Recipients of the ‘Outstanding Ofsted Award’
People dedicated to working with young children in Dorset were recently praised for their commitment at the annual Early Years and Childcare Awards ceremony.
The ceremony, organised by Dorset County Council, celebrated the nurseries, pre-schools and childminders that have received the highest Ofsted grade of ‘Outstanding’ over the last year. There are now 116 outstanding early years settings across Dorset.
Dorset County Council’s director for children’s services Sara Tough and head of learning and inclusion, Phil Minns presented the awards. Ms Tough said: “These early years of a child’s life are arguably the most important in setting the foundations for future development, so I’m delighted that a number of early years, childcare settings and childminders in Dorset are rated as outstanding by Ofsted. Parents can be confident that their little ones are in good hands and are being given the best start in life.”
Awards were also presented to those committed to improving their knowledge and skills working with children by achieving Early Years Teacher Status and Early Years Foundation Degree.
Tina Ironside, partnership and workforce manager for Dorset County Council, said: “Research proves that the quality of childcare is directly linked to the qualifications of staff working with children, so we are very lucky in Dorset to have so many dedicated early years professionals willing to study for many years to reach graduate level. The impact is evidenced by how many good and outstanding settings Dorset has, and how well prepared children are for starting school”
Councillor Toni Coombs, Dorset County Council member for education said: “We are very proud of the achievements of our early years providers. To have so many now accredited as ‘outstanding’ is a reflection of the high quality settings here in Dorset giving our youngest children a really strong foundation for starting school.”
To find out more about childcare near you visit www.dorsetforyou.com/fis or call 01305 221066.
If you’re interested in working in childcare visit www.childcarejobsdorset.co.uk
