Brook Acre Community Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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151050 Unique Reference Number 31 July 2007 Inspection date Christine Coram 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 was registered in 1982. She lives with her husband and her two adult daughters in the Rownhams area of Hampshire. 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 when working alone, or seven children when working with an assistant. She is currently minding three children under five all day. The childminder attends a local parent/toddler group, library, children's singing and other activity groups. The family has three cats.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and has completed the quality assurance programme 'Quality First'.

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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. Children's hygiene is promoted well. Children wash their hands after going to the toilet and even the younger children are familiar with this routine. They are provided with individual, colour-coded face flannels and towels, which effectively reduces the risk of cross infection whilst promoting the children's independent use of the cloakroom. The family pets do not pose a hazard to the children because careful precautions are taken to protect them. Children have good opportunities for fresh air in the garden and they are protected very well from the possible harm from the sun because the childminder is careful to restrict outside play to the cooler parts of the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

Should a child have an accident, they are protected because the childminder is qualified in first aid and has easy access to her first aid kit. Records of any accidents are very clear and comprehensive and include full information about the accident, the treatment and any further action taken. A very clear procedure is in place to make sure that children needing medication or medical assistance are treated according to parents' wishes.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's nutritional health is promoted well. Parents provide food for their children and this is stored appropriately, including those items needing refrigeration. The childminder is careful to monitor the contents of the lunch boxes to ensure that the diet is healthy. She uses cooking activities such as making fruit salad to promote the children's understanding of healthy eating habits.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have access to the whole house although generally do not need to go upstairs. The lounge and dining room are the main areas, providing a large and very safe area for play. Children have safe access to the kitchen and an excellent facility is provided for them in the downstairs cloakroom with toilet and washbasin. Private and hygienic nappy changing facilities are also provided in the cloakroom with a changing mat and all the necessary items close at hand.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children have good access to outside play in the garden, which provides a secure and safe area with paved and grass surfaces. Children are welcomed into very clean and well-maintained premises that provide a safe and comfortable environment for them. The space is used creatively, with a book corner and an area for imaginative play as well as plenty of floor space used for a variety of different activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All the toys, furniture and equipment is safe and in excellent condition. Children benefit from a very good selection of play equipment that is well organised and stored in crates with labels for easy identification. Children can reach their toys and equipment easily from the crates on floor and the childminder makes sure that they have a good selection of these each day.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because the childminder has a good understanding of safety issues. She uses plans of the house and garden to identify areas of risk. Sleeping children are protected because they remain downstairs where the childminder can easily monitor them. They are safe in an emergency because there is a very clear emergency evacuation procedure that is practised by the children. They also help to complete weekly safety checks. They place stickers on a chart

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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 to log the checks of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, helping them to learn about safety. They are kept safe because the premises are secure. They are also protected because the childminder has a very clear working knowledge of safeguarding issues and has attended training. She has a clear policy that is effectively shared with parents and includes information about how exiting injuries are recorded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are very well occupied with a large range of toys and activities. All of these are very appropriate to the stage of development of the children and support their development in all areas. The childminder does not write daily plans, but provides a good range of activities and has an extensive list of outings and groups available on each day. These include the toy library, toddler groups and story time at the library. This also includes visits to the mosque, temple, church, soft play centre, parks and forest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children's language and imagination is promoted and stimulated because the childminder asks challenging questions, for example, about the book the child is looking at. She is constantly aware of learning and development and uses full vocabulary and proper names, modelling extensive use of language. Children are thoroughly involved in their play throughout the day and never without constructive activities. They are very sociable. Children under three play together very well and seek each other's involvement in their play. They benefit greatly from the involvement of the childminder in their play. She joins in their play and speaks with them at all times.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children thrive and receive excellent care. This is because the childminder finds out about their specific needs through extensive conversation with parents and the detailed registration forms. An extremely clear and thorough settling in procedure enables her to get to know both children and parents particularly well. She finds out about the child's preferences and needs before they are left in her care. She is very clear about individual children's needs and personalities and treats all children according to her thorough knowledge of these.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Resources are used that reflect extremely positive images of diversity in society. For example, the childminder reads from a book that the children choose about different religions. She confidently pronounces the names of items such as clothing and the names of the religions. She makes this interesting, relevant and accessible to the children. She also gives them first hand experiences through visits to the local Gudwhara Temple, where they enjoy the hospitality that is offered. She also takes them on visits to Mosque and Church. She undertakes varied projects that help children have an extremely positive and open view of diversity in society. She demonstrates an accepting attitude and celebrates diversity with enthusiasm. She embraces the variety of culture in her area and provides a warm and caring role model for the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is managed in a very positive and effective way. Their behaviour is monitored using incident books for each child. The information recorded in the books includes weekly summaries of their behaviour, both good and inappropriate. Any significant incidents are recorded here and all this is shared with parents. The excellent detail helps parents to be fully aware of the behaviour of their child and to liaise with the childminder. This helps to provide consistency and very effective communication. A detailed and clear policy is given to

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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 parents of all children at the outset. They sign to confirm their agreement. Again, this effectively ensures that there is agreement and consistency in the management of individual children's behaviour. Methods used are sensitive and appropriate, and take into account children’s level of understanding and maturity. The childminder is consistent and follows through all that she says. She uses very appropriate language and methods for the age and level of maturity of the children attending. They respond very well to the calm behaviour management. Plenty of encouragement and praise are given.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder works exceptionally well with parents and carers. An extremely comprehensive pack of information is given to new parents with extensive information about her provision and a wide variety of other useful information. Polices are included and parents are asked to sign these to confirm their agreement. A daily communication book for each child is used for two-way notes. This means that there is excellent communication even when conversations are limited by time. This is in addition to the incident book already mentioned. Daily conversations are a priority with all parents and the childminder tries to make sure that extra time is given on the last day of the week. The childminder respects the wishes of the parents and takes extensive steps to make sure that she is clear about their expectations for their child's care.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides. Children benefit because she demonstrates a very clear commitment to developing her childminding practice. She has recently completed the NCMA Quality First quality assurance programme, and completed her level 3 qualification some time ago.

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Organisation

The childminder occasionally works with an assistant if the number of children attending demands this. She has records of the assistant's personal information and informs parents of the arrangements. The days and times that the assistant is present are recorded in the childminder's diary but not in the record of attendance so that it is not clear which adults were caring for the children. However, the record of the children's attendance is meticulous, accurate and up-to-date. All documentation is also very clear, carefully completed and stored confidentially. In addition to the required records, the childminder has useful policies and a large amount of other information that she makes available to parents.

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Organisation

The children benefit from well-organised childcare. There is a clear pattern to the day, and the resources are well ordered and easily to hand. The premises are used very effectively to provide comfortable and practical space for them to play.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At her last inspection, the childminder agreed to ensure that all incidents involving children are recorded. The childminder has now introduced an incident book for each child that give parents a weekly summary of the main events for their child and can be used to record any major incidents.

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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

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 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): • further develop the system for recording the presence of the childminding assistant, so that it is always clear who has been caring for the children

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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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