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

News Round-Up

 April 2025

Recognising the growth across all age groups and provider types, Cambridgeshire is distributing the grant using a bespoke approach, Early years expansion grant 2025 to 2026: conditions of grant and operational guidance for local authorities (3.4.3), distributing to all private, voluntary, and independent providers of two, three- and four-year-old places, including childminders, not owned or governed by a school. This is because school-owned/governed provision (including section 27 and academy provision) will be eligible for a different grant targeted at these settings later in the year.

Cambridgeshire will distribute the grant to all private, voluntary, and independent providers of two, three, and four-year-old places, including childminders. School-owned provision will receive a different grant later in the year. The grant will be distributed at approximately £60.00 per part-time equivalent place, based on claims from the spring 2025 funding period. Payments are expected by July 2025 but may extend to August 2025. 

Group-based settings and schools with questions around early years expansion can view guidance developed by a team of experienced advisers with a wide range of expertise in the following categories:

• Business and Governance.
• Pedagogy and Practice from Birth to Three-Year-Olds.
• Safeguarding and Child Protection.
• SEND.
• Recruitment and Retention.
• Information for Parents.

If you are a provider looking to expand your provision and have questions, contact your Early Years Adviser. Alternatively, email earlyyears.service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Childminders, contact your PACEY support officer, or email childminding@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Parents can find out more and check their eligibility at childcarechoices.gov.uk. 

The Department for Education are looking to share the voices of early years practitioners who can discuss the benefits of childcare and early years education. Your insights can help parents understand the value of early years education and the role of enthusiastic professionals in nurturing their children’s growth. Sharing first-hand experiences from practitioners is powerful. It helps raise awareness of the benefits of childcare, both for children, for example, socialisation, development milestones, and for parents, for example, balancing work and family life.

If you or your colleagues are willing to be involved and share your experiences, CambsEYC can introduce you to the PR team working on the Childcare Choices campaign. They will arrange a call to learn more about your experience and discuss how they plan to share your story – this might be through a press release or social content. You will have full control and approval over how your story is told through PR content. If this is something you would like to explore further, please email earlyyears.service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and include ‘Childcare Choices case study’ in the subject line.

This card is loaded with the Healthy Start benefit, every four weeks and can be used in a range of shops to help towards the cost of plain liquid cow’s milk, fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses and infant formula milk based on cow’s milk. The card can also be used to collect Healthy Start vitamins – these support parents during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and/or vitamin drops for babies and young children, which are suitable from birth to four years old.

Families must update the Healthy Start service if they become pregnant, as this will ensure they receive the right entitlements. If you know an eligible family, offer a gentle reminder to add a new pregnancy or child to their claim as relevant. This can be done on the Update your details – Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start) webpage.

The webinars delve into how subject leaders can work collaboratively with their early years team to co-construct a sequential, progressive curriculum that links to future learning. Subject-specific webinars include:

• Art and Music.
• Communication, Language and Literacy.
• History, Geography and RE.
• Maths.
• Physical Education.
• PSED.
• Science and IT.

The cost is £99 for LA-maintained schools and £118.80 including VAT for non-LA-maintained schools.

Email EYA.schools@cambridgeshire.gov.uk for sign-up details, and you will receive access to a dedicated Knowledge Hub group with all the webinars and supporting documents.

The guidance outlines key requirements for apprenticeship delivery and is recommended for higher education institutes, training providers, and sector stakeholders. Training providers are expected to begin offering EYTDA from September 2026, with some potentially starting earlier.

The DfE will host webinars for providers and employers during the weeks commencing Monday, 28 April 2025 and Monday, 5 May 2025. To register your interest, email eytda.enquiries@education.gov.uk. 

All packages are priced based on an academic year from Monday, 1 September 2025 to Monday, 31 August 2026. 

There are membership options available for all types of providers, additional specialist packages to develop themes and discounts available for multi-package membership. As in previous years, CambsEYC also offer a ‘combined’ package for schools running provision for early years children in the birth to five age range. Many of the membership packages include credits which can be exchanged for places on essential (mandatory) courses free of charge. Details about these courses can be found under ‘Cambridgeshire Essentials’ in the Professional Development Programme 2025 – 2026 (to be published in June 2025). 

If you have any questions about membership, contact CambsEYC.

Email: EarlyYears.Service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Telephone: 01223 706 133.

Projects focus on writing and maths and aim to impact the attainment of socio-economically disadvantaged pupils. By participating, settings can access subsidised professional development for staff and help build the evidence base. 

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to educational research and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. Register your interest to take part in an EEF project on the EEF website.

The Starting Reception website provides valuable resources and tips for parents to help their children transition smoothly into school life. Including this information in your communications can support families and ensure children are ready for their new educational journey.

The course covers practical strategies for engaging parents in their children's early literacy development and provides resources to help create a literacy-rich home environment. Participants will learn how to encourage parents to share books, stories, songs, and rhymes with their children, fostering a love of reading from an early age.

The next training date is Thursday, 24 April 2025, from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm at Ely Library.

For more information, course dates, and to book a place, visit the training opportunities page on the Learn Together website or contact philippa.sutton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

The website and app also promote local events, such as stay and play sessions, rhyme time at libraries, museum trails, and live music events. 

Recent updates include:

• Quadrupled events listed on Cambridgeshire's events tab.
• Updated activity images to reflect diverse communities, and
• A brand-new activity to promote sustainable play ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.’

Upcoming features include a fold-out paper version of the 50 activities. Practitioners are encouraged to promote low or no-cost events for families and collaborate with the initiative. For more information, visit cambspboro.50thingstodo.org.

The Melanoma Fund offers a free Sunguarding - Sun and heat protection course, which provides essential knowledge for providers to implement sun safety measures in their settings. The course covers topics such as the importance of sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and seeking shade during peak sun hours.

By promoting sun safety, we can help children develop lifelong habits that protect their skin. For more information and to access the course, visit the Melanoma Fund website. 

The day will feature keynote speakers, interactive sessions, and an exhibition highlighting products and services designed to support early years education. Attendees can gain valuable insights, share best practices, and discover innovative ideas to enhance their settings.

For further details about the event and to register, visit the Nursery World's Big Day Out website.

Opportunities will only be available to those who have successfully joined the PDPS. Those who have not joined will be unable to bid.

Applications to join the PDPS can be submitted up until Monday, 5 May 2025. Please note, after this date, it will not reopen until spring term 2026.

If you are thinking about applying, we would strongly encourage you to join the virtual event on Wednesday, 23 April 2025 10.30 am to 11.30 am. If you wish to attend, you do not need to book; simply click here to join the meeting.

For further details on the process or the link to the application form, please view the PDPS webpage on the Learn Together website or contact placeplanningreferrals0-19@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

This includes health and social care, which is linked to education.  SENDIASS offer advice and support for parents and young people to collaborate with schools, other educational settings, health and children’s services, and other professionals.

SENDIASS aims to empower families and young people to make informed decisions and ensure their voices are heard. For more information, contact sendiass@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or call 0300 365 1020.

The service is available all year during office hours, Monday to Friday, and a 24-hour answering service is available. Please leave your name, number and a brief message, and a member of the team will get back to you within one working day.

The CambsEYC SEND team cannot process any Early Support Pathway requests received after this date. To meet this cut-off date, you should have already submitted your Early Help Assessments for these children to allow time for processing. If you have not done this, please get in touch with early.support@cambridgeshire.gov.uk in the first instance.

Please note that when making a referral to Early Support, where possible, please include supporting information such as the Cambridgeshire Early Years Developmental Journal, targeted observations, individual risk assessment, and or reduction plan.

The next cut-off point for new SENIF requests is Friday, 4 July 2025, please ensure new SENIF requests are submitted using the provider portal by this date. Please also remember, when requesting rate three, to include a copy of the child’s latest risk assessment. 

Requests received will be discussed at a SENIF panel meeting in July 2025 ready for funding to commence in September 2025. For children already receiving SENIF, a review form will be sent out, in early July 2025 via Microsoft Forms, for you to complete and inform the CambsEYC SEND team what funding requirements there are for the Autumn 2025 funding period. This is to help ensure that children continue to receive the support they need when funding commences in September 2025.

It starts to become a problem when conflict between parents is frequent, intense, and poorly resolved. Parental conflict is a known risk factor for poor child outcomes, including emotional, behavioural, social, and academic development.

To support parents, the Cambridgeshire County Council Reducing Parental Conflict Programme offers the following free courses:

• Me, You and Baby Too – Supports new and expectant parents in coping with the changes that could happen in their relationship when they become parents.
• Arguing Better – Raises awareness of the impact parental conflict can have on children and helps parents develop better ways of managing stress and arguments.
• Getting it Right for Children – Helps separated parents avoid the harmful situation of their children getting caught up in the middle of their conflict.
• Debt & Relationships – The impact of debt on relationships and support around what to do when you or your partner are having concerns around money.

Subscribers to the CAPT mailing list will receive free resources to share expert safety advice in their communities. Resources include fact sheets, activity sheets, videos, and session plans. These materials cover various safety topics and are designed to engage both children and parents.

By participating in Child Safety Week, you can help spread important safety messages and prevent accidents. For more information and to access the resources, visit the CAPT free educational resources centre.

Your News

Cambridgeshire STEM in the Early Years Conference.

CambsEYC is offering a free training conference with Alice Sharp, early years consultant*, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in the Early Years. 

*Alice is a nationally and internationally renowned, inspiring, and motivational presenter for early years training and continuous professional development. A quote from Alice: 

"Doctors might save lives, scientists might change the world, architects might design the space we live, and artists might make it beautiful, but it all begins with a small child being encouraged by you to be curious, investigate and discover the world around them. Early Years Educators change the world, one step at a time."

The aims of the course will support practitioners to:

• Develop an awareness and understanding of STEM in practice with children.
• Gain confidence in celebrating STEM subjects with children in practice, to support children’s interests in STEM.
• Develop an understanding of the importance of STEM in Early Childhood to improve outcomes for children.
• Gain ideas of strategies and activities to support STEM-based practice.
• Gain confidence in sharing STEM knowledge and simple, low-cost activities, particularly to support the home learning environment.
• Gain confidence in sharing STEM knowledge and simple, low-cost activities, particularly to support the home learning environment.

The conference will be held for early years providers on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, and Thursday, 26 June 2025, for wraparound providers, at Cambridge Science Centre, from 9 am to 4 pm.

To learn more about the conference and to book a place, please visit Booking and reservations for Early Years Workforce Development, ‘Curriculum, Pedagogy and Practice.’

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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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