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Early Years, Childcare, and School Readiness Service (CambsEYC)

News Round-Up

 December 2024

Employment Allowance Rises 

From April 2025 the Employment Allowance for small businesses will increase from £5,000 to £10,000, with the £100,000 threshold for eligibility removed. Check if your setting is eligible at Employment Allowance: Check if you're eligible - GOV.UK. 

The Employment Allowance can be claimed every tax year, at any time during the tax year. It can be claimed by selecting a ‘Yes’ box during the Employment Payment Summary (EPS) to HMRC on payroll software or via HMRC Basic PAYE Tools.  

You can claim Employment Allowance for the previous four tax years if you have not already claimed this and were eligible. Please look at section eight in Claiming Employment Allowance: further employer guidance.

National Insurance Changes 

From Sunday, 6 April 2025, Employer’s National Insurance will be paid on earnings over £5000 (threshold has fallen from £9100). A type of Class 1 National Insurance employer’s pay to HMRC for employee’s wages will rise to 15% (from 13.8%). Therefore, employers will pay a higher rate on more earnings.  

Families can check what support they might be eligible for using the eligibility checker on the Childcare Choices website.

The YouTube video ‘How to get help with the cost of childcare: government-funded support in England’ explains the application process in more detail.

Parents planning to use their hours from January 2025 must apply by Tuesday, 31 December 2025, for a place in January, and share their information with their childcare provider. They will also need to reconfirm their details every three months to continue receiving the government support.

HSF is a grant funded by the UK Government to support those most in need and to help with the rising cost of living. 

It is not charity, and it does not need to be paid back.

In September 2024, the funding period was extended for a further six months, running from Tuesday, 1 October 2024 to Monday, 31 March 2025.

CCC has committed to using this funding to support households experiencing immediate financial hardship, through the provision of financial vouchers or cash payments to help cover the cost of household energy bills and food.

Information on other forms of support can be found at Cost-of-Living support: Overview - GOV.UK.

Early adopters will offer all primary-aged children on roll at their school, no matter their circumstances, access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that involves food, providing children with a supportive start to the day and helping families to have more choice about work.

Local authorities play a critical role in securing sufficient childcare in the local area, in term time and across the holidays. We are already working closely with schools as part of the wraparound programme and as a result, are well-placed to support early adopter schools in Cambridgeshire. If you are considering applying to the early adopter's scheme, please contact earlyyears.service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Follow the link for further information about the breakfast clubs early adopters scheme. Please note, that the expression of interest form will close on Friday, 20 December 2024.

To help support early years, childcare, wraparound and Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme providers, we have created a brief survey to gather ideas and learn what support is needed from settings: Early Years, Wraparound and HAF Providers Nutritional Guidance Offer. 

The survey should only take a minute or two to complete.

Your responses will help us plan the most effective way of supporting this area of practice.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your responses.

You can apply to receive this one-off session in your setting using the online form on the Early Years Sports Fund (EYSF) website.

If you are successful, you will receive a fully funded sports and activity lesson in your setting. The EYSF will commit to ensuring 100% of the costs involved are covered which will ensure the children at your setting receive a 45-minute sports and activity lesson at no expense to you, your setting or the children's parents/carers.

Once you have applied, a member of the Super Star Sports UK team will be in touch with you to plan your free 45-minute session.

Please note, this offer is not currently available to childminders.

Applications to join the PDPS can be submitted between Monday, 13 January 2025 and Friday, 14 February 2025. The next opportunity to join the PDPS will then be in the spring term of 2026.

For those who are thinking about applying, there are virtual events to provide you with information about the portal and tips to support you in completing the application:

• Tuesday, 14 January 2025 from 11 am to 12 pm
• Tuesday, 21 January 2025 from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm
• Wednesday, 29 January 2025 from 11 am to 12 pm
• Thursday, 6 February 2025 from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm

If you have any questions about the process, contact  placeplanningreferrals0-19@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

The campaign directs potential applicants to use the Department for Work and Pensions' 'Find a job' vacancy platform to search for early years roles in their area.

CambsEYC would be grateful for your support in ensuring as many early years providers as possible list their vacancies on 'Find a job.' This service is free to use and will ensure vacancies are seen by a large pool of potential candidates. Please note, to use the term ‘early years’ in the title of the job adverts and select ‘Education jobs’ for the job category.

communication, such as signing) to be used for all early learning goals (ELGs), including speaking.

All ELGs for communication and language and literacy must be assessed in relation to the child’s competency in English, or competency in British Sign Language.

gaining EYTS, you can learn more about the programme by visiting EYTS - Early Years Teacher Training, where you can start the enrolment process by completing a short enquiry form.

To enrol on the Employment-based Early Years Teacher Training route to EYTS, a trainee must have:

• GCSE Grade C/4 or above (or recognised equivalent) in English language, maths, and science.
• A Bachelor’s degree (from any area of study).
• A position of employment within an early years setting.

The session will cover:

• Enable practitioners new to the EYFS to feel more confident in providing high-quality provision. that ensures good outcomes for all children.
  
• Identify and discuss key features of effective teaching and learning in the EYFS.
  
• Support practitioners to understand strategies for observation and assessment in the EYFS.
  
• Throughout this course, participants will develop their understanding of how young children learn and explore those aspects of teaching and learning that are unique to the EYFS.

Part two will take place online. A third additional session offered to visit an Early Years Lead Practitioner in their setting. The visit will be arranged at the first session.

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Schools.

The aims of this course will support practitioners to develop their understanding of:

• How our communication with children, impacts them
• Why quality interactions matter
• Strategies you can use to support interactions
• Why these strategies help support children's communication and language development
  
• How the use of expansions and extensions can help you build on children's existing knowledge.

The course takes place on:  

• Monday, 20 January 2025, and Monday, 27 January 2025 from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm at March Library (Session One), and online via Teams (Session Two).
• Monday, 17 March 2025, and Monday, 24 March 2025 from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm at Sunley House, Papworth Everard (Session One), and online via Teams (Session Two).

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Communication, Language & Literacy.

The fully funded one day course, Introduction to Making it REAL, with access to a £70 bursary is perfect for you.

Following the first course in September, 100% of participants felt that they knew how to support young children’s early literacy and engage parents to help them to support their children’s learning and development.

Funding information and course details are available on the Learn Together website/by contacting Philippa.Sutton@cambridgehire.gov.uk.

Course places are available for all practitioners working with families with children aged two to five years, including PVI settings, schools, community groups, Child and Family centres.

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Communication, Language & Literacy.

The course takes place on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm, at Cambridgeshire FA, Histon, and aims to:

• Explore the knowledge and skills children require to become fluent readers and writers. 
• Identify authentic purposes for developing spoken language and writing skills based on first-hand experiences and high-quality texts. 
• Explore opportunities for cross-curricular reading and writing to enable skills to be embedded, enhanced and extended. 
• Consider how to create engaging environments that promote reading for pleasure and writing for a purpose cultures.

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Schools.

This training will show you how to use everyday conversations, play and daily routines to promote children's communication and social development, including children with language delays and second language learners.

This course is aimed at family-facing early years practitioners including childminders, Child and Family Centre staff, setting practitioners, teachers, and teaching assistants. The cost of the course for CambsEYC members is £67.50. For non-members, the cost is £112.50. Upon completion of this course, there is an opportunity to progress onto modules two and three. 

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Communication, Language & Literacy.

Help is available for parents who want to communicate in a more healthy way.

Peterborough Family Hubs are running courses in January and February 2025 to support parents who would like to improve their relationship with their partner or ex-partner.

Face-to-face and online courses are available. Please use the 2025 workshop booking form to book a place.

The stories to be shared will reflect children’s everyday experiences so they can see that the things that are important to them are taken seriously, and this shows we value their experiences.

The festival will also highlight how 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five can be used, by parents and carers across Cambridgeshire, to create new stories based on everyday activities, help build memories and bring families together.

Families of children from birth to five are invited to join the Festival of Stories from Wednesday, 19 February 2025 to Wednesday, 26 February 2025.

The campaign aims to support parents and carers by highlighting 

rewarding experiences, which are free and low-cost, and beneficial to young children's continued learning and development at home and out and about during holidays.

Please look out for social media posts with the hashtags #50ThingsWinter and #BeWinterWise and reshare the messages among your networks.

The course costs just £5 and will run on Monday, 17 March 2025, and on Wednesday, 4 June 2025 starting at 4 pm.

It is primarily for settings currently supporting a child who is using Makaton to communicate.

To book a place, please visit Booking and Reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

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Many parents and carers assume that if they can buy a toy for their child then it must be safe. But sadly, there is an increasing number of unsafe toys being sold online which can be deadly.

And, with many families feeling the pinch this Christmas, the appeal of cheap toys could have fatal consequences.

CAPT has created a brand-new toy safety fact sheet for you to download and share. 

Top tips for buying safe toys:

• Eight dangerous gifts that could be a nightmare this Christmas
• How to buy safe toys online 
• Toy safety guide.

Visit the CAPT resource centre for more free toy safety resources including downloadable posters on water beads, and magnets.

CAPT want to hear your thoughts on their advice and resources. Tell them what is working for you and what they can do to make things even better.

Are you a parent or carer?

Does CAPT information help you to learn more about dangers as your child develops? Have you shared their advice with your family and friends? If so, CAPT would love to hear what you think about their advice and resources.

Your News

CCC Fostering Services – Referral Scheme.

Do you know a parent or carer, colleague, friend, or family member who could offer a safe, secure, loving home to a child or young person?

If you support and promote the CCC fostering recruitment team by advertising this incentive in your staff newsletter and directly to parents through parent mail, then we will pay your school a £1000 award once the referral is approved as a foster carer at the panel. 

There are children and young people in Cambridgeshire right now who can no longer live with their birth family, and CCC needs your help to recruit more foster carers so that the children and young people in our care can stay in the local area.

CCC welcomes enquiries from anyone who is over 21, can provide a spare bedroom, and is dedicated to changing a young life for the better. It is all about the match of the child to the foster carers. The children and young people in care come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and CCC look for the same in their foster carers.

Please email your referrals to fostering@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and one of the friendly recruitment officers will contact them.

With your help, CCC can provide more children with the love, security, and support they need and deserve.

To find out more about fostering, visit the Fostering & Adoption webpage or telephone 0800 052 0078.

Share your good news with CambsEYC

Contributions for News Round-Up should be between 150 and 300 words and include a high-resolution image. All photographs must have parental permission to publish for any children shown. The editors reserve the right to edit articles for length and content to meet the audience's needs. Please submit your news items to eycinfo@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

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