Foggin, Janette

Inspection report for early years provision

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320597 Unique Reference Number 13 February 2008 Inspection date Shazaad Arshad 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 has been registered since 2000. She lives with her husband and two teenage children aged 18 and 14 years. The family live on an established residential estate in the Methley area of Leeds. The ground floor of the childminder’s house and the conservatory is used for childminding purposes and there is a rear garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children as required. She is registered to care for six children. She is currently minding seven children under the age of eight years, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a hygienic environment where good measures are taken to reduce the spread of infection. For instance, successful implementation of the sickness policy ensures that any children with infectious childhood illnesses are excluded from the setting until 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 are no longer contagious. Additionally, the children are helped to learn about good personal care, for example, the childminder displays notices and teaches the children rhymes in order to support their understanding of the importance of rigorous hand washing.

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Helping children to be healthy

After careful consultation with parents, the children are provided with opportunities to rest, eat and drink according to their individual needs and routines. The childminder ensures that food and drinks are hygienically prepared and emphasis is placed on teaching children the positive affects of eating healthily.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children enjoy a range of activities, which contribute to their good physical health. They have regular opportunities to enjoy walking in the local area and there is a rear garden for the use of balls and hoops, which help to increase their large scale movement and general agility.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder takes productive steps to address children's physical welfare and safety. She completes risk assessments on the children's play areas and ensures that all possible hazards, including those from household appliances, chemicals and medicines are minimised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Safety in the premises is good as all visitors identification is checked, external doors are free from obstruction and the provision of a fire blanket and smoke detection meets national requirements. In addition, the children are frequently involved in discussing and practising the evacuation of the premises to ensure that they are well prepared for any emergency situations. On outings, the childminder implements good safety procedures to ensure that the children remain free from harm. For example, public play spaces are assessed for suitability and children are taught everyday safety procedures, such as how to cross roads safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Toys and equipment are provided, which are suitable to children's age and level of development. Resources are organised and stored at child height in order to encourage children's independent selection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has attended child protection training and has some detailed documentation on the different forms of abuse. She is very confident of recognising any concerns of abuse or neglect. However, she does not have the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedure.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder takes positive steps to meet children's individual needs, for instance, she talks to parents to establish consistent care routines and plans a range of activities to address the children's interests and preferences. The children learn about the changing seasons and use a range of interesting reference books to support their first-hand learning experiences. This includes bird watching and observations of familiar plants and seasonal flowers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder successfully enhances the children's feeling of security. Adult interaction with the children is good and this assists the children in extending their communication skills and ability to express themselves effectively. For instance, during role play, the childminder asks thought provoking questions and models language in order to extend the children’s vocabulary and confidence to communicate. Children talk about the clothes in the role play washing machine and talk about opposite concepts such as soft, hard, dirty, clean, hot and cold. The children

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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 are very confident and communicate very well with each other and adults. Children are also developing their mathematical understanding and count to the number 15.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

On the whole, children benefit from access to well planned activities, which are aimed at developing their emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. This includes being taken on outings, playing games, using construction equipment and participating in a range of well structured arts and craft activities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children are cared for in a warm environment where they are nurtured and well supervised. They benefit from accessing a range of interesting play opportunities, which aids the development of good social awareness and knowledge of the local environment. For instance, the childminder promotes a positive view of the wider world and increases children's understanding of diversity. This is achieved through the sensitive use of books, dressing-up clothes and dolls. Children celebrate the festivals of other countries and enjoy activities around the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children's behaviour is good because they are interested in the activities that are provided and the childminder is a positive role model. She uses high levels of praise and encouragement in order to boost children's confidence and self-esteem. There are notices reminding children of the rules and encouraging sharing and taking turns. The children are very well behaved and show consideration to each other and adults.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

In order for the children's needs to be successfully addressed, the childminder talks with parents at length to find out about their individual requirements. Parents are informed about what their children do each day and frequent communication ensures that the children benefit from consistency within the daily routine. The childminder aims to develop friendly and supportive relationship with parents. She provides them with individual copies of her policies and procedures to ensure that they remain informed of all aspects of the service. This includes what to do should they need to make a complaint. However, the contact details are not up to date.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The organisation of the premises and the equipment ensures that the children’s differing needs are addressed well. For instance, space is used appropriately to ensure that children can eat, rest and play according to their needs. Likewise, all of the children benefit from the play provision because the childminder takes good measures to adapt activities and support inclusion.

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Organisation

The childminder has a positive attitude towards training. She is completing a recognised childcare qualification and has attended numerous other courses including the Foundation Stage, food hygiene and child protection. This demonstrates a strong commitment towards developing her practice for the benefit of the children attending.

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Organisation

The children's records meet national requirements because they contain all of the detail necessary to meet the children’s individual needs. This includes written parental permission to take children on outings and obtain emergency treatment or advice. All information is stored securely to maintain confidentiality.

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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 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, actions on the recording of existing injuries and devising a fire evacuation plan were made. Both the actions have been met as the childminder has implemented procedures for recording existing injuries in the incident book and she has devised the fire evacuation plan. Further recommendations were made in relation to safety, documentation and resources. The childminder has addressed these as she has increased the resources to include positive images of others including disabilities. She also maintains the registers with exact times of attendance and has improved fire safety with the purchase of an approved smoke alarm. Overall, meeting the previous actions and recommendations ensures all the children are safeguarded.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since 1 April 2004 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): • obtain the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures • update the complaints procedure with the contact details for Ofsted.

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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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