Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY277769 Unique Reference Number 28 February 2008 Inspection date Susan Janet Lee 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 and three sons, aged five, eight and 10 in a town house in Leigh.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The playroom, kitchen dining room and bathroom on the ground floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a rear garden available for outdoor play. The family have a pet dog.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to provide care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently caring for eight children who attend on a variety of placements. She is able to take and collect children from the local primary school and is a member of the National Childminding Association and the local childminding network.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children are cared for in a very clean and well maintained environment. They are protected from infection as the childminder has an excellent understanding of the importance of exercising

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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 good hygiene practices to minimise the risk of cross infection. For example, she follows thorough procedures when changing nappies to help protect the youngest children and provides children's individual towels and toothbrushes. The children learn about personal care routines and they wash their hands independently after using the bathroom and before eating. Highly comprehensive policies are in place ensuring effective measures are in place when children are ill. Thorough procedures are in place regarding the notification of communicable diseases.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children develop an understanding of healthy options and they are very well nourished. The childminder has attended food hygiene training and she has an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy eating. The menu is well balanced, wholesome and nutritious to aid children's growth and development. The children enjoy lots of baking activities. They grow fruit and vegetables with the childminder in the garden and then reap their harvest and eat them with their meals. Lunch time is a completely relaxed and enjoyable occasion. The children help to set the table. They are able to eat at their own pace and chat to the childminder and their friends. The children are able to independently quench their thirst as drinks are readily accessible. The childminder ensures that the youngest children have drinks at regular intervals.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder works hard to follow babies’ individual daily routines; providing a secure and familiar environment. The children receive lots of positive physical contact, eye contact and interaction during personal care routines such as nappy hanging. The children have lots of opportunities to play outdoors; enjoy the fresh air and develop their physical skills. They play in the garden; visit the park and a soft play centre and go swimming. All these activities contribute to the children's good health and physical development. The children enjoy joining in with action songs and playing ring games. They pretend to row a boat and work with the other children to create intended movements. Photographic documentation shows the children participating in a host of outdoor activities. For example, playing on large soft play equipment; climbing and balancing in the park, playing in the snow and having fun at the seaside.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a warm, welcoming and homely environment. Children's artwork, posters and information are displayed throughout and this makes the environment bright, stimulating and informative for the children and their parents. The children benefit from a dedicated playroom which is well equipped with furniture and resources. There is a good selection of equipment and furniture available allowing babies and older children to be able to play rest and play in comfort. The childminder provides an extensive range of resources to help the children progress in all areas of their development. Toys are used well to promote children's play and learning and they provide challenge. Resources are attractively stored at child height in low level shelving units. The storage boxes are clear so the children can see what is inside each box. The children are able to freely access toys of their choice; helping them to initiate

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

their own ideas and develop choice and independence. All items are of good quality and appear in a safe and clean condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Comprehensive policies and risk assessments are in place and are observed at all times. The childminder has a good understanding of safety and she has taken positive steps to ensure that the environment in which children are cared for is safe and secure. Children are protected from the dangers of fire. The childminder practises the evacuation procedure with children on a regular basis. As a result, they develop an understanding of what to do in the event of an emergency, such as a fire. The childminder is vigilant in supervising the children enabling them to play safely and independently. She encourages their understanding in keeping themselves

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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 safe through daily routines, discussion and play activities. The children have been involved in activities regarding road safety and fire safety. Older children learn about dangers of drugs and also how to use the 'stop, drop and roll' technique in case someone catches fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All required policies and procedures are in place and the childminder has a secure understanding of child protection matters and procedures; ensuring children's welfare is effectively safeguarded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The daily routine promotes children's welfare and meets their needs effectively. The childminder has attended training in relation to the 'Birth to three matters' framework and the introduction to the 'Early Years Foundation Stage'. Systems regarding planning and assessment are still in their early stages. The childminder records play activities and has recently started to informally observe the children as they play. She uses this information to plan activities to meet children's needs and interests. Though observations are not currently written down and recorded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder provides a wide range of activities and experiences to help the children develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. The children also benefit from activities outside the home as the childminder utilises local amenities. Trips include visits to the park, parent toddler group; childminder drop in sessions, the farm, museums and the seaside. These activities enhance children’s experiences and gives them many opportunities to socialise with their peers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder gives the children her undivided attention and is spontaneous to the children's interests. The childminder shares close relationships with the children, who are happy, relaxed and secure in her care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Babies find a voice and begin to listen and respond as the childminder nurtures their attempts to communicate. She listens intently when babies babble and responds in gentle tones to reinforce early speech patterns. Older children develop good language skills as the childminder interacts with them at every available opportunity to extend their language and to challenge their thinking.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children enjoy playing imaginatively. They are able to re-enact their own experiences and develop an understanding of the world in which they live. The children explore sounds and begin to develop an awareness of which sounds represent some letters. They take turns to pick a card from a sack and look at the picture and then join in to make the sound it makes. The children enjoy singing nursery rhymes. The childminder reads a story to the children who listen intently. She uses different tones of voice to add interest and intonation. The children enjoy turning the pages and anticipate what will happen next.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the importance of equality of opportunity. She provides a fully inclusive environment to help children make a positive contribution and reach their potential. The children develop an awareness of their local community through their many trips out. They also have a wealth of opportunity to learn about themselves, other people and the world around them. For example, they have access to a wonderful range of resources that reflect diversity and they celebrate their own and other festivals; helping them to value

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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 respect each others differences and similarities and develop respect for other people's cultures and traditions. The children recently celebrated Chinese New Year. They made a dragon costume and mask and enjoyed wearing it as they did the dragon dance. The childminder has experience of working with parents and other agencies to meet the needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities. She skilfully incorporates work programmes to meet children's additional needs into play activities so that all the children can participate.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder provides a happy, well managed environment for the children. She is highly skilled in managing children's behaviour consistently; ensuring continuity for the children. The childminder uses effective strategies that take into account the children's age, understanding and level of maturity and that also allow the children to deal with a range of emotions. She acts as a very good role model to the children and they are polite and behave very well. The children receive encouragement and praise at every opportunity and they grow in confidence and self-esteem. The children develop a very good sense of belonging and move around with ease and confidence. The children are able to make decisions as they choose what to play with. The childminder truly values the children's ideas. For example, they are involved in agreeing the house rules. The children show care and concern for other living things as they water the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

plants and feed the animals on the farm. The children thoroughly enjoy being with the childminder and they thrive on her interaction and attention. They share warm relationships with each other and warmly welcome a child who arrives just after lunch.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder shares very good working relationships with parents, who are greeted warmly on arrival. The childminder has developed a comprehensive portfolio that includes a full range of polices and procedures. This is shown and discussed with parents at the initial meeting. Parents are given copies of polices and they sign to confirm they have understood; helping to forge trusting three way relationships and a shared understanding from an early stage. Highly effective systems are in place to allow parents to contribute to the evaluation of the service provided. The childminder notifies parents of forth coming inspections and asks them to complete a questionnaire. These show parents are very happy indeed with service provided, levels of care and activities afforded. Parents also feel that the childminder is reliable, trustworthy and friendly and that she provides a happy atmosphere for their children. Excellent

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Helping children make a positive contribution

systems are in place to keep parents informed about their children's daily activities and forth coming events.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The childminder is a deeply committed and enthusiastic childcare practitioner who keeps herself fully up to date with current legislation and constantly strives improve the service she provides for the children. She has a very high regard for children's well-being and attends lots of training to further develop her childcare practices. The childminder has a valid first aid certificate ensuring she has up to date knowledge of what to do in the event of an accident or minor injury. The childminder consistently monitors the service she provides for children and their parents.

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Organisation

There is a robust system in place to record children's attendance. This shows that ratios are maintained to positively promote children's care, learning and play. The childminder organises space, time and resources extremely well to significantly enhance children's care and to meet their needs effectively. Excellent arrangements are in place with other childminders regarding emergencies.

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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 The childminder has developed detailed and comprehensive written policies and procedures which are attractively and professionally presented in a portfolio. The policies and procedures work very well in practice to positively promote children's health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the records to be maintained in relation to childminding and all required documentation is in place. This is very well organised for easy reference and stored securely to ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times.

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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 a recommendation was agreed in relation to documentation. The childminder has improved documentation as she ensures parents always give written parental consent prior to medication being administered.

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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 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): • continue to develop systems in relation to planning and assessment.

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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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