Highfield Middle School

Inspection report for early years provision

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122340 Unique Reference Number 05 July 2006 Inspection date Amanda Jane Tyson 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?

The childminder has been registered since 1990. She lives with her husband, three children, aged 16, 13, and 11 years and two pet lurcher dogs. The home is situated within a residential area of Nork, Banstead and is within easy access to the M25, Banstead village shops and community resources, such as schools, parks and a library.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is currently caring for six children throughout the week, of whom one is aged under one, three are aged between five to eight years, and the remainder aged from one to under five.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The first floor is not used for childminding. Children play in the double aspect lounge. There is a ground floor cloakroom, a kitchen and a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play.

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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 good. Children benefit greatly by the childminder's interest in the outdoors. For example, good use is made of the garden for climbing and exploring, the children walk the dogs with her each day and regularly visit her horse, which is kept at a nearby stable. Parents provide children's meals and snacks and the childminder informs them at the end of the day about how much they have eaten. She makes sure that they drink plenty of water, particularly during warm weather. As a result, children keep healthy and active.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder's home is kept clean and she is mindful to ensure that the children's hands are washed after touching animals. The childminder provides a clean hand towel each day, although the children do share this as opposed to having their own. Nevertheless, liquid soap and a child step encourages older children's independence and she talks to them about the importance of thorough hand washing to prevent the spread of germs. Babies are changed on individual changing mats, teething toys are sterilized and she operates a 24 hour exclusion period for contagious diseases. The childminder's two pet dogs sleep on specific chairs and the children know to sit on the others. The garden is cleared daily of dog mess, which is minimal anyway because they are taken out regularly. Overall, children are well protected from the risk of cross-infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder has obtained a full written health history on each child and clarified the wishes of parents on a wide variety of issues, so that she can respond appropriately to their needs. For example, parents have consented to the childminder seeking emergency treatment if required, to applying sun lotion, and to her administering infant paracetamol, following a telephone call, in the event of an unexpected high temperature. She has recently updated her first aid training, which means that her knowledge on practice, such as resuscitation and dealing with choking, is current. The childminder maintains a written record of accidents and administered medication, although the detail of entries is limited and the notebook style method does not guarantee confidentiality.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder has taken meticulous care to make her home, which she has only recently moved into, safe for children. For example, she organised for a qualified gardener to conduct a rigorous risk assessment of the outdoor area to make sure that there were no poisonous plants. All the roses have been removed so that children are not at risk from scratching themselves on thorns, and the whole garden is secured with perimeter fencing. Indoors, the childminder has prevented children's access to certain areas which present hazards, such as the stairs, kitchen and the lounge fire place. Electrical sockets are fitted with covers and low level glass has been removed, or is in the process of being protected with safety film. The childminder's wide selection of play and learning resources are all maintained in excellent condition and stored appropriately. The high quality swing and climbing apparatus, which has

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

been bought from the previous home, is due to be installed into safety surfacing to minimise

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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 impact from possible falls. Smoke detectors have been fitted to both levels of the home, older children have been briefed on the emergency evacuation procedure, and there is a fire blanket ready to be wall mounted in the kitchen. The childminder ensures close supervision of the children when she takes them out and about, but has not implemented any measures to minimise the length of time it would take for a child to be reunited with her, in the event that they did become lost.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded by the childminder's secure knowledge of child protection issues. However, although she is very aware of the need to record any obvious concerns or significant injuries, she does not routinely keep a record of minor ones. This means that patterns of injuries, which may raise child protection concerns, or indeed highlight early signs of medical conditions, may be missed.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder balances the day exceptionally well to provide a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities, time spent within the home, and visits to local community groups. As a result, the children happily initiate their own games and mix easily with other children. A particularly exciting feature of the provision, is the regular opportunities for the children to visit the stables where the childminder keeps her horse and where various farm animals also live. At toddler group they are able to experiment with paint and malleable resources, join in music and movement activities, and explore the varied play resources. Children arrive back at the childminder's home from morning nursery and good naturedly greet younger children who are equally as pleased to see them. The children help themselves to the toys and organise their own games. For example, a baby crawls towards a large tub of toys and pulls out a plastic shark,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

he sits for ages opening and shutting the mouth before crawling off to experiment with a musical instrument. A four year-old takes his selection of dinosaurs into a tent and begins to set them out in a regimented line up, whilst engaging in delightful conversation with the childminder about a recent visit to the natural History Museum.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder makes sure that she prioritises younger children's routine needs when planning the days activities; if they need to sleep, then visits to community groups are postponed. She spends time getting to know new children and her gentle, communicative, and physically demonstrative approach is ensuring a close bond between herself and the children. Babies settle well and are secure, happy and content. The childminder understands the needs of school aged children after a busy day in a structured environment and makes sure that the popular arts and crafts are readily available for them on arrival.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder has recently attended a training workshop on the 'Birth to three matters' framework and is now in the process of planning how she will use her learning to devise a system for monitoring and recording the children's developmental progress. Her knowledge of how children learn through play is secure and particularly well demonstrated by the wide range of play and learning experiences provided for babies.

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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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The childminder knows the children very well because she makes sure that she spends time talking to parents, and taking the time to settle children into her care slowly and sensitively. For example, sleep routines are replicated, she abandons all other activities to spend time cuddling and playing with babies, which means that they are now gaining in confidence and are very secure. Children are introduced to diversity as they play with toys and resources that depict people with disabilities and differences in race and gender. The childminder's knowledge of child development equips her well with the skills to recognise possible developmental concerns. Her many years of experience in caring for children ensures high levels of confidence in working closely with parents and outside professionals.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder ensures a good partnership with parents. She has devised a number of written policies which underpin her operational practice, for example, behaviour management, child sickness, and commitment to equal opportunities are well explained. However, as she herself was not up-to-date on the changes to regulation in relation to the complaints procedure, this has not been cascaded down to parents. Nevertheless, she sought parental views on her service in a recent questionnaire, which highlighted complete satisfaction, with no areas for improvement. Whilst the childminder does not currently provide parents with any written information about children's care, she does make sure that this is passed on verbally at the end of the day, for example, times of feeds, sleep and numbers of nappy changes.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children behave well. There are very few opportunities for them to misbehave because she supervises them closely, which means that she is on hand to intervene and re-direct before situations escalate. Older children are caring and considerate towards younger children, and are well mannered and sociable in the presence of visitors. Children's self-esteem is raised by the childminder's consistent use of praise and acknowledgement of their efforts and achievements. She keeps parents informed about any incidents of unacceptable behaviour and takes appropriate steps to ensure the best outcomes for all the children.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder understands her responsibility to keep the children safe from un-vetted adults and to keep the regulator informed of changes to her circumstances. She has ensured that her eldest daughter has submitted to the required vetting checks, and protects the children well from adults whilst out and about in the community. Although the childminder was a little late informing Ofsted of her house move, she had temporarily ceased caring for children whilst she concentrated on making the premises safe before she wrote to Ofsted.

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Organisation

The childminder has organised the use of space well and will soon be making some structural improvements to the home that will benefit the children. She demonstrates a commitment towards continual improvement and is keen to keep up-to-date with developing childcare changes, for example she recently attended training relating to the care of children aged under three years. Records and documentation that are required for the efficient and safe management of the children are in place, but not all contain sufficient detail, for instance the register of

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 daily attendance does not show the times of arrival and departure for each child every day. Nevertheless, her conditions of registration and public liability insurance certificates are all displayed as required and she demonstrates a strong commitment towards improving her organisation of administrative systems. As a result, the childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Three recommendations for improvement were given following the last Children Act inspection. All of which relate to records and documentation. As requested, the childminder has initiated the criminal records check for her eldest daughter. She was asked to ensure that parents signed to acknowledge any entries to the accident book, and to devise a system for recording any administered medication. With the exception of the latest entry, parents have been signing the accident book. The system for recording administered medication is very basic, but to date the childminder has not administered any medication to children aged under eight years.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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): • improve the systems for record keeping overall, pay particular attention to: devising a procedure for investigating and recording any complaints from parents; detailing the times of arrival and departure of children's daily attendance; ensuring that parents sign to acknowledge the entry of any accidents, existing injuries or incidents involving behaviour. • take steps to improve safety whilst on outings.

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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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