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Early years and childcare support offer 2021

We deliver a three-tiered offer to early years and childcare providers. This includes Ofsted-registered out-of-school provision, childminders, pre-schools and day nurseries. Offers for support to schools are included on the wider Southampton City Council Service Level Agreement; details can be found on the Schools’ Extranet.

Our three tiers of support are:

  • Universal, which is available to everyone
  • Targeted offer
  • Enhanced offer

We are available on the phone and by email if you have concerns or need advice, this includes safeguarding and child protection queries about a child, member of staff or a parent (though if it’s an urgent situation please follow your usual processes and contact Children's Resource Service/LADO).

Universal, which is available to everyone, includes:

  • Telephone and email support
  • Advice on increasing numbers, where identified by Sufficiency survey
  • Regular Early Years & Child Care Surgery Sessions
  • Advice for new childminders and groups, up to first graded Ofsted inspection
  • Annual Shared Conversation for group provision (including a childminder with assistants, three co-childminders or a hub of childminders)
  • Advice and guidance around governance and leadership via email, telephone and Facebook
  • Termly briefing sessions, including regular Ofsted update
  • Early Years’ Area Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) – advice to help providers best meet the needs of children with SEND
  • Advice to providers with safeguarding issues relating to an individual child, member of staff or parent
  • Childminder briefing sessions
  • Healthy Early Years Award (HEYA) – access to advice and resources
  • Advertising your provision and vacant places on Southampton Information Directory (SID)
  • Access to Foundation Stage Forum (Tapestry)
  • Email updates
  • Termly INCo Network Meeting
  • Termly committee forum
  • Access to SID for information
  • Training and advice regarding local and national initiatives
  • Every Child a Talker (ECaT) Universal Training, network meetings and posters
  • SEND surgeries
  • Signposting to other support/services
  • Disseminating best practice
  • Attendance at Ofsted feedback, if invited and if capacity allows
  • Data analysis
  • Transition to school events
  • Access to Facebook pages: HEYA, Partnership hubs and EYATs
  • Web-tools
  • Monthly bulletins

Targeted offer

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure information, advice and training when a provider receives an Ofsted outcome of less than good’.

We will offer up to three visits following an Ofsted judgement of less than good, offering advice in the period between this and the subsequent inspection.  

Short-term targeted support could also be offered when

  • A provider is moving premises or expanding
  • There is a new, inexperienced leader, manager or chair of committee
  • There are concerns around safeguarding

Our targeted offer is currently free of charge but is specifically linked to actions on your Ofsted report or to the specific area identified above. Any other support required, which does not fit into our universal or targeted offer, will fall under our enhanced offer for which there will be a charge. 

Enhanced offer

Extra support for any provider, which includes:

  • Twilight sessions
  • Support to Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in schools (see Schools Extranet for more details)
  • Extra support for new providers prior to registration
  • Management committee package of support
  • Bespoke training sessions for the whole setting/group of providers 
  • Bespoke advice visits on areas such as:
    • Preparing for your Ofsted inspection
    • Business health check
    • Recruitment

To request either the targeted or enhanced offer

  1. Fill in the ‘Request for support’ form in the table below
  2. Form to be returned to Southampton FIS generic email address: FIS@southampton.gov.uk
  3. Request discussed at monthly Early Years and Childcare management meeting (if urgent will be discussed individually)
  4. Consultation, if needed, to further clarify support 
  5. Response to person named on request form, which will include an estimated cost (if Enhanced offer)
  6. Work commences with either an Early Years Advisory Teacher or an Early Years and Childcare Development Worker (depending on the area of work)

Request for support documents

Document Type Size
Charging Policy Document 2021-2022pdf344.9 KB
Request for support (PDF)pdf510.0 KB
Request for support (Word)docx30.4 KB