Provider Update 6 December 2016
What's in this edition:
  • FEEE and 30 hours updates
  • Parental childcare survey 2016
  • Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 3i events
  • Wraparound and holiday childcare
  • Safeguarding
  • 'Read on. Get on' : a strategy to get England's children reading
Outstanding providers
The following childcare provision has recently achieved an Outstanding Ofsted inspection. Congratulations!
  • Veronica Rye, childminder in the Blaby District

FEEE and 30 hours updates
Extended entitlement of Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE)
Financial modelling, with examples of ratios, has been added to the extended entitlement web page. This also includes reasons for investing in your business. All support materials and information, including eligibility criteria, can be found online at
Parental childcare survey 2016
Hopefully you will have all received a link to the parental survey on Monday 28 November. Please could you email this to your parents of two, three, and four year olds and ask them to complete the survey.
There is a prize draw with 3 prizes of a Julie Donaldson Picture Book Collection (RRP £69.90) available for all parents completing the survey who give their name and telephone number.
The aim of the questionnaire is to help the future planning of early learning and childcare places as we move to 30 hours of free childcare. Could you please also put the link on your web page so that any new parents looking for childcare can fill in the questionnaire as well.
The link is parental childcare survey 2016.
Please share this with parents and highlight it on newsletters etc.
The survey will close on Saturday 24 December 2016.
Training
Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) 3i events
The latest EYFS 3i events that will focus on 'making a difference to children's health and well-being' are now available to book at .
These sessions, which include interactive taster sessions and demonstrations, along with a whole host of stands,are open from 4.30pm – 7.30pm.
We will be joined by our health and other partners to learn how we can work together to effectively address the issue of childhood obesity. Come along for a unique opportunity to meet the Health Visiting Team, Children's Mental Health Team andPublic Health England to share key messages.
You are invited to attend for as long as you like between these times to ensure you get the best out of the events.
Read the full details about EYFS 3i events
Last chance for autumn courses
Limited autumn courses still available include:
07/12/2016
/ Essential Safeguarding Awareness: refresher
/ 3817
/ The Samworth Centre, Melton
09/12/2016
/ Safeguarding Children: Childminder Designated Safeguarding Lead / 3831
/ County Scout Headquarters, Leicester Forest East
10/12/2016
/ Quality of Teaching
/ 3857 / Schofield Centre, Loughborough
Book you place on any of these courses and more
E-learning licences
There are now only 13 PFTS e-learning licences remaining - please refer to the attached flyer for more information.
The e- learning training has been developed by the Advisory Team in the Early Learning and Childcare Service at Leicestershire County Council.
The licence will enable multiple practitioners at your setting to complete the training; the training is most suitable for leaders and managers.
13 licences are available. To get your licence please contact
The licences will expire on 31 March 2017.
Childminder 'pop up' event
We are running a 'pop up' event specifically for childminderson Saturday 4 February2017 at Beaumanor Hall. The event will run from 9.15am until 1.15pm.
During the event there will be a short workshop that will explore:
  • The importance of learning outdoors
  • Now to overcome obstacles when doing activities outdoors
  • The affordance of nature in play and use of open ended resources
  • Learning experiences and how these are underpinned by the characteristics of effective learning and development requirements.
The workshop will also include a practical element which will give childminders the opportunity to get involved with and experience the activities too. There will be the opportunity to:
  • Explore transient art
  • Get involved in den making
  • Create things from natural resources - leaves, sticks etc.
  • Develop resources for small world play i.e fairy folk, superheroes
  • Investigate petal perfume and create ideas for home outdoor link bags using examples from Mindstretchers.
At the pop-up event we will investigate a range of practical ideas to support theelements of role play, construction/small world, music/movement, ICT and parents and the home learning environment.
Booking will be shortly be available and we will send the details out in our January provider update.
Special features
Integrated health review update
Following last month's 3i event we would like to update you with information on the scoring of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires.
You should now be receiving red book inserts (from your parents/carers) when children are attending their 'two year old health and development review'. To check you have received oneview a copy of the red book insert.
The inserts refer to the scoring of the Ages and Stages questionnaire; to help you understand this scoring we have written a brief explanation leaflet.
All information regarding the Integrated Health Review can be accessed on our webpages.
Improvement team support
Positive Practice Toolkit – What's new?
The Early Learning and Childcare Service have devised a new approach to support Early years settings, childminders and out of school providers. This new approach is called the 'Positive Practice Tool' and is based on the signs of safety approach that social care currently use to support children and families in child protection cases.
What is the 'signs of safety approach'?
The approach was developed in Australia and is now used world-wide.
"It is a strengths-based and safety-focused approach within child protection work that is grounded in partnership and collaboration."
As a service we have adapted the signs of safety model but have changed the name to 'Positive Practice Tool'.
However the principles remain the same.
The basic model takes into account three areas:
  • What is working well?
  • What are we worried about?
  • What needs to happen?
What does this mean for me in my setting?
The Positive Practice Tool model will initially be used by the Improvement Advisors and Childcare, Sufficiency and Safeguarding Officers to support providers who have received an Ofsted inspection grade of 'inadequate' or 'requires improvement'. However, those settings that are Ofsted 'good' or 'outstanding' may also use the basic model within their setting to identify areas of strength and areas to continually improve practice.
The approach will help to identify what you as a setting do well, what are the issues that you are worried or concerned about and what you need to do or implement to address those concerns. The approach will build on the settings strengths.
The purpose of working in this way helps to develop collaboration and partnership working within the setting in order to tackle issues and work towards a solution based approach to ensure the best outcomes for children.
If your setting is receiving support from an Improvement Advisor or a Childcare, Sufficiency and Safeguarding Officer then they will explain the Positive Practice Tool in more detail to you. Our notes of visit will be adapted to reflect the approach also.
Alongside this development of the approach to the way we offer support we are reviewing who we offer support to. With a continued drive to improve outcomes for all children and a particular focus on narrowing inequalities for disadvantaged children we know that sustaining 'Good' and 'Outstanding' Ofsted grades is extremely important. With that in mind the Improvement team may be in contact with Ofsted 'Good' or better providers who are due an Ofsted inspection or who have large cohorts of funded two year olds/Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) entitled children to offer some support. The support that is offered will vary but will always start with a phone call from our team to the leader/manager/childminder to identify possible areas for support.
Wraparound and holiday childcare
New guidance to help schools understand how to respond to requests from parents and childcare providers about wraparound and holiday childcare.
Schools:
  • Did you know that parents and childcare providers have a right to request wraparound or holiday childcare at your school?
  • We've created a guide to help you understand what it means for your school.
Providers:
  • If you're looking to expand your childcare business, have you thought about using the facilities at your local school?
  • You now have a right to request to use school facilities for wraparound or holiday childcare at times when the school isn't using them.
Read more information on wraparound and holiday childcare.
Safeguarding
Thresholds for access to services for children and families in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland document has been updated
In October 2016 the thresholds for access to services for children and families in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland was changed. Local Safeguarding Children's Boards are required to publish a thresholds document under "Working Together to Safeguard Children", 2015.
Having clear thresholds and processes for action which are understood by all professionals, should ensure that appropriate referrals for support are made.
Read the document about thresholds for access
National news
Early Years inspection outcomes and provider numbers to the end of August 2016
Figures just released for inspection outcomes to the end of August 2016 show that 15 per cent of settings gained an 'Outstanding' grade and 76 per cent 'Good'. The total of 91% of settings graded at 'Good' or 'Outstanding' is compared to 86% to the end of March 2016, and 74 per cent at 31 August 2012.
Read the statistics online.
'Read On. Get On': a strategy to get England's children reading
'Read On. Get On.' was launched in 2014 by a coalition of charities and education organisations committed to improving reading levels in the UK. The coalition is calling for an approach that acknowledges that:
  • Getting children reading is a job for all of us. The school is vital but so are the home and wider community.
  • The work starts at birth. Creating readers starts with talking and reading to babies.
  • Enjoyment is a vital element of reading well. The vital importance of teaching phonics and comprehension in schools needs to be complemented by approaches that help every child to engage with and develop a love of reading.
  • We must have the highest ambitions for all children. Despite major progress, expectations continue to be too low for particular groups of children, and in particular schools or places.
The strategy document sets out a number of recommendations, including investment in the early years' workforce so that every setting is led by an early years teacher and a clear purpose for children's centres as vital resource in supporting early language and reading skills in disadvantaged communities.
Find out more on the Literacy Trust website.
Family Matters: the role of parents in children's educational attainment
This is the fourth research paper produced by the Social Market Foundation's cross-party Commission on Inequality in Education. The paper asks how important parental engagement is in education; how to identify its impact separate from that of family income or parents' qualifications; and considers how to best overcome social inequalities in parental engagement.
The researchers suggest that instituting a habit of reading at an early age continues to drive better outcomes in education for several years; and underlines the importance of parents in helping to do that.
Read the full publication on the Social Market Foundation website.