Guidance for early education and childcare providers - Coronavirus

Risk assessment template

We have developed an exemplar risk assessment plan to help you to identify possible risks faced in opening to additional children or re-opening following a closure period. It provides suggestions and considerations of protective measures to mitigate these risks. This sample document has been considered for a larger childcare provision but also includes points that will be relevant for the whole sector. 

The intention is for this to be used as a sample template and it is for you to amend, edit, adapt and reflect upon to open your provision in a safe and secure way with clear protective measures in place. We hope you find this useful in promoting a safe return to work.

• Risk assessment template for Early Years providers (Word 39KB)

Early Years Bulletin

Stay up to date with our Early Years Bulletin for Northamptonshire nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders or out of school provision. It aims to keep all staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) informed of relevant information to support them in their work.

• Sign up to receive the Early Years bulletin

Coping with anxiety and promoting wellbeing

During the current coronavirus pandemic, early years providers, practitioners and children will be facing challenges and changes to their individual lives. Feelings of worry, anxiety and concern for our health and the health of others may be experienced. Feeling anxious is a perfectly natural reaction to some situations and is something everyone may experience at times.

There are lots of ways you can try to help cope with anxiety and minimise stress to help you look after your mental health and support the wellbeing of others around you.

We have put together articles to help support you at this time:

• Spotlight on - managing children's anxiety (PDF 244KB)
• Spotlight on - looking after staff wellbeing (PDF 242KB)

Best practice guidance for grouping staff and children during COVID-19 in setting based provision

The government’s reopening guidance for early years settings identifies protective measures to help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 with a central part of this focusing on organising small groups or ‘bubbles’ of children and staff.

Our latest ‘Spotlight’ article shares best practice and points to consider:

• Spotlight on - operating bubbles to reduce transmission (PDF 211Kb)

See Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP)'s COVID-19 safeguarding arrangements:

• During the current Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to reassure you that NSCP are doing their utmost to maintain business continuity and remain committed to safeguarding children and young people in the county.
• If it is an emergency and you think that a child may be in immediate danger please contact the emergency services directly by calling 999.
• If you need to contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to make a safeguarding referral, please telephone 0300 126 1000.
• If you need to contact Social Care urgently during the evening, at night or at the weekend, please telephone the out-of-hours team on 01604 626938.

Application of thresholds

See temporary guidance while services are established during this critical period:

• MASH-DAAT response to Covid-19 (Word 29KB)

It is the responsible of the Local Authority to make sure all vulnerable children are being monitored and childcare places are found for all vulnerable and keyworkers children needing a place. Please complete the form below and also add in your response if you are planning or able to remain open for these identified children and if you are working in partnership with another school, setting or childminder to ensure this is possible.

How to return this information

• Early Education and Childcare identified children log (Excel 22KB)

Once completed, please return to eecfunding@childrenfirstnorthamptonshire.co.uk using your existing GDPR procedures.

• Coronavirus - what you need to do
• Business support
• Early years and childcare: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Important changes: EYFS disapplications and modifications from 24 April 2020

To support early years providers who remain open to vulnerable children and children of critical workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Government has temporarily disapplied and modified certain elements of the EYFS statutory framework.

This will allow providers greater flexibility to respond to changes in workforce availability and potential fluctuations in demand, while still providing care that is high quality and safe. 

Key changes are linked to:

• Learning and development requirements
• Assessment - progress check at age two and EYFSP
• Paediatric First Aid
• Staff qualifications and ratios during COVID-19

Full details of the amendments can be found in the statutory guidance on EYFS coronavirus disapplications. Providers should fully familiarise themselves with these changes to ensure they understand the flexibilities available to them and are meeting the modified requirements, especially in relation to paediatric first aid, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The long end date of the legislative changes is shown in regulations as 25 September 2020, but these will be reviewed on a monthly basis and disapplications and modifications may be lifted earlier, for instance if government advice on self-isolation and social distancing is amended.

• Twitter - DfE
• Facebook - DfE
• Ofsted updates

• Letter to early years and childcare providers in England from Vicky Ford MP - 24 March 2020 (PDF 50KB)
• Thank you letter to Northamptonshire Early Years sector - 16 April 2020 (PDF 34KB)
• Letter to parents 14 May 2020 (PDF 133KB)

• Register for funded early years education and childcare
• Free childcare offers to continue during coronavirus (Gov.UK)
• Use of free early education entitlements funding during coronavirus (Gov.UK)