Kisharon School

Inspection report for early years provision

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101386 Unique Reference Number 10 January 2007 Inspection date Carole Elizabeth Price 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 1993. She lives with her husband and two children aged 17 and 14 years, in a four-bedroom, detached house situated on the outskirts of the south Cotswold town of Cirencester. The whole of the house is available for childminding and the main care takes place on the ground floor. Children have access to an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for six children under eight years, and to provide overnight care for one child. She currently cares for five children aged between one and three years on a full and part time basis. The childminder works alongside assistants during set times in the week. She holds the Nursery Nursing Examination Board certificate and all the assistants have relevant childcare experience. The childminder supports children with special needs. She occasionally attends the local childminder drop-in group, and weekly story-time sessions at the library. There are local play parks, shops and primary schools. Children are taken on visits and to places of interest. The family have a pet cat, a guinea pig and goldfish.

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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's health is promoted through a range of procedures in place. They are encouraged to eat healthy food at snack and meal times. They talk and learn about making healthy choices through discussion with the childminder and a variety of topics and activities. Drinks are given freely to the children and taken on outings and in the garden. Food provided by the parents is stored appropriately and reheated thoroughly by the childminder.

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Helping children to be healthy

Nappy changing routines are in place, however personal hygiene such as washing hands and cleaning of tables was not encouraged. Other areas of personal hygiene were not promoted effectively, for example sharing of tissues when wiping noses.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder has attended a first aid course and has appropriate record keeping and equipment available in the house and for outings.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children benefit from physical exercise and fresh air through daily walks and outings and play in the garden.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment which has been made safe through actions already taken by the childminder to minimise risks. This includes fitting a stair gate to prevent children access to the stairs and using non slip cushions on the dining chairs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play safely in the house and garden as they are closely supervised by the childminder at all times. Their safety is further protected by the childminder's routines for checking and cleaning the equipment and resources used by the children, to ensure it is safe and appropriate for their age. She has thought through an emergency evacuation procedure and has developed a policy for parents explaining her procedures to ensure children's safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good procedures are in place for outings, these further develop children's knowledge of safety. For example, talking about holding hands and how to cross roads safely develops the children's own knowledge of keeping themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good child protection procedures are in place and the childminder's knowledge of child protection ensures any issues are dealt with appropriately.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children benefit from a range of interesting activities and resources over time. They have access to toys which are stored appropriately to allow them to choose for themselves. However, this free choice is limited as the childminder plans the activities and when they will play with different

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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 resources. She then makes these resources available to the children so that all can join in but not as they individually choose.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They benefit from very good interaction from the childminder who encourages language development through asking questions, talking with the children and joining in with their play. She asks questions which make the children think, for example, what colour is a toy or which noises do animals make.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy the planned activities such as creative time and imaginative toys such as the play kitchen, dressing-up clothes and play with dolls. Puzzles, books, construction and small world activities such as train tracks or cars are also available to them but not all presented in a way in which they can choose freely.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Good activities are organised which involve the children going out into the community. For example trips to the library, local church group and the museum. These are followed up with additional supporting activities indoors such as colouring sheets to go with the story at the library.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are warmly welcomed into the childminder's home. They are relaxed and comfortable, feel part of the family life and adapt well to fit in with each others' routines. Children benefit from activities which celebrate different festivals, playing with a range of resources which include different cultures, beliefs and genders and talking about the dynamics of different family groupings.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has experience of special needs and endeavours to make her care arrangements match the needs of individual children. She does this through working with the parents as each child starts to meet the families needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well behaved. They are encouraged to share, take turns and think of others as they play, for example when playing with the train and using the pop up book, the childminder ensured that each child had a turn. She asked the older children to let the younger child have a turn also and explained how important it was to think about others and take turns. Parents benefit from having a copy of the behaviour management policy which sets out the strategies used by the childminder. These include distraction, explanation of why behaviour is unacceptable and praise for positive behaviour. The childminder is consistent in her management of behaviour and discusses particular issues with parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder is flexible in order to meet the needs of parents and provides a service that fits well with their work commitments. She holds relevant essential information about the children and obtains appropriate permissions from parents. Information shared between parents and the childminder ensures appropriate care is given to each child.

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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. Policies and procedures are shared with the parents and most used effectively to promote the welfare, care and learning of the children. The childminder is aware of the need to further develop her knowledge and understanding of the Birth to three matters framework to ensure the activities, free choice and learning opportunities for the children under three years are appropriate.

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Organisation

Records and documentation are appropriately maintained, and stored securely to ensure confidentiality. Regulatory requirements are met and the welfare of the children is promoted successfully.

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Organisation

The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The issue raised at the last inspection was to record the times of assistants' attendance. This has now been recorded ensuring an accurate record of who is looking after the children at any time is maintained.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 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 the 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): • ensure children have a larger selection of resources to choose and select freely for themselves and that this follows the Birth to three matters framework. • ensure health and hygiene practices prevent the spread of illness and infection.

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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 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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