Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY294022 Unique Reference Number 13 December 2007 Inspection date Julie Ann Birkett 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 their two children aged 10 and 16 in Sawbridgeworth. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has one rabbit.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding 10 children, all of whom attend on a part-time basis.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children thrive because they are cared for in an extremely clean and hygienic environment. The childminder very effectively reduces the risk of cross-infection through daily routines and practices. For example, newly laundered hand towels and cot bedding are provided each day. The childminder has attended basic food hygiene training so that she is able to prepare and cook food with good knowledge of appropriate steps to take to prevent food contamination.

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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 Children learn about their own personal hygiene very effectively as they take part in daily routines. For example, pictorial signs in the bathroom remind the children to wash their hands after using the toilet and they know this is to wash the germs away. The children enjoy an excellent range of topic based activities to develop their understanding of personal care and hygiene such as dental hygiene and ‘coughs and sneezes spread diseases’. Role play experiences such as hospital play encourages the children to understand that people do become sick and need help and care and they also learn how to phone ‘999’ for emergency help and the older children learn about the recovery position.

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Helping children to be healthy

There is a clear written policy about the exclusion of children who are ill to prevent the spread of infection. The childminder is able to deal with medical emergencies because she has parental consent to seek any emergency advice or treatment and is first aid trained.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are very well nourished and enjoy a balanced and healthy diet including fresh fruit and vegetables each day. The childminder demonstrates an excellent understanding of childhood nutrition and how to promote the children’s developing understanding of healthy eating. The children learn about food through good practical first-hand experiences such as cooking activities, making sandwiches and baking bread.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from fresh air each day when they play in the garden and go for walks which stimulates their minds and bodies. The childminder has a very good understanding of providing children with good and varied opportunities to experience physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Even in inclement weather the children are able to develop their skills and co-ordination through indoor activities such as action games and limbo dancing. The children work on topics about their bodies and why they need to exercise and where they get their energy from so they learn how healthy living is important for their future good health. `

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Helping children to be healthy

The children’s emotional well-being is fostered very well. They are made to feel special because the childminder ensures they are given lots of individual attention. The children enjoy snuggling into her as they look at story books and lots of hugs and cuddles are shared. The childminder knows the children well and their individual characteristics and needs and meets these very effectively.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children’s safety is given very high priority. Children are kept very safe in the home because the childminder carries out an extensive risk assessment and acts effectively on changing situations. Children’s safety when out of the home is carefully considered by the childminder. She prepares herself well for outings and carries an ‘emergency bag’ with items such as a first aid kit and parents contact numbers programmed into her mobile phone to enable her to act promptly to any emergency when away from the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children’s safety is promoted very well because the childminder has considered varied potential scenarios and developed excellent contingency plans to cover such eventualities. For example, a written fire evacuation policy is in place and ‘back-up’ carers to care for the children if something should happen to her.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children enjoy an excellent range of activities and experiences which help them learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, when practising fire drills they make a pretend fire from coloured card and place it in various positions in the home so they understand what the

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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 emergency is and how to get out from different places depending on where the fire is. They also work on topics and themes such as road safety and make traffic lights from shoe boxes to practise crossing the road safely during their role play in the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children are very settled and comfortable in the childminder’s welcoming and child-friendly home. This fosters the children’s strong sense of security and helps them separate from their parents and carers happily because they feel secure in the environment and with her. Children benefit from lots of space to play freely and safely. The children have choice in an environment kept safe by the childminder who knows there should be a balance between freedom and safe limits. They have access to a broad range of safe toys and resources which are stored to enable children to select things for themselves which encourages their independence skills. A wider range of clean and safe natural materials and household items has the potential to further enhance the range of equipment and experiences available to the children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded exceptionally well because the childminder has an excellent understanding of her child protection responsibilities and has attended safeguarding children training. A comprehensive policy is in place and is shared with parents so that they are aware of her professional responsibility to the children she cares for. Contact details for various agencies are kept so that the childminder is able to act promptly with any concerns. The childminder maintains excellent communication with parents which develops strong partnerships between all those involved in keeping children safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children receive excellent support because the childminder has a very good understanding of child development and how children learn through meaningful play opportunities. The childminder knows the children well and makes useful observations of what they can do to help her plan stimulating activities to help them achieve their next steps in learning. The older children make a positive contribution to what they would like to do by suggesting ideas and topics of their own. While the childminder evidently takes time to plan and prepare activities for the individual children she is also spontaneous to their needs and moods and uses unexpected events well to develop the children’s understanding.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children have a busy time at the childminder’s home. They benefit from a wide range of well-planned and interesting activities and experiences which promote their all-round development. Children’s confidence and self-esteem is well promoted through the meaningful and enthusiastic interaction between them and their childminder and they have lots of fun playing together. For example, they play a game of hunting for paper elephants and both the childminder and children take turns in hiding them and describing if the ‘hunter’ is ‘hot or cold’. Such measures foster a positive attitude in the children to their future learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s language is very well promoted through purposeful conversation with the childminder and good activities which promote their learning in this area. For example, a child is full of excited anticipation as she unwraps the story box to reveal props that bring the story book to life. The childminder asks lots of open-ended questions encouraging children to think and reason and make choices. Use of puppets encourages the less confident children to speak up. Children enjoy a good range of books which are readily available for them in the play room. The children are also encouraged to listen to instructions, stories and each other through use of ‘listening ears’. The children make sets of craft ears to wear on a listening walk in their local

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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 community. The children have good access to a wide range of books and enjoy listening to stories, poems and rhymes.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children’s early mathematical skills are developed well as the childminder talks and plays with them. For example, they compare size and number as they talk about big and little and count out the number of cotton wool snowballs in the story box.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children develop their creativity as they take part in a very good range of free play and adult-led craft activities such as painting, collage and modelling. The younger children work on a ‘Three Little Pigs' project using straw, sticks and bricks to make houses. The older children visit a DIY store to select samples of wallpaper for the background of a bedroom design project. The children's creativity and imagination is also developed as they listen to varied music including classical. They also thoroughly enjoy strumming along on a guitar making up their own tunes and lyrics while they are accompanied by other children and the childminder with recorders, bells and shakers.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their imaginations through many role play experiences and their imaginative ideas are supported by the childminder who also likes to dress up, such as pretending to be a dragon in the fairy tale story.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are made to feel very welcome in the childminder’s home and are considered to be part of an extended family. They enjoy making books about themselves which celebrate their achievements and who they are. All children are treated with equal concern and as individuals. Children benefit greatly from the childminder’s ethos of inclusion and her knowledge of how meaningful activities and resources promote a positive view of the wider world and our differences and similarities. There are systems in place to support children with learning difficulties or disabilities because the childminder has regard for the appropriate assessment frameworks.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children’s good behaviour is fostered very well because they are cared for with consistency and in an extremely positive manner. They receive lots of praise and encouragement for the things they do which fosters their self-esteem and confidence very well. The younger children are developing their self-assurance through the close relationships they have with the childminder. They are able to contribute to these secure relationships because the childminder actively listens and gives them her full attention when they try to communicate. As the children develop they are encouraged to learn the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of their actions. The older children consider what behaviour they believe to be acceptable and help to write the ‘house rules’. Children are encouraged to think about their own emotions through story telling, puppets and games which help them deal with their feelings

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The partnership with parents and carers is extremely positive because the childminder acknowledges the importance of the parents as the main carers. There is a wealth of information provided for parents and carers about the childminder's services and her working practices. This provides valuable reassurance to all parents and carers that their children are cared for by a professional childminder who provides purposeful experiences for their children. Good communication between the children’s homes and the childminder’s home contributes to the very good outcomes for children. For example, the daily two-way communication books for all

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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 under five-year-olds ensures that all those responsible for the children are able to offer consistency of care.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The children are protected because the childminder and other adults in the home have undergone the appropriate checks to ensure that they are suitable to look after or be in contact with children. The childminder has a very clear understanding of her responsibilities with regard to the requirements and conditions of her registration. For example, she displays her registration certificate to reassure parents and carers that she is registered.

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Organisation

The childminder has attended the required training courses and demonstrates a strong commitment to ongoing training to constantly develop her working practice and knowledge of childcare. She keeps up to date with child care issues through extensive reading and researching on the internet. She uses ideas collected from many different sources to provide varied and valuable opportunities for the children she cares for. The childminder uses effective self evaluation to reflect on her working practice which demonstrates that she is always striving to improve and develop her skills and knowledge for the benefit of the children. The children’s care is greatly enriched by the childminder’s enthusiasm.

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Organisation

Children benefit from the childminder’s excellent organisation of time, space and resources to make the home a stimulating learning environment.

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Organisation

All documentation is systematically organised with a high regard for confidentiality and the promotion of the children’s welfare and learning. Overall children’s needs are met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the childminder has obtained written parental consent to seek any emergency medical advice or treatment. This ensures that the childminder is able to act promptly in any medical emergency and so has improved the children’s well-being.

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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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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

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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): • provide a wider range of clean and safe natural materials and recycled household objects to further enhance the range of play materials and resources available to children.

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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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