Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy

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1 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy

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3 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Contents Page Foreword Introduction Our vision National context Local context Population and workforce Essex Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency and accessibility Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) Integrated services School readiness Home Learning Environment (HLE) Transition Inclusion and support for children with additional needs Supporting quality early years and childcare provision Developing and maintaining a high quality workforce Performance...27 Appendix 1 Statutory duties and legislation

4 Foreword Significant growth in the population of children and young people in Essex over the coming years, together with financial challenges, have focused our determination to commission high quality, accessible, affordable provision and effective early years and childcare services. Doing so is fundamental to improving outcomes for children; in particular to ensure they are kept safe. We do this both through ensuring providers are, where necessary, working with partners to address presenting risks but also through providing children and families with the conditions and tools through which they can develop stability and resilience. This includes working with parents to develop their skills and confidence and through this, breaking potentially harmful intergenerational cycles of neglect and low aspiration. The evidence is clear and compelling; ensure that a child is well supported in their early years and the outcome for education and life chances will be significantly improved. Our key guiding principle in this work is ensuring that the arrangements we put in place make sense to the families we work with; are built around their needs and preferences and are easy to access and engage with. Councillor Ray Gooding Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning 4

5 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Introduction Access to high quality education is one of the fundamental influences on the long term life chances of children living in Essex. When children achieve well at school it impacts on their ability to gain well paid and sustainable employment. It also has a positive impact on mental and physical health and wellbeing and on enabling people to live positive, independent lives. High quality early years and childcare provision not only positively impacts on the ability of children to do well when they start school but can also positively impact on parents; including by providing them with opportunities to improve their own education. Alongside educational outcomes, the maximisation of opportunities to provide effective early help through early years and childcare services, can also positively impact on social outcomes; improving family resilience and ensuring opportunities are identified to provide additional support or intervention where required. Effective early help relies on a consistent and coherent approach to information sharing between agencies working with children and families. Robust information sharing is vital to timely and appropriate early intervention and the effective planning of services and support. The Early Years and Childcare Strategy forms part of the broader Lifelong Learning Strategy and places an emphasis on ensuring every child achieves a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year through access to Good or Outstanding early years and childcare provision; increasing the skills and qualifications within the early years workforce; creating greater integration with local provision of ante-natal and post-natal health services, voluntary and community sector support for families to improve early years outcomes; working with parents, carers and families to maximise the contribution and influence on positive early learning and development. This strategy document sets out the priorities for Essex Early Years and Childcare within the context of national legislation and local condition. The strategy will cover the ambitions of the Local Authority to: n Offer sufficient and accessible childcare n Deliver the Free Early Education Entitlement for all children who are eligible n Develop a multi-agency approach to integrating services n Work with families to help children in Essex to be ready for school n Ensure the inclusion and support of children with additional needs n Develop high quality provision n Develop and maintain a high quality workforce. 5

6 Within Children in Essex get the Best Start in Life, one of a suite of seven Commissioning Strategies developed by the Local Authority, Essex County Council (ECC) has set out a clear commitment to supporting children and their families from conception through birth and the early years of their life. The Early Years and Childcare Strategy sets out the specific commissioning and operational approach that will deliver the strategic direction for the Authority that will create the conditions to give all children the best possible opportunity to succeed; to thrive in school and be able to make a positive contribution throughout their lives. Aligned to the commissioning ambitions within the Children in Essex Get the Best Start in Life Commissioning Strategy it makes an important contribution towards delivering the strategic aspirations included within the Essex Children, Young People and Families Partnership Plan (CYPFPP) and the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Essex The collective value of these documents are best summarised by the leading statement of intent found within the Children, Young People and Families Partnership Plan. We want to do all we can to support all children, young people and their families to reach their full potential. We have high aspirations for all children and young people. We want them to grow up safe, happy and healthy, able to make the best use of their skills to secure good employment opportunities and make the most of their lives. 6

7 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Our vision Children in Essex get the best start in life to enable them to reach their full potential We are committed to ensuring children in Essex get the best start in life. This document will help to shape the commissioning and procuring of early years and childcare services and endorse the underpinning principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for our young children and early intervention and prevention strategies for our most vulnerable children and those in need of care and support. We are committed to improving outcomes for children across Essex by: n Commissioning high quality early years provision which positively impacts on the ability of children to do well when they start school. n Children s centre services across Essex to support children and families. n Placing emphasis on the need for early intervention in the crucial period from pre-birth to three years old as well as later in life to help break the cycle of deprivation. 1 n Working with partners to deliver effective early help that promotes the welfare of children. 2 n Providing timely and co-ordinated inter-agency support for children who need additional help. Providing help as early as possible in the development of a problem can mean that the severity and lasting impact of that problem is lessened. This applies not only in matters of safeguarding and family support but also when working with children, young people or family members who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In this case, early years providers have an important role in the early identification of SEND and in assisting families to access the right pathway of support. This will not only assist children to achieve well within early years settings but can also ensure transitions are better managed when they move into primary education. 1 Early Intervention: The Next Steps: Graham Allen MP (2011) 2 Working Together to Safeguard Children

8 3. National context Legislation The statutory duties of the Local Authority in relation to early years and childcare are set out in a number of key legislative tools which govern the work that Essex County Council undertakes with partners to support children and families. Key legislation is listed below with more details set out in Appendix 1. Key legislation n Children Act 1989 n Education and Inspection Act 1996 n Children Act 2004 n Childcare Act 2006 n Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 n Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 n Children and Families Act 2014 These duties strengthen the ambitions of the Local Authority to ensure every child in Essex gets the best start in life through development of integrated and accessible access to; early years and childcare provision, high quality children s centres and timely information, advice and guidance. Research The importance of early intervention and prevention, especially in the first five years of life, has been emphasised in a number of review documents (in 2010 and 2011) including the Graham Allen review on early intervention, Frank Field s review of poverty and life chances, the Government s social mobility strategy, Professor Cathy Nutbrown and Dame Clare Tickell s Early Years Foundation Stage Review and the NHS Social and Emotional Wellbeing: early years. The emphasis that local authorities and their partners place on early help services is significant and follows the publication of the Munro Review of child protection (2011). Requirements for local authorities to publish early help offers were translated into Working Together to Safeguard Children The delivery of effective early help is dependent on a clear understanding of local needs developed through the sharing of information between professionals and agencies on both a strategic and local level. Essex has a dedicated Early Help Offer which reflects the key early years mechanisms for supporting those children in Essex who need additional intervention. Across Essex we aim to Support practitioners to work together, share information, and to put the child and their family at the centre (Essex Early Help Offer 2015). Within Early Years and Childcare this is achieved by investing in high quality training that develops the competency and confidence of front line practitioners in line with the guidance set out in the Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children

9 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Children in need of care and support Research evidence shows that children living in poverty and deprivation have poorer life chances than those who do not and are some of our most vulnerable children. Children in need of care and support are at greater risk of poor education and health outcomes and at greater risk of becoming involved in crime and social exclusion. We recognise that all parents/carers experience challenges at some time in their lives, either as adults bringing up children or social, economic factors or due to the impact of their own or their children s health and wellbeing. Many families have the resilience to manage these challenges with the support of families, friends or universal support systems; others are unable to do so. Children in families without the resilience to manage life changes or challenging experiences may become more vulnerable to poorer life chances because of this. Ofsted In Ofsted terms, vulnerable children are amongst those groups that may need additional support or intervention in order to make optimum progress. They cite children whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and, in some cases, additional support. Vulnerable groups are defined within the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance as: n Children who are disabled and have specific additional needs n Children who have specific educational needs n Children and young people who are carers n Children who are at risk of or have been subject to sexual exploitation, children who have undergone or may undergo female genital mutilation and children who have been or may be radicalised n Children and young people showing signs of engaging in anti-social, criminal or risky behaviour n Children and young people in family circumstances presenting challenges for the child, such as substance abuse, adult mental health, domestic violence n Children and young people showing early signs of abuse and/or neglect SEND Code of Practice All early years providers must have regard for the 0 25 SEND Code of Practice and the Equality Act They must promote equality of opportunity for children with special educational needs or disabilities, provide inclusive practice, remove barriers to learning, ensure children with medical conditions get the support they need and make reasonable adjustments to prevent disadvantage. The Local Authority has responsibility for completing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and providers must contribute to these when requested. 9

10 The Local Authority is required to publish a clear and transparent Local Offer of services across education, health and social care for children with SEND and settings have a responsibility to provide this information. The Early years: guide to the 0 25 SEND code of Practice (2014), sets out the statutory duties and responsibilities of early years providers. Narrowing the gap Local authorities have a clear role as champions of all children and families but with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged. Local authorities are encouraged to promote inclusion and improve outcomes for children in need of care and support: n Families considered hard to reach n Families where children are in receipt of free school meals n Children in care n Children in need n Minority ethnic groups n Gender inequalities. Early Years Pupil Premium The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is additional funding for early years settings to improve the provision that disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-olds receive. This means that for children accessing the Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) from low income families, providers are entitled to receive additional funding of up to 300 per year. The funding can be used in a variety of ways including: n Training including cover staff n Increasing adult ratios n Specific intervention programmes such as small group activities n High quality activities such as developing language n Supporting additional needs or English as an Additional Language (EAL) n Targeted resources n Summer schemes. 10

11 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Local context Commissioning strategies The vision for Early Years and Childcare is underpinned by seven Essex County Council Corporate Outcomes ; n Children in Essex get the best start in life n People in Essex enjoy good health and wellbeing n People have aspirations and achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong learning n People in Essex live in safe communities and are protected from harm n Sustainable economic growth for Essex communities and businesses n People in Essex experience a high quality and sustainable environment n People in Essex can live independently and exercise choice and control over their lives These outcomes are aligned to the Council s seven outcomes-based commissioning strategies. Each is designed to help the Council move from desired outcomes, to a range of activities that can deliver progress. These outcomes are where we want to get to and although our focus is to ensure that children in Essex get the best start in life, we believe that by doing this we contribute to the success of all other outcomes. Essex Early Help Offer There is a vital role for early years and childcare practitioners across Essex to act quickly to protect children from harm and neglect. The way Essex County Council has agreed to shape support for children and families is dependent on levels of need and is set out in the Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) guidance Effective Support for Children and Families in Essex (see diagram on page 12). This sets out four levels of need: Universal, Additional, Intensive and Specialist. 11

12 The Essex Effective Support Windscreen Multi Agency Guidance: Working in partnership to help children and families improve their lives ADDITIONAL UNIVERSAL Personalised Universal Services Additional needs met by universal and targeted services working together. Shared Family Assessment not required but can be used Level 2 Multi-agency approach required using Shared Family Assessment and Lead Professional or Family team response Level 3 INTENSIVE SPECIALIST Specialist and high level interventions often involving statutory process Level 4 Level 1 If unsure consult All partners working with children, young people and their families will offer support as soon as we are aware of any additional needs. We will always seek to work together to provide support to children, young people and their families at the lowest level possible in accord with their needs. Most families are properly served by universal services from pregnancy onwards but where children and families are in need of additional support the Local Authority is working with early years and childcare providers and children s centres across the County to build the principles of early intervention into the design and delivery of effective early help that improves outcomes for children through building family resilience and stability. Children s centres provide a key link between early identification, through universal activities, support for children with additional needs, vulnerable children and families and children subject to statutory interventions. Adopting the evidence based principles of early intervention there is an investment in developing the skills and confidence of professionals to identify problems as they arise, undertake comprehensive assessments and make timely referrals, understanding the opportunities and support available through the Essex Early Help Offer. Practitioners working with families across early years and childcare provision co-ordinate support through the development of a Shared Family Assessment (SFA) and a team around the family approach, working alongside the support and guidance available to professionals through the Family Operations Hub. 12

13 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Whole Essex Information Sharing Framework Early Years and Childcare works within the scope of the Whole Essex Information Sharing Framework (WEISF), the framework sets out the overarching information sharing principles between Essex and children s centres, schools, ECC family operations, health and maternity services. Partners of The Whole Essex Information Framework have agreed to: n Actively promote the sharing of information through the framework n Ensure all personnel are appropriately trained in Information Sharing. n Ensure individuals understanding of how their data is used. n Ensure appropriate consent is obtained to give organisations permission to share. n Develop standard processes for managing information to support collaborative working and security of information. n Ensure fair and appropriate use of individual data and protect against unlawful disclosure. n Continually improve the framework to meet the needs of partners and Essex citizens. n Develop shared legal and technical standards for information sharing. Information sharing is a fundamental requirement of effective early intervention and support for children and families. Safeguarding Early Years and Childcare recognise their safeguarding responsibilities across the full spectrum of the Essex windscreen. So, not only is the Service committed to forging effective relationships between early years and childcare providers in respect of early help, but is also working with statutory agencies when levels of need are more severe. This includes ensuring that concerns that children may be at risk are appropriately identified and reported and also that providers work collaboratively with other agencies in providing support for families in need of care and support; including where statutory intervention is taking place. This may be in respect of the child the provider is working with or in respect of their older siblings. Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) Safeguarding Children Boards set the framework to safeguard and protect children and young people. SET Safeguarding Children Boards have established Strategic Groups to take responsibility for the strategic approach child sexual exploitation, missing children, forced marriage, honour based abuse and female genital mutilation (CSE). They have agreed a common CSE Strategy and a Running Away and Missing from Home and Care Protocol, which set out the objectives for each of the local authorities. or%20missing%20from%20home%20or%20care%20protocol%20august% pdf 13

14 The Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) Procedures are the multi-agency child protection, which include guidelines for Southend, Essex and Thurrock. These procedures inform the day-to-day practitioners working with children and families and reflect all relevant law, regulation, statutory and non-statutory government guidance and best practice as of 1 March 2015; including the key government document, Working Together to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children Working Together to Safeguard Children recognises the duty of early years providers under section 40 of the Childcare Act 2006 to comply with the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It states that early years providers should ensure that: n Staff complete safeguarding training that enables them to recognise signs of potential abuse and neglect; and n They have a practitioner who is designated to take lead responsibility for safeguarding children within each early years setting and who should liaise with local statutory children s services agencies as appropriate. This lead should also complete child protection training. Working Together highlights the role of early years and childcare providers as key participants in safeguarding activity. The Service recognises providers as having specific responsibilities for active engagement in the safeguarding process and in providing support for families, working alongside other agencies. Having everyday contact with families places providers in a strong position to be able to monitor the impact of interventions and support families in making desired changes. The role of providers is not simply to identify and refer concerns to others. Early Years and Childcare promotes the engagement of early years providers with training provision and other activity of the Essex Safeguarding Children Board and the importance of providers understanding how to work effectively and share information with other agencies in the safeguarding of children. 5. Population and workforce Essex County Council s early years and families population is approximately 84,419 children age 5 years and under (based on the ONS 2013 mid-year estimates) and approximately 47,500 families with children age 5 years and under (based on child benefit data 31 Aug 2012). Additionally, there are approximately 54,600 families with children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old (based on Child Benefit data 31 August 2012). The current birth rate in Essex is approximately 16,235 per annum (based on summer 2014 GP registration data) and it is anticipated this will increase over the next few years. There is in excess of 2,619 (May 2015) early education and childcare settings, including childminders within Essex and 37 children s centres. All are supported by Early Years and 14

15 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Childcare with quality improvement and sufficiency advice, professional development opportunities and interventions. Early years practitioners working in the sector are supported with the aim of creating a workforce which is confident, motivated, ambitious and above all skilled in meeting the needs of the children. A confident and equipped workforce will be able to appropriately support families to access additional services and refer families to specialist services in a timely way. 6. Essex Early Years and Childcare The primary focus for Essex Early Years and Childcare is to commission high quality, innovative services and effectively work with those responsible for operational delivery, to improve services for early years (up to the end of the Foundation Stage) and childcare services (children 0 14 or up to 25 for disabled children). The Childcare Act 2006 sets out a series of statutory duties for local authorities in relation to improving outcomes and reducing inequalities for all young children aged 0 5 (see Appendix 1). Commissioning Commissioning involves making choices about how to achieve our goals. The goals we set, and the methods and services required to meet them, need to be evidence based. This will ensure Members and officers of Essex County Council are clear and transparent about the choices that are made when going through business planning and budget allocation processes. As an outcome based commissioning organisation we will: n Agree to fund a provider on the basis that they will achieve particular agreed outcomes (rather than deliver on particular outputs). The provider will: n Not have to specify how they will achieve these outcomes n Be able to innovate and create better services which are tailored to the needs of service users. Thinking differently At a time of reducing investment in public services, Essex County Council sits at the vanguard of innovation and creativity. Working with internal and external stakeholders, our lead commissioners are exploring opportunities to generate income through chargeable services in order to drive down spending and create flexible and accessible products that early years and childcare providers and schools across Essex will identify as high quality and value for money. 15

16 A holistic Early Years Review has invited children and families to co-design whole system change within Early Years and Childcare that will heavily influence the direction of the Local Authority in months to come. Placing parents, children and families at the heart of service re-design the review is seeking to galvanise a single, multi-agency workforce around the local needs of families. Investment in ethnographic research has helped all those working in the Essex early years system to understand better the lives that families lead: taking a broader view, figuring out how they feel and what drives them to do what they do. The outputs from the research are being used to drive co-design and innovation processes with a wide range of professionals at different levels of the early years system to include commissioners of children and family services, front line practitioners such as health visitors, children s centre managers and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations and most importantly, families. Outcomes from this work include: n A strategic review of the delivery model for Sure Start Children s Centres n Alternative approaches to commissioning including the establishment of an Early Years Challenge Prize approach n Investment in the development of peer-to-peer support at a community level n Integration of the workforce around a common understanding of the needs of children and families. Working with children, families and partners across Essex a new system vision has been developed that articulates the shared passion for improving the way support is determined by and delivered in partnership with families. 16

17 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Early Years System Vision 2015 In the following sections we re-visit the Local Authority s core ambitions for Early Years and Childcare. 6.1 Sufficiency and accessibility Essex County Council has a key role to play in ensuring there is sufficient, high quality early years and childcare provision that is matched to the needs of children and families. Ensuring early years and childcare provision is accessible and affordable is important to enable parents to work or take part in other activities that increase the richness of family life. This early years network of provision is extended at a community level by the provision of sufficient services through children s centres that provide accessible support to all families with young children and deliver targeted support for those families who need it most. 17

18 We will: A Offer advice, support and challenge to all early years and childcare providers to enable them to deliver high quality sustainable provision A Offer advice, support, challenge, training and guidance to early years and childcare providers to enable them to improve the quality of their provision A Offer advice, support and training to early years and childcare providers to enable them to promote inclusive learning environments able to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) A Support families to access the free early education offer A Offer business consultancy support to all early years and childcare providers, including advice on sourcing external funding opportunities where appropriate A Target funding to enable the inclusion of children with SEND A Produce a regular analysis of childcare sufficiency needs at a district level A Offer access to health services and Jobcentre Plus through children s centres A Offer training, for example through learning communities, phase leaders and managers to support Good settings to get to Outstanding A Work towards developing community/family hub models linking providers to make services accessible to local families A Assess sufficiency where there is a basic need requirement to increase the number of preschool places in an area A Continue to invest capital resources from the Department for Education (DfE) to commission new or expand existing FEEE 2 provision in hotspot areas by March 2016 A Invest capital resources in the development and the construction of nursery classes and Foundation Stage Units providing additional nursery education provision in primary and infant schools for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds where there is a shortfall of places A Invest early years S106 funding allocations received or expected to maximise capital investment in early years provision. 6.2 Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) All children who meet the prescribed criteria are able to take up high quality early education, regardless of their parents ability to pay benefiting their social, physical and mental development and helping to prepare them for school. Evidence shows that regular, high quality early education has lasting benefits for all children. 18

19 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy The Free Early Education Entitlement for 2-year-olds Local authorities have a duty to secure early education for disadvantaged 2-year-olds, this is not a universal offer and only eligible children may access this funding. The Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) for 2-year-olds offers 15 hours of free early years childcare provision for eligible children the term following a child s second birthday until the end of the term in which they are three, up to a maximum of 570 hours per year. The Free Early Education Entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds The Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) for 3- and 4-year-olds offers 15 hours of universal free early years childcare provision starting in the term following a child s third birthday until reaching compulsory school age, up to a maximum of 570 hours per year. Extending the FEEE entitlement for all 3- and 4-year-olds from 15 hours to 30 hours where all parents are working, for 38 weeks of the year (equivalent of the school year). Children become eligible in the term after they turn three. We will: A Write to families to inform them of their child s eligibility for Free Entitlement to the 2-year-old Free Entitlement offer A Work with referrers to promote the Free Entitlement offer to eligible families A Commission early years providers to deliver Free Entitlement places A Process applications in a timely manner and keep parents updated A Work with the early years and childcare sector to provide sufficient, quality places to meet Free Entitlement demand for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds A Work with the early years and childcare sector to support families to access their Free Entitlement offer free of charge A Inform settings about the Early Years Pupil Premium, and advising, supporting and challenging them on the use of it. 19

20 6.3 Integrated services multi-agency reduction in social and health inequalities Local authorities and their partners are required to improve the outcomes of all children under 5 and reduce inequalities. Essex County Council is working together with partners and joining up with the NHS to create a birth 19 Health, Wellbeing and Family Support Provision to support all individuals and their families to stay as independent as possible as part of the Early Help Offer, these include: n Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) n Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) n Universal 0 5 and 5 19 Healthy Child Programme n 2-year-old Integrated Review n Family Solutions n Family Operations We will: A Work closely with Public Health and NHS England to aid a smooth transition when commissioning responsibilities transfer from NHS England to the Local Authority A Commission an integrated pre-birth 19 Health, Wellbeing and Family Support provision to support children and families A Develop integrated commissioning opportunities in partnership with Clinical Commissioning Groups and Locality Children s partnerships A Work with health visitors to introduce a single integrated EYFS/health check for all 2-year-olds from September 2015 A Promote health improvement through children s centres, on subjects such as healthy eating, accident prevention and emotional wellbeing A Support settings that work with children under two to understand the importance of this period in a child s life for brain development and emotional wellbeing A Work in partnership with health visitors and midwives to implement integrated child and family health services and programmes, including the Healthy Child Programme (HCP), Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) and Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting scheme (MECSH) A Work in partnership with Family Operations to support our most vulnerable children and families A Contribute to the on-going development of the Essex Early Help Offer. 20

21 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy School readiness working in partnership with parents Children should start school healthy, happy, communicative, sociable, curious, active and ready and equipped for the next phase of life and learning. The EYFS 2014 promotes teaching and learning to ensure children s school readiness and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life. The term school readiness has in recent years had many definitions, however, all frequently identify three important aspects. The partnership between all three dimensions is vital; n Children s readiness for school, their learning and development n Families readiness, their attitudes and involvement in their child s early learning and development and transition into school n Schools readiness, their ability to foster a smooth transition for children. In order to achieve such an aim county wide, we have developed three aligned strategies. Talk, listen and cuddle (TLC) Talk, listen and cuddle are the three ingredients needed to ensure young children develop good communication and language skills. TLC is intended to engage parents and carers in accessing information regarding their role in supporting their child s language and communication development. Starting from a when a baby is in the womb, talking, listening and cuddling your child helps to: n Develop their brain n Develop their speaking and listening skills n Communicate their needs, making them less frustrated n Develop their reading and writing skills n Develop friendships and to be happy. There is clear evidence that enabling children to develop their speech, language and communication skills at an early stage will make a significant impact on their later life. We will: A Focus support on the full EYFS experience in Reception A Promote the importance of helping young children develop the language and communication skills they need for life A Provide information, guidance and activities to give parents confidence in supporting their child s early language and communication skills 21

22 A Promote the importance of home language as well as supporting language acquisition in English for families with EAL A Support early years and childcare practitioners in providing opportunities to develop and enhance early language and communication within an indoor/outdoor setting and also empower them help provide support and information to parents A Work in partnership with organisations such as Health, including health visitors, midwives, speech and language therapists and GPs, children s centres, social care partners, fostering and adoptive services, Essex Libraries and Essex Country Parks to offer exciting activities for parents and children supporting early language and communication A Devise and develop effective uses of social media to inform and engage parents and carers in their role in supporting their children s speech, language and communication development A Through the development of an easily recognisable TLC logo provide a one stop portal to access information encompassing all aspects of their child s development as well as speech, language and communication. 6.5 Home Learning Environment (HLE) The HLE has a greater influence on a child s intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income. What parents do is more important than who they are, and a home learning environment that is supportive of learning can counteract the effects of disadvantage in the early years. The things that parents or carers do with children at home, such as talking, reading and playing with them, has a significant impact on children s later development. A positive early home learning environment helps provide children with the trust, attitude and skills that help them to continue to be ready for school and engage in lifelong learning. We want to enable parents in Essex to feel confident in their ability to support their child s learning and development. We will: A Promote learning through play in everyday activities in the home and the wider environment A Provide creative, innovative, practical inspiring ideas to support playful learning at home A Empower all parents to recognise that they have the skills to support their child s learning and development 22

23 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy A Equip practitioners with the skills and knowledge to better support families in their understanding of how young children learn, linking with and promoting national strategies and initiatives like ICAN, and the Literacy Trust A Promote better understanding of child development amongst parents, practitioners and all key professionals A Work in partnership with key professionals to raise the awareness of the benefits of an effective home learning environment A Enable parents to take their child to a high quality early years setting of their choice A Ensure parents experience no barriers to their child s inclusion. 6.6 Transition The transitions between home and early years and childcare settings and from early years and childcare settings to school are major stepping stones in the life of any child and need to be managed sensitively. Successful transition relies on a high degree of continuity and consistency in approach. Children s confidence will be enhanced when changes happen gradually, and when time is prioritised to support these transitions with sensitive planning and preparation. For a child with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) additional considerations must be made. We will: A Promote opportunities for practitioners, parents, children s centres, early years settings and schools to work collaboratively to strengthen their transition practices A Promote the development of close multi-agency relationships with colleagues working in health, social care services and education with the development of an enhanced TLC pack for parents of children with specific SLC needs A Encourage the development of transition passports for children moving from early years provision into school, using locality driven criteria A Encourage practitioners to identify any additional intervention that has been employed to support meeting identified needs (for children and their families) A Promote consultation with children, respecting their views A Promote continuity across the EYFS and Key Stage 1 by encouraging reflection, discussion and a deeper mutual understanding of the early years curriculum and pedagogy. 23

24 6.7 Inclusion and support for children with additional needs Inclusion enriches the lives of all children and leads to more cohesive and inclusive communities. Inclusion is firmly enshrined in human rights and equality legislation. We will: A Ensure early years and childcare providers feel confident and supported to identify problems at an early stage, undertake assessment, or know where to get support, and make timely referrals for safeguarding and early help A Identify need which will lead to clear intervention packages focusing on and responding to the individual requirements of the child A Share information effectively with partners in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 to identify children who have Special Educational Needs and/or a disability and to provide appropriate support in a timely manner A Work with partners to ensure support is appropriate and offered in a timely way A Work with the Essex Safeguarding Children Board and the Family Operations Hub and other safeguarding services to monitor and share information and ensure children are kept safe, by reviewing lessons learnt and improving practice A Ensure early years and childcare providers feel confident and supported to create an inclusive culture to meet the needs of all children A Ensure that the Local Offer details services available to children and parents and how to access them A Offer funding to support the inclusion of children who have a disability or additional needs to access early years provision A Offer capital funding for equipment to support the inclusion of children with complex needs to access early years provision A Ensure all early years provision is accessible to children with SEN and disabilities using audits to review the environment, resources and teaching A Ensure the private, voluntary and independent sector and the maintained sector are funded to deliver the Free Entitlement and are aware of the requirement on them to have regard to the SEND 0 25 Code of Practice and the Equality Act Supporting quality early years and childcare provision 24 The overwhelming evidence from research shows that high quality early learning and care is essential to give children the solid start they need to achieve better outcomes in school and beyond. Children who experience high quality provision develop better social, emotional and cognitive abilities. Conversely poor quality provision does not support children s learning and development in the long term.

25 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy We will: A Introduce clear sanctions to Inadequate and Requires Improvement settings, holding them to account to improve practice A Support practitioners in effectively implementing the requirements of the EYFS framework and provide support, challenge and guidance to promote continuous quality improvement in early years and childcare settings A Ensure that all settings consider how best to create, maintain and improve provision in order to offer the highest quality learning and developing experiences for all children and their families A Promote continuous professional development of all practitioners A Promote collaboration and sharing of best practice initiatives through networks and communities A Provide information, advice, guidance and training on key aspects of quality improvement A Work in partnership with the Quality Improvement and Sufficiency (QIS) commissioned service to raise the quality of provision in childminder and out of school provision A Use data and other evidence to target resources and evaluate progress of underperformance A Through Team Around the Setting meetings agree a co-ordinated approach to work with settings causing concern A Promote innovation and best practice A Promote collaboration between children s centres, the private, voluntary and independent childcare sector and the maintained sector, including childminders and out of school settings in creating a network of services for children and families A Provide information, guidance and support on business matters. 6.9 Developing and maintaining a high quality workforce The Local Authority has a duty to secure the provision of information, advice and training to childcare providers and childcare workers. Developing the workforce is integral to all aspects of quality improvement and cannot be seen in isolation. We will: A Ensure that the work undertaken is in compliance with legislation and national and local priorities and key drivers 25

26 A Appropriately procure and commission training relevant to the needs of the workforce and in compliance with financial regulations, legislation and best value principles A Work in partnership with other ECC workforce development colleagues to develop synergies, avoid duplication and share skills, knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of the wider children s workforce in Essex A Work to an accountability-based model to demonstrate effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes A Ensure that all work is informed by and aligned to the 4-segment model: legislative requirements; strategic national and local priorities; research-based practice and those identified from analysis of Ofsted reports and data intelligence A Support and develop the external workforce by offering a matrix of professional development opportunities based on identified need using a variety of methodologies to include: Information, advice, guidance and support on all aspects of mandatory requirements for settings; with a specific focus on relevant qualifications, continuous professional development and safeguarding practice A range of e-learning modules A range of face-to-face training sessions for all practitioners A range of alternative and blended learning and development opportunities A Offer a range of targeted face-to-face training sessions for graduates and those in leadership positions, workshops, briefing sessions, conferences and consultations A Provide website information on a range of workforce development activities to include: support materials, latest research, legislation and relevant documentation on national and local priorities, links to other relevant training and development opportunities and local and national forums A Monitor and review all workforce development activities on a regular basis. A range of impact measures will be applied as a staged approach to measuring practitioner confidence and the subsequent impact on practice A Work in partnership with the early years and childcare sector in Essex by actively consulting with and taking account of their views on services that they receive and feeding back any changes made as a consequence of their involvement or that may have an effect on the way that they operate A Work in partnership with ECC colleagues in other service areas and with those of the third sector to identify further opportunities for the development of services and projects that will ultimately benefit the children and families of Essex as a whole A Work in partnership with both internal and external safeguarding services and Investigating Officers when we are required to do so in order to improve practice and to safeguard and protect children and vulnerable adults. 26

27 Essex Early Years and Childcare Strategy Performance Target 2012/13 FY 2013/14 FY 2014/15 FY Comment Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Percentage of children reaching a Good Level of Development (GLD) New indicator in 2013/14 53% 61% National top quartile is 65% (2014) Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Percentage of children ready for school (Three Prime Areas) New indicator in 2013/14 66% 73% National quartile data not available Percentage of early years settings judged by Ofsted to be Good or Outstanding Percentage of childminders judged by Ofsted to be Good or Outstanding Percentage of out of school settings judged by Ofsted to be Good or Outstanding Percentage of 2-year-olds eligible for FEEE taking up their place 82.9% 83.8% 86.0% 90% by % 79.1% 87.8% 85% by % 77.4% 81.8% 85% by 2018 See table on next page Percentage of 2-year-olds eligible for the Free Entitlement placed in Good or Outstanding settings or those on a clear trajectory towards this Percentage of 3-year-olds taking up their FEEE place Percentage of 4-year-olds taking up their FEEE place N/A N/A 80.0% See table on next page See table on next page National top quartile is 81 Percentage of children accessing the Early Years Pupil Premium First collection of data in summer 2015 Narrowing the Gap Percentage difference in GLD between pupils eligible for FSM and those who are not eligible 21% 20% 21% National quartile data not available Percentage inequality gap in achievement across all the early learning goals New indicator in 2013/ % 31.0% National top quartile is 29.5% (2014) 27