Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY335478 Unique Reference Number 23 November 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 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 2006. She lives with her husband and three children, of whom two are primary school age and one is pre-school age. They live in house in a residential road in Fleet, Hampshire. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have no pets.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for four children under eight years. There are currently four children on roll. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local toddler group. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She has an Australian teaching qualification.

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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 well-maintained home. The childminder has good hygiene routines and procedures which ensures the areas where children play and sleep are comfortable, clean and safe. Children develop a very good understanding of personal hygiene as they use a fun children's soap which encourages them to wash their hands before eating and after they have their nappies changed. The childminder develops their understanding as she explains how to wash hands properly to make them clean. There are good nappy changing routines in place and the children like to be involved and help. They develop a sense of responsibility as the childminder asks them to put the cream and the wipes back in their bag. Children use separate hand towels to reduce the risk of cross-infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children eat a good selection of healthy, nutritious meals and snacks as the childminder has a very good understanding of healthy eating. The children enjoy cheese cubes and raisins midmorning. The children have free access to drinks throughout the day so they drink plenty. Meal times are social occasions where children sit together and talk to the childminder. The childminder discusses children's dietary needs with parents recording the information well to ensure she follows parents' wishes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have excellent opportunities to experience a wide range of activities to develop their physical skills, enjoy fresh air and promote good health. These include visits to Farnham park where they enjoy meeting the dogs out for walks, toddler gym sessions at physical play activity centres and garden play on the climbing frame and slide. The childminder joins in with their play, supporting and encouraging their developing skills. The children show excitement and enthusiasm as they love to jump, hop and dance to music and nursery rhymes. They experience a wide range of activities, tools and resources including construction toys, jigsaws, painting and drawing to develop their manipulative skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play happily in a comfortable, warm and welcoming environment where they feel safe and secure. They can explore and develop safely with ample space to meet their needs. Children move freely around areas of the home used for minding. They have space to sit and play in comfort as the childminder has organised the environment extremely well. They help themselves to a wide variety of safe, good quality play equipment and resources that are appropriate for their ages and stages of development. These are stored in both living room and dining room areas on low level shelving or stored in boxes on the floor so children can independently make choices. The childminder regularly checks items to ensure that there are no broken parts that could harm children. The childminder has organised the study for older children to play with toys and games that are not suitable for younger children and provides a quiet area for doing

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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 Children stay safe as the childminder is very attentive and carefully supervises them throughout the day. She has a good understanding of her responsibility to ensure children's safety and she checks the house and garden before children arrive. She takes positive steps to minimise risks, for example, safety gates are in place to prevent children's access to the stairs and the study. Sockets are covered to protect children and wires are safely stored away. Good security and fire safety precautions contribute to children's overall safety. The childminder talks to children about what they need to do if there is a fire and children learn to 'stay down low and go go go'. This develops their awareness and confidence. Children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised, and they are only released to known authorised carers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children begin to learn how to keep themselves safe as part of the daily routine and because the childminder uses situations that arise to reinforce their understanding. She explains house rules to the children and explains why children should not play with the door as they may hurt their fingers. The childminder talks to them about road safety. She has details of all the children's contact numbers with her at all times. These measures ensures that children's welfare and safety is very well promoted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a comprehensive range of documentation in place to ensure children's welfare is safeguarded. She has a good understanding of child protection procedure. She records accident and incident details appropriately. She ensures she has appropriate insurance cover in place.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children feel comfortable and valued as the childminder is extremely warm and affectionate. She has very good relationships with the children, she enjoys their company and knows them well. Children are able to play safely and select resources freely to develop their confidence and independence skills. The children receive very good support from the childminder who has a good understanding of how children develop and learn through her training and experience as a teacher. She uses resources fully to extend children's skills in all areas of development. For example, the children have fun with finger puppets counting the speckled frogs as they jump into the pond, they sing along as they count. Children are well settled and very comfortable in the childminder's home. They enjoy a good variety of activities that are appropriate to their ages. They are happy and confidently choose toys and resources for themselves. The childminder

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

provides an interesting and worthwhile range of activities and outings which help children learn a great deal about the world in which they live. Children learn about nature on their regular trips to the park and woods and toddler groups. This provides them with opportunities to socialise with a wider group of children and learn about the local community. The childminder reads stories to the children as they cuddle up on the sofa. She involves the children and asks questions helping to develop their language skills and imagination. Children's creative and imaginative development is encouraged through activities such as art and craft, painting, music and role play.

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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 good. Children are happy, confident and settled as they develop close relationships with the childminder enjoying plenty of cuddles and positive reinforcement. Children are treated with respect helping them to feel good about themselves. They respond well to the consistent praise and encouragement and readily take part in activities. They develop a sense of responsibility as they help to tidy up and pack away after nappy changes. The childminder acts as a good role model. She uses positive language and encourages children's good manners. Children are happy and mostly behave well. The childminder knows the children's personalities well and how they respond to different management strategies. Positive reinforcement strategies are used well to encourage developing skills, for example, children enthusiastically put stamps on their wall charts when they use the toilet.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has a good understanding of issues relating to equal opportunities. She ensures all children freely access the resources and she has sufficient information to meet their individual needs. Children have good opportunities to become aware of the diversity of the wider world as the childminder has a suitable range of equipment and plans activities to provide positive images of other cultures. Children are enthusiastic as they jump and dance to music from other cultures including songs about the 'dream time' in Aboriginal culture. Children develop a sense of place and learn about where they live through the regular outings and trips provided. This develops their social skills and an awareness of different adults and children as they go to toddler groups and other activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder develops very positive relationships with the parents and they are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They feel the childminder is fantastic, very patient and provides very good feedback. The childminder discusses the children's needs thoroughly ensuring their individual needs are well met. She keeps parents well informed of their children's progress through informal daily discussions and the provision of a daily contact book. Parents also use the book to keep the childminder well informed. The daily contact book does not include information or links to aspects of children's development. Parents receive a useful pack detailing information about all aspects of the childminder's service and the clearly written comprehensive polices. The childminder has an excellent understanding of real partnerships as all polices have space for parents to add their own ideas or make changes as required.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children receive good quality care as the childminder has a thorough knowledge of the National Standards for childminding. She maintains the required ratios which enables children to have good care and support. The childminder has a teaching qualification and she uses her knowledge and experience to provide an effective learning environment for the children. Children receive very good care as the childminder has a gentle, warm, caring, attentive manner. They receive good support from the childminder who enjoys their company and knows them well helping them feel secure and confident. She organises the environment, resources and documentation extremely well to enable children's needs to be effectively met. The areas used for play are

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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 safe, welcoming and child friendly which allows children to feel completely at home. She provides a stimulating environment in which the children play and learn.

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Organisation

The childminder maintains a comprehensive range of documentation to underpin her good practice. She develops very good relationships with parents and keeps them well informed of their children's care and daily activities. This ensures she is able to effectively promote the welfare, care and learning of the children. Overall, the childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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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. 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): • further develop information shared with parents regarding children's progress and achievements.

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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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