Business Partnership Silver Award

For commitment in providing extended work placements for young people with special educational needs and learning difficulties to help prepare them for employment. 

Millie’s Mark Accreditation

Dandelions are proud to announce that we have received national recognition for going above and beyond the minimum requirements in paediatric first aid. We are currently the only setting in Basingstoke to hold this.

Achieving Millie’s Mark is a great achievement and shows that all of our staff are fully trained in paediatric first aid and that they have reflected on our current practice to improve competence and confidence.

This accreditation is a clear indicator for parents that we have met the highest standards and gives them the reassurance that their children are safe here at Dandelions

Millie’s Mark is named after Millie Thompson, who tragically died as a result of chocking in a nursery in 2012. Her parents Dan and Joanne Thompson have campaigned for all staff to have paediatric first aid training and having Millie’s Mark demonstrates that nurseries have met this.

Early Years SENCO Certified

We are pleased to announce that Dandelions is now an Early Years SENCO Certified setting.

The qualification meets the requirements of the Early Years Framework. The program is accredited by the Departmernt for Education.

Completing the Early Years SENCO qualification ensures that children with SEN get the full support they deserve.

ELSA

What is an Early Years ELSA (Early Years Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)

At Dandelions, Kelli Rushton is our named EY ELSA. Kelli has been trained by educational psychologists to support children in the development of their emotional literacy.
What is emotional literacy?
• Understanding and coping with the feelings of ourselves and others
• Developing high self-esteem and positive interactions with others
• Being emotionally literate helps children focus better on their learning.
Some of the areas the EY ELSA may work on:
• Recognising emotions
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Anger management
• Loss and bereavement
How does the EY ELSA work?
• A regular slot during the setting week of approximately 10 mins
• Sessions can be individual or in small groups and tailored to the child’s individual needs
• Sessions are fun and might include role-play, puppets, board games, playdoh or stories
• They will include time to talk
• Progress will be reviewed on a half-termly basis.
As a parent/carer, how can you help?
• By informing your child’s keyworker if there are any issues that may be affecting  your child

As an EY ELSA, Kelli will continue to receive support from Hampshire Education Psychology in the form of group supervision and ongoing training.
If this is something you think would benefit your child, please speak to your child’s keyworker or Kelli.

Food Hygiene Rating

On Thursday 16th January 2025 we received our Food Hygiene inspection.
We are delighted to announce that we received a rating of 5

Useful information

Uniform

Our uniform is not compulsory, but does help to give the children a sense of identity and belonging. It also serves to limit what gets paint and glue on and saves your child's everyday clothes! If your child is in nappies, we would request that you purchase the drawstring bag to bring changes of clothes to preschool as our storage space is limited.   

Please use the link below to purchase any branded uniform - we recommend the polo shirts and sweatshirts and/or cardigans.