Lyndenwood

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 131040 Inspection date 20 July 2005 Inspector Lisa Toole

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Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

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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 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 1993. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Hove, East Sussex. The ground floor and one first floor bedroom of the property is used for childminding, including a dedicated playroom. There is a rear garden for outside play. She co-minds with three registered childminders and the group is called Kiddiwinks Childminding Group. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of 6 children when working alone and when co-minding she is registered to care for a maximum of 10 children at any one time.

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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 She is currently minding 22 children, all of whom attend on a part time basis. The childminder is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and Special Needs Integration in Playgroups.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Well established hygiene routines enable children to learn about the importance of washing their hands to help maintain good health. The childminder's understanding of the need for good hygiene is reflected in her daily practice. For example, with effective nappy changing, maintaining all equipment regularly and good procedures if children become ill; which all help reduce risks of infection to children. She ensures children have access to a clean and hygienic environment to help them understand the importance of good hygiene and keeping healthy. The childminder prepares nutritious meals for children that are provided by parents and supplements these with a healthy range of snacks, including fruit, that appeal to children and meet their dietary needs. Children are encouraged to have regular refreshments throughout the day to ensure they are sufficiently hydrated. Meal times are generally a social time; older children sit together at the table with the

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Helping children to be healthy

childminder. Younger children sit in highchairs around the table but are not always as actively involved in the social aspects of meal times as the older children. Children have a good relationship with the childminder, who is responsive to their emotional needs. They have regular opportunities for physical play and are starting to learn about their bodies and what they can do. Worthwhile and interesting activities are provided for the children when they play in the garden. These include climbing in and out of very large boxes, using climbing apparatus and playing with sand and water. The childminder offers good support to younger children who are beginning to discover how to control their own movements gaining physical skills appropriate to their stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have access to a very child-friendly, warm and welcoming environment. There is a dedicated play room, which enables children to move, explore, play freely and have a real sense of belonging. There is an extensive range of safe, good quality, developmentally appropriate resources. They are effectively organised to ensure they are easily accessible to children in order to encourage their independence and freedom of choice. Children thoroughly enjoy playing with the toys available to them, especially in the home corner/role play area and in the garden. The childminder talks to children about safety issues while participating in topics and in every day play, helping them to gain an understanding of the world around them.

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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 She has taken steps to reduce most potential hazards to children and daily risk assessments are carried out to ensure children's safety and well-being. The majority have been made safe in the home, and outdoors in the garden, in order to keep children protected. However, a small number of wine bottles are at an accessible level to children in the kitchen and there is a small exposed drain outlet in the garden. Children's welfare is protected as the childminder has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities with regard to child protection. She is aware of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and has a secure knowledge and understanding of the procedures to follow should she have any cause for concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very happy, relaxed and confident in the childminder's care. The close and caring relationships she has with them increase their trust and help them develop a strong sense of belonging. The childminder is very sensitive to children's individual needs and committed to ensuring they are appropriately met; for example, giving extra cuddles and attention to an unsettled child to help him feel reassured. Children have access to an extensive range of well-chosen resources which are used to support children's learning and development in all areas. The childminder plans and provides a wide variety of activities and play experiences around an interesting and stimulating range of topics. Children are able to explore, investigate and make sense of the world they live in through meaningful exploratory and sensory experiences. These include looking inside fruit, at raw and cooked food and tasting

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

them. The childminder offers children appropriate support when required, but ensures they have sufficient challenge so they can begin to explore and gain new skills independently. Group times are used as valuable social times and children's communication and language skills are encouraged in a purposeful way. The children particularly enjoy the daily opportunities to talk about their news and experiences and practice their knowledge and understanding of colours, numbers and days of the week. Observations and general assessments are used to monitor children's development and record their individual achievements. They are also used in a meaningful way to plan future topics and activities which will help take the children to the next stage in their learning and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are treated with respect and are made to feel good about themselves. They have access to a good range of resources that promote equality and reflect positive images of diversity. They learn about other cultural and religious festivals to increase

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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 their understanding of the world around them. The childminder has an understanding of caring for children with special educational needs and ensures that each child is included and valued as an individual. She works closely with parents to ensure children's individual needs are appropriately and fully met. Clear behavioural expectations are in place that help children to learn right from wrong and the children's behaviour is good. They play together co-operatively and harmoniously, share and take turns. The childminder has a positive approach to behaviour management and offers regular praise and encouragement to the children to help increase their confidence and self esteem. Children are well cared for and settled in the childminder's care. She gathers all relevant information about a child from the parents before they are placed in her

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Helping children make a positive contribution

care. The childminder has a good partnership with parents and she ensures they are kept well informed of their child's progress through regular verbal feedback. Written policies, procedures and a prospectus enable parents to have an informed understanding of the childminder's practice and reassurance that their children are being appropriately cared for.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. All of the required documentation that contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place and the childminder has a professional yet friendly approach to her childminding. The childminder implements an additional range of policies and procedures to enhance the care that she offers children. Children are given the opportunity to thrive due to the well organised space, time and resources on offer. They receive very good adult support to help them feel secure and confident. The childminder has a positive attitude towards attending training in order to increase her knowledge and understanding of childcare and keep up-to-date with current practices. Children benefit from this as she has a good knowledge of child development and is able to tend to their needs in the event of a medical emergency. She ensures that children are protected from people that are not vetted, and has a

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Organisation

good understanding of her childminding role and responsibilities. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to improve two aspects of documentation relating to the register of attendance and the accident record. She was also asked to ensure that smoke detectors were fitted to all levels of the property. The childminder now records children's times of arrival and departure in the register

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Improvements 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 and ensures that confidentiality is maintained regarding the accident record. She has also installed fire smoke detectors to all levels and these are routinely checked.

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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): • Ensure that children are protected from all hazards both in and outdoors, relating to wine bottles and the drain.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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