Buttons@Cheddington

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture where every child is valued, supported and enabled to participate fully in the life of the setting. The breadth of opportunities available is a significant strength and is consistently recognised by parents. Visits to local shops, partnerships with businesses and regular trips to the local farm enrich children's experiences and help them to develop confidence, independence and a strong sense of belonging. All children are encouraged to participate in these experiences and benefit from the wide range of opportunities available to them.

Leaders and practitioners know children well and are alert to any barriers that may affect their learning, wellbeing or participation. They take prompt action to understand children's individual circumstances and provide appropriate support, adaptations and inclusive approaches when needed. This ensures that children can participate fully in the life of the setting and access the same rich experiences as their peers, including forest school, external music enrichment and local church visits. Children are encouraged to take part in experiences that broaden their knowledge of the world and develop their confidence and sense of belonging.

Practitioners monitor children's progress carefully and regularly and use what they know about individual children to identify where further support or adaptation may be beneficial. Practitioners work closely together to reduce barriers and ensure that children's individual needs are reflected in their day-to-day experiences. As a result, children engage confidently in learning and play, develop their skills and make strong progress from their individual starting points.

Inclusion is well embedded throughout the setting. Children experience a strong sense of belonging and are supported to participate fully in the wide range of experiences available to them. This makes a positive difference to their confidence, wellbeing, learning and development.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have developed an ambitious and progressive curriculum that is well embedded and accessible to children at different stages of development. Practitioners consistently follow children's interests while skilfully weaving in the knowledge and skills they need to develop. The progressive nature of the curriculum is evident in experiences such as physical development, from hopping and skipping through to more complex movement, and early mark-making developing towards letter formation.

Teaching is consistently purposeful and highly effective across the setting. Practitioners use interactions highly effectively to extend children's thinking, language and vocabulary, while giving them time and space to express their ideas. Children are highly engaged and sustain their learning for significant periods, confidently extending their own play. For example, children progressively developed their play dough skills using real foods, knives and graters before extending their learning into planting lemon seeds.

Forest school provides highly impactful opportunities to develop language, vocabulary, physical development and understanding of the natural world. Practitioners make meaningful links across experiences, including at mealtimes, where discussions about nutrition, growth and food origins extend children's knowledge.

Children are consistently encouraged to develop independence through everyday routines, and, overall, the curriculum and teaching are highly effective and make a real difference to children's experiences and learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children consistently make strong progress from their individual starting points across the 7 areas of learning. They know and remember an increasing range of knowledge and develop the skills they need to become confident and capable learners.

Children who need additional support overcome barriers to learning through effective adaptations, including visual prompts and additional communication support. Parents recognise the significant difference in their children's speech and physical development, reflecting the highly impactful support they receive. As a result, they acquire the foundational knowledge and skills they need and are able to make strong progress.

Children benefit from consistent opportunities to engage in the setting's curriculum, which supports continuity in their learning and enables them to build progressively on what they know and can do. Where children access their full funded entitlement, they benefit from increased continuity in their learning experiences, enabling them to revisit, practise and build on knowledge and skills over time.

Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning. They develop the practical skills they need for school, including changing independently for physical education, and become familiar with the routines and expectations of their next setting through weekly summer-term visits. Children who require additional preparation experience transition arrangements that are consistently tailored to their individual needs. This helps them develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to settle successfully into their next stage of learning.

Children continue to benefit from strong continuity following transition, with their progress and wellbeing supported as they move into Reception Year. As a result, children are well equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have established a warm, respectful and highly inclusive culture where expectations for behaviour are well understood and consistently applied. Children behave exceptionally well, play harmoniously and demonstrate kindness through sharing, helping others and using good manners without prompting. The setting's 'golden rules' are well embedded, with sensitive reminders used appropriately, particularly for children who are new to the setting.

Children have warm, secure and trusting relationships with practitioners who respond highly effectively to individual needs and circumstances. For example, when children want to remain with their key workers through different activities and routines of the day, practitioners make sensitive adjustments that enable children to feel secure while accessing the experiences.

Children are highly effectively supported to recognise and manage their emotions. Visual aids are used consistently and revisited throughout the day. Children are developing strong emotional awareness. For example, they recognise their changing feelings throughout the day and independently amend their emotion on the feelings board.

Clear routines are well embedded and have a positive impact on children's behaviour and attitudes. Children consistently contribute to tidying, respond positively to the 'stop song' and move calmly through transitions. Opportunities to make choices, such as selecting songs, further develop confidence and independence. As a result, children demonstrate highly positive attitudes, collaborate well and are consistently ready to learn.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are consistently prioritised by leaders and practitioners who know children exceptionally well and quickly develop a strong understanding of the individual needs of children new to the setting. This enables them to respond to changing circumstances and provide sensitive, individualised care. Secure relationships and well-embedded, age-appropriate routines ensure children feel safe and settled.

Children are supported to develop healthy habits effectively and understand the impact of their choices on their bodies. Informative mealtime cards help children recognise different food groups and their benefits, encouraging informed choices and establishing positive attitudes towards nutrition, self-care and physical health.

Children's individual sleep needs are carefully understood and supported through highly effective safer sleep practices. Practitioners demonstrate particularly secure knowledge of children's individual sleep routines and are alert to changes in their sleep patterns and wellbeing. This enables them to respond promptly when children's needs change and to adapt their care appropriately. Younger children sleep on their backs on firm mattresses, with no obstructions, in a quiet sleep room, and a member of staff consistently remains present with sleeping children. Practitioners demonstrate a strong understanding of the importance of frequent physical checks, including checking breathing, and systematically record these using a sleep monitoring log. This consistent and responsive approach ensures that children are kept safe while sleeping and that any changes in their individual needs or wellbeing are identified and responded to promptly.

Calm, predictable routines are well established and responsive to children's ages, stages and individual needs. Practitioners consistently respond attentively to children, supporting their physical health, emotional security and growing independence. As a result, children feel highly valued, safe and exceptionally well cared for, providing a strong foundation for their wellbeing and development.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly committed to providing high-quality education and care that makes a real difference to the lives of children and families. They know the setting exceptionally well, accurately recognise its strengths and consistently maintain high expectations across the provision. Their decisions are firmly focused on children's individual needs and wellbeing, including providing additional sessions to support families who need greater flexibility and highly effective signposting to external professionals.

Leaders have established notably effective, trusting relationships with parents. Open and honest communication is well embedded, enabling families to share concerns and access timely advice and support. Parent feedback consistently identifies engagement with families as a significant strength. Leaders also provide valuable continuity by supporting returning families with familiar key persons wherever possible. Leaders understand the importance of continuity in children's learning and work closely with families to support regular attendance and make the most of the funded hours available to them.

Professional development is highly valued and has a demonstrable impact on practice and outcomes for children. Practitioners benefit from training delivered by external professionals and members of the local community, which broadens their knowledge. This has strengthened practitioners' confidence and skills and improved the quality of their interactions and support, helping children to make progress and develop the knowledge and skills they need. Leaders carefully evaluate staff development needs and use training to strengthen practice in response to the needs of the children and families. Leaders also consistently prioritise staff wellbeing and carefully consider workload when making decisions, helping staff to feel valued and supported.

Leaders have developed highly effective partnerships with the local school, church, businesses and wider community. These relationships have a highly positive and far-reaching impact on children's experiences, development and wellbeing. Overall, leadership is highly effective and well embedded, with leaders' actions consistently making a real difference to the quality of education and care provided.