EYCC Noticeboard

Early Years and Childcare Update - 02 October 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.

Safer Eating in Early Years 

Please find links below to support when deciding what food can be given to children and which foods are hazardous for children under the age of 3. 

  1. https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/Early%20Years%20Choking%20Hazards%20Poster_English.pdf 
  2. https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2021/09/Early-Years-Choking-Hazards-Table_FINAL_21-Sept-2021.pdf 
  3. https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/food-safety 

The EYFS 2025 statutory framework (3.67 & 3.69) when you are providing food: 

3.67 Providers must prepare food in a way to prevent choking. This guidance on food safety for young children: Food safety - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK (education.gov.uk) includes advice on food and drink to avoid, how to reduce the risk of choking and links to other useful resources for early years providers. 

3.69 Children must always be within sight and hearing of a member of staff whilst eating. Choking can be completely silent, therefore, it is important for providers to be alert to when a child may be starting to choke. Where possible, providers should sit facing children whilst they eat, so they can make sure children are eating in a way to prevent choking and so they can prevent food sharing and be aware of any unexpected allergic reactions 

Wraparound Funding Opportunities

Millions in school funding still available.

Wraparound Childcare Grant Funding Opportunity  

As part of the government’s ambition, by September 2026 all parents and carers of primary school-aged children who need it should be able to access Wraparound childcare between 8:00am and 6:00pm during term time.  

Whether your school is planning to launch a new club or expand an existing one, we encourage providers to take advantage of the available funding. This is a valuable opportunity to establish new provision or increase the capacity of current clubs to better meet the needs of local families.  

What can you apply for?  

  • Creation of places: Create both new before school provision and after-school provision - where there is currently no provision.  
  • Extend hours: Extend the hours to meet full wraparound definition (8am to 6pm) - where you already provide wraparound, but it does not meet the 8am to 6pm expectation.  
  • Expand provision: Introduce before school provision or after school provision - where you have no existing provision in place to meet the full wraparound definition or increase the number of places currently on offer.  

Benefits of wraparound care provision  

  • Boost Attendance and Engagement - Children thrive with consistent routines and enriching activities that make school a place they love to be.  
  • Support Working Families - Flexible care options help parents balance work and family life, reducing stress and increasing satisfaction.  
  • Enhance Learning and Wellbeing - From homework clubs to creative arts, sports, and mindfulness — WAC offers holistic development in a safe, inclusive environment.  
  • Strengthen Community Ties - Your school becomes more than a place of learning — it becomes a trusted space for growth, connection, and opportunity.  
  • Makes your school more appealing to families - As more parents return to work, schools that offer flexible childcare options become increasingly attractive.     

Why apply?  

By applying for the Wraparound childcare grant you could receive:  

  • Thousands of pounds in funding to cover initial start-up costs for staffing, purchase of equipment, marketing and day to day premise costs.  
  • Tailored support from your own Development worker to support you through the application process.  
  • Parent survey templates to help ascertain parental demand  
  • Step by step guidance to support with hosting a PVI to run your Wraparound childcare provision  

Register to attend the Wraparound Drop-In session on the 22nd October 2025 at 10:30 - 11:50am to hear more about the funding opportunities and ask any question - https://forms.office.com/e/9vrZLr7Lkm?origin=lprLink

How do you get involved?  

We’re inviting you to be part of this exciting journey. If you recognise that this is an opportunity not to be missed, complete the quick expression of interest form to determine whether your application is likely to be successful and walk you through the process.  

Still have questions? Contact us at WAC@birmingham.gov.uk   

Let’s work together to make school a place where every child has the chance to shine — before, during, and after the school day.  

Early Education Entitlement

Portal Opening for Headcount

For the attention of PVI providers only. 

Headcount Date is Thursday 2nd October 2025. 

Portal Open: Thursday 2nd October 2025 at 00:01             

Portal Close: Thursday 9th October 2025 at 23:59 (midnight)  

Autumn term headcount is this week, please ensure that you read all of this email to enable you to submit an accurate headcount claim. Inaccurate claims will be sent back to you to rectify and resubmit. 

You must only include children on your portal headcount claim that have started at your setting BEFORE headcount day which is Thursday 2nd October 2025. Any children wanting a place after headcount day must meet the flexible or exceptional criteria. You must submit a Funding Request Form.   

As is usual for Autumn term every year, you will be required to complete your Data Collection form, then headcount claim.  

Step by Step guides for each element of these claims – Census, Data Collection and Headcount entry – will be emailed out to the named EEE contact.    

Autumn term is 13 weeks. This is the maximum number of weeks you can claim. If children have a later start date, you should adjust the number of weeks you are claiming accordingly.   

Children changing providers: If children have left another setting to come to you please ensure that the parents are aware of any fees that they may owe the other setting and that they have told the other setting that they have left.   

Stretch Entitlement: If you offer stretch entitlement, please remember that you must not enter stretch hours on the portal – the hours must be the term time equivalent.  

Working Eligibility Autumn 2025

In order for parents of 9 months, 2-, 3-&4-year-olds to access working entitlement this term – Autumn term 2025, parents must have an eligible code dated on or before 31st August 2025. Parents must have applied for and received or reconfirmed their code by 31st August 2025.  

It is your responsibility to check the code before offering a working entitlement place. You must do this by checking the code to make sure it is eligible for the current term. Codes must have a validity start day before the start of term to be eligible for that term.    

The local authority cannot fund codes that have a validity start date of on or after the 1st September 2025. 

WellComm Data Collection and Training 

Autumn Term WellComm Data Collection on EEE Portal 

From this term all PVI settings will add the WellComm screening results for each child on the EEE portal alongside headcount submission.  

To assist you in planning your WellComm screenings for the Autumn Term the EEE portal will open for headcount on Thursday 2nd October and close on Thursday 9th October. If you require any support with this, please contact eyduty@birmingham.gov.uk  

WellComm is the approved screening tool in Birmingham, and it supports a consistent universal approach to assessing and supporting children’s speech, language and communication needs. If you are not yet using WellComm to screen your children’s speech and language, please attend one of our online training sessions to receive your free WellComm toolkit. Settings that have received a WellComm screening tool can continue to send staff that are new or require a refresher of how to use WellComm onto the training. We have training sessions available until the end of the year. Please click your preferred date to book your place.

Schools-based Nursery Programme – Phase 2 

For the attention of Schools, Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS), and Early Years Providers.

You may have already seen the 5th September 2025 announcement from DfE regards the roll out of Phase 2 of the Schools Based Nursery Capital Programme. 

Key Headlines are: 

  • Up to £150,000 Capital Funding is available to support the expansion or creation of onsite nursery provision. 
  • This phase supports projects ready to offer new childcare places in 2026/27. 
  • Funding is available to support childcare managed by School governing bodies on primary school sites, Maintained Nursery Schools, PVI providers and Childminders delivering nursery provision on a school site.
  • The online application process opens on the 22nd September 2025 and closes on the 11th December 2025. 
  • Schools have to apply to DfE direct. 
  • Local authorities will have a key role to play in assessing the suitability of proposed projects in line with their sufficiency duty. 
  • Schools will need to submit an LA Approval Form signed by the LA to support their application.  

 Please follow the following links for more information: 

If you want to discuss your proposal, share information and seek LA approval please contact: Kevin Caulfield, Childcare Sufficiency and Early Education Entitlement Strategy Manager. 

Email: Kevin.caulfield@birmingham.gov.uk

Early Talk Boost Training Sessions - 8 New Dates Added for Autumn Term 2025

For the attention of EEE, Schools, Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) and Early Years Providers.

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 include activities that cover 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 2 boxes of Early talk Boost resources.

8 New Dates Added for Autumn Term 2025:

  • Tuesday 7th October 2025, Perry Barr Family Hub (Rookery Children's Centre), 60 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Birmingham, B21 9QA
  • Friday 17th October 2025, Selly Oak Family Hub (Chinnbrook Children’s Centre), 213 Trittiford Rd, Birmingham, B13 0ET
  • Monday 20th October 2025, Edgbaston Family Hub (Doddington Children’s Centre), 28 Doddington Grove, Birmingham, B32 4EL
  • Tuesday 4th November 2025, Perry Barr Family Hub (Rookery Children's Centre), 60 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Birmingham, B21 9QA
  • Monday 10th November 2025, Erdington Family Hub (Lakeside Children’s Centre), 22 Lakes Rd, Birmingham, B23 7UH
  • Monday 17th November 2025, Erdington Family Hub (Lakeside Children’s Centre), 22 Lakes Rd, Birmingham, B23 7UH
  • Tuesday 2nd December 2025, Perry Barr Family Hub (Rookery Children's Centre), 60 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Birmingham, B21 9QA
  • Monday 8th December 2025, Edgbaston Family Hub (Doddington Children’s Centre), 28 Doddington Grove, Birmingham, B32 4EL
  • 09.30 – 15.00 – Face to Face training at venues listed above

20 places per venue

Settings to fill out a Microsoft form and choose their preferred date via this link: Expression of Interest for Early Talk Boost Training

This training is suitable for Birmingham EEE Funding Registered Day Nurseries, Nursery Schools and School Nursery Classes.

This entry was posted by Jessica Wykes on 01/10/2025.

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