Month: January 2021

Thank you to all of you who have submitted the Weekly Attendance Survey. The number of submissions is increasing but we still need more of you to send in your attendance information each week.

Calling all parents living or working in Devon. We need your help! The answers you give in this short survey will help the early years and childcare team in Devon County Council to plan and make sure that there is enough childcare for you to work or train.

Following the success of the virtual coffee mornings and catch-up sessions held earlier this month, the Early Years Team have organised further sessions where there will be an opportunity to talk to Public Health and ask any questions you may have around their role during Covid-19, lateral flowing testing and vaccinations.

Many of you have already completed and returned the first weekly Attendance Survey to us. Thank you, we hope you found it quick and easy. The information you send to us will be used in the return that we are required to make to the Department for Education every Thursday.

More places have been released for the DfE funded FREE national business support Zoom webinars for early years and childcare providers. There are now 3,000 places available at each of these Hempsall’s events. It is not too late to book your place.

New SEND applications are approved at the termly panel meetings. When funding is agreed, you do not need to re-apply each term but you do need to complete and return the review so that progress can be monitored and the funding can continue.

Next week all funded private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers will receive a message through the Portal asking them to answer some basic questions about their provision and the qualifications of their staff.

Updates include: Critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings; Guidance for parents and carers of children attending community activities, holiday or after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings; What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges; Protective measures for holiday or after-school club and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak; Financial support for education, early years and children’s social care and Ofsted: coronavirus (COVID-19) rolling update.

Further to the recent lockdown restrictions Nursery Plus have reviewed their approach to outreach support.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is providing some additional PPE (masks, aprons, gloves and eye protection) to Local Authorities to help education and registered childcare settings manage with suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19.