Blackpool Better Start introduce new early years Quality Mark

The award recognises the commitment of early years settings to providing high-quality services to children in Blackpool up to the age of four.

Settings can work towards four grades of quality improvement - bronze, silver, gold and platinum. After three years settings need to re-apply for the award.

Blackpool Better Start is confident that the new Quality Mark will act as an assurance to parents that a particular setting is providing their child with the very best experience and learning opportunity.

There are six areas that the quality improvement scheme will address:

• Overall quality of setting
• Quality of learning and teaching
• Quality of SEND provision
• Links with other agencies and parents
• Quality of the communication and language support
• Quality of the leadership and management

All applications will be considered by a panel of representatives from the childcare and early years sector, including representatives from private day nurseries, pre-schools, children’s centres, the local authority and Better Start.

Blackpool is one of the most deprived areas in the country. In 2014, Blackpool secured £45m in funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘A Better Start’ programme, with the aim to improve the health, well-being and life chances of Blackpool’s poorest children and their families over a decade, from pre-birth to the age of three.

Blackpool Better Start is led by the NSPCC alongside the local authority, clinical commissioning group, hospital trust and police.

Merle Davies, director at the Centre for Early Child Development at Blackpool Better Start, said, ‘Children who experience high quality early years provision are well placed to achieve better outcomes in school and beyond, as well as develop better social, emotional and cognitive abilities. Blackpool is fortunate in having a very high percentage of good and outstanding rated nurseries, and this initiative will help local settings continue to deliver quality and excellence for Blackpool’s youngest children.’

Sarah Lambert, development manager at Blackpool Better Start said, ‘We are striving for Blackpool and its early years practice to be the centre of excellence for quality provision and practice to improve the outcomes for children. The Quality Mark will give early years providers the confidence to scrutinise its practice against a set of standards, and will also support them during Ofsted inspections as it will highlight a drive and desire for continued improvement.’

Merle Davies will be speaking about Blackpool’s evidence-based parenting programmes, the impact of early experiences on a child’s development and implications for best practice in working with parents at the Nursery World North show in Liverpool this May. Register and book now.