Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY245598 Unique Reference Number 12 June 2007 Inspection date Fran Fielder Inspector

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Integrated 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder has been a registered childminder since 2002. She lives with her husband and son aged seven in a residential area of Godalming in Surrey. Her husband is also a registered childminder. Both childminders have joint responsibility for the childminding practice.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. Bathroom and sleeping facilities are provided on the first floor. Both front and rear gardens are fully enclosed and available for outside play. The family lives close to local shops, parks and schools.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is part of an accredited network and provides nursery education for children in receipt of funding. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children when working alone. This number increases to seven when working with another childminder. The childminders

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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 are currently minding 14 between them all on a part time basis. Of these four children receive nursery education grants.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder runs a local toddler group. She is the Child Protection contact for the Surrey branch of the National Association for Gifted Children. She has a relevant level 4 qualification and is currently working towards a Foundation Degree.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children enjoy their play in a beautifully clean home. They learn the importance of good hygiene and personal care through extremely effective everyday routines. Children use a free standing child height wash basin. This is easy to access and helps promote children's independence. Very effective procedures for the care of sick and injured children support children's welfare. Children sleep or rest according to their needs which also help promote their good health. The childminder has a food hygiene certificate and uses different coloured chopping boards to prevent the contamination of food.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children truly learn the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet. They use individual charts to record the fruit and vegetables they eat each day. The childminder uses organic foods to prepare nutritious meals. Fruit is always available for snacks. Meals include stir fries, risottos and macaroni cheese. During an 'Around the World' theme, the childminder makes interesting and appealing foods such as sweet and sour dishes and sweet potato cakes. The childminder caters for individual diets and obtains all necessary information from parents to ensure excellent care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Each day children enjoy outdoor activities in the garden to help them develop control of their bodies and improve their physical skills. Children are extremely competent when using the climbing frame and enjoy experimenting with different ways of moving. They manoeuvre wheeled toys, dig in the sand pit, kick balls and dance with scarves. The childminder understands the importance of physical exercise for children and, as a result, children are progressing exceptionally well.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The childminder's home is very welcoming. She displays children's artwork around her home making children feel valued. The parents' notice board informs parents of her service together with a variety of interesting local information. The lay out of the premises gives children every opportunity for quiet and active play. They freely choose from a superb collection of high quality, stimulating toys and resources that support children's developmental needs.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a number of effective procedures in place to minimise the risks to children both in her home and on outings. Regular risk assessments ensure there are no hazards. Children learn how to keep themselves safe through discussion and clearly know how to assess dangers.

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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 Recent training means the childminder has an excellent understanding of all child protection issues. She keeps all relevant telephone numbers easily to hand and ensures parents understand her role in safeguarding children. This supports children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very happy, relaxed and confident. The childminder's warm and calm manner makes children feel safe. Relationships are very good and children readily approach the childminder for support when needed. Planning for the under threes is excellent. The childminder has an excellent understanding of all aspects of child development. She understands the importance of giving children a wide range experiences that stimulate their senses. They have plenty of opportunity to explore the environment both indoors and out. Listening to gentle music helps children relax when tired.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. The childminder's excellent knowledge of how children learn enables her to plan for individual learning needs. She recognises that children have different interests and learn in different ways. She plans exciting first hand experiences that capture children's imagination and make them keen to learn. The childminder is very enthusiastic about supporting children's intellectual development as well as their care needs. She knows the children very well and constantly looks for new ways to stimulate children. She obtains a range of artefacts such as didgeridoos, coloured chopsticks, Russian dolls and a papier mache dragon's head from Hong Kong. This commitment to providing authentic items is outstanding and gives children a true picture of other cultures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have the opportunity to talk about their emotions. They play well together, sharing and taking turns. Children love to look at books and demonstrate a clear understanding that print carries meaning. They point to words and look at the pictures and recognise the words say what is in the picture. They enjoy singing songs such as 'The Wheels on the Bus' and 'Zoom, zoom, zoom, going to the moon'. Children have many opportunities for mark making. They demonstrate an excellent understanding of number as they confidently count the tally marks they draw on the blackboard.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's understanding of the world around them is enhanced by visits to places such as Winkworth Arboretum. Here they enjoy a range of experiences. They watch animals, observe large fresh water molluscs and look at bird's nests and their eggs. At the childminder's home they compare the sizes of seeds and plant their own.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They take photographs with a digital camera for their 'passports' and watch how these are downloaded on to the computer. They use disposable cameras to photograph their gardens at home. They then watch how these are developed. This gives children a rich and wide experience of different types of photography.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children look at many examples of famous painters' work. They discuss numbers in art and experiment with a wide range of media. This allows them to fully express their creativity. They create collages using natural materials, mould play dough, listen to music from different countries and discuss instruments.

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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 outstanding. The childminder has an excellent understanding of equality of opportunity and how to promote it. Every child is treated with respect and their individuality is acknowledged so they feel good about themselves. Children share their own and each others culture. The childminder accesses interesting artefacts that give children an excellent view of different cultures. There is a fabulous range of resources that reflect diversity. This ensures children develop a very positive attitude towards all people in society. The childminder gives excellent support to children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder has experience of caring for children with learning difficulties and has an excellent knowledge of how to support gifted children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave extremely well. Praise, encouragement and exciting activities mean children thrive socially. The childminder is calm, patient and very supportive. This means children learn the consequences of their actions and the value of acceptable behaviour. This means children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents are extremely happy with all aspects of the service provided. They receive excellent information about the Foundation Stage and the curriculum. The childminder asks parents' views through regular evaluations so she can improve service. A regular newsletter to parents outlines themes, changes in the service or paperwork, training, new resources and details of interesting websites. Children take home books to share with their parents. A wide range of books, on many subjects, are available for parents to borrow. Care diaries for young children ensures continuity of care. As well as daily chats, written progress reports each term mean parents are fully aware of their children's stage of learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children benefit from playing in a superbly well-organised environment where they receive excellent adult support to make them feel secure and confident. The childminder makes very good use of time and resources to maximise children's experiences. She keeps up to date with good practice by attending relevant courses. She makes excellent use of the internet to new and innovative ways to stimulate and motivate children. She has an exceptionally good knowledge of the Foundation Stage of learning and is enthusiastic about learning more so she can continue to offer outstanding care and education. The childminder evaluates activities to identify areas for improvement and to ensure they meet the learning needs of every child. Both childminders show dedication and commitment.

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Organisation

All required paperwork is in place and well maintained. An extremely good set of policies and procedures reflect her practice. These are available to parents at all times. An excellent exchange of information ensures continuity of care. The information kept about children is relevant and fully supports their welfare. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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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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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder agreed to review the position of the smoke alarms and the procedures for monitoring sleeping children. She also agreed to improve the condition of the perimeter fence and ensure the side gate is safe.

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Improvements since the last inspection

New smoke alarms have been purchased and fitted according to the recommendations made by the manufacturer. These are regularly tested to ensure they are in good working order. The childminder uses a baby monitor so she can easily hear when a baby wakes or cries. The perimeter fencing has been replaced with a higher fence. The side gate has been replaced and children cannot access this. These procedures ensure children's safety indoors and out.

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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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. 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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the care

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

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 nursery education

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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