Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY235122 Unique Reference Number 25 February 2008 Inspection date Ann Law 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 was registered in 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged five and eight years in the Livesey area of Blackburn. The whole ground floor is used for childminding, with toilet facilities and the back bedroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed rear garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for five children at any one time. She is currently minding three children under five years during the day and one child over five years, before and after school. She walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local playgroup and takes children to the local park. The childminder holds the level 3 Early Years Care and Education qualification and operates within an endorsed quality assurance scheme, the Blackburn Children Come First 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 good. The childminder gives high priority to helping children to stay healthy. She has been awarded the 'Smiling for life' accreditation in recognition of her high standards of dental health. Children have a good knowledge of healthy practices and remind each other to 'wash your hands now' after using the toilet. All documentation is in place for the administration of medication. However, the childminder does not use it fully to ensure that she gains parental acknowledgement after the administration of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are well nourished by very healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. Children display enthusiasm as they inform the inspector they have had 'cottage pie with meat' for lunch and break into spontaneous song when they are given jelly for dessert. Physical activity takes place both at home and in the local community. The childminder has a range of equipment in her garden, including a slide, a rocker and a tunnel, which children use to develop their gross motor skills. Visits are also undertaken to local parks and playgyms.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children have safe and independent access to a very good range of age-appropriate toys and resources, which are well presented on low shelving and in low drawers to facilitate their self-selection. Many safety measures are in place, including safety gates and cupboard locks. As a result, children are kept safe on the premises. The childminder helps children to learn how to keep themselves safe when she reminds them to pick books up from the floor so they do not slip on them.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All fire safety precautions are in place, including a fire blanket, smoke alarms and regular practises of the fire evacuation plan are undertaken with the children. In this way, children are learning about fire safety. Children are well protected because the childminder has a clear understanding of her role in child protection. Parents are asked to sign their acknowledgement of the child protection policy. This ensures that they are aware of the childminder's responsibility to safeguard children in her care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in the welcoming environment. A varied range of toys for free play are available for the children, for instance, dolls, construction bricks, books and crayons. This encourages children to make choices and take decisions in their play. Focused activities, such as craft activities, outings to the local playgroup and visits to local attractions are a regular feature of the provision. These offer children the chance to be creative, develop their social skills and learn about their local community.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Relationships between the children and the childminder are good and children demonstrate familiarity and security when sharing story books. The children eagerly listen to the story, then take great delight in re-telling it to each other. This demonstrates that they are becoming skilful communicators. The childminder maintains individual 'Story books' for each child, charting

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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 their developmental progress and telling the story of their time in her care. These are linked to the ‘Birth to three matters’ aspects and are very informative for parents.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are learning about the diversity of our society because the childminder ensures that her play provision has many positive images of different cultures and abilities. The children play with chopsticks, shalwar kameez and down's syndrome dolls. The childminder plans activities to help children to learn about emotions, such as making face plates to reflect their mood, happy or sad. In this way, children learn that it is acceptable to feel sad.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has a very positive attitude to behaviour management which includes providing children with safe and secure boundaries. Relationships between the children can be demanding and they are learning to play harmoniously together. Adult support from the childminder helps them to learn what behaviour is unacceptable, such as snatching toys from each other. As a result, children are learning agreed codes of behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder works successfully in partnership with parents to offer good care to children and to meet their individual needs. She has produced useful information leaflets for parents, such as 'Helping your child to settle into childcare'. This allows parents to have a good understanding of working in partnership. 'Look how many good things I have done' records are completed on a daily basis, with a resume of the days activities for parents. This gives an informative account of their child's time in the setting and contributes to the continuity and consistency of care for children.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder has a high level of commitment to training and continual development. She is a member of an approved quality assurance network and has recently attended many courses to update her knowledge of, for example, food hygiene, food safety, inclusive play and the Early Years Foundation Stage. In this way, she ensures that she stays well informed in new developments in childcare. All the required documentation is in place and is stored confidentially. Systems are not securely in place to ensure that the regulator is informed of any significant event and this is a breach of regulations.

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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 the childminder was asked to increase the opportunities for older children to select their own activities. The childminder has organised her playroom more effectively by using low drawers and shelves so that children can self-select and make decisions in their play. This has increased their independence.

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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

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 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): • make full use of the systems for recording medication, to gain parent's acknowledgement of any medication administered • ensure systems are in place to inform the regulator of any significant event, such as an extension to the home.

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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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