Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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133377 Unique Reference Number 01 August 2007 Inspection date Margaret Davie 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 1993. She lives with her husband, four adult aged children and two younger sons aged eleven and three, in Steventon, a small village near Abingdon. The whole of the ground floor 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 five children at any one time and is currently minding one child full time and one child part time, apart from school holidays when they are both cared for full time. The childminder occasionally fosters babies for the local authority. While fostered children are in care, the childminder works with an assistant. The family has a number of pets.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Well established routines ensure children understand the need for good personal hygiene. The childminder's house is clean and tidy and children are encouraged to clear away toys when they

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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 have finished using them, to help keep things in order. Children are reminded to wash their hands regularly, particularly before eating, after using the toilet and after outdoor play or feeding the animals. They easily manage washing their own hands in the downstairs cloakroom, because the sink has been fitted low enough for them to reach it. The lack of individual towels for hand drying, however, means there is an increased risk of spreading germs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children develop healthy eating habits from a young age because they are provided with nutritious meals and snacks. They enjoy eating cut up apples and a drink of milk at snack time and get plenty of locally grown fresh vegetables with their dinner. They are learning good eating habits as they are encouraged to eat their meals at the family dining table. Children confidently help themselves to drinks which are available at all times.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide range of physical activities that help to keep them in good health. They have free access to a fenced off part of the large garden with a good range of toys. They can pedal and climb confidently, and develop their fine motor skills using play tools and other small toys. They help in the garden enthusiastically, reminded by the childminder to carry their small buckets of water carefully so as not to be wasteful by spilling it. They get plenty of fresh air walking to school during term time and benefit from outings to places of interest such as a local farm and nearby bird park.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy visiting and helping to care for the family's numerous pets, including a goat, a rabbit, chickens and ferrets. Carefully supervised by the childminder, they happily help to water and feed them, gaining an understanding of how to care for pets, and are delighted when they find an egg laid by one of the chickens, discussing how many eggs they will have to find before the childminder can bake a cake for them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play and explore in a spacious and well organised environment. This allows them to move around freely and play safely. The childminder's home is welcoming and the main room used for childminding is brightly decorated with good displays such as numbers, letters and maps to help encourage children's development. Children's risk of injury is minimised because the childminder checks both the premises and equipment regularly to ensure it is safe to use. In order to ensure children's safety the childminder has quarantined a number of outdoor toys polluted by recent flood waters, to await professional sanitising before they use them again.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children benefit from good access to a wide range of resources which they can access independently both indoors and outdoors. The garden is large and well equipped with a paved area for riding and pushing toys as well as a large grassed area where a tent and Wendy house encourage imaginative play. The children's play area is fully fenced and therefore very secure. Children only visit the pets which are kept in a separate part of the garden, while supervised by an adult to ensure their safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is carefully safeguarded as the childminder has a clear understanding of child protection issues. Safety on outings is a matter of priority and the childminder has recently applied for information from the local authority to further develop children's understanding of how to be safe pedestrians. The childminder has a clear understanding of the need to protect and evacuate children in case of an emergency, however she has not devised or practiced an escape plan to be used when working with an assistant. This presents a potential risk to children's safety.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good range of activities that are stimulating and help them make progress in all areas of their development. They learn about the importance of watering plants and feeding animals while helping the childminder in the garden and with the care of the family pets. They gain an understanding of the wider world on local walks visiting the shops and local farms.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's independence is positively encouraged when they choose activities, resources and see to their own personal needs. They are learning the importance of tidying up their toys once they have finished playing with them and are carefully reminded to treat resources with care to keep them in good condition for future play. They take delight in naming colours while helping to get out the paints and think carefully about letter sounds while helping the childminder write their names on their artwork.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy books and handle them carefully. They spend time 'reading' while having their morning snack and with the childminder's support, can relate to well known stories such as 'Noddy' by looking at the pictures. Relationships between the children and the childminder are very positive and children benefit from seeing how young babies are cared for, when the childminder is fostering. Her home provides a friendly, supportive atmosphere in which both minded and her own children are happy and thriving.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children feel good about themselves and develop a positive self image because the childminder uses lots of praise and encouragement to support their development. She provides them with good individual care and attention because parents are asked to provide relevant information about their child's individual needs. Children learn to respect other cultures and the importance of anti discrimination because the childminder has a positive attitude towards diversity, providing a range of resources to broaden their understanding.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well and respond appropriately to the childminder's clear expectations. They share resources amicably because the childminder has a good understanding of when she needs to intervene in their play to prevent squabbling and makes sure they understand which behaviours are unacceptable, for example, reminding them how important it is not to argue when sharing the large book that turns into a fire engine in case it is damaged. These explanations help to ensure children learn right from wrong and develop self discipline.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's development is well supported by the childminder's good links with parents. A daily two-way flow of information ensures that care is consistent and parents report they are pleased with the care their children are getting, particularly in relation to the establishment of good routines which can be carried on at home and the friendly, family atmosphere provided. Childcare practices are shared with parents in order to support children's care and welfare, and parents are encouraged to share any worries or concerns at an early stage so that any difficulties can be rectified.

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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

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from a well-organised environment where they receive good support from the childminder to help them feel secure and confident. They feel comfortable and at ease in the childminder's home. The childminder organises her time well with a clear sense of purpose to allow children the freedom to pursue their own interests in order to encourage their development. Children are offered a wide range of stimulating activities, both inside and outside the home.

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Organisation

Children are well cared for because the childminder has a wide range of experience, which includes short term fostering of babies for the local council. Well established links with both social services and local health visitors means she has good access to a range of outside agencies, to support the development of the children. On occasion, when fostering two babies, the child minder works with an assistant to maintain adult/child ratios and to meet children's needs effectively. All required documentation is in place and 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 time of the previous inspection the childminder was asked to continue to extend the range of resources to reflect diversity and to promote anti discriminatory practice. She was also asked to update children's individual records to include language, religion, cultural and religious observances and to provide an incident record and obtain the local child protection leaflet.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since then the number of multicultural toys and resources such as books to help children gain an understanding of other cultures has been increased. She talks to them about treating all people equally regardless of their background or circumstances. She also now asks parents to provide detailed information about children's home language, religion and cultural observances on their registration form. These steps positively support children's welfare and help them to develop positive attitudes towards others.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder has also put an incident record in place and obtained up to date information about local safeguarding children procedures in order to fully support children's care and welfare.

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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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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

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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 hand drying facilities prevent the spread of germs • review procedures for evacuation in the event of an emergency, when working with an assistant

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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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