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1 October 2016 Provider update email
What's in this edition:
- Outstanding Providers
- 30 hours updates
- Workforce Improvement development opportunities
- WRAP events
- 3i events launched
- Ofsted updated safeguarding guidance
- WRAP review
- Free safeguarding training sessions
Outstanding providers
The following childcare provision has recently achieved an Outstanding Ofsted inspection. Congratulations!
- Daisy Farm Day Nursery in Harborough
30 hours updates
Changes to funding for three and four year olds
Providers may have seen that the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) have developed a funding formula calculator which gives details of expected Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) rates from 2017. We would like to inform providers that the Department for Education (DfE)consultation for changes to funding for three and four year olds has only just closed and the DfE will now analyse the responses before deciding on a funding formula.
The local authority has had no indication of what funding we will receive and therefore cannot decide on the new FEEE rate until clarification is given from the DfE. We would urge providers to use these calculations with a sense of caution.
We will inform providers of the 2017 FEEE rates as soon as information is received from the DfE
Implementation of the extended entitlement
Although there is 11 months to go before the implementation of the extended entitlement, there are some key things that you will need to think about to ensure that you are ready for the possible expansion of places including:
- Capacity in your setting.
- Your termly occupancy - can yousee any trends in occupancy?
- How many of your 2 year olds will be entitled to the offer
- How many of your 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to the offer
- Do you know how many of your parents are working so that you can gauge how many additional children may need more hours?
- If you have a waiting list, do you know how many of these children may want more than 15 hours?
- These questions should give you a guide to help you in your place planning for the future. It may also highlight that you don't have the capacity to offer all the hours yourself in your setting and give you the opportunity to look at working in partnership with other providers.
Please visit the 30 hours web page for updates and progress being made towards the implementation of the 30 hours entitlement.
Training
Workforce Improvement – Qualifications
Candidates can enrol now and up to the end of March 2017 to access Level 2 and Level 3 FULLY FUNDED Early Years Qualifications including Early Years Educator, Room Leader and Leadership and Management. Training will be delivered at your setting/home.
Please view the flyerfor information regarding WMC training.
Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP)
The Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) is running in every district of Leicestershire across September and October.
This training will not be repeated so please ensure you take full advantage and book your free place.
The WRAP workshop will give you an overview and context of the safeguarding elements of the prevent strategy. The workshop will be delivered by Mark Wilson – Prevent Officer. Mark has vast amounts of knowledge and experience of working with Prevent in Leicestershire and will use local examples during the training.
To book your free place please go to
EYFS 3i Events - Information, Inspiration, Interaction
The EYFS 3i events have now launched. They bring together all aspects of early years into one place. Topics like business, workforce, teaching and learning, safeguarding and partnerships will be included and emphasis will be on practical support and inspiring ideas.
View the posterto find out more.
Workforce Improvement - Training and Development
The Early Years Foundation Stage Forum which is funded for Leicestershire providers is frequently updated with training and development opportunities for you and your staff. Please see below for a snapshot of the latest opportunities available:
- On the 'Training & Qualifications' thread (sign in to view) in the Leicestershire area there are a variety of training and development opportunities including; Online Health and Safety L2, Online Food Hygiene L2, Online Nutrition Awareness L2, Online Working with Parents, Designated Safeguarding and British Values.
- On our web page with the Preferred Trainers List has again been updated and expanded. The list now includes 'Early Communication Support' who specialise in Communication and Language Development; sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of individual children and support and develop staff and/or parents for around £25.00 per hour.
- Cherubs Training offer flexible tailored CPD training from £15-£20 per hour. Courses on offer include Safeguarding, Communication Development, Children's Physical Development, Characteristics of Learning, Observation, Assessment and Planning, The Importance of Chatterboxes, Healthy Tots.
- Northamptonshire Childminding Association (NCA) offer both face to face and online training at competitive price ranging from £15-£30/delegate.
- Music for Early Years led by Nicola Burke offer both consultancy and training, for around £26/delegate; 25 of your staff team can access early years music training.
Special features
Tax-free childcare
Tax-free childcare is a new government scheme, which will be available to around two million working households to help with theirchildcare costs.
From early 2017, working parents with children under 12 (under 17 for disabled children) can setup an online childcare account to pay their childcare providers directly. For every £8 parentspay in, the Government will add £2, up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child, per year (£4,000 per year for disabled children).To qualify, parents must be in work and each earning at least £115 a week and not more than £100,000 per year.
The government are now setting up systems for parents to claim tax free childcare and the link below provides information for early years providers on how to register for this scheme to enable parents to access this additional funding.
To find out more click hereor visit the Government website here for the 10 things you need to know.
Out of school additional adult funding
Due to increased use and future expectations on the budget, the Early Learning Service has reviewed the additional adult funding. The service has now implemented the changes outlined below:
- Applications will no longer be accepted ad hoc. Two dates for completed applications are now remaining(details below). This will allow a greater overview of what funding the children may have had previously, changes to children's needs, changes in circumstance andfeedback from monitoring visits. Panel dates will also allow providers to forward plan for the children.
- The onus will be on providers to not automatically put in for 1-1 funding, but to think if this is actually the best scenario for the child. The panel will be looking for evidence that the needs of the child have been scrutinised to ascertain what support is needed and how this will benefit the child. This could be adult support at certain times of the day only, shared care (worker) with other children with identified needs, time limited support to support the child with transitions e.g. when a child first starts at your provision.
- A child that has 1-1 support at school through a statement or education health care plan will not automatically be awarded1-1 funding for the OOS. School support is awarded for education. An OOS is a different environment and it is expected the OOS application will reflect this.
Summer term 2017 including May half term and the summer holidays – Monday 8 May
Safeguarding
Ofsted updates safeguarding inspection guidance
In our last provider update we sharedinformation about the new neglect assessment tool launched by the Leicestershire Safeguarding and Children's Board (LSCB). This time we want to highlight the updates that Ofsted have made to the safeguarding inspection guidance.
The updated inspection guidance now explains that childcare settings now have a responsibility to identify a designated lead within the workforce who will lead on safeguarding and remain on site during operating hours.
This is a change from previous guidance where childcare settings were required to have a designated lead but who did not necessarily have to be on the premises during opening times.
This means that the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will need to be a shared post. Alternatively, a deputy may be nominated who is competent in their responsibilities. This will affect schools with childcare on site operated by the Governing body as well as private/independent providers.
Free safeguarding training sessions
To attend these free sessions it states that you have to have attended a safeguarding competency briefing session. This is no longer the case as it is acknowledged that managers/ leaders/ owners/ committee/Governing bodies may have knowledge of the frame work and be implementingwithout having attended a briefing.
The session support Competency Group 8.
The whole day event will be based around 'Strengthening Practice - Supporting Safer Organisations' and will include the opportunity for discussions and questions.
Topics discussed will include:
- Review of the Competency Framework
- Consideration of learning from Serious Case Reviews (SCR) – key messages from SCR from a local and national perspective and how the culture of an organisation impacts on keeping children safe.
- Disguised compliance andresistance. – what it is and how it fits into safeguarding
- How can we support and strengthen practice - (Role of the Local Area Designated Officer (LADO) - managing allegations against professionals)
- Staff roles and your responsibility as an employee
- Contingency planning and being pro-active when social care thresholds are not met thresholds are not met.
- Knowing and understanding your children and families
- Information management and policy and procedures
- Who is the best person for the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)?
- Personal V professional roles
- Opportunity to ask questions, seek advice, share ideas and network.
For more information or to book clickhere.
WRAP Review
The Improvement Advisor team recently attended the WRAP ( workshop to raise awareness of prevent) training.
This workshop is FREE for all providers and is running this term.
"We found the workshop thought provoking and provided real context for not only what is happening nationally and globally but here in Leicestershire also. We recommend highly that all practitioners take advantage of this excellent workshop."
Click here for further information