Childminder in Sefton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 310670 Inspection date 15 August 2005 Inspector Frank William Kelly

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Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

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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 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 1986. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and currently cares for four children on a full and part time basis. The childminder lives with her husband in a semi detached house. The whole of the ground floor of the property and two bedrooms on the upper floor are used for minding children. There is a fully enclosed rear garden for outside play. The childminder holds a Level 3 recognised childcare qualification and is a member of the National Childminding Association. She attends a local toddler group and takes the children to local places of interest on a regular basis.

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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. Children are cared for in a warm, clean home. Their good health is protected due to appropriate and effective procedures implemented by the child minder during daily routines. These and written procedures regarding children who are unwell, which are shared with parents, help to prevent the spread of infection. Children are learning in practical terms how to contribute to their own personal hygiene. They are learning to wash their hands or use wipes at appropriate times such as after visiting the toilet or before eating. Children enjoy many opportunities to be active throughout the day. During each week they enjoy opportunities to walk to school, play in the garden, and visit local swing parks and large soft play activity centres. Younger children rest or sleep comfortably at times appropriate to their needs and the wishes of their parents. Children enjoy being able to take part in both active and restful play, such as swimming in the

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Helping children to be healthy

morning and stories and jigsaws after lunch. They have good access to a wide range of equipment, which helps to develop their co-ordination and physical skills such as rolling and cutting dough. Children benefit from a healthy diet. They eat nutritious meals such as home made vegetable soups, and pasta dishes. Everyday they enjoy a range of healthy snacks and fresh fruit. Meals and snacks are made from fresh foods appropriately prepared by the childminder. Children's individual dietary needs are well met. The childminder is fully aware of children's dietary needs for each day, due to the daily exchange of useful information with parents. The childminder is aware of the children's individual food preferences and shares information about the children's diet with their parents. This ensures that the children's changing needs and preferences continue to be met.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a secure and well maintained environment. The space and furniture are effectively organised, allowing them to play safely and in comfort. The childminder supervises the children closely to keep them safe. She talks to the children about their actions, encouraging them to contribute to their own safety by thinking about what may happen if they do something such as use the skipping rope inside the home. Children are learning about safety in imaginative and well planned ways because the childminder reads them stories, or takes them to watch plays presented at the local library about safety. The children talk animatedly about what happens to Marjorie the cat and how she is rescued by the fire fighters. Children are provided with good quality furniture and equipment that is cleaned on a regular basis and suitable for their differing ages. The extensive range available to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

the children enables them to progress their learning and physical development. It is thoughtfully organised and stored so that children can reach equipment suitable to

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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 their stage of development. This contributes to the children's safety and well being Up to date training such as first aid helps keep the children safe. The childminder has previously completed relevant child protection training in 2000 and has a sound understanding of most child protection issues. However, she is less familiar with the more recent local Area Child Protection Procedures and government initiatives such as What To Do If Your Worried A Child Is Being Abused - Summary.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children have a real sense of belonging in this home. They talk knowledgably about where and what the other children might be doing when they are not present. They are confident and secure with the adults present, and freely and animatedly express their needs and wishes. For example children clearly know where favourites books such as "the snail" book are located and successfully direct the adults present to locate them when they are unable to reach them for themselves. Children have high self esteem as their achievements are celebrated and praised. The childminder is interested in what the children have to say, talks with the children about what they are doing, and invites the children to display their work on the playroom walls. Children benefit from the exciting and purposeful range of play and learning experiences they encounter. The childminder uses information about what the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children have been doing at the weekend and links it to the activities she provides for the children. For example children enjoy talking about their visit to the safari park and they enthusiastically draw and make pictures with a wide range of materials and tools including pens, glue, scissors, post it note animal shapes and dough. They independently seek and use well placed resources such as the play animals to further enhance their learning as they play out their experiences. They enjoy and initiate imaginative play such as "baking" the dough animal shapes in the play oven. The childminder knows the children well, and she uses observations of what the children can do to help her plan activities. Through her observations she is able to identify when children need more or less support when trying out activities such as climbing at the swing park. Children's learning about colour, number, and size is

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

enhanced by the daily activities and good spontaneous questioning by the childminder. For example, children talk with the childminder about opposites such as "light and heavy" and "smooth and rough" when describing the snakes at the Zoo Lab. Children's enjoyment of songs and stories is greatly enhanced through the imaginative use of vibrant home made props such as men in flying saucers or wriggly worms. The children enthusiastically represent the different actions using the props. Children show a keen interest in stories and books.

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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 Children enjoy positive relationships with the childminder. They are confident and comfortable in their surroundings. Children's behaviour is good. They respond well to the calm consistent role model presented by the childminder. Activities and discussion help the children learn about sharing and showing concern and respect for each other. Children's welfare and development is successfully promoted, in partnership with their parents. Their individual care needs are well met due to good verbal and written exchanges of information between parents and the childminder. The childminder demonstrates an appropriate understanding of how best to meet the needs of children with special needs. Children are learning about their immediate and wider worlds through regular trips into their local community. These include the city farm, library and nature reserve.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

They enjoy activities such as Spanish dancing to flamenco music and celebrating cultural and religious celebrations such as St Patrick's day and Christmas. There are very good resources reflecting the diversity of today's society, which includes religion, gender, disability and culture. These are helping children gain an awareness of others differences and similarities.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy, relaxed and confident in this warm welcoming home. Space is effectively organised so that they can rest and play in comfort. The play room is child centred and welcoming, nicely decorated and furnished. It is bright, colourful, and very well organised to help children become independent. They confidently access toys and books of their choice. The childminder is knowledgeable about the children in her care. She works closely with the parents to ensure children's individual needs are known and met. She manages time effectively and plans a wide range of experiences both within the home and out in the local community. This provides children with a broad spectrum of learning experiences that positively enhances their all round learning and development. Required regulatory documentation is on the whole appropriately maintained and contributes to the children's safety and well being. However, some medication

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Organisation

records are not consistently maintained. Parents have not always signed to acknowledge the records after medication has been administered. Effective polices and procedures are well written and actively contribute to the good organisation of the setting. They help to keep parents well informed about the provision, which promotes continuity in children's care. The childminder is aware of the importance of the continuity of care especially for younger children and babies. Overall, the provision meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection it was recommended that the childminder should formalise policies, obtain relevant parental consents and take further action to make the home

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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 safer. The children's safety has been improved as the childminder has fitted an additional smoke detector to the upper floor of the home; sought advice from the fire officer as to an appropriate method of securing the front door and fitted a restrictor to the gas meter cupboard that prevents the children from gaining access. The childminder has prepared written policies and procedures for many elements of her service including those for reporting complaints and procedures for caring for children should they become ill or infectious. The sharing of these policies and procedures, and the seeking of parental consents for transporting children in a vehicle contributes to the safe and consistent care for the children.

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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): • update knowledge and understanding of local area child protection procedures • ensure that all medication administration records are consistently maintained.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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