Childminder in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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220594 Unique Reference Number 01 October 2007 Inspection date Paula Jane Hayhow 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 satisfactory. 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 has been registered since October 1990. She lives with her husband, grown up child and two children aged 14 and six years in Brackley in Northamptonshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding together with a bedroom upstairs used for sleeping young children. There is a fully enclosed garden and two parks are available for outdoor play. The local schools and shops are within walking distance.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children at any one time and is currently minding three children, all of whom are under five years and attend on a part-time basis. The family has a cat as a pet.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children participate in a range of physical activities contributing to their good health. The childminder ensures that there are daily opportunities for physical activities such as walks or playing in the garden on the slide, kicking balls, riding bicycles and scooters and crawling

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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 through tunnels. On inclement days the children play with art and craft activities, gaining dexterity through the use of pencils, paintbrushes and cooking utensils. These activities help children develop control of their bodies and improve their coordination skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are nourished and their health is promoted due to the childminder's understanding of healthy eating. She encourages snacks such as fruit and drinks are readily available at all times. Meals are provided by the parents and the childminder discusses all individual dietary requirements with parents and abides by them at all times, such as limiting the use any additives. Children are cared for in a clean, well-maintained home. All work surfaces are cleansed with antibacterial sprays, toilets are cleaned daily and toys washed on a regular basis to prevent the spread of infection. The children's health is generally promoted as there are effective hygiene procedures such as washing hands after nappy changing, before snacks and after touching pets. However, children's health could be affected as the first aid box does not contain all necessary items recommended on the first aid training. This could possibly lead to valuable

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a welcoming and generally safe home. The children can therefore move around independently and freely. The childminder is aware of risks, both in and out of the house, and has taken some steps to minimise these. The children's safety is promoted by procedures such as packing away the toys to prevent an accident, being careful when playing with toys so as not to break them and by practising road safety and fire drills regularly. However, the children's safety is compromised as children have access to some potentially hazardous items such as unmarked low-level glass, uncovered sockets and trailing wires. The childminder is to provide a fire blanket and ensure that it is fitted in line with the manufacturer's direction so there is a quick response in the event of a fire.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use safe, good quality resources and equipment and the childminder rotates these daily to add variety and interest. She ensures that toys are age-appropriate and meets the developmental stage of each child attending. The childminder checks the resources regularly to ensure that any broken items are mended or discarded, thus promoting the safety of the children. Children are able to independently select activities from a wide range of toys and equipment, appealingly set out for them each day. The children's welfare is promoted because the childminder has an adequate understanding of child protection procedures and would know what action to take in the event of a concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are settled, confidently choosing activities and moving around the play areas independently. They relate well to the childminder and readily come to her for a cuddle or to join in their play. The play area is set up with interesting play materials for the children, which are changed regularly to add challenge, and covers all areas of development. These include construction, imaginative play and creative work such as junk modelling and drawing. The childminder informally plans for the children and ensures that all activities are suitable, stimulating and easily accessible. The children are learning through play and daily routines such as learning to post shapes, build bricks into towers and match puzzles pieces together. Their overall development is promoted and they are encouraged to explore and extend their knowledge

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 because the childminder has a sound understanding of the different stages of development and updates her knowledge by reading childcare publications.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have a good relationship with the childminder who uses her knowledge of child development to adapt activities so that they are appropriate and promote children’s learning, ensuring that children spend their time purposefully. The childminder talks to the children about the changing seasons and weather. They are becoming adept at assessing the possibility of rain by observing the colours of the clouds. They readily come to the childminder for support, showing her their finished game, enjoying the praise or pointing to what they want to play with as a means of asking for help. She responds to all their queries and gives simple and clear answers, increasing their understanding of their environment. The children's independence is fostered as they freely make choices about toys and join in with homely activities such as helping with tidying up, taking their shoes off, fetching their own drink and visiting the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are valued and respected as individuals. They play together and are being encouraged to learn about sharing through turn-taking games and the encouragement of tolerance when being together. The older children help the younger ones by picking up their toys, distracting them and share out the resources so all can join in the games. The children's behaviour is generally good as they learn to abide by the ground rules which encourage them to be respectful of toys and to be kind and considerate of each other. The children's behaviour is further reinforced by the childminder's good understanding of the importance of setting consistent boundaries and her calm response to any issue. Parents are kept informed about how their children are progressing and developing through daily dialogue. They are informed of the childminder's practice through a portfolio which contains details of her working procedures,

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Helping children make a positive contribution

qualification, family criminal clearance and written policies on subjects such as behaviour management, equal opportunities, complaints, health and safety.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder appreciates the importance of providing a range of activities and resources to promote positive images of our society and increase children’s understanding of this. The children learn about their local community on routine outings to the park, library, shops and walks to the woods. The wider world is being promoted through discussions and craft work relating to festivals like Christmas and Easter and traditions such as Pancake Day, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day where the children make cards to take home. Although there are no children currently attending the setting who have any learning difficulties or disabilities the childminder has thought through how she will provide care which includes them in the life of the home, through discussing their needs thoroughly with parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Overall, children's needs are met. The childminder organises most aspects of her work effectively, helping the children to feel relaxed and at home. They are secure and confident within the childminder's home to organise their own play and learning. The room used for the children's play is organised to ensure that there is sufficient space to play, move around and easily change from one activity to another. The individual needs of most of the children are met by the childminder through her procedures to collect relevant information about the children at

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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 placement time. However, some details relating to the children are not readily available and the children's arrival and departure times are not consistently recorded. The new regulation publication relating to childminding is not in place and the registration certificate is not being displayed for parents to view. This could possibly lead to misunderstanding between the childminder and parents, for example, parents may receive incorrect information, thus jeopardising their relationship.

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Organisation

Children's overall development is promoted because the childminder takes care when organising her daily work, ensuring that children are offered a range of activities and play opportunities which cover all areas of development. Children's health, safety and welfare are promoted by the childminder's sound understanding of these issues. The childminder has improved her childminding by developing a written portfolio relating to her working practice. All persons living on her premises have been checked for their suitability and the childminder is vigilant in ensuring that she supervises the children at all time. She has a caring relationship with the children and enjoys providing them with an interesting environment to promote their emotional and physical development.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder was asked at the previous inspection to develop further the written agreement with parents that sets out the expectations of both parties as to the care of the child, activities provided and business arrangements. She was also asked to develop the range of activities and resources that promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder has developed her contracts with parents to include the expectations of both parties as to the care of the child, activities provided and business arrangements. She has improved her range of resources to promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice by the acquisition of puzzles, books, fruit from around the world and dolls. These measures further improve the children's safety, welfare and security.

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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 satisfactory. 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):

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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 • ensure that the first aid box is checked frequently and items replaced as necessary • ensure that hazards to children on the premises are minimised, with reference to the sprays in the cloakroom, unmarked low-level glass, uncovered sockets, trailing wires, berries in the garden and provide a fire blanket which conforms to British Safety Standards in the kitchen • ensure that the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding addendum is in place, the attendance record is consistently filled in and comply with conditions of registration; this refers to displaying the certificate of registration • ensure that children's records contain sufficient details to promote their health and welfare.

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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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