Early Years News – July

July 14, 2023

FAO: Solihull Leaders and Managers

Action Required

• Sign up to DfE Professional development programme
• Register for National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)
• Early Years Inclusion Fund

For information

• New EYFS
• Health Visitor Liaison form

 Reminder

• Solihull FIS Parents’ Network and Solihull parent support
• Recorded training from Solihull Early Years Team is available on Solgrid

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Action Required

Professional Development Programme

The next cohort of DfE funded Professional Development Programme is due to start in September 2023. Participants will receive high quality, evidence-based CPD (continuous professional development) to support them to improve outcomes on school readiness, early language, early mathematics and Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED). This programme is free to access. Support with backfill costs is available to settings via their local authority to help practitioners complete the training through a mix of self-study learning and online webinars. It is expected that practitioners will complete the 3 modules in around 7 to 8 months.

https://www.earlyyearspdp.com/ – find out more and sign up here.

National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)

Registrations are now open to start this October, for leaders to sign up.

There is a new blog (National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL): is it for you? – Foundation Years) sharing the experiences of three participants’ experiences of studying the NPQEYL.

DfE would like to encourage early years practitioners from PVI settings to register.

As a reminder, the NPQEYL is free, flexible and designed by sector experts to help professional leaders and aspiring leaders across the EY sector develop their career. It also trains leaders to support children impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as helping them to lead effectively through:

• creating and implementing a vision and policies
• improving staff recruitment, development, management and appraisal
• marketing their setting
• working in partnership with parents and carers.

More information about the NPQEYL and eligibility criteria can be found at: Early years leadership NPQ (education.gov.uk).

If you have any questions or need further support, please contact EYERProject.Mailbox@education.gov.uk.

Early Years Inclusion Fund

New dates for 2023/ 24 are now available. We will be making some tweaks to the process and form over the summer. Please note that we will not accept late applications or information submitted after the closing date…. Even if you ask really nicely 😊

Dates : https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Children-and-family-support/localoffer/inclusion-fund

We really appreciate our school and setting panel members who join us each half-term to look at applications. Please contact Lisa Morris [lmorris@solihull.gov.uk] if you are able to join us at 1.30pm on Microsoft Teams for the Thursday panel. Let me know which dates you are able to attend. You will be sent some applications to read and discuss at panel on the Friday before. Terms of reference and dates are at the link above.

For information

New EYFS framework (September 2023)

There have been some changes to the EYFS for September. The Department for Education (DfE) is going ahead with the proposed amendments to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework:

• a change to the current statutory minimum staff:child ratios in England for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5;
• clarifying that childminders can care for more than the currently-specified maximum of three young children, when caring for siblings of children they already care for, or when caring for their own child; and
• clarifying that “adequate supervision” while children are eating means that children must be within sight and hearing of an adult (rather than the current wording of “sight or hearing”).

The new version of the EYFS will apply from 4 September 2023. Until then, the current version continues to apply.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2

Health Visitor Liaison form

There is a new Health Visitor liaison form for settings to use to contact the Health Visiting Service to discuss children.

https://www.solgrid.org.uk/eyc/resources/learning-and-development/  [parents’ section]

Reminder

Solihull FIS Parents’ Network

Encourage parents to sign up to find out what is going on in Solihull this summer. There will be things you might like to join too.

https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/SMBCWebForms/?Form=Parents_Network

The Autumn 2023 Parenting Timetable is also available. https://www.solihull.gov.uk/children-and-family-support/parenting-support

Training

We try and record our Teams briefings for you to watch at a convenient time or to watch again with your team. These are available on solgrid/eyc. We have had some lovely feedback about the recent DSL briefing so do try and watch it. Thank you to those who took part in sharing their experience and their wisdom. We are currently planning next year’s training which will be available on solgrid/eyc . We hope to bring you a brochure with the full year of courses. We may offer additional training according to need. Join the provider focus group mentioned in the FIS survey to have your say in the way the local authority develops its early years and childcare support and processes.

Over the summer we will be meeting as an Early Years Team to reflect on our support for you.

We really value your feedback, and this is our starting point for self-evaluation. Thankyou for your suggestions, and celebrations. 

Further comments can be sent on directly to eyenquiries@solihull.gov.uk or through the evaluations for individual support.

Have fun splashing in the puddles!