Skip to main content

Alexandra Kathryn Stewart


Alexandra Stewart runs a registered childminder setting in Shipbourne Kent. Dimples Day Care follow the Curisoity Approach with lots of outdoor play opportunities and creative play using all natural objects and loose parts.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Alexandra Stewart
Contact Position
Owner
Telephone
07463 216 006
E-mail
alexandrakstewart@hotmail.com
Website
www.dimplesdaycare.com

Where to go

Address
Dower House Oxen Hoath
Oxenhoath Road
Hadlow
Tonbridge
Kent
Postcode
TN11 9SS
Notes

Dimples Day Care childminding operates from Woodlands Farm in Shipbourne. There are 5 steep steps down to the entrance with a sign story play area leading to the garden. Access to toilets is downstairs.

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Open All Year

Other Details

ECD Type
Childminder
Offers pickups
No
Cost details
half day and ad hoc sessions are available subject to availability
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes
2 Year Old Funding?
Yes
Facilities
Sandpit, Cot Room, Arts And Crafts, Music, Literacy and Numeracy, Cookery, Messy Play Area, Books, Dressing Up, Dance, Nursery, Kitchen, Sensory Room, Bike, Car Parking, Environmental Area, Songs, Sleeping Area, Stories, Puppets, Games / Puzzles, Play Room, Garden
Languages Spoken:
French, English
Wheelchair Access
No

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
EY556429
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

Registered to provide up to 30 hours entitlement
Yes
30 Hours Partner Details (These are details of any other childcare provider(s) that this provider will work with to offer the 30 hours entitlement)

See linked document below for our delivery pattern

Local Offer

Special Needs Support

On admission we ask families to complete an All About Me form on Tapestry with the setting Leader which gives us the chance to get to know your child’s interests to inform our planning. We assess your child’s starting point and publish our baseline data in line with Development Matters.

Each child has a key person whose role it is to develop a close and sensitive relationship with the parents. If a parent has any concerns about their child's development this information should be shared with the key person. The key person will be responsible for regular observations and assessments that link to the development matters age and stages of development.

If the key person has identified a possible individual need, this will be discussed with you and together you can plan how best to support the child. The nursery SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator may be asked for advice to support the key person and your child. The SENCO may also liaise with other professionals, with your permission, such as The Equality and Inclusion Team or the Specialist Teacher Service. Advice might involve meetings and reports to enable the key person to plan for the individual needs of your child.

The completion of the Progress Check at 2 is a statutory assessment and this may be a time when nay delay in development can be discussed and appropriate next steps identified. If an area of development needs targeting, a targeted plan will be written by the key person.

Parents/carers are involved from the very beginning, during the initial tour around the nursery, during the home visit or the first settling in session. Building a strong and trusting relationship and understanding your child's needs and interests is important to us. We would like you to share information with us on a regular basis to enable us to appropriately plan for your child, so that we can plan for your child's next steps and review their progress against targets.

If needs are identified that require additional support, we will signpost you to the relevant agencies or make a referral on your behalf. You will be kept informed and supported through every step of the process. We will ensure that the daily planning reflects what we are doing to provide support in those areas and ensure that targets are achievable and relevant. If there is a Targeted Plan we will ensure that you are invited in to share and contribute to this as your contribution is essential to your child's development and progress.

You have access to your child’s learning journey on Tapestry and you can comment on our observations and upload your own. Home learning books will be shared weekly and will suggest things you can try at home to further support your child’s development and consolidate their learning

Using your child's starting points, the key person will observe your child, plan a range of exciting and challenging activities and review their progress. You will be asked to share in the assessments we make and to contribute ideas and information relevant to their next steps in learning. We will ensure that the environment is enabling and offers a range of suitable and accessible resources. We will suggest ideas for activities to develop learning at home to reinforce the partnership between home and nursery.

If additional advice or expertise is felt necessary, we will ask for your input and your permission if we feel a referral would be beneficial. At all times we will share information with you and keep you informed. If you have any concerns, we would like you to share these with us so that we can ensure that your child receives the best possible outcomes in their learning and development.

 

Our environment is very calming and peaceful. We use only natural objects and loose parts. Soft furnishings add to the tranquillity. We follow the Curiosity Approach, so we encourage the children to explore nature and the outdoor environment as much as possible. Our staff are trained in Early Years practice and some of our more experienced staff have received specialist training in supporting children with communication delay and autism. We use the Best Practice Guidance document to support our teaching. The book is divided into universal, targeted and personalised levels to enable us to support children in the four broad areas of need. 

You may like to read our SEN policy on our website which sets out the graduated approach we use to support children. If your child is making insufficient progress through a targeted plan, the SENCo or key person may discuss with you the need to refer to other services. If your child starts receiving support from outside services, the targeted plan becomes a personalised plan. Your consent is required to make a referral for personalised support through the LIFT process. If the referral is accepted, the specialist teacher service would then visit your child to provide additional advice and guidance and may make further referrals to other services.

There are opportunities daily for discussion with your child's key person. Each child has a Learning Journey on Tapestry. This contains observations, photos and assessments. You may look at this whenever you wish, print hard copies and share with your child or contribute to with your own observations and comments. There are also opportunities to talk through your child’s interests with your child’s key person, a comment section in the daily diary and a messaging system you can use. Home learning books are also a great way of communicating progress between home and the setting.

For children who are 2, there is the 2-year-old progress check that will be completed by the key person, the parent and the Health Visitor and may form the basis for early intervention if particular concerns have been identified. The key person will regularly review your child's progress and development and will share this information with you. If your child has a Targeted Plan because of an identified need, this will be shared and reviewed with you to ensure that we are meeting the targets and planning for your child's next steps. There may be reports from other professionals involved in your child's care. A meeting might be arranged if there is a lot of information to be discussed and/or other professionals are involved.

We use our website to illustrate the variety of activities that the children participate in and to inform parents of upcoming events, as well as our noticeboard, emails and social media

Your child’s key person will ensure that planned activities are suitable and adapted to meet the child’s needs.

 

The setting is in residential properties and are not purpose built, however reasonable adjustments can be made to ensure all children can access the settings and the facilities.

With your permission, your child's Learning Journey (a record of their observations and assessments during their time at nursery) will be shared with the new setting. If possible, we will meet with the key person at the new setting or contact them to share relevant information. We will attend meetings to discuss transition with the new setting where possible. We will visit the new setting, if possible, to advise on any adaptations to provision or routine and to meet the key person/class teacher. The new key person/class teacher will be invited to meet the child at Dimples Day Care if this is possible.

We review our policies and procedure annually and we have discussions as a Team to evaluate the effectiveness of our practice. We are reflective in our practice and welcome feedback from parents in our questionnaires.

Initial contact through the website is the best way to contact us. A setting leader will be in touch to provide you with additional information and arrange an initial visit. If you would like to register for a place after this a registration pack will be sent out, availability will be discussed and settling in sessions arranged.

Copies of procedures outlining policies relating to this topic can be found on our website. Dimples Day Care operates an open-door policy and all suggestions and feedback is very welcome. Our families’ opinions are especially important to us and we endeavour to provide outstanding childcare to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of the children and their families.

Disclaimer:

This directory has been set up to help you find local services and events available in your area. We make reasonable efforts to make sure that all information provided in the directory is accurate and up to date, but we do not accept any responsibility or liability for any errors in information. It is the responsibility of each individual service to update their information. For more information read our disclaimer.

Give website feedback

green smiley (good) orange smiley (average) red smiley (poor)