Childminder in Wigan

Inspection report for early years provision

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322673 Unique Reference Number 08 August 2006 Inspection date Gillian Patricia Bishop Inspector

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Childcare Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder has been registered since 1994. She lives with her two teenage children in the Winstanley area of Wigan. The whole ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding three children under five years during the day and three children over five years on a before and after school basis. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The family have a pet dog.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are introduced to some appropriate hygiene practices, for example, washing their hands after using the bathroom and before eating. Older children are aware of the benefits of good hygiene practices because they have made a picture for the bathroom wall which states, 'we wash our hands to get rid of germs'. The childminder has relevant systems in place to record information relating to accidents, dietary needs and medication for younger children, which ensures suitable consideration is given to their welfare and medical needs. However, these good practices are not consistent for all children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Parents currently provide all their own food and drink for their children. The childminder sometimes provides small snacks, such as toast and fruit, and additional drinks. Children are able to keep themselves independently refreshed because they have access to their drinking cups which are topped up during the day. However, children do not develop a good understanding of healthy eating as some children frequently help themselves to large proportions of sweets and chocolates from their lunchboxes. The childminder does not challenge these eating habits with the children, for example, by discussing the impact sugar has on their teeth. This prevents children from developing a positive approach to healthy living.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are provided with regular opportunities to play outdoors which ensures they remain physically active. Children sometimes visit the park which enables them to exert themselves when climbing, running and playing ball games. Children also benefit from daily walks to school to collect other children. The childminder ensures suitable arrangements are in place to protect children from the dangers of the sun. As a consequence, she has parental permission to apply a suitable sunscreen for younger children and she states the children do not play out when it is very hot.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean and tidy home. They move freely around ground floor rooms displaying a familiarity with the home and where they may play. The childminder has recently increased the range of toys and equipment made available to the children to include jigsaws, a tea set and play till. Older children now benefit from a small selection of board games, small Lego and books. She has considered positive ways for children to develop their independence and social skills by making much of the equipment freely accessible. However, the selection of toys is only just sufficient for the numbers and ages of children being cared for.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in an environment where some recent steps have been taken to promote their safety and welfare. For example, children can no longer access hazardous substances stored in the kitchen because appropriate cupboard locks have been installed. Children are beginning to understand how to keep themselves safe because the childminder ensures they use the stairs carefully and sensibly. The childminder demonstrates a sound knowledge of child protection procedures which ensures she is able to protect children in her care.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Improved safety measures ensure children are kept generally safe. However, an unlocked gate in the garden and a broken front door handle compromise children's safety because the environment is not suitably secured. Children are generally quite confident around the family's pet dog as she usually settles in a designated arm chair where she sleeps. However, the dog tends to be very possessive of particular toys especially those she recognises as her own. The dog is capable of pushing younger children over in her attempts to retrieve a toy. As a result, children become upset and there are potential risks to their health and safety.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are happy and well settled in the childminder's home. They have developed positive relationships with their carer which ensure they feel confident and able to express their own needs and wishes, for example, 'I don't want to play with that anymore' and 'I want a drink'. Children receive adequate support and guidance from the childminder because she helps them with some of their activities, for example, she sits with the children to help them complete their Tweenie character jigsaw.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Younger children are currently enjoying a range of role play toys which allow them to use their imaginations. They make a picnic and café using the tea set and play till. The childminder encourages them to make pretend breakfast and drinks which they can share with everybody else. Children develop these ideas further by making a tent outside. They talk about creating their own 'home' under the sheet and busy themselves by collecting dolls, prams and pots.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder does not forward plan her activities which prevents her from providing children with a wider range of challenging activities. Children, therefore, initiate most of their own activities. She provides children with basic resources to play with but these are not always sufficient to promote children's interest and development across a broad age group. Therefore, children tend to spend a great deal of time watching television.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The childminder has established suitable working relationships with parents by ensuring they are verbally advised about children's activities and welfare at the end of each day. Children's individual needs are discussed at the time of placement to identify specific needs and to ensure they are cared for in line with parental wishes. However, childminding practices and expectations are not always made clear because contracts and parental consents are not in place for all children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Opportunities for children to learn about diversity and the wider world remain very limited, although the childminder has slightly increased her toys and activities to promote positive images of others. For example, multi-cultural doll and jigsaws. She has provided children with pictures to colour which represent various countries in the world, but this activity did not reflect the age and level of understanding of the children they were provided for.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are beginning to play harmoniously with others by sharing and taking turns. They are becoming aware of the boundaries within the setting so they learn what is expected of them. For example, children ask before they help themselves to extra drinks and they inform the childminder when they go upstairs to use the bathroom. The childminder praises the children for completing a floor puzzle easily and for working well together when setting up a tent in the garden, which helps them to feel good about themselves. Older children develop a sense of responsibility as they are encouraged to involve younger children in their activities and games.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder is making adequate attempts to steadily improve the provision she offers for children. She has attended some training courses since her two recent inspections, these include inclusion practices for children with additional needs and 'Birth to three matters' curriculum training. Her knowledge of some childminding regulations ensures children attending are protected by appropriate vetting procedures because the childminder ensures persons within the home submit to a vetting process.

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Organisation

Some aspects of documentation are kept in line with the National Standards. Recent developments with regard to the keeping of a daily register and new methods for keeping children's records ensures relevant information is kept and shared confidentially. Documents for younger children contain relevant information and parental consents, but this practice is not consistent for older children which compromises their safety and well-being. The childminder has not yet devised a suitable parent complaints record and accident records are not used consistently to ensure all injuries are recorded regardless of how minor they are. This is a breach in regulations.

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Organisation

The childminder is allowing children to become more independent in their play and movements. Children, therefore, move freely around the home in order to access equipment from the dining room and drinks from the kitchen. As a consequence, children feel more confident and able to make suggestions about what they want to do or what they need. The childminder makes some attempts to sit with the children during their activities which ensures younger children receive the guidance they need. Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the time of the last inspection five actions were raised relating to documentation, resources and equipment, health and hygiene procedures and safety. The childminder has now developed the daily register system which ensures children's names and attendance times are recorded. She has improved safety within the home by ensuring hazardous substances in the kitchen and bathroom are made inaccessible. Risks to children have been further minimised as electrical sockets have know been covered to prevent children from touching them. The childminder has reviewed her hygiene arrangements to ensure she promotes children's awareness of good hygiene practices when eating and after using the bathroom.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The childminder has made some attempt to increase the range of resources and equipment made available to children, although the selection of suitable and challenging toys still remain limited. She now provides a small selection of books, jigsaws, board games and small world toys which promote some aspects of children's learning and interest in their play. The new play equipment is appropriately stored to allow children to be independent and make some choices about what they want to do. The childminder has also made some attempt to provide resources and activities which promote children's awareness of diversity and the wider world. However, the progress with regard to this action is very limited which compromises children's ability to develop positive views about the society in which they live.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop a healthy eating regime to encourage children to limit their sweet intake; consider activities which teach young children about good and bad foods • further develop safety measures both inside and outside the home by improving security with regard to the garden gates and the front door, furthermore, review health and safety precautions to ensure children remain safe and healthy when the dog is present, especially when she has access to their toys • continue to develop the range of toys, resources and activities to meet the needs, interests and ages of all children attending • significantly develop the range of resources, equipment and activities to raise children's awareness of race, culture and disability; ensure activities are age-appropriate and provide children with a positive view of the society in which they live

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The quality and standards of the care

• ensure all regulatory documentation is kept for all children under eight years; ensure all accidents and injuries are consistently recorded and develop a written complaints record for parents.

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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