Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY268323 Unique Reference Number 07 November 2007 Inspection date Sandra Elizabeth Williams 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 outstanding. 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 August 2003. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Ulverston, Cumbria. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding as well as the bathroom and spare bedroom on the first floor. 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 and is currently minding 10 children from 12 months to seven years. When working jointly with another childminder, a maximum of eight children may be cared for at any one time. The childminder lives close to local schools, shops, parks and pre-schools. The family has two cats.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder supports children with learning difficulties. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and the Furness Childminding Network.

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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 outstanding. Children’s are learning exceptionally well to be healthy as the childminder has excellent systems in place to aid this process. Not only do the children adopt thorough hygiene practices, such as washing their hands, but they also learn about the reasons why they need to do certain things. For example, the childminder explains to the children that they need to wash their hands to get rid of germs. They also know that they need to eat healthy foods to help their bodies grow and develop healthily. Children learn about healthy eating as they enjoy snacks, such as fruit, vegetables and healthy drinks.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder involves the children in the preparation of food and this help the children to become interested and it encourages them to taste new foods. The children really relish the opportunity to make their own fruit salad. They can identify and name fruits, such as peaches, apricots, strawberries and kiwi fruits. They work well in a group to produce a large bowl of fruit salad for them to enjoy at lunch time. They handle knives carefully as they skilfully cut up the fruit to add to the bowl. They also enjoy making their own pizzas, using vegetables to decorate them and make smiley faces. The children have a chart on the wall which is completed every day, indicating which five fruit and vegetables they have eaten that day. This allows parents to also be aware of the healthy food being provided to the children. Children are encouraged to drink plenty of water throughout the day from their own labelled bottles.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have wonderful opportunities for physical exercise and fresh air in the very well equipped garden and on their many outings to interesting places. The children particularly enjoy joining in aerobic activities that are led by the co-childminder. They can do star jumps and numerous dance routines to music. All of these activities are undertaken in a fun way and are an excellent way to get children interested and enjoying physical exercise.

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Helping children to be healthy

Clear procedures are in place to meet the health needs of all children. Their individual needs are well cared for by the use of medication records and written consents from parents to seek medical treatment in an emergency. All of the required documentation is kept in extremely good order. The children's health needs are enhanced as the childminder has a first aid kit and has undertaken first aid and food hygiene training.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The children are safeguarded and their welfare is highly promoted because the childminder is extremely conscientious about ensuring their safety. She makes sure that the environment inside and outside is kept totally safe and secure by undertaking daily safety checks. She makes sure that the gates are securely shut before children play in the garden. She also undertakes regular emergency evacuation procedures with the children, helping them to understand dangers and how to stay safe. Fire safety is a particular strength in this setting, as the childminder has had an assessment from the fire officer and has installed carbon monoxide detectors as well as numerous smoke alarms. The childminder extends the children's learning about fire safety by getting the toy fire engines out and role playing scenarios with the children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is taken extremely seriously by the childminder. The children are able to move about with confidence as the childminder has organised space effectively so that they have

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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 the ability to make choices about what they would like to play with, helping them to develop their sense of independence. The environment is very welcoming to children as the childminder provides child-sized furniture and a superb range of play equipment, easily accessible for the children at low level. Children are protected from harm as the childminder checks the equipment regularly and ensures that it is maintained in good order.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children understand how to keep themselves safe when on outings as they learn about the Green Cross Code, thus heightening their awareness of the need to be vigilant and careful when crossing roads. Again the childminder extends this learning experience for the children by getting them to draw zebra crossings with chalk on the patio and also by playing imaginatively with the small world traffic lights and road maps.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has considerable understanding of the need to protect children and to keep them safe from harm. She is very familiar with the safeguarding children procedures and is knowledgeable about how to protect children should the need arise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very happy, confident and settled and are making superb progress in their learning and development. The childminder supports the children’s learning by asking them open questions and encouraging conversations. For example, the children enjoy looking at the many photographs of themselves and their friends undertaking a wide variety of activities, such as feeding the animals when visiting the animal parks. The childminder stimulates discussion about the outings and asks the children what they can remember about their trips out. The children are helped to make good progress towards their early learning goals because the environment is stimulating and offers the children a superb choice of learning opportunities and high quality play equipment, both inside and outside.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

A particular strength in this setting is the focus on providing children with many opportunities to develop their social skills as they mix with other children and adults in various activities at the local pre-school nurseries, birthday parties and outings. Another strength is the abundant opportunities for children to develop their creative skills, through many different mediums, such as painting, crafts and music. The children benefit greatly from the strong links the childminder has developed with the local pre-schools, which some of the children attend. The childminder receives information about the topics and themes they are studying and she extends the children’s learning by providing relevant activities in her home. For example, the children are currently learning about emotions and different facial expressions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children complete the date and weather chart each day, thus learning about different types of weather, numbers and words. They also relish story time, when they choose from a wonderful range of books and sit with the childminder to read the books.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children make a positive contribution and learn about being respectful of others and forming good relationships with their peers and adults. The childminder acts as a positive role model and helps them to develop very good behaviour, such as being kind to each other, taking turns and sharing. The childminder teaches the children through play and activities, about different cultures and beliefs, disabilities and individual needs. This helps the children to develop tolerance

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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 and consideration of others. Children are encouraged to develop very positive attitudes about a diverse society and have access to a wonderful range of resources, such as dolls, puppets, books and multicultural song books. The childminder has even organised for the children to have French lessons at her home. Children also enjoy tasting different types of food, such as Chinese food using chopsticks.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has an expert knowledge and understanding of the needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Children with individual needs receive exceptional care due to the childminder's skilful ability to integrate them and to adapt activities to enable them to join in. All of the children have wonderful opportunities to mix with each other and they learn about respecting others who may be different from themselves. The children benefit greatly from the childminder's genuine interest in children and from her commitment to continued learning. She has undertaken numerous courses to enhance her practical skills in looking after children with individual needs. She and the children are currently learning sign language in order to communicate effectively with children with hearing impairments. They are learning how to say happy birthday using sign language.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's individual needs are highly respected by the childminder and much effort is made to ensure that the parents' wishes are adhered to in order to meet the children's individual requirements. Children are valued and respected as individuals and their needs are very well met. The children are praised for their behaviour and individual achievements, thus building their confidence and self-esteem. This helps the children to feel secure in their environment. The children play harmoniously together. They take turns and learn to negotiate well. The childminder has developed extremely positive and trusting relationships with the parents and shares information with them on a daily basis.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. There are excellent systems in place to ensure that all of the required policies and procedures are in place for the safe and efficient provision of childcare. The amount of documentation far exceeds the requirements set out in the National Standards. The childminder and her co-childminder meet regularly and they have completed a very detailed self-evaluation to review their practice and have a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for development. They both attend numerous training courses and are highly committed to keeping up to date with current childcare practices. The childminder has an abundance of experience having previously worked at a local pre-school for many years. She has an exemplary reputation locally, which is borne out by the many positive comments made by parents of children who have been very happy with the care provided. This results in the provision of high quality care

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Organisation

for children. All children’s welfare needs are met in this inclusive setting and there are strong links with parents and other agencies and provisions.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection it was agreed the childminder would carry out a risk assessment of shrubs and creepers in the outside play area. All dangerous plants have been removed from the garden, thus enhancing the safety for children. It was also agreed that the complaints policy would contain the regulator's address and telephone number. This has been undertaken, thus improving the detail of the documentation.

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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

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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

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 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

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 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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