Meadowgate School

Inspection report for early years provision

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110949 Unique Reference Number 28 August 2006 Inspection date Carol Patricia Willett 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 July 2000. She lives with her husband and two children, one of school age and the other of pre-school age, in the village of Sheet, near Petersfield. The family lives in a cottage which is situated within walking distance of local amenities including schools and pre-schools, shops and parks.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Minded children have the use of two rooms and the bathroom on the ground floor and to the enclosed back garden. One bedroom on the first floor is used for children's play and is available for sleeping children. The childminder is registered to care for five children under eight years. She is currently caring for three children of which one is under five years and two are over five years. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and holds a current first aid certificate.

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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 play in clean, well maintained premises which are in the process of being refurbished. The childminder has suitable hygiene procedures in place to ensure the premises and resources remain clean and safe. Children learn about personal hygiene as they are encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet. Hygiene procedures are not totally effective to ensure children are protected from infection as they do not always wash their hands before eating lunch. Separate towels are not available. The childminder has a sound awareness of first aid and holds an appropriate certificate. There is a suitable first aid kit which is easily accessible. The childminder has the required documentation in place to ensure children's welfare is safeguarded. However, she has not recorded when medication has been given to ensure there is an accurate record in an emergency.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a good range of activities that contribute to their good health. They enjoy garden play on the large wooden climbing frame tucked away at the top of the garden, regular walks in the local area and playing in the park across the road. They further develop their physical skills as they attend swimming lessons with the childminder's children. Children enjoy a range of resources and activities including completing jigsaws, construction toys, drawing and craft activities to develop manipulative skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder provides a varied range of home cooked meals and snacks which are healthy and nutritious to ensure children's dietary needs are met. The children help grow tomatoes and beans in the garden and enjoy them with their meals. The children are not given a choice of food to enable them to develop independence and an awareness of healthy options. Children freely access their drinking cups so they drink sufficient amounts to maintain their health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children play and learn in a comfortable, child friendly environment which is well laid out with sufficient space for them to play and explore. The children are happy and occupied as the childminder provides a wide range of good quality, age appropriate toys which are freely accessible to the children. Toys and resources are checked and cleaned to ensure they are in a suitable condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children stay safe and develop confidence as the childminder closely supervises them and is very attentive. She takes steps to minimise most hazards to ensure children's safety, for example sockets are covered, sharp knives are out of reach and the garden is securely enclosed. The childminder's risk assessment procedures and hazard awareness are not totally effective to ensure children's safety at all times. The position of the kettle could pose a danger to children and cleaning materials are accessible in the bathroom. Good security is in place to ensure children are not able to leave the premises unsupervised. The childminder develops children's awareness of keeping themselves safe as they get in the car and walk to school on the busy road outside the house. She teaches them to come down the steep stairs safely on their bottoms.

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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 The children are protected as the childminder has a sound understanding of child protection procedures. She does not have a copy of the local child protection committee guidelines or the government booklet 'What to do if you are concerned a child is being abused'. The childminder has suitable documentation to record accidents and previous injuries, to ensure the children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted. However, the childminder has not recorded injuries children arrive with. There is appropriate insurance cover in place.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy, confident and secure as a result of the childminders warm, caring, attentive manner. They develop confidence and a sense of belonging as they form close relationships with the childminder going to her for hugs and cuddles when they need reassurance. Children enjoy a good range of toys and activities both inside and out in the garden. Children enjoy craft and drawing, taking their pictures home for their parents. They enjoy a range of experiences that contribute to their physical development and enjoy regular walks to the local park and playing in the garden. They develop knowledge and understanding of the world as they visit the allotments and the nearby river. They develop social skills as they meet with friends for lunch and go to the local playgroup. The childminder has good interactive skills, communicating well with the children. She sits on the floor to join in play and to talk with them, giving them

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

support as needed when they try to make the train track into a circuit so the trains will work. She gently encourages the children to share and take turns and work cooperatively to achieve their aim. The children enjoy craft activities and the childminder provides resources so they can make flowers from coloured paper. The children confidently ask for help and the childminder holds pieces together whilst the children join them with sticky tape. Children enjoy talking with the childminder about events in their lives at home and discuss what they will do together later. This means that children are able to contribute their ideas and feelings about what they do with the childminder. The childminder manages the range of ages very well as she organises the craft activity downstairs for the older children and then goes upstairs to the bedroom to help with the train track. She has a good understanding of child development. The childminder

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

does not have a copy of the Birth to three matters framework to further enhance the range of experiences offered to the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are confident, happy and settled as the childminder is warm and caring. She has a good knowledge of their individual needs through talking to the parents, observing and listening to the children. They come to her for cuddles and reassurance as needed. She manages the range of ages well and ensures all children receive support according to their needs. She offers help as needed, for example, holding pieces in place whilst the children use the sticky tape. All resources are freely available for the children to make independent choices. Children learn about their local community when out for walks, going shopping and playing in the park.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children play happily with the range of resources, sharing and taking turns as they make the train track and play with the trains. They are mostly well behaved and they are learning right

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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 from wrong as the childminder uses praise and encourages their good behaviour. She gives clear explanations for unacceptable behaviour, for example, why they should not shut the door to the bedroom. She uses distraction well and uses appropriate behaviour management strategies that are suitable for the ages of children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder develops good relationships with parents which ensures children's needs are well known. The parents are kept informed of their children's progress and the service provided through daily discussions. Parents provide written consent so the childminder is aware of and follows their wishes and some parents have written agreements. Contracts are not reviewed to ensure the information is updated and relevant to meet all the children's needs. Not all parents have completed contracts with the childminder. The childminder has a range of documentation to record medication and injuries to the children. However, she does not use these effectively to record when medication is given and when children arrive with injuries to ensure parents are kept informed and children are safeguarded. The childminder ensures parents are aware of registration conditions and insurance cover as the certificate is displayed in the kitchen.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The children's needs are generally well met through the organisation of the home which provides children with good adult support within a mostly safe environment. There is sufficient space for them to explore and play independently. The organisation of resources enables children to freely select them to initiate and develop their own play. This enables children to develop confidence and a sense of security in the environment. Overall, the childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Organisation

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the requirements of registration and the National Standards for childminding. She has a range of suitable documentation which provides information to enable her to meet the children's needs and manage the provision safely. However not all records are completed sufficiently, for example, the attendance register does not accurately reflect children's time on the premises and medication records are not completed appropriately. Not all parents have a written agreement. Contracts are not regularly reviewed and updated with parents and this could impact on the welfare and safety of the children. Information is exchanged informally on a daily basis to keep parents informed of the children's progress and activities.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was required to improve her documentation and the children's safety. Sufficient improvement has been made in some but not all of the areas to ensure children's welfare is safeguarded. The childminder keeps her register up to date and parents sign it. However the record does not accurately reflect the times the children are on the premises. This is carried forward for improvement. The childminder has organised her documentation so that it is readily accessible and there are separate folders for each family. There are still some improvements to be made to the documentation to ensure children are fully protected. The childminder has taken steps to improve children's safety with regard to the storage of medicines. Smoke detectors are sited on both levels of the house and the

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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 childminder has arranged for a fire officer to visit to further improve her awareness of fire safety within the home. These measures ensure children's health and safety is promoted.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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 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): • improve hygiene procedures around hand-washing to ensure children's health is maintained • enable children to have a choice around the food they eat to enable them to develop a good awareness of healthy eating options • improve hazard awareness and risk assessment procedures to ensure children's safety at all times in the kitchen and bathroom • obtain a copy of the Birth to three matters framework to further improve the range of experiences offered to young children • improve documentation to ensure children's welfare is safeguarded; ensure accurate details are kept when medication is given and make sure records are shared with parents; make sure children's attendance is accurately recorded; ensure injuries children arrive with are recorded; make sure written agreements are completed for all children.

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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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