EARLY YEARS NEWSLETTER

SUMMER 2020

THE EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT SERVICE

IN THIS ISSUE: STAYING CONNECTED / NATURE FOR NURTURE / WHY MOVEMENT MATTERS / SENCO AWARDS CELEBRATON / CHILDREN’S SPEECH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION NEEDS… AND MUCH MORE

Dear All,

In these unprecedented times of change and

unchartered challenges, may we express our

heartfelt thanks to all of you, for the great job

you are doing. We know that you will be em-

bracing the principles of the foundation stage

to ensure children, parents and staff feel

safe, secure and ready to learn, prioritising

the emotional well-being of everyone. The

uniqueness of every child and their individual

learning journey has been taken to a new

level, especially the crucial role parents/

carers play as first educators and the sup-

port you are providing. We know that you

have embraced new and innovative ways of

supporting home learning for those children

not currently in schools or settings, and that

this support has been greatly valued.

We know that your passion, commitment and

values will continue to shine through to put

the child at the heart of everything you do.

Please also remember to be kind to your-

selves as well as everyone else.

We continue to work in partnership to sup-

port our youngest children and their families

during this time and into the future.

Best wishes the Early Years Team

Gayle Shiels – Senior Advisor for School

Improvement (Early Years)

Sarah Bryan – Early Years Quality Manager

Amanda Gordon – Early Years Sufficiency Manager

Public 21/05/2020

We would like to thank all of the Derbyshire schools, EY providers and parents/carers that have shared their appreciation for the ongoing partnership working and commitment that we all share to ensure that our children in Derbyshire continue to have access to the high quality Early Years provision in these unprecedented times.

“Can I just say that the support & communication from the Early Years Service has been in-credible given that everyone is working remotely and given the set of circumstances within which we are all operating.” Sharron Dearle, Parklands Infant & Nursery School

“Not enough people take the time to share their positive experiences, of which there are many. We appreciate that on the end of every email, every phone call and every Facebook message (or post) there is a person working hard to do their best for us, they are often not the decision makers but the messengers and people are very quick to blame them instead of giving them the recognition they deserve for all they are doing to keep things moving. You are all doing very well for us and it is really appreciated.” Mark and Joanna Jones, Childminder

“As one of the PVI representatives on the Schools Forum I am very aware of the support the PVI sector has from the Local Authority and, in particular, the Early Years’ Service. I know that despite the fact that there was no increase in the level of funding to Derbyshire this year, the LA still managed to increase the hourly rate and that this was only possible because of cuts taken in central services. I know that often we do not recognise what you do behind the scenes for both providers and parents and so I wanted to thank you for staying in touch with regular updates, giving us support and vital information. I am so pleased that I am part of Derbyshire Early Years during this crisis.” Dawn Curry, The Avenue Day Nursery

“Please pass on grateful thanks to you and your team for getting the April/ May funding out to us so efficiently. I know you have had so much ex-tra work to do and we certainly value the sup-port from Derbyshire.” Deborah Dillon, Serpentine Nurseries

“I want to send you and the team my sincerest gratitude for your support, efforts, time and

hard work during these most difficult and unprecedented times. The work you do behind the

scenes to help us deliver childcare in these times is essential and much appreciated, as it

helps us to unpick what we are having to do to stay on top of this new landscape as it chang-

es daily.”

Sarah Morton, Dronfield Nursery Limited

“Thank you so much for helping me to resolve this matter so quickly. I am learning all the

time which is really good and I appreciate all the time given to me when I have an en-

quiry etc.... by yourself and all the members of the team. I think you all do a fantastic job. In

my experience all teams at the Local Authority do an amazing job. It really is a lovely feeling

to know that we are all part of the same team, good partnership working.”

Dawn Ellis, Childminder

Public 21/05/2020

Staying Connected: Am I Safe and Do I Matter?

During these unprecedented times maintaining connection with the children and families you support has never been more important. For the young children who had previously attended your setting or school and are now staying at home, the impact of the sudden changes to their regular daily routines and experiences, made necessary by the COVID-19 lockdown, cannot be underestimated. We know from neuroscience research that the quality of the relationships children build with the significant adults in their lives forms the blueprint of their understanding of themselves and others.

It is only when a child feels safe and secure – “Am I Safe and Do I Matter?” - that they will thrive and are able to explore, learn and develop. It is therefore critical for you and your team to invest time in thinking about and staying connected with those children who are currently at home, and supporting their families in keeping the focus on what really matters: feeling safe, secure and happy Parents and carers will all be experiencing and coping with the current crisis in ways that are unique and individual to them and their particular circumstances. They will all be encountering, and may understandably be struggling to cope with, a range of new and potentially stressful events in their lives, all of which will also be sensed, watched and ‘felt’ by their children.

Experiencing the grown-ups around them reacting to a roller coaster of feelings and emotions, will be bewildering for our youngest children, and be difficult for them to even begin to process or understand. This may create anxieties, stresses and fears which will typically be communicated through changes in their behaviours, such as becoming quiet and withdrawn, and/or seeking lots of extra physical connections – this might be through wanting more cuddles, but may well present in the form of kicking and shouting... this in turn can generate further stress for the child, their parents, carers and siblings.

It may be reassuring for families to hear you explain that any ‘distressed’ behaviours which their child is presenting are a normal and natural response to feeling anxious, and that what their child needs most of all right now is for their family to offer understanding: it’s OK to feel not OK.

Therefore, when considering how we continue to support families throughout this time, there is a need to first acknowledge the known and unknown pressures that each family may be experiencing, and the expectations that our communications with them may present – ultimately we want to offer genuine support rather than unintentionally pile on extra strain and stress!

Public 21/05/2020

Staying Connected: “Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For?”

So how can we keep connected with the children and effectively ‘bridge the gap’ between home and setting or school? Keeping it simple and personal may be the key to maintaining successful connection:

“Just had a call from Thomas’s teacher…she rang to chat to him…how lovely!” (message shared by parent)

The simple act of picking up the phone to talk to a child and their family will communicate far more than the words that are spoken. A child will hear that they are being ‘kept in mind’, which means that ‘I am valued’ and ‘I matter’. If it is possible to connect via your school or setting’s secure online communication system*, then the sound of your familiar voice can be further enhanced by enabling the child to also see you and your familiar non verbal communications.

This will be particularly powerful for the very youngest children such as babies and toddlers, for whom the re-connection with your smiling face may bring surprise and delight! For the key person making the call this is an extremely useful way to remain emotionally ‘tuned into’ the children, as they continue to grow and develop in this extended time away from your setting or school.

Mirroring the child’s actions and repeating back simple phrases used by the child will reassure them that you are fully present and attuned: ‘I am seen and heard’. The use of a familiar puppet or soft toy to support the

interaction may help the child to have an additional contextual clue when you call, particularly if your provision is not currently open and the background view is unfamiliar. Some settings have also used their secure online communication systems to record short video messages for children and families, including a regular story or singing session.

Again, these provide excellent opportunites to continue to nurture the adult-child relationship by enabling the children to see and hear their familiar trusted key people in a meaningful and enjoyable context: ‘It makes me laugh when you use a funny voice in this bit of the story!’; ‘I know this song!’; ‘I am clapping too!’ Enjoying saying hello now will ensure your attachment remains strong for the future.

*On-line Safety: It is critical that all school and setting staff ensure any use of online learning tools and systems is in line with privacy and data protection/GDPR requirements, and will work within any further local guidelines issued to Schools/Colleges/Education settings around Video Conferencing and Remote Learning. Refer to section 12. EY addendum child protection policy: https://schoolsnet.derbyshire.gov.uk/administration-services-and-support/coronavirus-information/early-years-covid-19-updates.aspx

Staying connected: keep it simple, keep it personalised, and

most important of all, keep it firmly focused on the relationship

and emotional well-being

Public 21/05/2020

Staying Connected: Acknowledging & Celebrating

Learning at Home

When considering how to effectively support parents and carers with their home learning environment at this time, it is helpful to keep a strong focus on relationships and emotional well-being, rather than an overly formal approach.

Neurological research tells us that in order to be ready to learn, a child must first feel safe and secure. Remembering the need to be supportive and, as far as possible, minimise stress, we should therefore be mindful not to create a culture of unrealistic expectations and unnecessary pressure to ‘complete work’. Indeed, this time at home may be presenting many rich and creative opportunities for learning and development, which should be valued and celebrated:

‘I helped mummy paint the fence today!’

‘I drew a picture for Alice next door and held it up so she could see through her window – she did a thumbs up and waved at me!’

‘I made a band with wooden spoons banging on saucepans – it gets louder when I crash the lids together’

‘I saw lots of white butterflies and 2 bees when I was on my bike ride’

‘We saw grandad on the iPad today and I made him laugh when I sang ‘Happy Birthday to you’ and I was jumping too!’

‘My big sister played snakes and ladders with me’

‘I planted some seeds and dad showed me how to use the big tap outside to fill up the watering can so I can give them a drink!’

Ensuring continued dialogue with the children and their families throughout lockdown will help you to promote the importance of these everyday experiences and the varied ways in which they can provide valuable opportunites for development across each of the prime areas.

Recognising the potential wealth of learning and development embedded within each child’s unique life experiences whilst at home is a vital element of staying connected and maintaining a positive relationship.

Encouraging parents and carers to share their child’s achievements with you will send clear messages about working together in partnership, what learning actually looks like, and the important contributions that families can make to their child’s on-going learning journey.

Crucially, it will also help inform how you support the child’s transition when the time comes for the child to return to your, or their next, provision

Public 21/05/2020

Staying Connected: A Pre-school’s Story

When our Pre-School closed the doors to all the children apart from the few that met the

government’s criteria on Friday 20th March, I will admit I was an emotional wreck!!

I had so many thoughts running through my mind… Would we see our school leavers again

before September? How would our setting feel with only a few children? Will the children forget

us?

If I was feeling this confused and anxious, how were our children feeling? It broke my heart that

at the tender age of 2, 3 and 4 years old it would be extremly hard to comprehend what was

happening in the world and why their routine had changed so drastically.

As a Pre-School we pride ourselves on putting

the children’s emotional well-being above

anything else, a notion that is echoed down from

the management, board members and staff

through to parents and families. My biggest fear

was that the children would feel deserted and

that this would severely impact on their personal,

social and emotional development. We were

emailing out home learning play activities for

families to complete but we didn’t feel this was

enough; we wanted the children to know, and be

able to see, we were still there for them.

We already had a Facebook page set up for the Pre-School that we used but wondered how we

could stay in touch with those families who did not have social media. We looked at the

possibility of creating a You Tube channel, which was more straight forward than I thought (this

was positive as I have no technical skills), and emailed the link out to our parents. On Sunday

22nd

March I posted our first video, on both our Facebook page and the You Tube channel: just

me, reading a story, waving to the children and explaining that as a team we would stay in

touch via these methods. I was worried my story telling skills weren’t quite up to scratch to

share with the world but within 24 hours we had 2,074 views! (I thought I’d gone viral but my 9

year old quickly informed me that I was nowhere near this number!!). The feedback from

parents/carers was amazing - the children had watched it on repeat and had even had it for

their bedtime story.

Spurred on by the positive feedback we continued; other staff read stories, recorded videos of their home life, showed parents how to make play dough and followed this up with a dough disco! As a team we decided to collaborate and come together, even in isolation, individually recording ourselves ‘throwing’ a drawing to each other and joining all these together to make a

Public 21/05/2020

I continued recording stories, not only

reading them but also acting them out!

We have been on a ‘bear hunt’ and

read the Gruffalo with props in the

woods. I had so much fun that I

questioned who has enjoyed this the

most - myself or the children? Again

the feedback assured me that the

enjoyment was mutual and it was lovely

to receive videos of the children and

families on their own bear hunts.

We now set the children weekly

challenges on Facebook, share with

permission what children have been

doing and have even hosted a live quiz

(that was nerve wracking!). We have

continued to email home learning ideas

but I am extremely glad we made the

decision to stay in touch this way; we

may be apart but we found a way to still

be together.

Whilst this has been a fantastic way to stay connected we had to ensure the children were safe

accessing online material. We have been mindful throughout to adhere to our policies and

procedures, particularly online safety requirements, ensuring practitioners wear appropriate

clothing in videos and language is appropriate and professional. This has included ensuring

family members who may be within ear shot also adhere to these. The Facebook page is

regularly monitored by the management team for any inappropriate comments and parents are

not able to post on the site. When children’s photographs are sent to us, we ask the parents/

carers for written permission before we can share the photographs on the page with the child’s

name. In addition, we cover the children’s faces so they cannot be identified. The link sent to

the parents for the YouTube channel is a direct link, which means that the children are directed

only to our page. We do not interact directly with the children using online resources. All contact

is made directly through our Facebook page and not through staff members personal accounts.

Staff are expected to adhere the current social media policy. We have also sent emails to

parents giving advice on the government guidelines for keeping children safe online.

Marie Hopkins, Acting Deputy Manager

St Lawrence Pre -School (North Wingfield)

Public 21/05/2020

Nature for Nurture

I recently spotted my first swallows of the year. This is always a bit of a moment for me as I feel it signifies the arrival of summertime but this year it somehow felt more pertinent than ever. Whilst the human population is in lockdown, the natural world keeps on turning and if anything, seems to be flourishing just now. Wild flowers thrive in verges and parks as councils have been mowing less frequently and nitrogen levels from traffic are reduced. Herds of goats have been seen trotting through the streets of Llandudno; swans, fish and seaweed return to the canals of Venice and grass is growing up through the pavements in Rome’s squares. Deer are grazing in a housing estate in Romford, the largest numbers of leatherback turtle nests in decades have been recorded in Thailand and the Himalayas are visible in India for the first time in years. And is it just me or do the birds seem to be singing more enthusiastically than ever at the moment?

There has been a worldwide resurgence of wildlife whilst the human population is in lockdown. Perhaps nature has lessons for us all in

resilience, seizing the moment and recovering

from adversity.

There is something reassuring about the

constant rhythms of nature in an unsettled

world. The natural world is fundamentally

important to us as human beings.

For children it offers infinite possibilities and

benefits from the social and cultural to health

and wellbeing. Research has confirmed that a

connection to nature is as important for

wellbeing as established factors, such as

income and education. A raft of research

proves that time in nature is essential to our

physical, psychological health and wellbeing

and there was never a time when we needed

this more than now.

And yet evidence tells us that the amount of time that children get to spend in natural environments has been in decline for many years now. Most people believe that the outdoors is good for us. This is not a new idea. Two and a half thousand years ago Hippocrates wrote “Nature itself is the best physician.” Chinese Taoists created gardens for health over 2000 years ago and in the book “The English Gardener” (1699) gardening is recommended for health. But at some point over the 20th or 21st centuries many of us seem to have lost our connection with nature. We may feel that building a connection to nature is difficult during lockdown but there are plenty of things we can do for ourselves and our children, whether we have access to the countryside, live in an urban environment, whether or not we have a garden. This may be the very time to build a love and connection to nature that could last a lifetime. Try some of the following: Look up or lie on your back for a spot of

cloud gazing. Can you see any special shapes?

Public 21/05/2020

Go out at night time and look up at the stars and the moon.

Taking your NHS rainbow as inspiration,

can you find items in nature to match each colour?

Find a four leafed clover and make a

wish. Make a daisy chain. Make friends with a stick. Find a really

good one, maybe give it a name, use it for pointing, drawing, measuring or find it some friends and lay them out to make shapes

Keep a nature diary of things you can see

from your window, in your garden or on a daily walk. All sightings are valuable here- slugs, snails and minibeasts are just as important as red deer and birds of prey.

Collect wild garlic and crush to make

garlic bread. Lift up a stone or peer into the cracks in a

wall to discover what is hiding there. Remember to carefully replace the stone afterwards.

Plant and grow herbs in a pot or window

box, observe as they grow, then crush them in a pestle & mortar to use in perfumes, potions or other recipes.

Gather dandelions to use in

environmental art (see examples of Andy Goldsworthy’s work for inspiration.)

Go outside in the rain to experience the

feel, sound, sight and smells. Try to catch a raindrop on your tongue!

And of course, remember to listen to the birds. Can you hear a squawk, hoot, whistle, chatter or chirrup? My personal favourite is the one that sounds like a squeaky wheelbarrow! Don’t worry whether you can identify each one. There is value in tuning in to the sounds and exploring vocabulary to describe them. But perhaps the best value of all is actually in

being in the moment and tuning out the worries and concerns of the everyday. Julian Treasure, chairman of The Sound Agency cites the benefits of natural sound, as well as silence. He says that humans tend to find bird song reassuring. We intrinsically feel that all is good in the world if the birds are singing. Try stepping outside or opening a window in the morning to listen to the birds. And finally, we could think about how we might make provision for nature once lockdown is over. Here are a few suggestions: Make a pond. It doesn’t need to be large, deep or fancy. I have a sunken washing up bowl on my allotment that attracts several frogs and various insects every year! Be careful and sensible regarding health & safety. Use it as an opportunity to teach about safety near water. (See www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk) Create hedgehog highways by removing barriers, for example by making holes in or under our garden fences and walls for them to pass through. (www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden) Put up bird boxes including special ones for swallows, swifts and house martins (look up RSPB Give Nature a Home). Leave a patch of garden untended- nettles for butterflies, flowers for wildlife. (www.rhs.org.uk/advice/wildlife-garden) Plant flowers for bees and other pollinating insects. Pots, hanging baskets and window boxes are useful if you don’t have much space. Use alternatives to chemical pesticides in the garden such as diluted washing up liquid to control greenfly without harming other insects. (www.ltl.org.uk/projects/pollination) Continue to foster children’s relationships with nature and share in their joy and curiosity as they discover the diversity and wonder of the natural world. “We need to allow children to develop their love for the earth before we ask them to save it.” Coffey 2001

Public 21/05/2020

Why Movement Matters

Being active and moving maintains health and weight, develops muscles and bones, encourages coordination, improves sleep and builds relationships and social skills. All things we want to encourage during this period of Lockdown. Being active and moving will help children’s brains and bodies to work together. The more a child moves the more the brain is stimulated and the more they learn! Movement will help prepare the body to sit still, pay attention and hold a pencil. Do your parents know that movement is also an essential and often overlooked starting point for children’s brain development and learning? Are you encouraging parents to get children moving and keeping them active? Help parents get their child/ren moving by making it fun and part of daily routines: Reduce screen time and time spent

in equipment that restricts a child’s movement e.g. highchairs, car seats, push-chairs, etc.

Provide time and space for children

to move freely and spontaneously indoors or outdoors. Let children spin, twist and turn freely or freely dance to music, etc.

Give children lots of opportunities to

play on the floor or be on their tummy. Let them lie down to play with their toys, e.g. cars, trains, jigsaws, prop themselves to read a book or allow them to roll around freely.

Encourage crawling – even if they can

already successfully crawl. Crawling is a great activity for your child and gets the whole body and brain working together. Let children crawl through tunnels, ladders, over cushions, under tables and chairs at home.

Create opportunities for children to help push, pull or carry heavy objects maybe when gardening or by carrying a weighted rucksack while on a walk.

Provide opportunities for children to

walk, jump and hop using chalk drawn zig-zag lines/spots/swirly lines/hopscotch court on the pavement or on another hard surface.

Create opportunities for children

and adults to sing and dance to action songs and finger rhymes l ike ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ and ‘5 little peas in a pea-pod pressed’. It’s just as important to get the fingers moving as it is the whole body!

Get children’s wrists, hands and

fingers moving with activities like playdough, popping bubble wrap, cleaning with sponges and spray bottles.

Maybe you could direct parents to these websites for additional information on how to keep their child/ren active and moving: Sport NZ contains brochures providing a variety of fun activities to get little children moving (https://sportnz.org.nz/managing-sport/search-for-a-resource/guides/active-movement-activity-guides-for-children-0-5-years-) National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine contains leaflets on ‘Help your baby move and play everyday’ and ‘Help your child move and play everyday’ (www.ncsem-em.org.uk/resources/age-groups/early-years/) Remember physical activity can be carried out both indoors and outdoors. Young children and their families can go outside to exercise as long as it is in line with the most recent government guidelines on exercise: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

Public 21/05/2020

Distant Yet Sill Present: Children’s Speech, Language

and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Along with all the caring and educating of ‘key worker children’ and trying to reach out to the

children and families you are missing – what about those with SLCN?

Some may have advice and tele-therapy from specialist services but many will not.

Here are some ideas to offer SLCN support at a distance (virtually):

Under 3 Years 3-5 Years 5+ Years

Attention - to stay focused

Sensory Play https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/how-to-make-a-ball-run/z4kk8xs Sensory play is all about ex-ploring and it doesn’t have to be messy.

Digging and planting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/make-a-mini-garden/z7rm2sg Take time to focus on digging, finding, planting and caring for a garden.

Helping with dinner prep.

Focusing on using a knife safely or helping to plan what the group would like to eat is building attention and social skills.

Listening - to recognise what is heard

Songs and music

https://small-talk.org.uk/2-3-years/play/down-station/ Songs are ideal for practising listening and predicting what comes next.

Listening walk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/listen-with-me-18-24/z4d27nb Talk about what you hear when out for a walk or in the garden.

Audio book

https://nosycrow.com/nosy-crow-storytime/ A different story every day. Remember to listen as well so you can chat about it.

Sentences - to use words to share ideas

I see…actions

Instead of ‘I spy…’ use short sentences to talk about the action you see e.g. “I see…a cat hiding” or “I see…a boy climbing”.

Talk about crafts

https://small-talk.org.uk/3-5-years/read/make-memory-book/ Memory books are a great way to practice talking in sen-tences.

Make, do and tell

http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/create-family-history-keepsake Finding family stories is a good way to practice talking and asking questions.

Conversation - the to-and-fro of taking turns to share and listen to ‘news’

Chat times

Make time to chat and record it. You’ll be surprised how quickly the children are changing in their turn taking skills.

Hungry Little Minds

https://hungrylittle-minds.campaign.gov.uk/ Full of ideas if you need some variety in the day to add inter-est to experiences worth talk-ing about.

Video diaries

Helping children keep video diaries can help them practice to plan, say, correct and maintain clarity of message.

For further ideas, support or specific topics please email ruth.crofts@derbyshire.gov.uk

Public 21/05/2020

SENCO Award Celebration: A Reason to Celebrate

On the afternoon of 11th March (a lifetime ago in current circumstances) the Members room at

Derbyshire County Council hosted a celebration event for twenty five of Derbyshire’s

dedicated early year’s professionals.

These committed individuals nervously, yet eagerly gathered in small teams to deliver

presentations based on their recent studies to become the county’s first Level Three Early

Years Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.

Learners demonstrated their knowledge to a selection of work colleagues and family

members, their passionate course tutor, Portage workers, specialist SEN teachers and council

dignitaries

I felt honoured to be part of this team of learners and proud of all that we have achieved. A

highlight of the celebration for me was listening to our support colleagues from Derbyshire

County Council. Colleagues we work with closely to provide the best outcomes for children

with SEN, explained to the guests the positive impact that undertaking the course was having

in our individual settings.

Outcomes included a growth in confidence in the role of SENCO, a deeper understanding of

the role itself, more effective support for colleagues within our settings and a greater

knowledge of the support systems in place in our county. These outcomes directly impact and

support not only children with SEN but all children in our care.

Professionals undertaking training to support children in the best way possible according to their individual needs is a real reason to celebrate! Afternoon tea with some of the county’s champions for children was the perfect treat!

Karla Ford

Public 21/05/2020

Updates

SEND Derbyshire County Council is committed to supporting young children with SEND. We particularly want to ensure that trnsition ar-rangements in readiness for the child’s first term are in place, providing the child with sup-port as needed. We are providing documents on the process-es for transition during the COVID-19 period and an Early Years Inclusion Fund Transition Request Form for the child’s first term in re-ception (or transition between non- main-tained and maintained nursery). This temporarily replaces the EYIF application or evaluation used prior to COVID-19. The request form should be completed by the school, if possible in collaboration with the child’s early year’s provider and any support services involved. For forms and more details please see Derbyshire SchoolsNet (link be-low).

SEND

For the attention of all Derbyshire County

Council private, voluntary, independent

and maintained early years providers:

Guidance for claiming SEND funding during the COVID-19 restrictions on children’s eligi-bility for attending early year’s settings: https://schoolsnet.derbyshire.gov.uk/administration-services-and-support/coronavirus-information/early-years-covid-19-updates.aspx

2 Year Funding Criteria Extension to the eligibility criteria for the

early education entitlement for two year

olds.

Two year old children in low income families

are able to take up a free place when their

parent(s) have one of the following types of

immigration status:

Zambrano Carer (derivative right to

reside in the UK under European law as

the primary carer of a British child or

dependent adult)

Leave to remain with no recourse to

public funds (NRPF) granted on family

or private life (Article 8) grounds

Been refused asylum in the UK and receiving support from the Home Office under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 Parents who are Zambrano carers or who

have leave to remain with NRPF, must also

be able to demonstrate that they have a low

income.

Please visit the link below for further details:

www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-

childcare-2-year-olds

If you have a family who meet the extended criteria, please email info.fis@derbyshire.gov.uk for an application form.

Early Entitlement Funding Payments: A reminder that providers will be receiving an early entitlement funding payment the week commencing 18 May 2020. The ‘Adjustments’ tab will be open for any changes which occur during the summer term 2020 between 1 June – 17 July 2020. Therefore, where children start or leave your provision please submit this change in the ‘Adjustments’ section on the Provider Portal.

Public 21/05/2020

Updates

30 Hours Extended Entitlement New Applications – Please promote the 31 August 2020 deadline to those parents who would like a 30 hour place in the Autumn Term 2020:

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/how-to-apply-for-30-hours-free-childcare It is important that you check the validity of the code on the Provider Portal before offer-ing a child a place. To take up a place in the 2020 Autumn Term, parents must have received a valid code and their child turned three by 31 August 2020.

Reconfirmation of 30 Hour Codes

Please continue to remind parents to

reconfirm their eligibility code approximately

every three months. Although the onus is

with parents to reconfirm every three

months, please encourage parents to

regularly check their gateway account to

ensure they are aware of their reconfirmation

deadlines. It is important parents do not

miss reconfirmation deadlines as they will

lose their funding for the term.

If a parent has questions about their application or difficulties with applying or reconfirming their code, they will need to contact the HMRC helpline on telephone: 0300 123 4097

Text Messaging Service The Early Years Team operate a text messaging service to update contracted providers with information / reminders. To ensure you do not miss out on up-to-date notifications, please ensure you notify us (and Ofsted of course!) of any changes to your mobile telephone number and e-mail address. If you would like to be included to receive a text message or if you have recently had a new mobile telephone number or e-mail address, please inform us at enquiries.eycontracts@derbyshire.gov.uk.

COVID-19 - Government Funding Support for Businesses: The gov.uk online checker is a useful tool for providers to find out what Government financial support providers could benefit from. It is quick and simple and provides all the latest information: https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder/y

Public 21/05/2020

Updates

FE1 Forms: The FE1 Parent/Carer Declaration form is the contract between the parent and Provider for the early years entitlements. The FE1 form must be completed by parents and retained by the Provider. Providers should only claim the universal / extended entitlement hours the child is attending at their provision according to the details on the FE1 form. This is particularly important where a child is claiming across multiple providers. Providers will need to know which hours are universal and which hours are extended and include this on the FE1 form. The contract amendment sheet should be completed and signed by parents when any changes to their child’s funded sessions occur. New Starters – Where FE1 forms have not been completed and signed, due to the Coronavirus pandemic: Please ensure you have received written consent, e.g. via e-mail, from parents confirming that they are in agreement for the information you hold for their family to be shared with the Local Authority and Department for Education in order to confirm their child’s eligibility and enable you to claim EYPP, Disability Access Fund and undertake validity checks for the Extended Entitlement.

Stay Informed

Guidance and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings

See Derbyshire Schoolsnet for updates, guidance and information relating to COVID-19 for Early Year’s Providers. https://schoolsnet.derbyshire.gov.uk/administration-services-and-support/coronavirus-information/early-years-covid-19-updates.aspx

It is vitally important, especially during the current coronavirus pandemic that ALL Early Years Providers receive up to date information and guidance. If you haven’t already done so, please ensure you provide Ofsted with a current contact email address. Should your email address change in the future, ensure Ofsted are notified to keep it up to date.

Public 21/05/2020

Useful Contacts

Contact the Early Years Team

Telephone - 01629 532 876

(Ask to speak to the Duty Early Years Coordinator)

Email – CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk

Early Years Funding Provider Portal Support

Email – CS.Finance@derbyshire.gov.uk

The Early Years Sufficiency Team

For information on Contracts and Compliance, please email –

Enquiries.EYContracts@derbyshire.gov.uk

For sufficiency queries, please email –

CS.Sufficiency@derbyshire.gov.uk

Support for parents Family Information Service For more information email info.fis@derbyshire.gov.uk

We have a twitter account which will provide the latest news and updates from the Derbyshire County Council Early Years Team Follow us on Twitter @DerbyshireEYFS

Watch out for our second newsletter

later in the term

Public 21/05/2020