Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY289390 Unique Reference Number 05 December 2007 Inspection date Carol Johnstone 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 2004. She lives with her husband in the village of Kimmeridge, in Dorset. The ground floor of the house is used for childminding purposes and there is an enclosed paved outside play area. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding six children, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder has two cats whom children can have supervised access to. The childminder has an NVQ level two and three qualification in Childcare and Education. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and the DCC Childminding network.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very clean and bright environment. The childminder ensures that babies are able to crawl around on floor surfaces that are clean as they are washed and vacuumed on a daily basis. In addition, the childminder does not allow outdoor shoes in the play room so there is no danger of germs from the outdoors being brought in. The pet cats have regular health checks to ensure they present no danger to the children and their food dishes are kept

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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 in a separate room which is not used by the children. Kitchen surfaces are kept spotlessly clean and the childminder has a certificate in food hygiene so she has a full awareness of how to prepare food safely for young children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children who have infectious illnesses are excluded in order to protect the other children and there are clear guidelines for parents informing them of how long to keep children away. The childminder keeps her first aid training up-to-date and has several first-aid boxes which she keeps well-stocked. She also takes a portable first-aid box when on outings and has one in the car in order to give emergency first aid quickly. Accident and medication records are clear and completed accurately. Children learn effective hygiene habits as they are encouraged to wash their hands after the toilet, before snack and lunchtime and after wiping their nose. Liquid soap and paper towels are used which minimises the risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are offered fruit and vegetable sticks each day at snack time. There is also discussion with the older children about why healthy food is good for them. The childminder prepares home made lunches each day using fresh fish, beef and chicken. She incorporates fresh vegetables into each meal to increase the vitamin content for children. However, at teatime, sandwich fillings are not always healthy and biscuits are given. Children have independent access to water throughout the day and different coloured cups are used to maintain hygiene.

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Helping children to be healthy

There is good regard to children's physical development. There is an outdoor area which is used for bikes, balls and games. In addition, there are trips to local parks, walks to the forest and days at the beach. The childminder has a sound understanding of how children develop their physical skills and she encourages very young children to stand and learn to walk by giving support and providing equipment for them to hold on to. She also helps them learn to hold and use paintbrushes, crayons and scissors in order to develop their fine motor skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder arranges the furniture in her play room to enable children to spread out their toys safely and play undisturbed. Toys and equipment are age appropriate and in good condition making them safe for children to play with. The childminder checks their condition on a daily basis when she is putting them away each day. The front door is kept locked with the key on a high hook to prevent children from escaping on to the road. There are safety gates in place on the stairs to prevent falls and at the entrance to the kitchen to ensure that children do not have unsupervised access to it. All low level glass is secured with safety film and cleaning fluids are kept out of reach. The childminder practises the emergency evacuation drill every two months with the children so that they are familiar with it in case of emergency. She also evaluates this each time to see how the children responded and to see if anything should be done

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

differently. Written risk assessments of the premises are carried out on a regular basis.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children learn about their personal safety through the childminder talking to them about the dangers of traffic. When out walking, the childminder teaches them how to wait at the roadside and when to cross safely. In addition, she uses chalk to make a 'road' in her back garden and gets children to role-play being a 'lollipop person' to increase their understanding of road safety. Children also learn about fire safety as there are regular trips to the local fire station where children look at the engines and talk to fire fighters.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children would be supported in the event of a child protection concern arising as the childminder has a secure knowledge of the types of abuse and the signs to be aware of. She is clear of the

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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 need to record any unusual behaviour or visible signs in a child and knows who to contact for external assistance.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are able to choose from a wide range of resources that are easily accessible. In addition, the childminder displays photos of activities so that children can point to something if they cannot yet vocalise. There are lots of bright colourful toys for very young children including some noisy shape sorters and pushbutton musical toys. There are puzzles, construction toys, small world play, puppets, animals, painting and play dough. Children of this age group are very settled and enjoy floor play with a variety of toys. There are also some structured activities for them such as play dough, sponge painting and corn flour play. However, the range of more challenging activities is still being developed by the childminder. Older children enjoy planting and growing, cooking, collage making, musical instruments and arts and crafts. There are trips to the forest to explore the environment and bring back objects such as leaves and twigs to

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

use in pictures. Children also go to the beach to hunt for fossils and draw pictures of them on their return. The childminder is familiar with how make written observations of children's activities and she identifies the next steps they need to take to help their development. She prepares written plans of the activities for older children which will cover the six areas of learning in the Foundation Stage.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Interaction from the childminder is very warm and caring. Because of her previous experience in childcare she is able to use interaction to help the children learn, for example pointing out simple colours and shapes to very young children during their play. The children are very happy and comfortable with her, approaching her readily for support or for a cuddle when tired.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn about different cultural festivals through activities related to them. For example during Chinese New Year they ate noodles with chopsticks and made traditional lucky parcels. For Diwali, they made tea lights from play dough . The childminder is working towards increasing her range of resources that reflect diversity and disability. This will provide children with more opportunities to raise their awareness of this area .

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has no experience of working with children who have additional needs. However, she demonstrates a positive attitude to welcoming children into her care and would work in conjunction with parents to discuss the child's needs and how they would be met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is managed consistently. Very young children are given a firm 'no' and a gentle explanation of what behaviour is not nice. Older children are given brief periods of time out when necessary and the childminder discusses the behaviour with them. Ongoing issues are discussed with parents to maintain continuity between home and the childminder's care. Children are given lots of praise by the childminder when they achieve something during an activity which builds their self-esteem and confidence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

There are strong and positive relationships with parents. They are given an information pack at the outset which outlines the childminder's qualifications and the policies and procedures of her practice. There are daily discussions when children are collected and the childminder

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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 completes a daily diary for each child which outlines the day's activities, nappy changes, sleep patterns and food eaten.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder protects children from unauthorised visitors as she checks the identity of all callers to the house and gets them to sign in and out if they need to enter. She stays with the children at all times.

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Organisation

Documentation is very well organised and methodically kept. All aspects necessary for children's care and well-being such as medical histories and children's attendance are correctly completed and up-to-date. Emergency contact numbers are kept close to hand and taken with the childminder on outings. Parental consent is held for observations, the application of sun cream, the taking of photographs, car transportation and emergency medical treatment.

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Organisation

The childminder is committed to continually improving her practice through her own personal development . She has undertaken several training courses since her last inspection and is also currently undertaking an NVQ level four in childcare.

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Organisation

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, it was recommended that the childminder rearrange her resources to allow children to have greater access to a variety of play opportunities. A recommendation was also made to increase the amount of resources that reflect diversity and disability.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder has purchased transparent storage trolleys so that children can now see the resources available and have easier access to them. She is also gradually increasing the range of resources that reflect diversity in order to raise children's awareness of this area.

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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): • increase the range of healthy choices at teatime • further develop the range of challenging activities for children in the birth to three age-group.

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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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