Childminder in Essex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number EY316728 Inspection date 20 June 2006 Inspector Cheryl Langley

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Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

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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 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 registered in December 2005. She lives with her partner and five children aged 19, 18, 16, 15 and seven years, in a house in Loughton. The family have two pet cats, two guinea pigs and a rabbit and there is a secure garden for outside play. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding three children. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROVISION

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 enjoy activities which contribute to their health. They play in the garden, walk to and from school and visit local parks regularly to benefit from the fresh air. Children experience different types of play to enhance and develop their physical skills. They learn to balance and co-ordinate their bodies. Children manoeuvre the sit-on rides, push buggies, bat balls, climb up steps to glide down the slide and make the swinging chair move backwards and forwards. They become adept at using tools, utensils and equipment. Children feed themselves. They draw and colour to help with pencil control. Children use their fingers to push buttons, pull levers and turn knobs on the technology and home play toys and sort shapes to put into the shape sorter. Children are beginning to understand the benefits of a healthy diet. They know which type of food is good to eat and do not have sweets to keep their teeth healthy.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have access to drinking water throughout the day and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. The childminder takes account of the wishes of parents and works with them closely to provide nutritious snacks and meals that appeal to the children as well as meeting their dietary needs. Children learn the importance of hygiene and personal care. They are cared for in a very clean and welcoming home. Encouraged by regular routines, discussion and the examples set by the childminder they are aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They know why they must wash their hands after playing in the garden, stroking the pets or using the toilet and before they eat. Most of the required policies and procedures are in place to enable the childminder to act in the children's best interests should they require medical attention. However, parental consent has not been requested to seek emergency medical treatment and advice. This may delay

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Helping children to be healthy

medical attention or have an adverse effect on consistency in their care in a crisis situation.

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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 safe home. Risks are identified and minimised to keep them free from harm. They move around safely and freely choosing play from a broad range of developmentally appropriate toys and resources. This encourages their independence and confidence. Children learn to protect themselves. They use restraints on the swinging chair, follow crossing codes to cross the road and are aware not to approach strangers or dogs that they do not know. The childminder uses sensitive reminders to keep them safe in the home, reminding them not to run and to be careful over the garden step. They share interesting books to learn about safety and an emergency escape plan has been devised to get out of the house quickly in the event of a fire. To support the children's safety the childminder has most of the required procedures and documents in place including parental consents. She has a sound understanding

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of child protection issues to safeguard the children's welfare. The childminder has

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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 covered aspects of this in recent training. However, she does not have a copy of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board's procedures to ensure the correct person is contacted to take the appropriate action should she have any child protection concerns.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children have fun with an enthusiastic and affectionate childminder. She is very attentive, joining in with play, talking and listening to the children throughout to extend their thinking and language skills. This makes them feel secure and enjoy the play on offer. Activities are planned by the childminder or child-led, which gives the children a sense of belonging as well as ensuring they have a broad range of experiences to stimulate and aid their development. Children learn to recognise different colours as they choose pens to colour the blue bubbles in the picture. They begin to count in sequence as they climb up and down the stairs or sing nursery rhymes. Children use mathematical language. They pick out different shapes, such as 'circle' or 'round' on the boat and use 'big' and 'little' to compare doll's clothes with their own. Children match and sequence patterns and similar images with card games and puzzles. They put the corresponding pictures

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with letter sounds. Sharing books and talking during play promotes their language skills. Children name the animals and characters as they place them into Noah's Ark. They recognise their own name, picking out the correct card at the start of each day. Helping the childminder care for the family's pets and visits to working farms teaches children about the natural environment. They enjoy completing the weather chart each morning and observing the changes in seasons. Regular use of creative materials such as pencils, crayons, paint and using glue encourages the children to represent their ideas in a variety of ways. The children enjoy creating cards for anniversaries and making print patterns with paint to put on display in the play room or share with their parents. They express their feelings and experiences with the excellent range of role-play toys. Children enjoy caring for dolls, dressing them and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The childminder provides a good range of activities and meaningful resources to promote a positive view of the wider world. Books, dolls and activities to celebrate festivals increases children's awareness of diversity and their understanding of others. The children enjoy learning about different countries. They taste food from Mexico and Italy and produce art and crafts to mark traditional festivals, such as Easter and Christmas. Children are valued and respected. Their confidence and self esteem is developed by the childminder who gives them frequent praise and encouragement at

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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 appropriate times. She compliments children on their achievements, displaying their creations in her home and rewarding them with 'star cards' to indicate their successes. They make positive relationships, finding new friends on outings and at the different activity centres used. Consistent and developmentally appropriate strategies are used to manage behaviour. The children behave well. They understand right and wrong and are learning to be considerate, share and take turns. Children are polite, remembering to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They feel relaxed and secure with the childminder who knows them well. Children benefit from a strong partnership between the childminder and parents who exchange information frequently. The childminder works hard to meet their individual

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Helping children make a positive contribution

needs and ensure children follow their daily routine which is established with parents. They have daily discussions and review contracts, policies and procedures regularly. The childminder keeps a diary to record the achievements and routines of some children. This helps keep parents informed of how their child's needs are being met and their developmental progress. The childminder has received positive and complimentary comments about her provision from parents. However, she does not have a system in place to record or share appropriate action regarding a complaint, to make sure parents’ concerns are respected and acknowledged and the children’s welfare fully monitored.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The children's needs are met through generally effective organisation and communication with parents. Space and equipment is prepared so that children can access resources easily and independently. This enables them to make choices about their activities and play safely. A balance of child led activities and organised play ensure children have a range of different enjoyable experiences whilst they are with the childminder. They benefit from routines which make them feel secure and relaxed. Children play, eat, sleep and rest as they need to. Documentation is stored securely and information shared appropriately with parents. Some of the required policies and procedures are in place to help keep children healthy and safeguard their welfare. Children benefit from the childminder's knowledge which she continues to update with relevant training. She is currently attending the Introduction to Childminding Practice course and has a current first aid

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Organisation

qualification. Overall, the needs of all the children are met.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on

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Complaints 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 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): • request written parental permission, at the time of placement, to seek any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future • devise a system to record and report to social services or the police any concerns regarding child protection in accordance with the Local Safeguarding Children's Board procedures • devise a system to record or share appropriate action regarding a complaint to acknowledge and respect parents’ concerns and monitor the children's welfare.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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