Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY346735 Unique Reference Number 23 July 2007 Inspection date Gail Groves 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 registered in 2006. She lives with her husband in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The whole of the childminder’s house 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 six children at any one time and is currently minding one child under five years all day and two other children who both attend on a part-time basis. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local parent and toddler groups and takes children to the local park.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are well protected from infection and are well taken care of if they have an accident or become ill because the childminder follows current and appropriate environmental health

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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 and hygiene guidelines, policies and procedures. For example, her nappy changing routine protects children from cross-infection, she cleans the toys regularly and she excludes children with contagious illnesses for appropriate periods of time. She holds a current first aid certificate and has obtained written permission from parents to seek emergency advice or treatment should it be necessary. In addition children learn to understand simple, good health and hygiene practices, such as, washing their hands after using the toilet, after messy play and before eating. They are therefore developing good hygiene routines for later life.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished. They enjoy a variety of well-planned meals and are offered the healthy option of fruit and vegetables, such as, apples, raisins, cucumber and carrot sticks at snack time. Drinks are readily available and children are encouraged to drink so that they do not become dehydrated. However, they have limited opportunities to learn about healthy eating and healthy living and are therefore not developing an understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Children's health and dietary needs are discussed with parents and the childminder ensures that these are carefully met. For example, she ensures that a baby who will only drink cold milk has her bottle taken out of the fridge a short time before it is required so that the milk is not uncomfortably cold to drink, and only applies nappy cream in line with parents' wishes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children take part in regular physical activity both indoors and outdoors and are therefore developing good motor skills and coordination. For example, they play with swings, slides, bikes and scooters in the garden and visit the park to use the large scale climbing equipment. In addition they walk to and from school each day or go for walks to look at the environment. Indoors children enjoy music and movement sessions and babies practise walking in a baby walker, crawl through a pop-up tunnel and use a small ball pool to encourage their physical development. Active play is balanced with less energetic play so that children can rest and sleep according to their needs and do not become overtired.

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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 welcoming, secure and safe indoor environment in which many of the risks to their safety are minimised. For example, sleeping babies are checked regularly, cupboards containing cleaning materials are locked or inaccessible and low-level glass is covered with safety film. As a result, they can move around and access resources safely and independently. When they are outside in the garden, older children clearly understand and comply with the childminder's rules that they must not go into the area of the garden containing the greenhouse and must not touch the recycling boxes or their contents. However, if young children are present, these rules do not sufficiently minimise the risks that these items pose to them and their safety is potentially compromised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use good quality, suitable and safe equipment which is well maintained and meets their differing needs. Consequently, they are able to play and take part in activities safely. Appropriate procedures ensure that children are kept safe on outings and they learn to keep themselves safe through discussions and practical experiences within their daily routines. For example, they practise the emergency evacuation procedure once a month so that they know what to do if there is a fire and learn the 'Green Cross Code' when they are out walking with the childminder so that they know how to cross the road safely. Children's safety is carefully monitored by the childminder and she ensures that they are within her sight or hearing at all times.

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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 are also safeguarded because the childminder clearly understands her role in child protection and is able to put appropriate procedures into practice when necessary. For example, she records any existing injuries to children in order to monitor their welfare and has the necessary contact details readily to hand should she need to report any concerns she may have about a child's well-being.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are settled and happy in the childminder's care. As a result they confidently take part in all of the play and learning opportunities provided for them and eagerly explore and investigate their environment to extend their thinking and learning. For example, they enjoy exploring a wide range of interactive toys to find out how they work and they investigate the patterns that their Wellington boots and bare feet make when they stand in paint and then walk along a piece of paper. Children relate well to people who are interested in what they do and say because the childminder listens carefully and with respect to children's thoughts and ideas. Consequently they are confident in their ability to communicate, are eager to talk about and share their experiences with others and are developing very good social skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are involved in a broad and interesting range of planned activities and spontaneous events, which support all areas of their development and learning. The childminder makes written observations of children's development and uses these to plan activities and experiences which support and encourage them to make progress in their learning. As a result, their individual needs are well met. Children regularly visit parent and toddler groups, enjoy outings to the zoo and the farm and go bowling to mix with other children and develop social skills. They extend their creative abilities in a variety of interesting ways and have opportunities to use paint, glue and glitter to make collages and models and take part in singing, dancing and cooking activities. Opportunities for them to cut with scissors, complete jigsaws and to roll and manipulate playdough, help them to develop their small muscle skills and coordination and they play

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

pretend games with dolls, buggies and dressing up clothes to stimulate and extend their imagination.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

In addition, children's speech and language skills are very well supported. The childminder is alert to babies' early attempts at communication and uses her tone of voice and facial expressions to good effect to encourage and reward their interactions with her. She provides a good model of speech for them to copy and asks carefully thought out questions to help older children to extend their vocabulary and thinking.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued, included and feel a strong sense of belonging because the childminder treats them as part of her family and forms affectionate and trusting relationships with them. Their efforts and achievements are recognised and praised at all times and throughout their daily routine they are able to make choices and take decisions. For example, they choose what they would like to drink, what story they would like to read and decide whether they wish to sit in the kitchen or the lounge to complete a drawing activity. Consequently, they are developing self-esteem and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are polite and respond well to high expectations for their behaviour. Pictures of smiley faces are used to reward good behaviour and reinforce children's understanding of what is

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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 expected of them. The reasons why something is inappropriate or undesirable is always discussed and explained. As a result, they behave well and are developing good social skills. They learn to share and work harmoniously together and older children are encouraged to allow babies and young children to join in with their games at age-appropriate levels. Consequently, they are learning to respect the needs of others and to develop patience and caring attitudes. Children benefit from some activities and resources which help them value diversity. For example, they develop an understanding about festivals such as Divali, Hanukah and Eid through art activities and access books, dolls and dressing up resources which help them to develop a positive awareness of the differences and similarities between people.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children have their individual needs met because the childminder works in close partnership with parents and carers. For example, she discusses children's progress with them on a daily basis and if parents wish her to do so, provides them with a written daily diary to keep them well informed about what their children have been doing. In addition, parents are welcome to ring the childminder at any time to reassure themselves that their child is settled and happy. However, she has limited knowledge and understanding of the regulation regarding the investigation and recording of any written complaints made by parents. Therefore, factors that potentially impact on the children's well-being cannot be monitored. The childminder is aware of the requirement for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to be offered appropriate help and would liaise closely with their parents and other professionals in order to

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder has a high regard for the well-being of all children, a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to continual improvement. For example, she is planning to attend training courses to develop her understanding of the new Early Years Foundation Stage and is shortly to attend a course which will increase her ability to support and extend babies' language development. She has a written set of policies and procedures which she shares with parents so that they are fully informed about her routines and care practices and these work well in practice to promote positive outcomes for children. Most of the necessary documentation for the efficient and safe management of the setting is in place and record keeping systems are used well to meet children’s needs.

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Organisation

The childminder's efficient and effective use of her time and the available space significantly contributes to children’s health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. For example, she organises the indoor and outdoor space to maximise play opportunities for children and rotates her resources regularly so that children remain stimulated and interested. Toys are stored in low-level kitchen cupboards and in boxes in the lounge so that children can access them safely and independently. As a result, they are able to enjoy an interesting environment in which they can play and learn effectively. The childminder spends all of her time interacting with and supporting children's play. This enables her to observe their abilities and assess the stage that they have reached in their development. She is then able to plan activities that will encourage their progress by building on what they already know and

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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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): • promote the good health of children by developing their knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and healthy living • make the recycling boxes, the greenhouse and the end of the garden safe or inaccessible to children • increase knowledge and understanding of the requirements regarding how to deal with complaints from parents made in writing or electronic form.

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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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