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Introduction

East Sussex Local Authority recognises that Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) providers (maintained and private, voluntary or independent (PVI), including childminders) are responsible for their own improvement and that there are many very successful EYFS providers in East Sussex. The Standards and Learning Effectiveness Service (SLES) works with all Ofstedregistered early year’s providers.

The focus is:

  • To enable the diverse early education provision in East Sussex to thrive.
  • For schools, pre-schools, childminders, Children’s Centres, other key partners and the Local Authority to work in partnership to ensure that across their local area, as defined by key partners.
  • All children are able to attend an early education provision that is rated at least Good by Ofsted
  • All children achieve the best possible outcomes from their early education
  • All children experience consistent and wherever possible seamless Foundation Stage learning.

The principal elements of the East Sussex strategy for improving performance withinall EYFS provision.

We need to:

  1. Know our EYFS providerswell: Knowing all our EYFS providerssufficiently well in order to be able to support and intervene as appropriate and thereby secure the necessary improvement in outcomes for children.
  1. Identify priorities and target support: Identifying priorities sufficiently accurately to be able to target support for EYFS providers in receipt of an inadequate Ofsted judgement, at risk of an inadequate judgement or in receipt of an Ofsted judgement of Requires Improvement or at risk of an Ofsted judgement of Requires Improvement.To identify and address countywide performance issues and to motivate EYFS providers to move from requires improvement to good and from good to outstanding.
  1. Strengthen opportunitiesfor partnership: Identifying opportunities for greater communication between all local authority services supporting EYFS providers to better inform the sharing of good practice.
  1. Develop Leadership: Growing the capacity and expertise for setting to settingsupport.
  1. Provide traded improvement services that are quality assured and meet the priorities and improvement needs of EYFS providers.

We review the levels of service offered to all early years providers at least twice a year.

Data Analysis used to monitor EYFS providers:

SLES monitors Ofsted inspection outcomes and regularly analyses the actions and recommendations to identify trends in areas for improvement.

The SLES monitors the performance of the children of its EYFS providers regularly through an incremental process of information gathering which includes:

  1. During July and August: initial analysis of provisional Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) outcomes for all schools where results have fallen significantly.
  2. During October and November: analysis of DfE statistical release of results to identify schools and feeder early years providers where results have fallen significantly
  3. During December and January analysis of DfE data by aspects of the prime and specific areas of the EYFS noting particularly where attainment is significantly above or below average and significant trends.
  4. During March analysis of Early Years Census data.

Data analysis is used to identify:

  • EYFS providers where the data suggests the need for further investigation, and increased level of support
  • Local authority trends in order to identify wider priorities – for planning and reporting purposes
  • EYFS providers where the majority of disadvantaged children attend (lowest 20%).

Analysis shall always consider, where possible, comparison with national bench marks and trend over three years.

Service for Improving Quality for Early Years Providers in East Sussex

The Childcare Act 2016 and 2006 places a duty on Local Authorities to provide information, advice and guidance for all childcare providers. Childcare providers are expected to engage fully in the support process in order to raise the quality of practice in line with agreed actions and timescales. For East Sussex Early Years Education Entitlement (EYEE) providers, this engagement and progress is an expectation of EYEE funding. If there are significant concerns over any early year’s provider’s engagement with support and/or progress, the EYEE process for suspending, terminating or recovering payment of EYEE can be followed, and/or Ofsted will be informed.

The East Sussex Early Years Improvement Team (EYIT) will provide the following levels of service to all early years providers:

Level / Service Provided
Universal – Provider is performing well and has an Ofsted judgement of Good or Outstanding / Access to EYFS meetings and support groups;
Core training of Safeguarding, Role of the Practitioner in EYFS and Pre-school SENCO;
Free telephone/email contact with an EYIT member;
Updates and resources via email and ESCC website.
In addition to the above services, childcare providers may purchase training and consultancy services, any cost of which would be advised prior to delivery.
Outstanding practitioners may also be invited to demonstrate good practice with other practitioners.
Enhanced – Provider isidentified with a need as outlined below and/or has a ‘Requires Improvement’ Ofsted judgement / In addition to the Universal service, early years providers will be provided with professional improvement consultancy for an agreed number of visits:
  • to help them address a specific challenge,
or
  • to identify and implement improvements that will contribute to securing a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ inspection judgement.
As a guide, providers can receive up to six visits during a six month period. There will be an expectation of rapid improvement.
SLES staff may undertake both announced and unannounced visits.
Intensive –Provider at risk of/has an inadequate Ofsted judgement and needs to make urgent, rapid improvements / In addition to the Universal service, advice, information and guidance will be provided through a named SLES Officer andConsultant.
As a guide, providers can receive up to twelve visits during a three month period. There will be an expectation of very rapid improvement.
Providers may be transferred from ‘enhanced’ service to ‘intensive’ if there is evidence that the provider remains at risk of being judged ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’.
SLES staff will undertake both announced and unannounced visits. The intensive process is detailed separately and is available on request.

Additional triggers for Early Years providers who will be offered or who wish to request an enhanced service include:

  • newly Ofsted registered, or with high staff, manager or committee turnover
  • a childminder who employs assistants for the first time
  • early years providers due to be inspected as partof the Ofsted inspection cycle
  • where more than 20% of children are achieving the lowest EYFS outcomes in the county
  • expanding provision if sufficiency of two, three and four year old places is a local issue for parents
  • the outcome from a regular review
  • other alerts for concern; this might be a safeguarding incidentor complaints
  • impact of safeguarding training

Some of the above may also be provided as a traded service.

The level of service and challenge is individual to each setting. SLES staff identify and agree a range of methods to best support and challenge the setting to rapidly improve quality. Areas for improvement are identified by referring to the Ofsted Evaluation Schedule (2015), the Statutory Framework for the EYFS (2017), and by completing observations of practice based upon the characteristics of effective learning.

Service to new Early Years providers

All new early years providers will receive information and advice from the Early Years Improvement Team from the moment we become aware of their intent to register new provision with Ofsted. Once registered, the provider will automatically receive the “Enhanced” level of service.

Visits

All visits from a member of the Early Years Improvement Team will result in a record of that visit, which will be sent to the provider within ten working days.Intensive Service will be recorded in a summary which will be used to monitor and evaluate progress.

Formal Monitoring and Review of Progress

SLES staff will:

  • undertake formal evaluation of progress at a monthly meeting
  • evaluate and record the EYFS provider’s progress against the success criteria for the issues of concern
  • recommend changes to levels of service when needed
  • where EYFS providers fail to make significant progress against identified success criteria either during or at the end of the enhanced or intensive process Ofsted will be notified. Where applicable, the EYEE process for suspending, terminating or recovering payment of EYEE will be followed.

Concerns raised by Ofsted, SLES representatives, partner services, parents, governors, EYFS practitioners, management committees and owners

The Early Years Improvement Team has a duty of care to act upon concerns or complaints received:

  • Complaints received from parents will be included within any information gathered about EYFS provision. Very serious parental complaints or numerous complaints within one institution will trigger action by the Early Years Improvement Team.
  • Where there are safeguarding complaints, raised by any source, these will be passed to the SLES Manager and the LADO, if appropriate. This will result in a change to the level of service provided with the EYFS provision moving to either an Enhanced or Intensive level as appropriate. Where significant concerns are raised, the Early Years Improvement Team will notify Ofsted.
  • Where there are staffing and management complaints related to an Early Years provider, the SLES Senior Manager may request an investigation into the issues and then act upon the information once the facts are known.
  • If Ofsted believes children are at risk of harm in a registered setting it will use its regulatory powers. Ofsted will share information with the LA and other agencies to protect children.
  • ESCC Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) ensures that processes are in place to inform Ofsted about child protection concerns involving registered childcare providers, or if the board becomes aware of any unregistered childcare.These processes do not replace a registered childcare provider’s statutory responsibility to inform Ofsted.
  • SLES will inform Ofsted of all safeguarding concerns and continued failures to act to meet safeguarding requirements. These concerns can be in relation to a registered provider, person in charge of a childcare setting, person employed or volunteering in a childcare setting or person living or working on premises where childcare or childminding takes place.
  • Complaints Log: All providers are required to maintain a log of all complaints received in writing. The local authority will take into account any relevant complaints when visiting EYFS providers and use that information to decide upon the service needed and actions to be taken.

Intensive Service for an Inadequate Ofsted judgement

Intensive Service for a Requires Improvement Ofsted judgement

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