Early Years Quality Improvement Strategy

Our aim in Oxfordshire is to improve the life chances of all young children by ensuring they all have access to high quality learning and development opportunities wherever they are. The following document sets out our priorities for support and action and describes what schools and settings can expect from us in terms of support over the coming year.

Please note where the new Ofsted Self-evaluation Form Guidance refers to LA RAG rating, this means the Oxfordshire QIPs strategy.

• Quality Improvement Partners (QIPs) in the Foundation Years and childcare (pdf format, 260Kb)

Supporting settings

For a useful list of resources to help develop your early education setting see our toolkit.

Range of provision in Oxfordshire

• 326 Private, Voluntary & Independent settings
• 7 free standing nursery schools
• 32 schools offering the Early Years Foundation Stage (including maintained primary and special schools, independent schools, academies and free schools)
• 78 primary schools with Early Years Foundation Stage Units which admit 3 year olds
• Over 850 Ofsted-registered childminders.  More than 200 of these are part of the Trio Quality Childminding Network, which is run under contract with Oxfordshire County Council.   Approximately 50 of the Network Childminders are able to claim funding for 3 and 4-year-olds
• 45 Children’s Centres
• A range of crèches, drop ins and early intervention projects - mostly developed in and around Children’s Centres