Early Education and Childcare Staffordshire

⚠️ WHEN TO NOTIFY OFSTED ❓

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets out the requirements you must meet for learning, development and care. It is a statutory requirement that you notify Ofsted or your childminder agency of:
✅any changes to your registration
✅a failure to meet the EYFS requirements
✅any significant events and/or serious childcare incidents.

Ofsteds' guidance gives more detail on the types of incidents you must tell them about and how to report them👇

https://earlyyears.blog.gov.uk/2025/02/14/when-do-you-need-to-notify-ofsted/?

When do you need to notify Ofsted? – Ofsted: early years News and updates on early years inspection

‼️EARLY EDUCATION FUNDING SUMMER FORECAST IS NOW OPEN. 💷

⏳ This is just a reminder the headcount for summer term funding claims is now open until the end of business o 12th March.

Updates have been sent to provider EY Portal accounts.

For any queries contact the Finance Team on 📞 01785 854009 or email 📧 [email protected] -- quoting your provider portal ID.

👩‍🎓WRAPAROUND INCLUSIVE PRACTICE PATHWAY 👧🧒

Fully funded training for staff working in before and after clubs: https://staffseytraining.event-booking.org.uk/search-results?eventSearch%5Bkeyword%5D=wraparound&eventSearch%5Blocation%5D=0&eventSearch%5Bonline%5D=0&eventSearch%5Bdate%5D=0&eventSearch%5Bdate_from%5D=&eventSearch%5Bdate_to%5D=&eventSearch%5Belearning%5D=1

‼️ CHILDMINDER NETWORK MEETING (VIA MS TEAMS) 👥

❓Guest Speaker❓ – Is an Early Years Ofsted Inspector.

Still places for this virtual meeting that will cover:

🟩Daily routines, planned learning, and free play. How is learning consolidated?
🟪What are inspection reports telling us? How can we reflect on these and make changes to our own practice.
⬛️Ofsted reports -what will these look like?

🕔19th March 2025 at 6.30pm to 7.45pm

For more info and to book go to:

Event : Childminder-Network-Meeting - 29489 The termly network meetings will provide an opportunity for regular dialogue where you will be able to work collaboratively with other Childminders to share good practice, discuss concerns and possible solutions to current issues and contribute to a shared agenda.

| HAF FUN THIS EASTER !🐰🐰🐰🐰

If your child is aged 5-16 years and eligible for a funded place on the HAF programme, their school will issue a letter with a HAF code.

✅Booking opens on Monday 10 March at 4pm.
✅Activities run from Monday 14 April until Friday 25 April 2025.
✅Quote your HAF code to get a free place

The perfect opportunity to meet new friends, enjoy healthy meals and have lots of fun this Easter 🐣

If your child is not eligible for a free place but would like to attend, get in touch. Many of our providers offer paid places too!

‼️ 🆕STATUTORY GUIDANCE FOR EARLY EDUCATION FUNDING‼️

Most of you will be aware on Friday 21st Feb, the Department for Education (DfE) communicated that there will be updated Statutory Guidance for Early Education Funding taking effect from 1st April.

▶️The local authority is also seeing the guidance for the first time, and we are in the process of reviewing this and liaising with the DfE.

▶️Providers are advised that the current Staffordshire Provider Agreement will remain in place until you are advised otherwise.

▶️Providers should review the agreement particularly for Section 16 Charging, from page 29, most of which will be applicable in line with new guidance.

We will keep providers up to date.

To review the Staffordshire Provider Agreement and FAQs please go to:👇
www.staffordshire.gov.uk/eefsupport

🆓WRAPAROUND INCLUSIVE PATHWAY - UPCOMING EVENTS ❗️PLACES LEFT❗️

📍We are putting on new events that are a mix of face-to-face sessions and via MS Teams, aimed at wraparound care providers.

📚Events will explore understanding of behaviour, recognising that behaviour is complex and impacted by many factors. It will cover preventative strategies we can implement to manage behaviour and how to create a positive environment, de-escalation strategies for challenging situations, and restoring relationships following challenging situations.

Check out what is coming up in March and throughout the summer term and book your place now: https://staffseytraining.event-booking.org.uk/events-list?c=752&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1WVuIXAk9qsBWpQO-g_48oLwoqAf15tBmyVsHMJCUvITuXXCWo6dgkRw0_aem_-Vll_pvYkCRf81PCcPZCTA

Event List : Wraparound Training To use this booking system, you will first need to create a user account and once you have done this, you will be able to manage your own bookings, access course evaluations, certificates and access your training history.

‼️Consultation - improving the way Ofsted inspects education🗣

Ofsted are seeking the views of parents, carers and professionals about their proposed plans for inspecting schools and other settings where children learn, which includes early years settings.

🟥Report cards – to give parents and carers more detailed information including a new 5-point grading scale to evaluate provider’s work and short summaries of what inspectors found.
🟥Education inspection toolkits – to show providers and inspectors the evaluation areas that inspections will focus on and how they assess and grade providers.
🟥Inspection methodology – changes to how inspections are carried out.
🟥Full and monitoring inspections, state-funded schools – plans to end ungraded inspections of state-funded schools and change monitoring programmes to check that timely action is taken to raise standards.
🟥Identifying state-funded schools causing concern – a new approach to how schools are placed into a category of concern.

The consultation closes on 28 April 2025; click the link below for more information and to take part.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education?

Improving the way Ofsted inspects education We're asking parents, carers, professionals and learners what they think about our proposals to improve education inspections and our new report cards for providers.

🆕 STAFFORDSHIRE - EARLY EDUCATION FUNDING RATES 2025 /26 - FROM APRIL 2025 💷

Last week, early years providers were notified of the new funding rates commencing from 1st April 2025.

But, just in case you missed them.

⚫️EEF RATES by age - *rates are applicable for all entitlement accessible within a specified age.

➡️Funding rate for children Under 2 year-olds - per child, per hour will be £9.85
➡️Funding rate for 2-year-olds - per child, per hour will be £7.84
➡️Funding rate for 3 and 4year-olds - per child, per hour will be £5.43

⚫️Deprivation Rate for 3 and 4 year olds (only):

➡️Upper Level Rate based on 33% or more of children living deprived areas will be 0.30p per hour, per child.
➡️Lower Level Rate based on 10-32% of children living deprived areas will be 0.20p per hour, per child.

⚫️Early Years Pupil Premium - will be £1.00 per hour for eligible children.

⚫️Disability Access Fund - will increase to £938 per year for children accessing Disability Living Allowance.

Information on rates will be added to our FAQ page where early years providers can find guidance on most matters for early education:

https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Children-and-early-years/Childcare-providers-and-professionals/fundedplaces/Provider-FAQs-for-funded-places.aspx

🆕EARLY YEARS UPDATE FOR SCHOOLS 👩‍🏫

🧑‍🏫These face to face sessions taking place at several schools throughout March, are aimed at teachers and practitioners working in nursery and reception classes in schools, Updates will be from the EY sector and offer an opportunity to collaborate with other schools. Sessions cover:

🔵develop a deeper understanding of the latest national updates in early years and reflect on their impact on the sector,
🟢discuss local developments in early years across Staffordshire,
🟣network with other schools and foster a community of knowledge and improvement.

To view events and book on- go to our EY Practitioner Hub -

Event List : Early Years Update for Schools To use this booking system, you will first need to create a user account and once you have done this, you will be able to manage your own bookings, access course evaluations, certificates and access your training history.

🆕WRAPAROUND INCLUSIVE PATHWAY - UPCOMING EVENTS 👩‍🎓

📍We are putting on new events that are a mix of face-to-face sessions and via MS Teams, aimed at wraparound care providers.

📚Events will explore understanding of behaviour, recognising that behaviour is complex and impacted by many factors. It will cover preventative strategies we can implement to manage behaviour and how to create a positive environment, de-escalation strategies for challenging situations, and restoring relationships following challenging situations.

Check out what is coming up in March and throughout the summer term: https://staffseytraining.event-booking.org.uk/events-list?c=752

🚽 TOILET TRAINING IN EARLY YEARS - GUIDANCE 🤝

The Department for Education has published new toilet training guidance that could help educators with toilet training in early years settings.

🧻Don't just treat it like a flushable wipe 😏...............check out the guidance on DfE website:

Help for early years providers : Toilet training This article was written by the Department for Education (DfE) in consultation with senior health professionals in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

‼️ SUMMER TERM FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS FOR EASTER 2025 ‼️

A reminder that Easter is falling late this year. What does this mean for summer term funding? 👇

⏺ The Summer Term funding period covers from 1st April to 31st August. This means that some early years settings who offer funding across 38 weeks or are open term times only (in line with schools) would receive 13 weeks of funding for summer term.

⏺These settings may need to consider providing children with 2 weeks worth of summer term funding before the Easter holiday. Resuming the other 11 weeks after the Easter school holiday.

⏺This ensures parents receive all 13 weeks funding they could be entitled to for summer, particularly at settings who align funding with the school term.

For any queries or help please contact the Finance team on ☎️01785 854009 or 📧 [email protected]

Payment and headcount task dates can be found on our webpage 👇
www.staffordshire.gov.uk/eefdates

👧🧒UNDER 2s SPEECH & LANGUAGE SCREENING TOOL 🗣

👉The screening tool is intended for practitioners working with children around the 12-month milestone mark and forms part of the current speech and language pathway to access specialist support

👉Following the launch of the under 2's speech and language screening tool on the Early Years Practitioner Hub, click the link below to access the resource which can be found at the bottom of the EY SENIS webpage.

👉 www.staffordshire.gov.uk/eysenis

🆓 EARLY YEARS SAFEGUARDING FORUM 🚸

The forum is a perfect platform for practitioners from EY settings to have their voice heard, seek advice, knowledge and share best practice and lessons learnt with other settings and the partnership.
The guest speaker for this term’s forum is one of the independent Conference chairs.

Providers only need to attend one of these duplicate sessions:

🔸Tuesday 25 February 2025 10am to 11:30am via MS Teams
🔸Wednesday 26 February 2025 6pm to 7:30pm via MS Teams

Click the link below to book your place on the SSCP website.

https://staffsscp.event-booking.org.uk/events-list?e=%3D%3DwM5MzN&utm

🆕 SCHOOL UPDATE AND NETWORK MEETINGS 👥

Stay informed with the latest insights and updates from the Early Years sector. These sessions offer an opportunity to collaborate with other school-based Early Years colleagues to discuss and share practice. Facilitated by an Early Years Teacher Consultant, the session will allow practitioners who work in schools to keep up to date with emerging trends and enhance and elevate their practice.

🟨LEARNING OUTCOMES⬇️

▶️Develop a deeper understanding of the latest national updates in Early Years and reflect on their impact on the sector.
▶️Discuss local developments in early years across Staffordshire.
▶️Network with other schools and foster a community of knowledge and improvement.

🟨SESSIONS WILL BE DELIVERED FACE TO FACE AT THE FOLLOWING VENUES ⬇️

📍Monday 10th March 4.00-5.30pm Princefield First School, Penkridge, ST19 5EP

📍Wednesday 12th March 4.00-5.30pm Maybank Infants School, 2 Basford Park Road, Maybank, Newcastle Under Lyme, ST5 0PT

📍Monday 17th March 4.00-5.30pm Bridgtown Primary School, North Street, Cannock, WS11 0AZ

📍Tuesday 18th March 4.00-5.30pm Dunstall Park Primary School, Austen Drive, Tamworth, B78 3BQ.

❗️Please note no more than 2 practitioners per school can attend a session

To book a place visit the Staffordshire Early Years Practitioner Hub 👇 https://staffseytraining.event-booking.org.uk/events-list?c=690

🆕GRADUATE LEVEL QUALIFICATION

The Department for Educatrion has announced its publication of a graduate-level qualification:

⭐️The Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Award. ⭐️

This will give everyone from school leavers and junior staff to senior leaders the opportunity to easily move into a specialist career in the early years sector. 👩‍🎓

Find out more...

Early years teacher (EYTS) This apprenticeship standard has been approved for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. However, starts on the apprenticeship will only be possible once a suitable end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) has joined the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Registe...

🏃‍♀️ DO SOMETHING BIG CAMPAIGN 🏃‍♂️

👥👥Throughout February the DfE are running a series of Do Something Big careers events across the country. The campaign directs potential applicants to use DWP’s Find a Job vacancy platform to search for early years roles in their area, providing a valuable opportunity for employers to showcase their vacancies.🤝

Find out more:

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