November 2024 Newsletter

Dear colleagues, welcome to the November newsletter!

Important updates

Department for Education update: New childminder flexibilities coming in from 1 November

The Department for Education is introducing new flexibilities for childminders from 1 November to help more childminders join and stay in the profession. The new flexibilities will:

• Create a new category of childminder (childminder without domestic premises) who work entirely from non-domestic premises
• Increase, from 3 to 4, the total number of people that can work together under a childminder’s registration (including the childminder)
• Give childminders and providers of childcare on domestic premises (CODPs) more flexibility, allowing them to spend more time operating outside of domestic premises, such as a community hall or school
• Increase the number of people needed for CODPs to operate from 4 or more, to 5 or more people providing care. Note: CODPs that were registered, or applied to register, before 1 November can continue operating with 4 or more people

Ofsted update

Ofsted has published the final part in its series of Best start in life research reviews relating to early years education. They are useful documents and well worth taking the time to read.

• Best start in life part 1: setting the scene
• Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning
• Best start in life part 3: the 4 specific areas of learning

New guidelines from the Education Endowment Foundation about high quality interactions have just been released. Many of you may already be aware of and use the ShREC approach (Share attention, Respond, Expand and Conversation).

The STAIRS approach focuses on scaffolding and involves Sharing attention, Thriving together, Avoiding frustration, Important features to be highlighted, Reviewing progress and Self-motivation. More information can be found at Improving early education through high-quality interactions.

Safeguarding

Safe sleeping

Please see the attached poster and guide for professionals from The Lullaby trust about safe sleeping. Babies should be put to sleep in a clear, flat sleep space to limit the chance of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) Pushchairs and buggies are not seen as suitable sleep spaces. You may want to review your policy and ensure that this is included to always ensure safe sleeping.

Early years foundation stage safeguarding reforms – Government consultation response

Please find the Government consultation response to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) safeguarding reforms.

Clare’s Law

Please see attached leaflet outlining the domestic violence disclosure scheme "Clare’s law," which can go on your parent noticeboards and be used in conversations with parents. 

16 days of action

As part of 16 days of Action Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) will be providing 1 hour bite size training webinar on 'What is a SARC?' on Thursday 28 November from 12pm till 1pm.

At the end of the session attendees will know:

• What services are available to adults
• What services are available to children
• Referral criteria and how to refer

CPD training opportunities

We recognise the CPD section of the newsletter is often quite busy, which is fantastic. However, we have now decided to put this on a separate page which you will find in the attachments. Please share this with your staff.

Festivals and important dates

Every month we will be sharing the festivals and celebrations from different countries and religions. Please look to celebrate some of these in your settings, especially if you have a child from that country or religion.

 

Celebrations

Please email your current early years development worker or our main early years email address to be mentioned in our celebrations section.

Congratulations to Rainbows Day Nursery (Torquay) on The Curiosity Approach Accreditation for their setting. They have created a beautiful space full of natural and recycled resources igniting curiosity and exploration amongst their children.

Congratulations to three settings in Torbay to receive Dingley’s Promise Mark of Achievement award.

Ideas zone

Each month we will focus on a specific aspect to share ideas with you. This could be fine motor ideas, outdoor learning, communication games or simply suggestions to promote discussions within your settings.

This month it is a focus on Outdoor Learning. The colder months have now arrived, and this is the perfect time to be outside enjoying the nature that autumn and winter has to offer! Ask your families to donate any wellies/coats/hats their child may have outgrown to ensure you have spares.

The optimum situation is free-flow access to the outdoors throughout the session, all year round. If this is not an option, ample time outside should be offered, regardless of weather. The outdoors offers fantastic opportunities for investigative and imaginative play, using magnifying glasses and binoculars for exploring the creatures and plants in the environment. This will spark curious conversations and excitement of the world around them. There is limited cost involved in outdoor learning, with the opportunity to use open-ended resources that are readily available.

A few examples of what you could do:

• Sticks could be used for subitising, mark making with mud, counting, connecting sticks to form different shapes/letters/numerals
• Sensory play in the form of mud, water, feeling the grass and the fallen leaves<?li>
• Discussing changes in the seasons with what you can see in the immediate environment Potion making with grass, leaves, mud, water
• Safely climbing over fallen trees and logs

Messages from the team

Children who are unable to take up their full early year's entitlement

On 26 January 2023, Nesta published the article 'Up to 16 million hours of early-years education in England may be missed according to novel research to track attendance.'

• Nesta advocates 'a fairer start,' their mission is to narrow the outcome gap between children growing up in disadvantage and the national average.
• Disadvantaged children in England are absent from early-years education more often than their peers, according to new research from the innovation charity Nesta. In the first systematic effort to track attendance, researchers found an average attendance rate of 79% among children eligible for 15 hours of free early education (the '2-year-old offer'), compared with 85% among their peers.

If you have children who are not accessing their full entitlement, could you please email me (katie.mackle@torbay.gov.uk) with:

• their pattern of attendance (days/sessions)
• their entitlement
• the main reason for the reduced access to their entitlement
• an outline of support offered and the plan going forwards

Number confidence week

Number confidence week seems the perfect time to share the work of Karen Wilding and her approach to maths in the early years.

I (Emily) have spoken with many of the settings about Karen's approach and passion for getting it right from the start. It is something I introduced in my setting and had huge impact and success in terms of supporting true number sense and understanding from an early age.

If you would like to know more there is a website and free YouTube videos to access which outlines Karen’s approach, but I am also equally happy to talk to any of you about it.

If you click on the link on the EYMaths home page and scroll down, you see a tab that says, 'start learning with us for free today'. Click on the tab that says 'Take me to the EY maths 3-7 YouTube channel'.

There are a huge range to choose from but these are ones that you might find useful to start with:

• 'Why counting doesn't make sense to young children'
• 'How to develop children's language through maths' (With Kathy Brodie) 
• 'An introduction to teaching subitising' 

Handwashing training kit

If you would like to borrow the handwashing training kit for your setting, please email lucinda.wills@torbay.gov.uk. For childminders this would be lent to childminder groups. In return the public health team would love you to sign up to be an antibiotic guardian and try to complete the pledge cards with the children and staff.  They may also try to get the media involved with this if any groups are willing to be filmed/ photographed. Please see the attached information which outlines what is included in the pack.

Funding

Please note, parents will only receive a code for their child's funding the term before their child is eligible. We would advise you to not use parent's having a code as a requirement for admission or admission onto a waiting list. If you have a query about funding or funding codes, please contact the early years team.

Kind regards,

Torbay Home Learning Environment and Early Years Team