ABC Childcare Services Cheshire Ltd

Activities: Managers wanted to help practitioners to devise group-time activities that intrigue and surprise children. They established a structure for group times that features an engaging puppet character who imparts new words and knowledge or has an activity for children to try.

Skills , Knowledge and Behavior: Practitioners benefit from practical and effective supervision. Managers work alongside them and offer expert coaching. This is demonstrated well when new routines are introduced. Managers guide the process until everyone understands the purpose and achieve consistency in their teaching.

Communication: Managers post videos of practitioners reading bedtime stories for children to watch online at home.

Community Building: Children become active members of the local community. They walk to a nearby care home to visit the residents. This helps children to develop confidence in forming new friendships.

Welcoming and Professional Staff: Children of all ages demonstrate that they feel welcomed. This promotes their readiness to learn and they make excellent progress. Children's sense of security is enhanced by close and effective partnerships between practitioners and parents.

Safeguarding Training: Practitioners demonstrate a vigilant approach to promoting children's welfare. They have an excellent knowledge and understanding of safeguarding legislation and local child protection procedures.

Play and Learning Integration: Practitioners show children how to find out information in reference books. They speak clearly and help children to discriminate the beginning, middle and end sounds in words. For example, they teach children to say 'yes' not 'yeah' at register time. Children learn that words are grouped into sentences.

Transition to Primary School: The partnership with the school is excellent. Parents praise the work and commitment of both settings in helping children to progress smoothly into the school Reception class.

Diversity Management: Practitioners from other settings provide first-hand knowledge of different festivals and beliefs, helping children to extend their conversation skills and adapt their behavior to a new set of expectations.

Child Safety Management: Practitioners carefully ensure that risks to children are identified and minimized. For example, children learn and practice road safety when they walk to the care home.

Children's Safety and Security: Practitioners demonstrate a vigilant approach to promoting children's welfare. Managers make sure that parents know how their personal information is stored and explained why information may be shared with other agencies.

Teaching Personal Safety: Practitioners work with parents to teach children to stay safe online. Children begin to understand the risks and benefits of the internet.

Happiness and Settling: Children of all ages demonstrate that they feel welcomed. Children know what to do and remember how they are expected to behave.