Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY273924 Unique Reference Number 10 November 2006 Inspection date Deborah Ball Inspector

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Integrated 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder was registered in 2003. She lives with her husband and four children aged 14, 12, 11 and seven years, in the Lowerwick area of Worcester city. The whole of the property is used for childminding 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 five children at any one time and is currently minding one child under three on a full time basis and eight children under five on a part time basis. Of these, one child is in receipt of funding for nursery education. The childminder attends local parent and toddler groups and children have the opportunity to visit the local park. The family have two dogs and a cat.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is also a member of an approved childminding

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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 network. The childminder is currently in receipt of funding for early education for three and four-year-olds.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children gain an excellent understanding of good health and hygiene as they become increasingly independent in their personal care. They learn to use the toilet and wash their hands on their own with appropriate aids and support from the childminder when necessary. The childminder is trained in administering first aid and keeps thorough permissions and records in place regarding the administration of medication to children. Clear records are kept of all accidents and parents are fully informed of these and any other health observations through use of a daily diary system. As a result, parents are kept fully informed about their children's health and know that their children are receiving a high level of individual care and support. Children are protected from the risk of infection because the childminder is an excellent role model to the children. The childminder applies stringent strategies to prevent cross infection, for example,

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Helping children to be healthy

the exclusion of children who have an infectious disease. Information regarding infection control and the advised minimum exclusion periods is readily shared with parents.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from an excellent range of home cooked, healthy, nutritious meals and snacks which are imaginatively prepared and presented to encourage children to eat a variety of different foods. The children's enthusiasm for food is encouraged as they taste the produce they grow in the garden such as tomatoes. They participate in cooking activities where they make Irish soda bread, fruit salad, flapjack and take great delight in making pizzas by rolling out the dough and choosing their own toppings. Children enjoy mealtimes because time is given for them to savour and enjoy their food. Mealtimes are social occasions where the children and childminder sit together to encourage positive social interaction. The childminder provides age-appropriate eating utensils and ensures food is prepared to an appropriate texture for younger children and babies. Children’s independence is fostered as they are encouraged to

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Helping children to be healthy

feed themselves depending on their individual ability. The children can have a drink of their choice whenever they want as their cups are always accessible to them throughout the day and the childminder monitors their intake to ensure they are drinking sufficiently.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children join in all areas of physical play enthusiastically because the childminder plans and organises a stimulating and diverse range of activities. The children are physically confident and thoroughly enjoy learning to use their bodies creatively as they dance to music, scramble through tents and tunnels or learn to do gambols. They enjoy an extensive range of fun physical activities and have regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise. Physical play is an integral part of young children's daily routine, ensuring they keep healthy and learn to associate exercise with having fun. The garden provides an attractive area where children can play and develop their physical skills on a daily basis. There is a very good range of outdoor equipment to provide challenge for all children. Children enjoy digging in a sand pit, playing on ride-on toys and practising their ball control and throwing and catching skills. They play imaginatively in the

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Helping children to be healthy

well resourced play house which also provides shade during the warmer weather. Activities such as large scale arts and crafts and chalking are also enjoyed in the garden. Visits to local parks,

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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 playgrounds and soft play facilities further improve children's physical skills as they are able to play on larger apparatus that are suitable for their age and stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are safe and very well cared for in premises that are safe, secure and suitable for childminding. The children benefit from an environment that is warm, safe and well-maintained. The childminder is proactive in identifying and minimising potential hazards. Written risk assessments have been devised and are regularly reviewed and updated. The childminder completes visual risk assessments throughout the day, which allows the children to move around safely, freely and independently. Children enjoy regular outings on foot or by car. The children wear fluorescent jackets when out walking and begin to learn to keep themselves safe when crossing the road and practise the 'stop, look and listen' technique. Children understand what to do in the event of a fire as emergency evacuation procedures are regularly practised, taking into account patterns in children's attendance. All fire equipment is in place and regularly

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from access to a wide range of good quality toys and equipment. They meet safety standards and cater for all areas of learning and development. Older children are able to independently select and make decisions about what they would like to play with. Younger children are kept safe as the childminder carefully monitors and supervises their choice of toys to make sure that they are safe and appropriate for their age and stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder ensures children are protected from harm as she has an excellent awareness and understanding of child protection issues, gained from attending relevant training. She knows the signs and symptoms of abuse and protection of children is her main priority. Relevant referral procedures and contact numbers are kept to hand should she need to report any concerns. Children's welfare is carefully considered as she makes parents aware of her responsibilities regarding child protection issues during their initial meetings with her.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children settle into the environment exceptionally well and are happy, confident and eager to learn. They are involved in a stimulating range of activities which are interesting, fun and develop their curiosity, creativity and imagination.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children benefit from the childminder's enthusiasm for providing the best possible care. She makes the most of spontaneous learning events, is led by what interests the children and uses the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework to provide a wide range of experiences to stimulate and help children learn and develop. Observations and assessments of what children can do are regularly made and these are beginning to be used to inform the planning of activities to develop ways of moving them forward to their next stage of development, however, this has only recently been implemented and is not fully developed. Detailed information about children's

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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 likes, dislikes and favourite toys are used to help children settle quickly and to guide how they are cared for and the experiences offered.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young children enjoy a wide range of different experiences that help them to develop and learn through all of their senses. Lots of sound, movement and textured toys are offered and these all help to stimulate babies fully and keep them learning. Paint, play dough, clay, sand and water play provide stimulating experiences that help young children explore the world around them and there are weekly trips to the toddler group and lots of opportunities for children to learn to be sociable and to watch older children at play.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Children are covering all areas of learning and they are making good progress towards the early learning goals because the childminder has a secure knowledge of the Foundation Stage and a very clear understanding of how children learn. Children benefit from interesting and varied planned activities that are attractively presented and provide appropriate challenge for children of different abilities. There are effective systems in place for establishing children's developmental starting points and individual interests on entering the setting and for using ongoing information provided by parents. Children’s progress is observed by the childminder and recordings made of their achievements. However, the information gained from assessments is not being used effectively to track children's individual progress through the 'stepping stones' and to assist in the planning of activities to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

meet children’s individual learning needs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's personal, social and emotional development is given a high priority. The children are warmly greeted by the childminder and separate happily from their parents and carers. Within a nurturing environment, children are individually supported in gaining confidence and self-respect. The children access a good range of well-chosen resources which support their development across all areas of learning. Children are able to freely choose from these resources and confidently make decisions about their play, so encouraging their independence and self-confidence. The children play co-operatively and chat happily as they play with toys and engage in games. Children behave very well, with the childminder continually praising and encouraging them, so enhancing their self-esteem and re-enforcing their positive attitudes to learning. Children are supported in their play by the childminder who engages appropriately

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

with them, is a good role model and works hard to help children develop their play opportunities to extend their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Good progress is being made by the children in communication and language development. Children are able to hold meaningful discussions with each other, often using descriptive language to express their feelings and emotions. The childminder makes time for children to ask her questions and she responds by giving good answers and explanations to sustain children's interest. The children enjoy having stories read to them and listen intently, showing excitement and pleasure by joining in with familiar parts of their favourite stories. They independently access a variety of good quality story books for their own enjoyment and freely talk about what they can see in the pictures. The children enjoy mark making and use appropriate implements such as pencils, chalks and crayons with increasing control and are beginning to link letters to

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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 their sounds. Activities such as role play are used to introduce children to writing, for example, they enjoy making shopping lists to take with them when they visit the supermarket.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are developing good attitudes to number work. Counting and number recognition is incorporated very naturally into many of their play activities. Most of the children count up to ten and above and they use number lines and number puzzles to help them to recognise and remember numbers. Children hear the childminder using mathematical language and begin to develop their own mathematical vocabulary. They regularly sort and match items, for example beads and counters by size and colour. Children correctly use words relating to shape, such as triangle, square and circle. The children are able to recognise these shapes when they play with shape sorters and puzzles. Songs and finger rhymes are used extensively to help children count, solve simple number problems and to understand positional language such as in, out, under and over. Children show a developing awareness of weights and measures through well

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

considered practical activities, such as weighing out ingredients during cooking activities, and often hear the childminder using mathematical language such as small, medium and large.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is fostered through many practical activities, such as experimenting with sand, water and many natural materials and they learn to observe and question as they mix cooking ingredients together. The children explore and develop their natural curiosity during interesting activities, such as investigating shadows. Children are encouraged to extend activities to meet their own exploratory needs and to use their natural curiosity to find out how things work. They learn how plants live by observing a variety of plants at the garden centre and by planting tomatoes and flowers in the garden and watching them grow. The children learn about recycling as they use a variety of materials for junk modelling. Good resources are used by the children to extend their skills in information and communication, such as in using play telephones, push-button toys and a Bee-Bot.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning to express themselves creatively through painting, drawing, musical movement and imaginative role play. They have good access to craft activities and are encouraged to investigate and be independently creative with them. For example, children have opportunities to paint using thick or thin paint brushes and they use their fingers to explore the properties of the paint before creating pictures with them. The children access a range of resources to develop their imaginative play including a fruit and vegetable stall. Resources are also available for dressing up and children enjoy becoming a doctor who needs to care for sick children at the surgery. As a result, the children use a widening range of materials and tools to help them to express their creativity. Music and movement and physical activities are used to develop children’s co-ordination and control as they march, clap, dance, skip, wriggle

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

or crawl. Children are enthusiastic when singing rhymes and action songs and show delight as they skilfully use their arms, legs, fingers and toes. Children can access various tools to use for different purposes to help develop their fine motor control skills, for example, scissors for cutting, threading beads and construction sets.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children develop a sense of belonging as they form excellent relationships with their peers and the childminder. Parents are encouraged to share their knowledge and views of their children's

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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 development and this ensures that the childminder can provide the most appropriate care for the child, based on their individual needs. Children are secure and settle quickly as the childminder knows them very well and takes account of their different personalities and needs when welcoming them into her home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are able to develop an awareness of the wider world around them as they access resources and activities that encourage a positive attitude towards diversity and a non-stereotypical view of society. They frequently participate in themed topics where they can learn about different cultures and festivals through a range of practical activities and experiences. For example, the children enjoyed a 'World on your doorstep' day at a local school where they participated in a range of crafts, games and dances and sampled ice-creams from around the world. This increases their awareness of diversity and their understanding of others. Children are actively involved in their local community and often visit people working in the community who enable them to learn about the world they live in.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They are very well behaved and respond to the good role model being offered by the childminder. Furthermore, they are encouraged to share resources and take turns and are learning to take responsibility for their own actions. Children benefit from having consistent boundaries and their self-esteem is well promoted through praise and encouragement. Their understanding of right and wrong is increased through gentle reminders to care for their environment, the resources and each other. Effective systems are in place to ensure children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are identified, well supported and have their individual needs met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents receive a range of information about the childminder's aims and practice through a variety of methods including a detailed information pack which includes details about nursery education and daily chats at arrival and collection times. Each day they receive a written diary of how their child has been cared for, while details of what activities are planned for their children are always on display. Parents are regularly asked for their feedback and suggestions and these are acted upon. Photographs are taken and kept in an album so that parents can share in what their children have been doing and they also see their children's art work, crafts and topic work and take them home. Children benefit from these close partnership links as their needs and interests are acknowledged and acted upon.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from an exceptionally well organised routine and stimulating programme of activities. Children are very happy, comfortable and settled in a warm and caring environment where their individual needs are met. The children spend their time purposefully and all activities are planned to maximise play, learning and development opportunities for the children, taking into account each child's individual needs.

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Organisation

Records required for the efficient and safe management of the provision and promotion of children's individual welfare, care and learning needs are appropriately kept and policies and procedures are regularly reviewed to reflect the childcare practice of the setting. The

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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 childminder’s management of nursery education adequately monitors and develops the provision, to ensure that children make good progress towards the early learning goals. The children are developing very positive attitudes and dispositions towards their learning. All children are supported appropriately to achieve their potential by the childminder understanding where the children's starting points are and working with parents and carers to support this progress. The childminder aims to further develop the assessment process, for both younger and older children. This will enable her to plan the next activity from the progress the children have made and will clearly demonstrate how those next steps will be encouraged from the achievements made by each child. This will benefit both her planning and inform parents and carers of the development

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Organisation

Children benefit from the care of a childminder who is highly motivated and regularly attends training courses. She liaises with other childminders to discuss current childminding issues and provide a support system. In addition she continually monitors and evaluates her practice, working closely with her network coordinator to enhance children's play and learning. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder agreed to practise the fire evacuation drill with children, obtain additional resources to help children understand diversity and to obtain written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Significant improvements have been made since the last inspection. Children's safety has been safeguarded through ensuring they regularly practise how to leave the home quickly in an emergency. This is done in a fun, non-threatening way that helps children to keep themselves safe and ensure they are familiar with the emergency evacuation routine. Children's understanding of the diversity of our culture has been improved since the last inspection with a broad range of resources, play opportunities and activities developed which help them to see the ways in which their own cultures and beliefs are similar or different to others. The childminder has improved documentation to include consent for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment, ensuring that parent's wishes are complied with.

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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 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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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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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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): • demonstrate in planning and assessment how children under three are able to make progress in relation to the 'Birth to three matters' framework

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • develop the existing assessment procedures to ensure that children's individual progress through the 'stepping stones' can be tracked and consistently link the information to the planning of activities that meet children's individual learning needs.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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 nursery education

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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