Childminder in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for early years provision

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312646 Unique Reference Number 10 January 2007 Inspection date Pauline Pinnegar 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 a registered childminder since July 1996. She lives in the Acklam area of Middlesbrough, close to local amenities, with her husband and their two children who are aged 15 years and 13 years old. The ground floor is used for childminding and there is an enclosed rear garden available for outdoor 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 there are four children under five years on roll. Children are cared for on both full and part time schedules. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association, the local childminding group and Middlesbrough Quality Assurance Network.

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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. The children are cared for in a clean and well maintained environment. The childminder follows good hygiene practices, such as cleaning surfaces before preparing food for the children. This limits opportunities for cross contamination. Children's good health is promoted because they follow daily routines. They clean their hands before meals using the washbasin in the downstairs toilet. Even the youngest children know they need to wash their hands after using the toilet. The risk of cross infection is successfully minimised because the childminder has a clear policy for dealing with children when they are unwell and she shares this with their parents. The childminder has successful systems for recording all administrations of medication and any accidents involving the children in her care. The childminder has completed a first aid course and is booked on a further course to fully meet the guidance issued by the secretary of state.

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Helping children to be healthy

Arrangements for snacks, meals and drinks are negotiated carefully with parents to ensure that children's individual dietary needs are met. A varied range of nutritious, freshly cooked meals is provided. Snacks are healthy and the childminder introduces the children to a range of different fruits. She often visits the local supermarket with the children, whilst out walking, to allow them to choose healthy snacks. The childminder offers drinks regularly and children can help themselves to drinks when they are thirsty. Younger children sit together in high chairs, so that mealtimes are relaxed and sociable.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children benefit from fresh air and exercise regularly because they use the local park, soft play facilities, including weekly sessions at the 'bouncy castle, which ensures they are developing skills in climbing and balancing as they use the apparatus. Children also thoroughly enjoy music and movement activities indoors and join in enthusiastically. The children's hand-eye coordination is developing well as they manipulate jigsaw pieces. The children rest and sleep according to their needs and the childminder provides a quiet and calm environment where they can rest.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The home is very safe and child-friendly. The childminder plans effective use of available space to offer choices and meet children's different needs. She prioritises close supervision at all times and assesses risks appropriately to promote children's safety and enjoyment; this enables children to use the whole environment independently. The childminder actively promotes children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe as they discuss road safety when out walking. She reminds children about safety indoors encouraging them to walk safely, not to run and to tidy toys away so they do not trip over. There are written health and safety policies and procedures, which the childminder successfully implements to promote the children's well-being. For example, there is a clear fire evacuation procedure and this is practised routinely with the children to raise their awareness of how to deal with emergency situations.

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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 childminder's home is very welcoming and is clearly planned with children and their families in mind. For example, the environment is enhanced with well-presented, relevant information and displays of children's art work. This encourages children's sense of belonging. A wide variety of appropriate, safe toys are attractively and invitingly presented at floor level, which encourages children to help themselves and make choices in their play. The childminder has a clear routine for checking and cleaning the toys to ensure the children's continued safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has increased her awareness of child protection issues by attending appropriate training. She gives priority to keeping children safe and implements required child protection procedures appropriately. She understands her responsibility to protect children. She is well informed regarding contact details for support agencies, should concerns arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled. They benefit from having their individual needs met within warm and caring relationships which contribute to their sense of belonging. Children gain high levels of self-esteem and confidence in the child orientated environment where they experience consistent support, praise and encouragement. Children benefit from regular routines that are planned around their needs, which increases their emotional well-being. All children can be active or take part in quieter activities according to their individual needs. Children benefit from the positive interaction as the childminder is actively involved in their play. She is interested in what they say and do and extends children's learning and imagination through sensitive questioning. This encourages the children to use their imagination and build on what they know and can do.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder uses her knowledge and skills well to ensure children of all ages make good progress in their all round development. As a result, children are motivated and really enjoy taking part in the activities provided as well as free play opportunities. The childminder feels it is important to find out what children enjoy and can do, so that they can plan play experiences together which reflect their interests. She is very familiar with the 'Birth to three matters' framework and feels this helps her to plan more varied play experiences for the younger children cared for. Children use their imaginations to play with the hairdressing equipment and the childminder becomes actively involved encouraging children to brush and dry her hair. Children have great fun playing with the pop up pirate game. The childminder uses photos to share their learning experiences with the parents. There is a lively atmosphere in the provision and the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

constant conversation as the children play shows they are at ease in the comfortable surroundings.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's thinking and problem solving skills are developing well because the childminder uses open ended questioning techniques to good effect. For example, she talks to the children about where the pieces may fit in the jigsaw. She actively encourages them to play cooperatively by providing simple games and enough resources for them to share. There are regular planned visits to the local toddler group, which ensures that the children have opportunities to socialise with their peers. The local parks are used effectively to extend the range of experiences the children have for physical play. Art and craft is another feature of the setting and children's art work is attractively displayed

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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. The children's individual needs are met well by the childminder, who seeks information from the parents to ensure a smooth transition into her provision. She provides a good range of resources and equipment that are age-appropriate and educational. Children have a growing awareness of the local and wider community because the childminder provides a range of multicultural equipment, such as books and small world equipment, and takes them out for walks and other places of interest in the local area. The layout of the home ensures that all children have equal access to toys and resources. The childminder has a good understanding of child development, which enables her to support all children as they play and learn. Although there are no children on roll with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, the childminder demonstrates a sound awareness of how she would promote their welfare.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder works very successfully with parents to meet individual children’s needs. For example, routines for young children with regard to sleeping and feeding are consistent with their home life. Relevant information is shared very well and communication is good. Introductory visits provide valuable information to help settle in new children. The detailed parent information file ensures they receive a good range of information about the childcare service and her policies and procedures. The childminder routinely shares information with parents about events of the day as they collect their children, as a result the parents are well informed about their children's achievements. The parents are very complimentary about the provision for their children and the progress their children have made since entering the childminder's care. Although there is a clear complaints procedure in place for parents it does not include Ofsted's full address details.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder gives lots of praise and encouragement to help develop children's confidence and self-esteem. Politeness and caring behaviour are strongly encouraged. Rules are clear and the childminder reinforces children's understanding consistently in daily conversations and routines. They begin to take responsibility for their own behaviour and begin to understand why they must share and take turns and not disrupt another's play. Children learn to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder has a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to continual improvement, which ultimately impacts positively on the outcomes for children. She has attended all mandatory training as well as many other short courses. The children enjoy being in a home that is well organised to meet their needs. The childminder plans her time and their days effectively to make sure that the children enjoy social experiences and home-based play and learning activities. Children are able to move around the well organised environment with ease; they make themselves at home and are able to develop their independence to a good level as they access the activities and facilities. The regular routines enable them to feel confident and secure to initiate their own learning and play. Children's health and welfare are promoted by flexible planning, which supports their individual needs.

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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 Children are kept safe and their welfare is safeguarded by the childminder's clear understanding and implementation of required policies and procedures. All requirements for documentation and record keeping are in place. These are well organised and stored securely to maintain confidentiality. The childminder has devised detailed policies and procedures, such as a fire evacuation and emergency procedure, to ensure she can deal with every eventuality. These are routinely shared with the parents to make sure they know about her plans for their children. Agreements reached with parents are fully recorded and clearly inform the childminder's practice.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to provide parents with the name, address and telephone number of Ofsted. The childminder now provides information for parents regarding her complaints procedure. Most of Ofsted's details are included in the information apart from the address.

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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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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): • complete first aid training which is in line with guidance given by the secretary of state • ensure the complaints procedure includes Ofsted's address.

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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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