Dear Colleagues,
Updates from the Team
2nd headcount SPR 2025-26
If you require a 2nd headcount form for disadvantaged funded 2 year olds (EY2C codes only) who have; started accessing funding with you, or have increased their hours since full headcount, please email sophie.downing@northumberland.gov.uk by Friday 19th June 2026
Are You Ready for New Important Data Protection Changes?
From 19 June 2026, all businesses, including schools and all childcare settings, are legally required to have a clear process in place for handling data protection complaints under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
What this means for your setting:
- Parents and carers and children must have a simple way to raise concerns about their child’s/own data
- You must acknowledge complaints within 30 days
- Concerns must be investigated promptly and fairly
- Families should be kept informed throughout
- A clear outcome must be shared
Handling personal data responsibly is key to building trust with families and safeguarding children’s information. A clear complaints process helps resolve issues quickly and confidently before they escalate.
Top tips to get ready:
- Review your current complaints policy – explain various ways complaints can be raised
- You may wish to create an electronic complaint form
- Make sure parents are clear and know your settings policies and procedures and how to raise a concern, including in person
- Provide mechanisms to help children exercise their rights or make complaints
- How you handle complaints through social media
- Ensure all staff are briefed or trained so that everyone understands the process
- Update your policy, privacy notice and handbook
These are just some examples. You don’t need to start from scratch; many settings can adapt their existing policies and processes to meet the new legal requirement.
It is important to act now to ensure you remain legally compliant from June 19th.
For more information please see https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/what-we-do/legislation-we-cover/data-use-and-access-act-2025/
One month to go: what businesses need to know to meet new data law | ICO
Updates from Partners
DfE FREE Early Years Child Development Training
The Department for Education’s Early years child development training is a free,online programme designed by early years experts to support educators working with children from birth to reception.
This flexible online training will help you to:
- Build and strengthen your child development knowledge
- Get practical advice and ideas to support children in your setting, including reception classes
- Reflect on your practice and test your knowledge
- Learn from practical training videos filmed in early years and reception settings
- Access modules in any order, at any time
- Download a certificate on completion of each module
The programme includes 8 modules, covering key areas such as:
- Brain development and how children learn
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Mathematics
- Effective curriculum and assessment
- Supporting individual differences and needs
The training has recently been updated to include:
- Additional videos and practical advice for supporting children in reception
- Guidance on supporting the EYFS profile assessment
Upcoming Events
FREE ACAS WEBINARS
Below are details of upcoming free to attend Acas webinars in June.
Please forward details of these events to any colleagues you have who may benefit from attending.
You will be able to ask questions to the presenters during the sessions.
Managing a fair disciplinary procedure
Wednesday 17 June 2pm to 3pm
This webinar will provide you and your managers with a valuable opportunity to see some of the key elements that go into creating a fair disciplinary process.
We will include guidance on suspension, investigations, hearings, the right to be accompanied and appeals.
The Acas Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance outlines the minimum steps employers should follow when handling disciplinary matters in the workplace.
Managing grievances effectively
Tuesday 23 June 10am to 10:30am
In this webinar Acas will explore how to manage a workplace grievance.
It will cover:
- The importance of dealing with informal complaints in preventing workplace issues escalating
- How to recognise a formal grievance and conduct a hearing in line with the Acas Code of Practice
- The role of emotional intelligence when dealing with grievances
- Managing relationships after a grievance
