EYCC Noticeboard

Early Years and Childcare Update - 16 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.

Safety and Security

At the beginning of the new academic year, it is important that staff, parents and children are reminded of safety procedures. These include, but are not exclusive to: 

  • Secure Environment: Ensure that all doors, gates and perimeters of the setting are secure to prevent children from leaving without supervision. 
  • Safeguarding Practices: Create a culture of safety that emphasizes the importance of safeguarding children from harm and promoting their welfare. This includes regular training for staff on recognising and responding to potential risk. 
  • Regular Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of safety procedures and practices to identify and address any potential risks or vulnerabilities. 
  • Fire Safety Measures: Implement fire safety protocols, including regular fire drills, training staff on fore safety, and ensuring all fire exits are clearly marked and accessible. 

 Improving Immunisation Uptake Training

The Improving Immunisation Uptake (IIU) Team is thrilled to announce that we have been commissioned by NHSE to deliver training to Early Years Settings. Our team, which works directly with selected GP practices, is part of NHS SCW Child Health Information Services (CHIS) and remains committed to making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of young children in our communities and improving vaccination uptake in children aged 0-5 years.

This training has been developed on behalf of NHS England, with sessions available to book across six different dates and times to offer maximum flexibility for attendance. The 1-hour sessions will be virtual via MS Teams, and individuals will only need to attend one of the free available sessions.

The training will be delivered between November 2025 and February 2026 by experienced clinicians specialised in childhood immunisations. The training session is aimed at Early Years providers, including nurseries, family and children’s centres, childminders, and preschools and will highlight the importance of routine childhood immunisations and the significant role Early Years providers play in supporting the UK’s routine vaccination programmes.

We recommend attendance by individuals interested in becoming immunisation champions alongside staff who regularly communicate with parents/carers, and those handling new child registrations. We would recommend that it may be beneficial for larger settings if a minimum of 2 staff members attend.

Your participation will play a crucial role in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of children and maintaining a safe environment in Early Years settings. This is a timely opportunity to support the NHS England national campaign to increase the uptake of childhood vaccinations, with a particular focus on the MMR vaccine.

We have attached an introductory presentation and the Early Years Managers Information Sheet that provides a summary of the project. Participants will also receive a free information guide and other complimentary useful resources to further support the training.

Kindly see below a list of available dates and times – Click on the link to book your training session place at your earliest convenience – please book.

  • Thursday 6th November 2025, 10:00 - 11:00, Morning 
  • Tuesday 11th November 2025, 18:30 - 19:30, Evening
  • Monday 17th November 2025, 13:00 - 14:00, Afternoon
  • Tuesday 22nd January 2026, 10:00 - 11:00, Morning
  • Tuesday 27th January 2026, 18:30 - 19:30, Evening
  • Thursday 5th February 2026, 13:00 - 14:00, Afternoon

For more details about our work, please refer to the below resources:

Reception School Applications Are Now Open!

Reception school applications are now open for children turning 4 before 31 August 2026.

Please help us spread the word to parent/carers and families you work with.

It’s important for families to apply on time as late applicants are less likely to be offered a place at any of their preferred schools.

Thank you for your support in raising awareness of the process.

Please support those parents who may need additional support completing their application forms.

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

WellComm Data Training 

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. 

WellComm Data Collection for Schools and Nursery Schools 

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. We ask each setting to share their termly screening data with us so that we can track the impact of the WellComm screening tool. For schools and nursery schools we collect your WellComm data via an online form each term. The Autumn term data collection form is now available for schools and Nursery Schools. If you are a day nursery or childminder, you do not complete this form. 

The deadline for the form to be submitted is 31st December 2025. 

To complete the survey, please click here.

To assist you in completing this we are holding 2 online sessions to demonstrate how to use the WellComm data spreadsheet to collate your screening results and track children’s progress. We will also demonstrate how the spreadsheet will assist you in completing the online WellComm data collection form. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and be signposted to practical support if required. Please use links below to book onto your preferred date. 

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 - 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.

New Dates Added for Autumn Term 2025:

09.30 – 15.00 – Face to Face training at venues listed below:

  • 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

Please note: There is a limit of 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 09/10/2025.

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