Early Years and Childcare Update - 05 June 2025

Welcome to this week's Early Years and Childcare update!

This week's update includes information on:

Please feel free to share this update with anyone you think would benefit from accessing this content. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact familyinformation@birmingham.gov.uk

Nominate a Provider Portal User

As you may already be aware, the Early Years and Childcare Team has launched a new Information Portal for providers called the Nexus Provider Portal. 

Many providers have already nominated a Nexus Provider Portal user. If you haven’t already done so, please do this today using our online form. You can have accounts for up to four people within your organisation. 

The introduction of this portal will enable us to:

  • strengthen the information that we collect from you to support our sufficiency data
  • improve the information that we can provide to parents and third parties when they are looking for childcare options
  • contact you more efficiently.  

Please note: Completing this form does not immediately create your account. After we verify the nominated user form, we will send you a link to create your Provider Portal account.

If you have any queries about the Nexus Provider Portal, please contact FamilyInformation@birmingham.gov.uk

Important Information from Public Health Regarding Measles

What is measles?

Measles cases have been increasing across Birmingham. Measles is a very infectious disease that spreads easily and can lead to serious health complications, particularly for vulnerable individuals, including those who are immunocompromised or pregnant. Outbreaks can happen when not enough people have been immunised. 

To protect your education setting and community from measles, please share this flyer with children and parents so that they know how to stay safe from measles: How to protect yourself and your family from measles.

Also, with large gatherings approaching, including upcoming Eid celebrations, please remind parents and children to speak to their GP if they experience any symptoms, as measles spreads easily in group settings. If they do attend a large gathering, please remind them to stay vigilant for symptoms, as most people experience symptoms 10-12 days after contact with the virus.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms. The first symptoms of measles include:

  • a high temperature
  • a runny or blocked nose
  • sneezing
  • a cough
  • red, sore, watery eyes

A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth, particularly inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips. To learn more about symptoms, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/.

What should you do if you or someone in your education setting has suspected measles? 

If a pupil develops symptoms in your education setting, urgently ask their parents to contact their GP. Parents must contact the surgery by telephone before visiting and tell the reception staff that they think that their child may have measles. They cannot attend the surgery unless they are asked to. The doctor will make special arrangements to see the child so that if they have measles, they won’t pass it on to others.

If you suspect that someone in your education setting has measles, please contact your UKHSA Health Protection team (HPT). The HPT will do a risk assessment and determine what actions are needed. You can find your UKHSA HPT by visiting https://www.gov.uk/health-protection-team.  

How can you protect yourself and others from measles?

The MMR immunisation is the best way to protect yourself and others against measles because it is:

  • effective 
  • safe
  • free of charge

2 doses of the MMR immunisation are needed to give the best protection against measles. The first dose of the MMR immunisation is normally given soon after the first birthday, and a second dose before starting school, but you can catch-up with missed MMR doses at any age.

Research has shown there is no link between the MMR immunisation and autism.

The MMR immunisation is safe for all faiths and cultures. A pork-free version is available for those who avoid pork products. This immunisation is available at every GP practice, and it is free.

Further information on the MMR immunisation can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine/.

Early Years and Childcare Recruitment and Retention Support 

For the attention of all providers, apart from schools.

Between now and September 2025, the DfE are actively promoting their Do Something Big marketing campaign. The Do Something Big campaign nationally promotes Careers in Early Years and Childcare.

During the campaign, the DfE will be directing any potential applicants, to the DWP Find a Job website (https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk) to search for vacancies. You can benefit from the DfE’s marketing powerhouse by ensuring that you list your job vacancies, for free, on the DWP Find a Job website.

How to list your vacancies:

  1. Create an employer’s account on https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/employer
  2. Follow the steps on the ‘DWP Find a Job Instructions’ guide for employers

Important listing information:

Where applicable, it is important that you use the term ‘early years’ in the title of the job adverts and select ‘Education and childcare jobs’ for the job category - this will ensure that you show up in the appropriate search results.

Click here to view current vacancies in Birmingham.

Early Years & Childcare Workforce Support

Please access our Early Years & Childcare Workforce Resources document, where you will find a collection of indexed resources relating to:

  • Recruitment and Retention (for both Early Years & Wraparound)
  • Improving Practice
  • Workforce Wellbeing

This is not an exhaustive list of support available, but we hope you find it helpful.

To keep the conversation going, you are invited to book on to our upcoming Workforce Development Workshop – for more information or to book your place, click here.

WellComm Data Collection

For the attention of EEE nurseries, EEE childminders, and EEE schools.

We appreciate your continued submission of WellComm screening results. Based on the feedback collected through the data collection form, the changes that we made last term have enabled easier collation and sharing of your screening results.

The WellComm Data Spreadsheet is intended to assist in collating your WellComm screening results. The spreadsheet includes instructions for its use, a page for entering all of your children's screening results, and an automated analysis page. This analysis page offers a comprehensive summary of the data required for completing the WellComm Data Collection Form. Using the spreadsheet is optional, as you may have already developed your own, and it is for your use only and not to be returned to us. We ask that you share your screening data through the online data collection form.

The summer term WellComm data collection form is now available for you to share this term's screenings.

We kindly request that every early years provider returns their summer term WellComm screening results by Thursday 31st August 2025

To complete the survey, please click here.

We will be holding online sessions to demonstrate how to use the WellComm data spreadsheet, complete the data collection form and prepare for sharing your WellComm screens on the EEE portal from the autumn term. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and be signposted to practical support if required. Please use the booking links below for your preferred date.

Launch of the Early Years Ordinarily Available Guidance Document (OAG)

For the attention of EEE providers, infant, and primary schools.

We have been sharing news about development of the Early Years OAG for some time. Thank you to those who have already been involved.

We are delighted that we are now ready to share the draft document.

The launch is scheduled four times, in the week beginning 16 June 2025. You are only required to register and attend one session. We hope every school and setting that delivers the EYFS will join. It will be relevant for leadership and management, SENCOs, and those who work directly with children from birth to the end of the Reception year.

Each session will cover:

  • what is meant by ordinarily available provision
  • the background and context of the guidance development work
  • the structure of the document, with examples
  • next steps and the timeline
  • expressions of interest to join the action research project to evidence how the guidance will support best inclusive practice

There will be time for questions and to share your initial views.

Sessions will take place on:

We look forward to seeing you.

DSL Meeting Links June 2025

For the attention of EEE Providers, Childminders, and Out of School (OOS).

Please find below links to sign up to June’s DSL Meetings for Early Years and Childcare. Please only sign up for one session:

At this session we will be covering any Safeguarding Updates, Early Help and the updated safeguarding training requirements in preparation for the changes in September.

Dingley's Promise Training – Early Years Inclusion Programme

For the attention of EEE Childminders, Out of School (when running SAP include Holiday Playscheme), and EEE Early Years Providers.

We are pleased to share Birmingham Local Authority is taking part in the Early Years Inclusion Project, a Comic Relief-funded initiative delivered in partnership with Dingley's Promise.

This exciting programme offers fully funded online courses aimed at improving outcomes for children across Birmingham. The focus is on increasing access to early years and childcare places for children with emerging or identified special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Current courses available:

  • An introduction to Early Years Inclusive Practice 
  • Early Years SEND Transitions 
  • Managing Behaviours that Challenge  
  • Having Difficult Conversations with Families 
  • Voice of the Child  
  • Leadership and Management for Inclusion
  • Intersections within Early Years Practice

These fully funded, FREE online training courses are available to all families and professionals from all services working with young children in Birmingham. Each course includes interactive workbooks, videos, and activities, and can be completed flexibly, at your own pace and at a time that suits you.

Please find a poster below that we kindly ask you to share with parents and carers. Your support in helping us spread the word is greatly appreciated.

Want to learn more? Scan the QR code on the poster for further information.

Early Talk Boost

This training is FREE and funded by Birmingham City Council, suitable for Birmingham EEE Funding Registered Day Nurseries, Nursery Schools, and School Nursery Classes.

Early Talk Boost is a targeted intervention aimed at 3-4-year-old children who need help with talking and understanding words, helping to boost their language skills to narrow the gap between them and their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 6 months, after a nine-week intervention. 

Children selected to take part in the intervention will attend three sessions per week during circle/story time, each lasting 15-20 minutes, delivered by an early year’s practitioner. The sessions activities include the foundation skills in speech, language, and communication that children need for learning and understanding new words, as well as having conversations. The training is delivered face to face and each setting will receive two boxes of Early Talk Boost resources.

The sessions take place at 9.30am – 3.00pm with a 20-person capacity:

  • Friday 6th June 2025, Erdington Family Hub (Lakeside Children's Centre), 22 Lakes Road, B23 7UH
  • Friday 20th June 2025, Perry Barr Family Hub (Rookery Children's Centre), 60 Mount Pleasant Avenue, B21 9QA

Please note: We have just a few spaces left for 20th June 2025 session.

A further date will be released shortly for July before summer term ends. 

Please fill out the Microsoft form to choose your preferred date and location.

This entry was posted by Jessica Wykes on 03/06/2025.

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