Early Years Expansion

Are you a group-based setting/school with questions around early years expansion?

If you are a provider looking to expand your provision and have questions, contact your Early Years Adviser. Alternatively, email earlyyears.service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Childminders, contact your PACEY support officer, or email childminding@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Can we use existing staff?

Your qualified staff can be used across the setting. However, you will need to consider deploying your staff effectively for the safety and developmental needs of the children. Check early years qualifications - whether they are full and relevant.

Staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. To check staff: child ratios please refer to Section 3.35 - 3.49 of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework.

We have space but no additional staff.

Do you currently have anyone supernumerary that could be included in ratio? Would your staff be willing to adjust their hours to suit the needs of the business? Have you thought about taking on an apprentice?

Staff Structure Modelling Toolkits may support you in establishing recruitment gaps or where the provision may be working above ratio.

Will we have to re-register with Ofsted?

Ofsted has two registers, the Early Years Register, and the Childcare Register.

The Early Years Register is for those caring for children from birth to five years old (up until 31 August after their fifth birthday). The Childcare Register is for those caring for children aged five to eight years.

If you are on the correct register, you will just need to let Ofsted know that you are changing your ages. Your insurance provider will also need to be informed. 

Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted - Guidance

Where can we get financial support?

To support the expansion of early years entitlements for children aged from nine months to three years, applications are invited for government funding from all providers who are looking to offer additional early years places.

Whilst applications for provision across the county will be considered, we are particularly keen to hear from providers who are looking to expand, or establish provision in the following areas, where there is already an identified pressure for additional places:

• Cambourne
• Littleport
• Northstowe
• St Neots
• Whittlesey
• Wisbech

Details of the process can be found in the Market Position Statement, along with what you must include within the Cambridgeshire Early Years and Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding Grant 2024-25 application form.

What are the different types of funding available for parents?

From September 2024, eligible working parents of children aged nine months to three years old can access 15 hours of childcare support. By September 2025, eligible working families with children aged between nine months and five years old will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support.

The changes are being introduced gradually to make sure that providers can meet the needs of more families. 

• From September 2024: 15 hours of childcare support has been extended to eligible working parents of children from the age of nine months to three-year-olds.
• From September 2025: Eligible working parents of children from nine months to school age will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week.

Like the existing offer, depending on your provider, these hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year (during school term time), or up to 52 weeks if you use fewer than your total hours per week.

Further information can be found on the Childcare Choices website.

Do staff need extra training if we are supporting different age ranges?

Most approved early years qualifications cover birth to five years. However, it may be that your team need some refresher training. The Department for Education has online early years child development training modules to support staff professional development.

The Professional Development Programme offers an extensive training programme. 

If expanding to create spaces for younger children, your team must have relevant training in under two’s and around the statutory two-year progress check.

Do we need a separate space for under twos?

The statutory framework states there should be a separate baby room for children under the age of two (Section 3.70). Where this is not possible, providers will need to consider how to keep babies safe in the space they are using.

Younger and older children may be in mixed-age rooms. However, you must determine ratios within mixed groups, guided by all relevant ratio requirements and by the needs of individual children within the group.

Use the floor space to work out how many children of each age group you can cater for.

See further for information about working with babies.

What type of assessment should we use?

The EYFS statutory guidance states that assessment should not involve long breaks from interaction with the children or require excessive paperwork. 

There are three times during the EYFS when a statutory assessment of each child must take place:

• The statutory progress check at age two: practitioners must review the child’s progress between ages two and three and provide parents with a written summary of the child’s development in the prime areas.
• The Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) is a short assessment which must be completed within the first six weeks in which a child starts reception.
• The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) must be completed for each child in the final term of the year when the child turns five, and no later than the 30 June in that term. Each child’s learning must be assessed against the Early Learning Goals. This must be completed for all children, including those with SEND, with reasonable adjustments where appropriate.

You can use non-statutory assessment documents such as Birth To 5 Matters, or Development Matters to support you to adapt your curriculum and meet the developmental needs of all ages of children that you support.

Where can we get support for expansion?

CambsEYC and your Early Years Adviser will be able to help you with questions about expansion and the next steps. You can also email earlyyears.service@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

The annual Membership Offer provides tailored packages to the level of support you may need.

If you are opening a new setting, you will find the Getting it Right from the Start toolkit useful.

Childminders can also contact the Cambridgeshire PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years) team with any questions or support needs around all aspects of childminding at childminding@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

We are looking to expand to provide care for babies, what do we need to think about?

There are many things to consider when opening spaces for babies:

• Feeding - you will need to have the capacity to prepare feeds, keep feeds cold and sterilise equipment.
• Some parents may wish to come throughout the day to breastfeed, how will you accommodate this?
• Some of your children may begin weaning and considerations will need to be made for preparing and storing food.
• You may need to purchase developmentally appropriate resources that are safe for babies and young children.
• Babies and young children will often sleep. Therefore, you will need a safe place for this. You will also need to bear in mind how you will staff the sleeping arrangements. Please consider safer sleeping guidelines.
• Babies and young children may often appear under the weather due to situations such as teething. You will need to consider this in your policies and procedures.
• Invacuation/evacuation procedures may need updating for non-mobile babies. How will you move multiple babies around the building/get outside?
• Changing facilities will need to be available, somewhere safe that offers some privacy and is hygienic. You will also need to think about staff manual handling.

Useful links to help your consideration:

• Bruising In Pre-Mobile Babies: A Protocol for Assessment, Management And Referral By Professionals.
• Safer sleep for babies a guide for parents and carers. Size: 306KB File format: pdf
• Reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• A questions and answers guide to the administration of medicines in schools and colleges. Size: 723KB File format: pdf

Will this impact our families financially?

For many families, expansion of entitlements will make childcare more affordable.

Are parents aware of the Government Tax free childcare scheme? This is a tax-free offer for working parents of children aged from birth to 11 (up to age 16 for disabled children). For every £8 paid in, the Government will add £2. Terms and conditions apply.

Be mindful of your extra charges such as consumables, are these transparent to parents? Do they have the option to provide their consumables?

Early Years Funding good practice guidance. Size: 195KB File format: pdf

What about the emerging needs/SEND support of younger children?

The statutory progress check at age two provides the opportunity to sit down with parents/carers and discuss any concerns or emerging needs. You can also contact your Early Years Adviser for support with any questions.

Children accessing their funded entitlement who are on the early support pathway can apply for Special Educational Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF).

The  Local Offer is for children and young people from birth to 25 years with SEND and those in alternative provisions and settings.  Cambridgeshire Online | SEND Information Hub (Local Offer) is relevant to parent carers, children, young people, and all those who support them. 

Where can I find advice and guidance to support the health and wellbeing of children, and share this with our families?

The NHS Children's Health website provides advice and support on a range of useful topics in relation to the health and wellbeing of children and young people from birth to 19 years, and for those with additional needs/SEND.

I would like to become a childminder, where do I start?

It is recommended that providers consider the following when setting up or expanding their childcare offer:

• Consultation and market research
• The need for childcare and early years in your area
• Business and financial planning for new childcare
• Ofsted standards and regulations
• Fee and wage averages in the area
• Accessing funding to support new childcare development
• Offering free funded early years education places.

For more information and specialist support, please see Setting up and Running a Childcare Business, and Sustainability / Legal.

How many staff can work together as childminders?

The Department for Education (DfE) is introducing new flexibilities for childminders from Friday, 1 November 2024 to help more childminders join and stay in the profession. The new flexibilities will:

• Create a new category of childminder (childminder without domestic premises) who work entirely from non-domestic premises
• Increase, from three to four, the total number of people that can work together under a childminder’s registration (including the childminder)
• Give childminders and providers of childcare on domestic premises (CODPs) more flexibility, allowing them to spend more time operating outside of domestic premises, such as a community hall or school
• Increase the number of people needed for CODPs to operate from four or more, to five or more people providing care. Please note, that CODPs that were registered, or applied to register, before Friday, 1 November 2024 can continue operating with four or more people.

The DfE published the 'New Flexibilities for Childminders' article on the Foundation Years website to give an overview of the changes and help answer frequently asked questions.

If you feel it would be beneficial to take on an assistant, you will be required to change your insurance to employers’ insurance. You will also need to discuss with the employee whether they will be PAYE or self-employed. They will need to be registered with Ofsted and complete the relevant statutory training. An enhanced DBS check is essential, and only individuals over the age of 17 can be included in ratio. Please be mindful when taking on an assistant, children can only be left in the sole care of an assistant for up to two hours a day.

Anyone aged over 16 in the home also needs an enhanced check with barred lists from Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Helpful links:

• Childminders: report new adults in the home.
• DBS checks for childminders and childcare workers.
• EYFS statutory framework for childminders (Section 3.10 - 3.21). Size: 605KB File format: pdf
• Safer Recruitment.

How much extra space do I need?

Providers must meet the following indoor space requirements where indoor activity in a building(s) forms the main part of (or is integral) to the provision:

• Children under two years: 3.5m² per child.
• Two-year-olds: 2.5m² per child.
• Children aged three to five years: 2.3m² per child.

EYFS statutory framework.

From this, you can use the ratios guide to help you with how many children you can care for.

Do I need to contact Ofsted to change the age range for which I am registered?

It is unlikely you will need to contact Ofsted unless you are changing your registration. There are two Ofsted registers, the Early Years Register, and the Childcare Register.

To find out which to join, and how to change registers if needed, please read the Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted guidance.

You may need to check with your insurance regarding the number of children you are insured for.

Is there any financial help?

To support the expansion of the working parent entitlements for children aged from nine months to three years, applications are invited for government funding from all providers who are looking to offer additional early years places. PACEY can advise and assist with any concerns or questions you may have, as well as your Early Years Adviser.

Details of the process can be found in the Market Position Statement, along with what you must include within the Cambridgeshire Early Years and Wraparound Childcare Programme Funding Grant 2024-25 application form.

You can receive support from your CSDO to complete the application paperwork before submission.

Childminders can also contact the Cambridgeshire PACEY team with any questions or support needs around all aspects of childminding.

On Thursday, 17 October 2024, the Government announced a ‘test and learn’ first phase of a commitment to deliver 3000 new school-based nurseries across England. In this first phase, £15 million is available to support up to 300 new or expanded nurseries to open in September 2025. The maximum allocation of funding per school in this first phase is £150,000.

The Education Hub blog provides an overview of the programme – Nurseries in schools: everything you need to know.

School-Based Nursery Capital Grant 2024 to 2025 guidance, including eligibility criteria information can be found at GOV.UK.