early years headcount portal - microsoft...early education funding team email:...

Early Education Funding Team Email: [email protected]

Early Years Headcount Portal

PROVIDER GUIDE

June 2019

mailto:[email protected]


Section 1 Logging In

Introduction This guide is to support the use of the Early Years Headcount Portal. Please ensure that you familiarise yourself fully prior to using the Portal and completing any tasks issued to you.

Early Years Headcount Portal The Portal is an online facility which enables providers delivering early education places to log in and complete and submit headcount data electronically and securely. It allows providers to submit information directly to the Early Education Funding Team for approval and the data is used to calculate payments in relation to the delivery of early education places. It has been introduced to phase out the need for paper based Headcount claims.

The Portal also includes a messaging system which enables messages to be sent to providers informing them of changes, system downtime or provide prompts and reminders.

Each term ‘Users’ will be issued with ‘Tasks’ which will require the User to check, amend and submit data. A deadline date will accompany the task and it is essential that a task is completed within the timescales specified.

This guide should contain all the information you need to use the Portal, however should you have any queries please ensure you have referred to this document in full before emailing the Early Education Funding Team [email protected]

System Requirements

Contents

The guide is split into 6 sections:

SECTION 1 – LOGGING IN

In order to ensure that the Portal functions effectively it is important that you access it via the latest version of one of the following Web Browsers (a ‘Web Browser’ (more commonly known as a ‘Browser’ is a software application for retrieving, presenting and accessing information resources on the World Wide Web).

Internet Explorer or Google Chrome or Firefox

Need to check which browser and version you are using? You can check this by visiting www.whatbrowser.org from the computer you are using.

Please also check that your ‘computer’ and ‘browser’ language settings are set to English (UK).

This will ensure that the Portal operates correctly.

Section 2 Homepage Navigation

Section 3 Messages

Section 4 Tasks

Section 5 Submission of Tasks

Section 6 Frequently Asked

Questions



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Type the following link into your Internet Browser address bar: https://ems.doncaster.gov.uk/providerportal_live Login to Early Years Headcount Portal by completing the user name and password fields on the login box; then click on

Note: If you cannot remember either your Username or Password you can Select the links below the Login button and follow the instructions.

Logging in for the first time The first time you login enter the ‘Username’ and ‘password’ you have been allocated. You will be

directed to an information page with the message below which informs you that a confirmation email has

been sent to your registered email address.

Log into your email and open the email. In the body of the message it will contain a confirmation ‘Web

Address’. Click on the link to re-access the system (this process is to ensure access to the system is

secure).

After following the Web Address sent in the confirmation email you will see the confirmation message displayed.

Re-enter the ‘Username’ and the ‘password’ you have been allocated. You will now be prompted to change your password to a memorable one.



Your new password must contain between 10 and 128 characters; and include Upper Case, Lower Case, Number and a special character including: ! £ $ % ^ * ( ) _ - +. ? / E.g. Password1! Please note: The system will not allow a numeric increase or one of your last 10 passwords when changing

Please do not use Password1! as your new password

this is only an example.

Complete the current password with the password you have been allocated and then input your new password into the ‘New password’ and ‘Confirm new password’ fields; click on

At the Security Details prompt select a secret question and provide a memorable answer; then click on

Congratulations you have now successfully logged in for the first time, and will have access to the

Early Years Headcount Portal!

Each subsequent login to the Early Years Headcount Portal you will be directed to the Homepage as detailed in Section 2.

You will be prompted to change your password every 90 days.

PLEASE NOTE: The screen shots in this Reference Guide refer to ‘Nursery – EY Headcount Portal’. This is the term that Capita (the company delivering the portal package) have used for the purposes of this guide and are not editable in this document.



SECTION 2 – HOMEPAGE NAVIGATION

The Announcements page will be

visible at every login, please read

these carefully; select to

proceed to the Homepage.

On initial login you may not have any Tasks to complete or Messages to read, the image below shows an empty new users page.

Selecting on your name; Top Right, brings up a menu where you can change your own password or secret question, and log out securely.

Guidance text can be provided, these can be closed but will become visible again on each new login



Selecting Headcount; Top Left, brings up a menu where you can access any reports that have been provided.

Note: If this page is empty either no report has been issued or old ones have been cleared out.



SECTION 3 – MESSAGES

The Early Education Funding Team will use the Early Years Headcount Portal to send messages to

providers. When a Message has been issued to your provision, all relevant users will receive an email informing them to login. Once you login to the Early Years Headcount Portal you will see the message on your Homepage on the right under ‘My Messages’.

Selecting a Message in the list allows you to read and; if required.

The Message list indicates whether you have read them by the icon changing to

. The red icon shows how many Messages are outstanding.

SECTION 4 – TASKS

When a Headcount Task has been issued to your provision, all relevant users will receive an email informing them to login. Once you login to the Early Years Headcount Portal you will see the Task on your Homepage under ‘My tasks’.



Even if you haven’t got any children in a particular age group it is important to look at every task as there may be children that have carried forward from a previous term that you need to complete end dates in for or submit and blank return. This also ensures that the Early Education Funding Team know that you have actioned all tasks.

Each task has a ‘Due Date’ shown in the button. The colour and information on this button changes to show the current status. It will change to Amber and Red the nearer it gets to the ‘Due Date’, changing to Grey when the ‘Due Date' expires; examples below.

Note: Selecting an expired Task allows you to look at historic information.

Selecting a Task opens the task

A task may contain existing children or be empty depending on the data the Early Education Funding Team hold from the previous term.

Completing Tasks

It is recommended that you complete each task in the following order to ensure that you have captured and updated all children’s data accurately.

1. Children who have left your provision 2. Existing children who are continuing to access your provision (including adding in Early Years

Pupil Premium information) 3. Adding new children



4. Adding hours 1. Children who have left your provision

Review the existing children included in the ‘Task’ to identify any children who have left your provision. Where children have left your provision select the ‘Edit Headcount’ button and input ‘Leaving Dates’ for all relevant children.

Where a child has completed the full previous term the following ‘Leaving Dates’ must be entered with the appropriate year:

FULL TERM COMPLETED END DATE

Summer 31/08/YYYY

Autumn 31/12/YYYY

Spring 31/03/YYYY

If a child has left before the end of term then the actual ‘Leaving Date’ must be entered.

Update the information for all children and select ‘Save’. This will update the information and return you to the Headcount Task.

Finally, check that the ‘End Dates’ you have entered have updated against the relevant children. 2. Existing children who are continuing to access your provision (including adding in the Eatly

Years Pupil Premium information)

By clicking on the button at the side of each child’s name (‘Change Child Details’) you will be taken to the ‘Carer Details’ tab which will enable you to complete the Early Years Pupil Premium information (in some cases this button will be red).

If the parent / carer has refused to complete the Early Years Pupil Premium Eligibility Form or you haven’t obtained this information please select ‘Decline to provide’. Alternatively select the ‘Yes’ option and proceed to complete the information provided in the Eligibility Form and adding a Carer where information for more than one adult has been provided.

It is also important to ensure that all addresses are up to date. Any change in addresses or details must be updated using the Change Child Details button as well.

You will be prompted to complete further information regarding First Language Ethnicity and SEN. Please select the appropriate option from the drop down list or if not known select ‘Information not requested’

3. Adding New Children

You are now ready to input any new children that are attending your provision for their early education place who are not already included in the ‘Task’

To add your children to this Headcount Task Select



Complete the relevant fields with the child’s Legal

Forename and Surname and select

IMPORTANT:

Do not include a child’s ‘middle name’ in the

Forename box unless it is part of the child’s

legal Forename e.g. Ellie-mai

Choose the child’s Gender and enter their Date of

Birth and select

IMPORTANT:

Please ensure that you are inputting the correct

children into the correct Task i.e. children whose

date of birth falls into the correct date of birth

range for the Task.

Complete the Postcode field and

Select

All available addresses will be

returned.



If the correct address is returned

select it in the list.

Note: If no suitable Addresses are returned you can select

and type the new address in.

On the address details page Select

Complete the Ethnicity First Language and SEN fields and select

(Note: Please select ‘Information Not Required’ in the drop down list if the information has not been

provided by the parent.)

Early Years Pupil Premium Where the child is within the date of birth range for 3 and 4 Year Old Funding you will be prompted with the following message:



Where the parent has completed the Early Years Pupil Premium Eligibility Form select ‘Yes’ and complete the carer details provided on the Eligibility Form. Where more than one carer details have been provided

Select until all details have been input. (Please note it is not compulsory for the parent

to provide these details and in such cases select Decline to provide and select .)

Please note that when you start completing the National Insurance / National Asylum Reference Number you will see the message The format is invalid. Continue inputting the reference number and once it has been input in full the message will disappear.

Click on

Note: Keep repeating this process until you have added all relevant children.

4. Adding Hours

Now all the children for the ‘Task’ have been input you are ready to input the hours. To add the hours against the children in the list select.

If a child is accessing their entitlement on a ‘stretched’ basis then select ‘Yes’ from the drop down box in

u



the ‘Stretched Offer’ column.

Next input the ‘Weeks Attended for term’. This number will be obtained from your ‘Term Dates’ document, unless you are claiming for less than the whole term’s weeks in which case you will calculate the actual number of weeks the child has accessed. Complete the hours in each field starting with ‘Average Hours Attended per week’ (NOTE: This figure needs to include a total of funded hours and any additional hours a parent is accessing). When you click into the next box the rest of the boxes will self-populate based on the settings stored in the Early Years system. This allows you to leave them if they are correct, or reduce them if the child is claiming less hours. Shared Funding: This box does not need completing. This box will be ticked to indicate the child had split their entitlement across two providers during the previous term and is for information only. Continue to input details for each child until all hours have been updated accurately.

Select

Once you have completed this for all children and are ready to submit the data to the Early Education Funding Team see Section 5 Submission of Task



SECTION 5 – SUBMISSION OF TASKS

Submitting a Task

When you have added all your children to the list select

The Submission Declaration will be displayed which you will need to read and ensure that you are happy that all data has been submitted in accordance with the statement. Once you select confirm your electronic signature is stored against the data submission as being an accurate record.

Select and on the confirmation screen.

Note: You can continue to add or amend children and hours to the task, resubmitting each time until the deadline date.



SECTION 6 – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. The following message is displayed when trying to input child details:

Your browser language settings are set to a language that is unsupported, this may cause issues when we validate the date you enter. If you are using English make sure that your Computer and Browsers language settings are set to ‘English (United Kingdom)’

Please ensure that you are using the latest version of your Web Browser and the Browser is compatible with the Portal (see introduction for System Requirements’).

To change settings on your Computer:

Click on Start

Choose ‘Control Panel’

Choose ‘Clock, language, region’

Choose ‘Change location’

In the drop down choose ‘United Kingdom’

Refer to your Browser help notes for changing languages on your Browser 2. Will any changes I make be updated so that other ‘Users’ see the most recent records

Providing that you save the changes they will be made available to other users. You can also ‘submit’ information and continue to work on the Task up to the date that the Task expires. 3. What happens if I have not completed the task by the deadline date?

Tasks must be completed by the deadline date. If you have any concerns it is essential that you contact the Early Education Funding Team by email: [email protected] 4. Can I submit my Task before the deadline date?

Tasks can be submitted and re-submitted up to and including the deadline date. Tasks can be submitted by different Users if the provision has more than one User set up. 5. What happens if I input some data incorrectly?

Up to the deadline date you can make amendments to the data you have submitted. If you have any concerns about the error please ensure you contact the Early Education Funding Team by email [email protected] 6. How do I check which Browser and what version I am using and whether I need to download the

latest version for free?

You can check this by visiting www.whatbrowser.org. You must access this from the computer you are wanting to access the Portal on.

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