This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Service Lead for Early Years and Prevention, Michael Jarrett, for the attention of the Early Years Sector.
Please find below communications from the Early Years and Prevention Service to keep you informed of various different initiatives and government updates for 20/04/2020. We hope you find this informative and if you have any suggestions about content please contact us on earlyyears@slough.gov.uk
It is important to keep in contact with families during this time, so please share this information across all of your contacts.
What’s New
On Friday the government released further information about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has gone live today. There has been much discussion about the scheme and how to calculate payments and further guidance on this can be found in the links below.
The DfE is considering appropriate measures to monitor the use of these schemes in order to detect any duplication of funding, and will be considering potential options to recover misused public funding as required. Once these measures have been shared we may have a better understanding of how providers should consider all nursery expenditure with in the calculations.
These new announcements will require settings to re-examine their initial decisions around furloughing. They will need to identify the extent to which EY funding pays for their staff teams, and which elements are covered by additional, non-government funding. This will drive new decisions around who could or should be furloughed. We will be seeking further advice on this matter from the DfE and will share in due course.
Please remember that there is an expectation that providers are working with families to share home learning opportunities and you may want to consider asking staff who have not been furloughed to cover this area of work during this time. There is also an expectation that Vulnerable children and children of critical Care workers towards Covid-19 should be cared for within their settings where possible, and again, staff who have not been furloughed should support this.
Additional support has been published by the DfE which can be found in the links below.
If you have any questions relating to the matters above please contact the Early Years Service earlyyears@slough.gov.uk or call 01753 476554.
New Government Updates for 17/04/2020 and 18/04/2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19 | Financial Support for Education, Early Years and Children’s Social Care
Funding and financial support available for education, childcare and children’s social care organisations.
If it is difficult to distinguish whether staff are funded through free entitlement or private income for the purposes of meeting the first 3 conditions as listed above, then an early years provider can access the CJRS to cover up to the proportion of its paybill which could be considered to have been paid for from that provider’s private income. This would typically be income received from ‘parent-paid’ hours, and excludes all income from the government’s free entitlements (or ‘DSG income’) for all age groups.
In line with the conditions of the scheme listed above, providers should initially use the month of February 2020 to represent their usual income in calculating the proportion of its paybill eligible to be covered by the scheme. Providers should adjust these proportions in subsequent furloughing applications if their income from the government’s free entitlements changes, but are not expected to make any adjustments in relation to changes in parent-paid income. For more information please click here.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme | Step by Step Guide for Employers
This guide explains the information that employers need to provide to claim for their employees’ wages. Please note that if you are an employer making a claim, you need to follow the processes explained in the guidance page Claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on GOV.UK.
HMRC: You can now claim online for a grant for 80% of your furloughed employees’ salaries, up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee, per month, through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
This scheme will be open until the end of June 2020.
- Please read all the available guidance on GOV.UK before you apply
- Gather all the information and the precise calculations you need before you start your application – if you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this
- You can find out more in the calculation guidance where you can access a claim calculator – this will allow you to check your claim for most employees who are paid the same amount each pay period
- Access our simple step-by-step guide for additional help.
Please have all your information and calculations ready before you begin your application. If you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this. You should retain all records and calculations in case we need to contact you about them.
- Expect to receive the funds six working days after you apply, provided your claim matches records that we hold for your PAYE scheme – please do not contact us before this time
- to receive payment by 30 April, you will need to complete an application by 22 April
Please only call us if you can’t find what you need on GOV.UK – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/coronavirus-covid-19-helpline
COVID-19 Guidance for Schools and Other Educational Settings
Guidance and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.
19 April 2020 | Added 'Coronavirus (COVID-19): SEND Risk Assessment Guidance'
18 April 2020 | Reorganised Information by Category
Please click here to find out more information.
News Story | New Major Package to Support Online Learning
Education Secretary announces that vulnerable and disadvantaged young people across the country will receive free laptops. Please click here to access the full article.
Get Help with Technology for Remote Education during COVID-19
The Department for Education is working in partnership with an industry coalition to provide technology to support remote education. To learn more about technology for remote education during lockdown click here.
Help Children Aged 2 to 4 to Learn at Home during COVID-19
Advice for parents and carers of children who have not yet started school. To learn more on what you can do during these unprecedented times click here.
Help Primary School Children Continue Their Education during COVID-19
Advice for parents and carers looking after primary school children. To get more information click here.
Supporting your Children's Education during COVID-19
Information, guidance and support for parents and carers of children who are learning at home. To view the full article please click here.
Remote Education during COVID-19
Information, guidance and support for teachers and leaders on educating children during the coronavirus outbreak. Please click here to view the article in full.
Help Children with SEND Continue their Education during COVID-19
Advice for parents and carers looking after children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Please click here to learn more.
Safeguarding and Remote Education during COVID-19
Understand how to follow safeguarding procedures when planning remote education strategies and teaching remotely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. To learn more about these procedures click here.
Supporting Vulnerable Children and Young People during the Coronavirus Outbreak
Guidance for education settings and local authorities about children supported through social care, with EHC plans or identified as vulnerable by their school or local authority. To learn about the guidance that has been put into place please click here.
COVID-19 SEND Risk Assessment Guidance
Guidance for special schools, specialist colleges, local authorities and any other settings managing children and young people with complex special educational needs and disability (SEND). Click here to learn more.
What Parents and Carers Need to Know About Schools and Education during the Coronavirus Outbreak
Information for parents and carers about educational provision for critical workers, school closures, exams, free schools meals and home schooling. Click here to learn more.
Actions for Schools during the Coronavirus Outbreak
What schools need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Click here to see the full article.
Keeping in Touch and Targeted Support for Early Years Settings
During this unfamiliar time the team would like you to know that we are here to offer you support, in whatever way you may need it? We are on the other end of the phone or email and will continue to provide you with daily email updates. Even if you are currently closed the team can offer a range of support from discussing government guidance documents to reviewing local area initiatives.
We understand that this is a difficult period for everyone and in these uncertain times it can often help to share concerns, questions and queries with others, so please do keep in contact and pick up the phone anytime for a catch up.
You can email and call individual members of the team or for general enquiries contact earlyyears@slough.gov.uk or call 01753 476554.
If your setting is currently still open and are considering closure please discuss with the Early Years Service and for further information, advice or guidance please contact the team on 01753 476554 or email earlyyears@slough.gov.uk.