1

Provider Portal

Guidance Notes Updated December 2015

Contents Purpose of the Software …………………2 Schools with Nursery Units …………………2 Supporting Paperwork …………………2

Section 1 – Logging In

Starting the Software …………………3 Activating your account …………………3 Secret Question …………………………3 Forgotten Username …………………4 Forgotten Password …………………4 Forgotten Secret Answer …………………5

Section 2 – Home Page

Home Page Overview …………………6 Changing Password/Security Question …7

Section 3 – Portal Messages

Messages …………………………………8 Receiving a Message …………………8

Section 4 -Entering the Headcount

Tasks …………………………………………9 My Tasks Overview …………………………9 Entering the Headcount …………………10 Adding a Child …………………………10 Personal Details …………………………11 Adding an Address …………………………12 Adding an Address Manually …………12 Adding Other Details …………………13 Adding Carer Details …………………14 Editing a Child …………………………14 Entering the Headcount …………………15 Submitting the Headcount …………………16

2

Purpose of the Software

The Provider Portal has been designed to collect Early Years entitlement claims via a single

collection.

The portal will have the following benefits:

• Allow the increase/decrease of hours for a child within the funding period • Reduce the requirement to submit manual paperwork • Increase the speed of processing headcounts (Data Entry, Conflicts) • Allow the entering of new starters after headcount week • Allow the claiming of hours for children leaving prior to headcount

Schools with Nursery Units

School with Nursery Units or Nursery Schools who supply School Census via the B2B system

are required to enter the Early Years Entitlement via S2S with the following information:

• Hours at school per week (i.e. Hours Attended) • Funded Hours per week (i.e. Hours Claiming)

Although this information is part of the census it is not held in the schools’ SIMS system.

N.B Academies are not required to submit the information via S2S as this information will be collected by the Census.

Supporting Paperwork Providers are not required to submit paper claim forms or signed copies of the Parent Agreement. However, providers are required to retain copies of Parent Agreements for auditing purposes. Please Note: Early Years has a responsibility to audit providers delivering the free entitlement hours. It is the responsibility of providers to store this information securely and be able to provide the information on request by Nottingham City Council as signed in the Annual Early Years Provider Agreement.

3

Section 1 – Logging In

Starting the Software

To log on to the Provider Portal please copy and paste the following web page address into

your internet browser: https://ems.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/PROVIDERPORTAL_LIVE

On the welcome screen you will be prompted to add your username and password.

You will have been supplied with a username and password to the nominated portal contact via

email.

Please Note: New users will need to contact Early Years to register for access to the portal. If

you have not received access, please contact: earlyyears@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Activating your account

The first time you log in to the portal you will be sent an activation email (below) to your

registered email address.

Click on the link to activate your user account. When you log in you will be prompted to change

this password to one of your choice. Please use at least 1 capital letter and 2 numeric

characters and then click the ‘change password’ button.

Secret Question

You will now be asked to enter an answer for a secret question of your choice, please enter this

and click the ‘Save’ button. You will be asked for this secret answer on all future log ins.

https://ems.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/PROVIDERPORTAL_LIVE/Account/Account/Loginmailto:earlyyears@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

4

Forgotten Username If you forget your username this can be recovered by clicking on ‘Forgotten your username?’.

On the next screen, enter your email address and your username will be sent to you by email.

When you receive the email, it will contain your username. Click on the link and you will be directed to the login page.

Forgotten Password If you forget your password, this can be reset by clicking on ‘Forgotten your password?’. On the next screen, enter both your username and email address. A new, temporary password will be generated and sent to you by email.

Click on the link within the email and enter your username and the temporary password supplied

in the email. You will now be requested to update your password before logging in to the

system. Please use at least 1 capital letter and 2 numeric characters.

Please remember:

Passwords are case-

sensitive. In the

‘Current password’

box, you must enter

the temporary

password again.

5

Forgotten Secret Answer To reset your secret answer click on ‘Forgotten your secret answer?’.

On the next screen, enter your username and email address and click on ‘Submit’. You will now be sent an email.

Click on the link, and login with your username and password, you will now be asked to enter a new answer for your secret question. Once submitted, your security question is updated and you will automatically be logged in.

6

Section 2 – Home Page

Home Page Overview

The home page is where all portal functions are accessed: • Home - takes you back to this home screen from wherever you are in the portal • Reports - where all reports supplied from Nottingham City Council are located • The button is a dropdown where you can change your password or

secret question • Sign Out - how you end your session on the portal

• My Tasks - where your headcount requests are accessed • My Messages - where requests or supply of information from Nottingham City Council

are accessed

7

Changing Password/Security Question To change your password or security question click on the button circled below (this will say your provider name) and select the required option.

To change your password, enter your current password and then enter a new password. Please

use at least 1 capital letter and 2 numeric characters and click the ‘Change Password’ button.

To change your secret question enter your password into the first box and then add the answer to your selected secret question. Click the ‘Save’ button.

8

Section 3 – Portal Messages

Messages

Messages from Early Years to Providers relating to funding will be sent to the portal. These will appear in the ‘My Messages’ section of the portal home page.

Receiving a Message When you have a new message on the portal, you will receive a notification to your registered email address. Once you have read this message you have the option to either go back to your home page or permanently delete the message. Please Note: Attachments will be identified by an orange border.

9

Section 4 - Entering the Headcount

Tasks

A headcount is required every term. Headcount tasks can be viewed within ‘My Tasks’. You will be notified by email when you have a new task. Please Note: We will require a submission before the deadline date even if you have no children claiming.

My Tasks Overview

The number of currently active tasks will be listed in the top right of the ‘My Tasks’ section of the provider portal. The date that the task is due and the status of the task are listed in a coloured box within the task pane.

The tasks will change colour the nearer to the deadline submission that you get. Historical tasks will be shown with a grey box.

10

Entering the Headcount

To enter the headcount, click on the correct task within ‘My Tasks’. The below screen will now

be opened. On this screen you will see:

• Status of the headcount submission (Not Started, Unsubmitted, Submitted) • Deadline for the Headcount Submission • Funding Period/Term (Spring, Summer, Autumn) • Children on roll (Please scroll to see all children) • Currently entered headcount hours

Adding a Child

If you have a new child who is not listed in the headcount, you will need to click on ‘Add Child’

(circled red below).

11

You will now see with the screen below to add the child’s name. Enter the child’s legal forename

and surname.

Click ‘Next’.

Please Note: If you add a space before or after the name the system will not accept the name.

Non-Hyphenated surnames will default to lower case on the second name. This will be

amended by Nottingham City Council.

Personal Details

The screen will now show you the child’s personal details. The forename and surname will be

populated.

Enter the child’s gender and date of birth in dd/mm/yyyy format (i.e. 26/05/2012). Enter the date

in full, including the / (forward-slash). Click ‘Save’.

Please Note: The child’s Date of Birth needs to be appropriate for the headcount you are entering the task for (i.e. 2, 3 or 4 years old). If the date is not correct the system will show an error on the record and the child will not be saved. If you click save at this point the record will not save as all fields in the child’s record need to be completed.

12

Adding an Address The screen will now show you the child’s contact details. Enter the postcode of the child with a

space between the 2 parts of the postcode. Click ‘Find Address’.

You will now be shown a list of addresses at that postcode.

Highlight the required address and click ‘Select’ (Scroll up and down if needed). Click ‘Next’.

Adding an Address Manually

If you don’t have a postcode or the address is not listed you can add the address manually by

clicking on the ‘I don’t have a postcode’ button (circled red).

You will now be shown a manual entry screen, all fields marked with a * are mandatory.

13

Type in the full address manually and click ‘Next’.

Adding Other Details

The next screen will ask you to complete the child’s ethnicity and first language. Select the

values from the dropdown lists.

Click the ‘Save’ button.

Please Note: Ethnicity and First Language need to be completed; however, there are options

for ‘Not Obtained’ or ‘Refused’, if required.

14

Adding Carer Details

If the child is 3 or 4 years old, you will be asked to add carer details (Parent/Guardian

information). This information is used to identify if the child is eligible for the Early Years Pupil

Premium (EYPP).

Enter the carer details for one or two carers and click the ‘Save’ button.

Please Note: Any children who do not have carer details (Parent/Guardian information) added and are of the correct age to claim EYPP will be highlighted in red. To rectify this, click on the edit link and add the carer details or select ‘Decline to provide’. Once all information has been added and the headcount submitted, the applications will be submitted to the DWP for eligibility checking. You will be informed of the children who attracted EYPP funding with your balance payment.

Editing a Child If a child’s record contains information that appears to be incorrect or you have received updated information on the child, then these details can be edited by clicking on the icon circled red below.

15

Entering the Headcount

You are now ready to enter the headcount for each child. Click on the ‘Edit Headcount’ button. The grid will now become active and will allow data to be entered.

The data to be inputted in each column is as follows:

Start Date: This field is only editable for the new children you have added. It will default to

the first day of the term that the child was added to the system

End Date: If a child has left in the current term, enter the end date. If the child left at the end

of the previous term please enter the first date of this funding period (i.e. 01/01/2015)

Stretched offer: Do not enter a figure as the programme will apportion the funding

Weeks attended for term: Enter the number of weeks the child will be attending in the

current term

Average hours attended per week: Enter the average hours per week, this will

automatically calculate ‘hours attended for term’

Hours attended for term: Alternatively, enter hours attended for term to automatically

calculate ‘average hours attended per week’

Hours claimed per week: ‘Hours claimed per week’ is automatically calculated

Click the ‘Save’ button. Please Note: The portal will timeout if left longer than 30 minutes. Please save your work regularly to prevent loss of data. Every field must be populated.

16

Submitting the Headcount

If you are happy with what you have entered click on the ‘Submit’ button (circled red below). You will now be shown a declaration screen, if you agree click ‘Confirm’.

You will now be shown another confirmation screen to confirm if you wish to submit this

information, click ‘Yes’. The headcount is now complete and you will be redirected back to the home page.

The task will now change its status to ‘submitted’ and the number of active tasks will go down

(circled red below).

Please Note: If you submit incomplete data and the deadline passes you will not be able to edit the data again and this will act as you submission.