Deddington Partnership Foundation Stage Unit

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The exceptional care and education that children receive at this setting have a significant positive impact on their lives and futures. Every child makes excellent progress because of the flexible and progressive curriculum. Children settle quickly on arrival, showing a strong attachment to all staff in their confident interactions. All staff plan exciting experiences across all areas of the curriculum that support children to focus and engage for sustained periods. For example, children follow instructions to make objects out of dough, using a range of resources including tools to manipulate the dough. Children add a range of natural products and model sea creatures to explore making marks and patterns. During this activity, children's language and communication development is consistently strengthened through staff's high-quality interactions. For example, staff extend children's language with more complex vocabulary such as 'predators', 'spikes' and 'antennae'. Staff question children on their prior learning and experiences and expertly build on their knowledge. Staff have high expectations for the children and plan activities around their interests.

Children behave exceptionally well. They are attentive and follow instructions. Children receive regular praise for their achievements and positive behaviour. Staff are excellent role models and teach children how to be safe. For example, ahead of attending the woods, staff remind children about the potential hazards of forest school. Children clearly understand and know the rules as they recite how at forest school there is 'no pick or lick and be careful with the sticks'.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The manager is very experienced and dedicated to her role. She has a profound commitment to continuous reflection and works tirelessly with a range of professionals, with children at the heart of everything she does. The manager leads the staff team with vision and passion. Staff work together to get to know children and their families in depth. This has significant advantages in helping to keep children safe and for staff to build on their learning. For example, staff work with the parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to ensure the children can join in with events at the setting such as sports day and circle time.
• Promotion of children's well-being is outstanding and their behaviour is excellent. Children develop their confidence and social skills and learn to manage their behaviour. There is a strong focus on friendship and kindness at the setting. For example, staff use the praise board and children are encouraged to engage with and help each other as they play. They are taught to have patience and show respect for others.
• Partnerships with parents are excellent. Highly effective communication supports these relationships very well. Staff have an extremely good awareness of the local community. This enables them to provide parents with information about local events and places to visit in the area to introduce new experiences to their children. Parents speak highly of the care that staff afford their children and feel that they trust staff implicitly. Parents speak of the practical and emotional support they receive from the manager and her staff, not just for their children but as a whole family.
• Support for children with SEND is outstanding. Staff go over and above to secure timely interventions and target support for individual children at the earliest opportunity. This contributes to the rapid and substantial progress that all children make over short periods.
• The manager demonstrates an uncompromising commitment to providing children with the highest level of care and education. She has high ambitions for what children can achieve, regardless of their backgrounds and previous experiences. For example, she identifies that following the COVID-19 pandemic, some children do not make expected progress with their speech. She allocates additional funding for speech professionals to support the children and their families. This has a positive impact on children's communication and language development, allowing children to make the best possible progress.
• There are excellent arrangements to support children's emotional well-being. For example, there is an area where children can find images and pictures to help them to express their emotions and feelings. Staff read books to help children to work through their emotions and to give them time to calm down and relax. Children with SEND have a quiet area where they can retreat from the group if they feel overwhelmed.
• Community involvement is commendable. Staff use their local contacts extremely well to help children begin to understand different people and the world around them. For instance, children access the local library weekly, where they read a story and borrow books. They walk to forest school, the castle grounds and the local allotments. They are also involved in a range of school events, as they share the premises with the foundation stage unit. Staff invite a variety of visitors in to give children rich learning experiences. These opportunities result in an appreciation for their community.