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 from 20/05/2020. 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
EYFS Bursts for Learning 0-5 Year Olds
The Early Years sector has produced this guide ‘EYFS Bursts for Learning 0-5’ with contributions from Children’s Centres and Maintained Nursery schools to support parents and your children during the COVID-19 lockdown period and beyond.
The guide offers a burst of teaching ideas to ensure continuity of the EYFS curriculum.
https://thelink.slough.gov.uk/news/eyfs-bursts-learning-0-5-year-olds
Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse and Adult/Elder Abuse
As you will be aware, risks around abuse have increased due to the COVID-19 lockdown measures. This includes Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse and Adult/Elder Abuse.
We would like to ensure, as best we can, that anybody who is a victim has access to support.
Slough Borough Council, Hestia, and Slough CVS are working together in a coordinated effort across Slough, to promote support available to victims of domestic abuse. We recognise that social media does not reach everyone, so we have produced a poster in English, Polish, Romanian, Urdu, and Punjabi, promoting the Hestia contact number and self referral email address, with a link to the DA page on the SBC website, which provides a wealth of information.
These posters have been distributed to supermarkets, small shops, and petrol stations, pharmacist via Slough CVS volunteers, and have also been sent to businesses across Slough via our Town Team, and shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and with Social media community groups, and partner agencies.
The Safeguarding partnership team have also produced useful posters (safeguarding basics poster and A5 flyer) which provide great information to support those suffering child abuse and elder abuse. Slough CVS has also included their material in their distribution across Slough.
Additional Community Safety DA Comms messages
Please also see attached men and women on the edge poster and silent solution campaign. Lockdown can push people to the edge as their worries and anxieties about families and finances escalate and they end up taking their frustrations out on their partners and families, our poster created highlights this and provides information for them to speak to a practitioner that will help them find new coping methods. This is also being promoted on all SBC social media platforms.
New Government Updates for 20/05/2020 & 21/05/2020
Celebrating Thank a Teacher Day
Today we are saying thank you to teachers, senior leaders, support staff and all those working in education settings who are making a difference to their schools and communities during the coronavirus outbreak. To mark the day, you can send a free thank you card to a colleague.
Thank a Teacher Day gives us all a great opportunity to thank everyone working in education, but I especially wanted to express my respect and admiration for all staff in nurseries, schools and colleges for going above and beyond to help this country tackle coronavirus and continue to support young people.
- Gavin Williamson | The Secretary of State for Education
Free thank you cards can be found here.
Updated Guidance on Safeguarding in Schools, Colleges and Other Providers During the Coronavirus Outbreak
The guidance on safeguarding in education and childcare settings during the coronavirus outbreak as they plan for wider opening has been updated. The guidance includes advice on updating the child protection policy, designated safeguarding lead arrangements, protecting vulnerable children and mental health support for children and young people.
The guidance can be found here.
The Coronavirus guidance for Educational Settings have updated their poster which can be found here.
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.
Reminders
Early Years and Childminder Settings Reopening from 1st June 2020
Following the Governments announcement on the proposed opening of nursery and childminder settings from 1st June 2020, the Early Years Team would like to support all Slough settings with preparing to re-open their setting. The Early Years Team will be making contact with all settings to discuss your plans and offer our support.
As you all know (hopefully) this week is Mental Health Awareness Week and now more than ever it’s important to be kind to ourselves and others. Our Public Health website has lots of resources, information and tips to help you look after your mental health.
To find out more information click here.
Health and Wellbeing of CYP
The University of Oxford are conducting a free online survey which will assess the health and wellbeing of CYP in schools across Slough and include questions relating to the current pandemic. After the online survey is completed and analysed by University of Oxford, schools will receive a full report on the findings.
To learn more about the survey please click here.