Hills, Shelley

Inspection report for early years provision

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161529 Unique Reference Number 08 August 2006 Inspection date Joyce Bowler 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 was registered in 2001. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Durrington, Wiltshire. The minded children have access to the living room, kitchen and conservatory/diner plus the upstairs toilet and a bedroom for overnight sleeping. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time. She is currently minding one child full time and nine children on a part time basis. The family have a pet dog. They also have one reptile which is kept in the garage and is inaccessible to the minded children. The childminder provides overnight care.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 are cared for in a clean and homely environment. They are learning to keep themselves healthy through effective daily routines where they wash their hands before eating and after using the potty or toilet. Children are protected from cross infection as they use disposable paper towels to dry their hands. Children's accidents and medication needs are recorded accurately and shared with parents who give their prior consent for the childminder to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. Children's minor injuries are treated appropriately as the childminder holds a first aid certificate. There is a first aid kit in place to support this. Medication supplied by parents is stored correctly, for example, a nappy rash cream is kept at the right temperature in the fridge. The childminder has also undertaken training in the use of an Epi-pen and asthma inhalers for use with her own family and any minded children. The family

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Helping children to be healthy

pet dog is up to date with all his inoculations and veterinary checks.

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Helping children to be healthy

Parents supply all food for meals and this is stored in the kitchen. Dairy items and prepared meals are kept in the fridge. The childminder provides extra drinks and snacks such as fruit and biscuits. There are no children currently attending who have any special dietary requirements but her awareness is heightened as a member of her own family has an allergy. This indicates that children with any food intolerances would be catered for appropriately. Babies and children have their own beakers and cups to minimise cross contamination.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's physical development is promoted through access to a range of activities both indoors and out. These include playing in the garden, walking the dog, going to the park and a local playing field and walking to and from schools and pre-schools. They have access to toys, puzzles and writing materials to foster their manual dexterity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder gives high priority to safety at home and on outings. Children benefit from extra measures to minimise risks such as making sure that each child wears a fluorescent strip when they are walking to school together in her 'walking bus' and the use of the correct car seats. To this end the childminder has written to all of the parents with information regarding the changes in the law for children's car seats in September 2006. She has requested the weight of each child to ensure that the seats comply with the new regulations. Children are protected when away from her home on outings as the childminder takes the contact details for all parents in her mobile phone. At home risks are identified and hazards reduced by the use of electric socket covers and keeping toys such as pencils out of the reach of the younger children. Children have adequate space to play indoors and out and resources are clean and in good condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are smoke alarms on both floors and a fire blanket in the kitchen. The childminder is aware of the escape routes for her home in case of a fire but has not devised or practised an emergency evacuation routine to use with minded children. Children are protected when they sleep as the childminder uses the sitting room for naps in the day. Any child who stays overnight sleeps upstairs in the bedroom nominated for childminding use. The childminder maintains her

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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 public liability insurance and has the appropriate car documents for transporting minded children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is compromised by the childminder's limited knowledge of child protection procedures. She is unsure of the procedures to follow in case of a child protection concern and what to do if an allegation is made against herself. She does not have a copy of the current child protection guidance document.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are provided with a good variety of play opportunities which enable them to have fun and to learn in the childminder's care. Children develop skills as the childminder provides them with a range of toys and equipment to promote their development. These include puzzles which offer increasing challenges and toys for small world and imaginative play. Children benefit from domestic everyday activities such as walking the dog and shopping when they can learn about their local environment, observe the helicopters and planes that fly overhead regularly and talk about and notice seasonal changes and nature. They learn to count, to identify colours and to share their ideas and thoughts. Children are encouraged to join in activities at the local library during story time. They watch some television including educational programmes for younger viewers. The childminder is aware of the content of the Birth to three matters framework and

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

is confident that her provision meets the developing needs of the under three year olds. Children benefit from care where an emphasis is put on them developing good personal, social and emotional skills. The childminder is currently working on developing children's communication and social skills and concentrating on gaining eye contact and making some use of Makaton signing. Children are encouraged to share, to play well together and to expand their conversational skills through lots of chat. Children benefit from activities which are designed for their enjoyment and there is an emphasis on having fun together. They enjoy dancing to music and this provides good exercise indoors on wet days. All children are involved in celebrations and family parties organised by the childminder, such as her big Halloween party.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have easy access to good resources to support their play. The childminder is currently reviewing her supply of books and is keeping older copies of stories which she knows are well used and still loved. There are toys and equipment for each age group and to meet children's interests. They are supplied with craft and writing materials which are suited to their age and stage of ability, for example a pencil with a tripod grip for a child who was having difficulty holding and using a conventional pencil.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs and interests are met well. In order to do this the childminder holds information from parents regarding their children and has established an effective exchange of information at drop off and collection times. She works with parents to ensure that children's special needs are met in relation to any learning difficulties or developmental delays. She keeps up to date with children's hospital appointments and liaises to ensure that she knows what is

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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 included in a child's individual educational plan, if they have one. The childminder supplies parents with updates and newsletters regarding her service, for example, regarding changes to regulations for children's car seats. The childminder displays contact details for Ofsted and other details of her service for parents. She has a complaints procedure and log book. Parents have provided positive feedback for the childminder which she used to assess her service when completing the self evaluation form. Behaviour management strategies are shared with parents and carers. Children benefit from clear and consistent guidance which enables them to learn about the rules for acceptable behaviour in the childminder's home. Most of these are aimed towards children staying safe and learning to play cooperatively together. Children are learning

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Helping children make a positive contribution

about ethnic diversity and the world about them from resources in the childminder's home and the use of television programmes such as those on CBeebies which promote an inclusive outlook.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder meets the needs of the children for whom she provides.

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Organisation

Children benefit from the well organised homely environment where daily routines enhance their experiences. Children's attendance is recorded accurately. The childminder demonstrates good record keeping practice and maintains all documentation required to support the level of care in her home. The childminder has devised her own documents on her home computer and organises her service well. Additional information and letters to parents support her organisation. The childminder sets up contracts with parents before minding begins. She has carried out two self evaluation exercises in the last year and looked at her provision in depth. She has used feedback from parents, friends and family to inform her evaluations and to monitor and assess her childminding provision.

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Organisation

The childminder displays her registration and first aid certificates.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to address three issues relating to child protection, equal opportunities and children's health.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder was asked to improve her knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures and what she should do in the case of an allegation against herself. This has not been addressed satisfactorily and therefore this is raised as a recommendation from this inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder was asked to provide resources which promote equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice. This has been addressed and children have access to toys and dolls which reflect the diversity of modern society. The childminder is monitoring this provision and intending to add to her store of books to include images and illustrations of people with disabilities as well as those with differing ethnic origin.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder was asked to obtain written permission from parents to allow her to seek emergency medical advice or treatment in their absence. This has been obtained and forms

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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 part of a comprehensive set of parental permissions. This indicates that children's more serious injuries would be dealt with quickly and appropriately and promotes their welfare.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the 1 April 2004 Ofsted have received the following complaint relating to the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Concerns were raised in September 2004 relating to National Standard 2: Organisation, that adult to child ratios were not adhered to at all times and National Standard 6: Safety, that children were not supervised at all times. An unannounced visit took place. The inspector made observations and discussed concerns in detail with the provider.

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Complaints since the last inspection

As a result of the visit the following three actions were set relating to National Standard 2: ensure that adult to child ratios are adhered to at all times, National Standard 6: make sure that children are not left unattended on outings or in a vehicle and National Standard 14: to implement a system that accurately records children's attendance. From the response received the provider demonstrated an awareness of safety and organisation issues and remains qualified for registration.

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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): • obtain an up to date copy of the booklet 'What to do if you're worried a child is being abused' and ensure that the child protection procedures comply with those of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board. (LSCB) • devise and practise an emergency evacuation procedure.

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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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