Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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205956 Unique Reference Number 10 November 2006 Inspection date Alison Edwards 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 good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This childminder has been registered since 1998. She lives with her husband in a southern suburb of Derby. Minded children use the ground floor of the house for play, with access to the bathroom and main bedroom on the first floor as needed. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. Tropical fish are kept as family pets.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children enjoy an excellent range of stimulating activities to enable them to fully extend their large movement skills. For example, during planned outings to many local parks, they make full use of an extensive range of climbing and balancing equipment, suited to their varying stages of development. They learn to use their bodies to respond very imaginatively to music,

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 or to express their experiences and ideas, as they participate in children's dance sessions, for example as they pretend to be starfish, or to wade through seaweedy water. From an early age, they show high levels of confidence in moving in different ways within daily routines, for example as a toddler enthusiastically and competently climbs a ladder to the first floor of a play house or confidently explores use of a multi-swing in the childminder's garden. The childminder makes active use of ideas from ongoing training courses to involve children in stimulating activities in the fresh air throughout the year. For example she plans specific winter outdoor play sessions, and ensures children are well equipped for these with warm and waterproof clothing.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well supported in fully extending their dexterity because the childminder carefully observes their stage of development and is skilled in providing practical play activities and resources offering high levels of challenge and progression. For example, she very effectively extends a toddler's play with a rail layout by encouraging him to build a bridge of wooden bricks and see whether he can guide the train beneath it, so promoting his hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. Children of all ages enjoy very many imaginative and well-planned opportunities to use their dexterity, such as when they finger paint on bubble-wrap, make patterns in damp tea leaves, or create henna patterns.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder makes excellent use of an extensive range of policies and procedures to ensure that there is a shared understanding with parents about how best to safeguard children's health and minimise risks of cross-infection. She has very careful arrangements in place to ensure she is able to act in children's best interests in the event of any emergency. For example she ensures that she carries written parental authorisation with her at all times to enable her to seek medical treatment without delay in the event of an accident or sudden illness. Children are cared for in a clean and very well maintained family home where they learn the importance of high levels of hygiene. For example, the childminder actively encourages babies and young toddlers to use wipes thoroughly and independently to ensure their hands are clean before eating. Older children use liquid soap and paper towels when using the bathroom independently in order to

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Helping children to be healthy

minimise risks of cross-infection, and regularly clean their teeth before setting out for school in the morning to promote their dental health.

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Helping children to be healthy

Extremely high priority is given to encouraging children's healthy eating. Children's breakfasts regularly include wholemeal bread and healthy cereals, and children enjoy a varied selection of fruits, salad vegetables or home-made cookies for snacks. Main meals are flexibly planned to offer an imaginative and varied range of foods, for example fish, sesame beef, or chicken curry and naan bread, together with ample quantities of fruits and vegetables. They are home-prepared, using fresh and often organic ingredients. They are often based on attractively illustrated books of recipes for children's healthy eating to ensure they are fully in line with current guidance on children's nutrition. The childminder actively encourages children's awareness of healthy eating by frequently involving them in choosing and preparing favourite recipes. Planned activities are highly effective in promoting children's awareness of healthy

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Helping children to be healthy

foodstuffs because they are involved in growing produce such as beans, strawberries and tomatoes in the childminder's garden. The childminder gives very careful attention to ensuring that children's individual dietary needs are met, for example through extremely careful liaison with parents with regard to potential allergic reactions. Drinks are readily accessible to children to ensure they take sufficient fluids.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are relaxed and at ease in the secure and welcoming family home. Use of the ground floor of the house for play provides easily supervised space for them to participate in varied activities. For example, use of the table or hard-surfaced floor in the dining room enables children to readily participate in messy or creative play, whilst use of the carpeted lounge provides a comfortable space for activities such as construction, pretend play, or sharing books and stories. Young children are safely able to sleep and rest quietly according to their needs through use of travel cots on the first floor within the childminder's hearing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The fully-fenced rear garden is organised effectively to provide for different types of play. For example, children use a paved area for wheeled toys and to grow containers of different flowers and produce, whilst a lawned area and shaded tree seat provide scope for picnics and quiet play. Children safely enjoy use of a sturdy and well-equipped two storey playhouse for simple pretend play because the childminder has fitted additional banisters to the first floor gallery to minimise fall risks. Fixed playthings, including a slide and multi-swing, are sited on bark chippings, again reducing the risk of harm to children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder promotes children's safety effectively by offering good supervision at all times. Sound safety precautions, such as use of stairgates to control access to the kitchen, stairs and front door, help minimise potential hazards to children. Children make use of a good selection of toys and play materials which are safe and suited to their interests and stage of development. For example, a baby enjoys handling a variety of stacking beakers and board books, and children across the age range explore different textures and materials as they use carefully-chosen natural and household materials in their play. The childminder helps children understand simple safety precautions within daily routines, for example talking with them during outings about road safety or why they should not approach other people's dogs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a very sound understanding of what child abuse and neglect mean. She is conscientious in ensuring she maintains updated details of local and national guidance on procedures to be followed in the event of any child protection concerns. Consequently, she is able to act effectively to safeguard children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children's individual needs are met extremely well because the childminder makes excellent use of her thorough knowledge of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to enable younger children to build on their secure relationships with her and develop high levels of confidence and competence in a very stimulating range of activities and experiences. She makes frequent and careful observations of what children do, and regularly uses these observations to assess children's current stage of development. This enables her to plan and provide activities and experiences which are well matched to their interests and stage of maturity, so actively encouraging them to challenge and extend their skills to the fullest extent.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

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 is highly effective in encouraging young children's communication skills by responding constructively to them, extending and developing their words, and encouraging their interest in pictures and the written word. For example, she uses story sacks with accessories to fully extend children's enthusiasm for favourite picture books. She encourages an older toddler to systematically extend his language skills by talking about different animal family names, such as cow and calf, as he plays with farm animals. She helps him distinguish between different creatures by sharing a pop up book about mini-beasts. She encourages children to feel that their communication is valued and has meaning, for example as she sensitively interprets a baby's gestures, expressions and vocalisations. She very effectively helps a younger baby

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

develop manipulative skills by encouraging use of stacking beakers, and provides interesting tactile books with mirrors to encourage self-awareness. She makes use of simple resources in carefully planned and imaginative ways to extend children's learning through practical play. For example, she enables children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by encouraging them to use different polar animals such as penguins and polar bears in a large tray of tapioca snow. She extends their language skills by helping them name the animals and talk about where and how they live. She encourages their mathematical skills by encouraging them to group the animals by size or type, and by counting and comparing numbers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder has attended extensive training relevant to care for children across the age range. She uses this extremely well to ensure that all children benefit from an extensive and varied range of experiences to support their development across all areas. For example, older children are actively encouraged to fully extend a range of interlinked skills such as using reference books, measuring and mixing ingredients, as they choose and help prepare different recipes. She gives high emphasis to encouraging children of all ages to explore use of a stimulating range of techniques and materials to explore the natural world and to express their own creative ideas. For example, children are inspired by sculptures in a local country park to make their own sculpture from natural materials such as leaves and sticks. Children across the age range develop a high awareness of the world around them as they grow plants in the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

childminder's garden or maintain relationships with families working in the developing world. Children know their activities and achievements are highly valued because the childminder incorporates examples of their creations in attractive displays, and because well-captioned photograph albums are used to share children's activities and experiences with parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The established and experienced childminder is consistent and caring in her dealings with children, helping them to develop confidence in their relationships and play. She helps children learn what behaviour is appropriate by acting as a good role model, and by talking with them about how to care for themselves and their belongings. For example, she involves a toddler in simple discussion about why it is necessary to wear a coat and outdoor shoes when going into the garden, and about why wet shoes need to be removed and dried when coming back indoors. Younger children are confident when making choices between the interesting range of available activities, or in suggesting their own ideas, such as watching a favourite video. The childminder involves them in discussion and negotiation about the timing of activities, for example in deciding when they will go for a walk.

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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 There are good arrangements to recognise children's individuality because the childminder works closely with parents to ensure that specific needs are met, for example with regard to particular foods, or use of signing to support communication. Careful use of observations of children's preferences and progress also helps the childminder provide appropriate care matched to children's individual needs, for example as she builds on a toddler's individual interest in railway engines to help him learn about different colours, shapes and sizes. Children begin to recognise and respect individual differences by using resources such as dolls with different skin tones, or books reflecting different family lifestyles. The sometimes take part in planned activities linked to festivals such as Diwali or Chinese New Year, so helping them learn about

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is fostered well. The childminder ensures prospective parents develop a good understanding of arrangements for children's care by offering several initial visits to allow time to discuss policies and procedures, and to view folders showing plans and photographs of recent activities. In addition to information on specific health and dietary needs, the childminder seeks parents' comments on their children's preferred care routines, for example with regard to settling to sleep to help her meet individual needs. Parents and childminder share information about children's daily experiences and activities through informal discussion at the start or end of the day. The childminder keeps written records of her observations of children's progress, and shares these with parents every few weeks to keep them updated on their children's development.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are confident and settled in an environment which supports their purposeful engagement in a stimulating range of indoor and outdoor activities. The childminder takes positive steps to reflect on and develop her provision for children. For example, she frequently attends local training on childcare issues to supplement and update her existing Level 3 childcare qualification. Details of children's personal and contact details are methodically maintained and readily accessible to promote children's care and welfare. The childminder makes good use of additional information, such as captioned photographs and written policies, to help prospective parents gain a good understanding of arrangements for children's care. However, at present daily records of children's attendance are not fully effective in underpinning children's care because they occasionally lack clarity regarding individual times of arrival and departure.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to review hygiene procedures with particular regard to storage of children's individual toothbrushes and flannels. These items are now stored separately from each other, so minimising risks of cross-infection and effectively promoting good hygiene practices.

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. 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 good. 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): • ensure that daily records of children's attendance clearly and consistently show individual children's times of arrival and departure.

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The quality and standards of the care

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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