Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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223105 Unique Reference Number 13 December 2006 Inspection date Caroline Wright 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 was registered in 2000. She lives with her husband and two children aged nine and 12 years in a village near Cambridge. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding, with use of the toilet upstairs, and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding six children under five all day and three children over five on a part-time basis. She also cares for two children over eight years of age. She walks to local schools to take and collect children and she attends the local toddler groups. The family has no pets.

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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 enjoy a suitable range of activities that contribute to their good health. They play outdoors in the garden and walk to school or the park to learn about the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Babies and children under three-years-old take part in activities that help them develop new physical skills. The childminder encourages children to take part in suitable activities according to their individual stage of development.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn about the importance of washing their hands before meals and after using the lavatory. If the children become unwell whilst they are in the care of the childminder, all essential records are in place to make sure that appropriate care is given.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children eat fresh fruit at snack time and they have easy access to water and drinks of juice during the day. The childminder works well with parents to ensure that children’s individual dietary requirements are recorded and followed. Babies are fed according to their own routines so that they feel happy and secure. However, the childminder does not help children to learn about healthy eating through practical experiences. She does not encourage them to eat fresh vegetables with their meals after school and prepares processed foods, such as chicken nuggets or sausages. This this does not encourage children to eat healthily in the future.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children move around safely and independently under the childminder's constant supervision. They select resources from a good range of suitable toys and equipment, which are checked by the childminder to ensure they are in good condition and safe for them to use. The childminder makes sure all areas of the home used by children are safe. For example, she puts cleaning products on high shelves or locks them away; toys and resources with small pieces are out of the reach of children under three-years-old. Children learn about keeping themselves and each other safe. The childminder reminds young children to ‘be careful’ when they sit down at the table or climb on furniture, and they learn to put toys away so that they do not fall over them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

A range of procedures and documents are in place to promote children's safety. The childminder has an adequate understanding of child protection issues. However, she does not have a copy of ‘What To Do If You’re Worried A Child Is Being Abused’ nor does she have details of Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures: this compromises children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy their time at the childminder’s house and form good relationships with the childminder and each other. Their language and mathematical thinking is encouraged in meaningful ways. For example, children play at shops or hairdressers, making their own price

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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 tickets to place on the toys they use for items in their shop: this helps them to develop their understanding of money and calculation whilst they use their imagination to tell their own stories. Children use tools and equipment such as scissors, rolling pins and pastry cutters, paint brushes and pencils, so that they can develop new skills. They explore materials such as paint and glue, using their fingers and hands to make marks, developing their creativity and practising early writing skills. They collect leaves and conkers on their walks home from school and use these in their 'make and do' activities to explore their creativity and learn about the natural world.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children choose their own resources from a very good range of interesting toys and equipment and learn to make decisions. The childminder organises toys in well-labelled drawers and on open shelving, so that they can choose what they want to play with. The drawers, including those containing pencils and paper, are well resourced so that children are always able to find what they want for their activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children under three-years-old are encouraged to explore and develop their own ideas. Suitable toys are displayed within their reach to stimulate their interest and encourage them to investigate further. They enjoy sharing stories and looking at books. They attempt to communicate with each other and the childminder: trying out new words and developing their language skills, supported by the childminder’s smiles and encouraging comments. She refines their pronunciation of words such as ‘chocolate’ with sensitivity, to help them become confident communicators.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children receive a warm welcome in the childminder’s home and are confident and independent; they are interested in the resources available and initiate their own activities using the wide range of toys and equipment the childminder provides. Children are well behaved and learn what is expected of them through clear and careful explanations from the childminder in a way that promotes positive behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's individual needs are promoted by satisfactory relationships between the childminder and their parents and carers. The childminder and parents or carers discuss their child at hand-over times each day so that parents are adequately informed of their children's progress and can support their child’s learning at home. In addition, the childminder and new parents discuss feeding and sleeping routines for babies and children under three-years-old to help the children feel secure and happy in the childminder’s care. The childminder has adequate procedures to support children with disabilities or learning difficulties as well as those with English as an additional language.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Whilst children play with toys and resources that reflect other members of society, the range of practical activities to help children to learn about cultural and religious diversity are limited. This affects children’s ability to develop positive attitudes towards diversity and to learn about alternative life-styles and beliefs.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The organisation of the childminding promotes positive outcomes for children. The childminder has suitable knowledge and experience, which enables her to provide satisfactory care for children. The arrangement of the playroom and storage of resources contribute to children’s independence and enables them to pursue their own interests. They choose for themselves from the wide range of interesting resources that are provided by the childminder. There is enough space for them to play safely and move freely indoors and out. Toys and equipment are well organised and stored at child-height, so that they can learn to make decisions. In addition, toys and equipment for babies and children under three-years-old, supports their overall development and encourages them to become confident.

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Organisation

Essential documents are in place and stored confidentially. Appropriate records contribute to the health and well-being of all of the children that the childminder looks after. All essential documents and records are available for inspection and easy to access in an emergency.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder agreed to improve her knowledge and understanding of child protection issues; ensure that daily risk assessments are undertaken and necessary action taken to minimize risks to children and develop the range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder has made some improvements to promote children's safety and to promote diversity: a daily risk assessment is carried out before children arrive and all areas of the home accessed by children are safe; the childminder has improved her knowledge and understanding of child protection issues; she has improved the range of toys and resources that she has available to help children to learn about other members of society. However, she does not have essential information from the Local Safeguarding Children Board or the document 'What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused'. This affects her ability to act in children's best interests in the event of any concerns for their welfare. Furthermore, the childminder does not provide children with opportunities to learn about alternative life-styles or cultures through practical activities. These issues will be carried forward for further development following this

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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.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep 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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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

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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 knowledge of who to contact in the case of concerns for children's welfare, as set out in the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance and develop adequate awareness of 'What To Do If You're worried A Child Is Being Abused' to enable further improvement in knowledge and understanding of child protection issues • provide children with nutritious food so that they learn about healthy eating through practical experiences and everyday routines • continue to develop activities to help children to learn about other cultures and lifestyles so that they develop positive attitudes towards diversity through practical experiences.

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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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