annual fee with Ofsted; Sussex Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) report; West Sussex Neglect Strategy 2024 to 2029; What have we learned about children born during the pandemic; Celebrating good practice; New Podcast from Ofsted available; July update from the Kent and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub; Making Every Contact Count vaccination training – supporting early years conversations)
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#30/2026 (Safeguarding focus – Department for Education and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children early years safeguarding training; Emerging safeguarding consideration: tracking and recording devices; Amber heat health-alert; Safer sleep product guidance; Early Years Training)
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#29/2026 (Remittance advice update; New Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship; Why vaccination matters; Signpost families to the Best Start in Life website; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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