Childminder in Bracknell Forest

Inspection report for early years provision

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159132 Unique Reference Number 12 December 2007 Inspection date Heidi Wilton 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 outstanding. 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 2001. She is registered to care for four children under eight and currently cares for four children under eight and one child over eight on a part-time basis. She lives with her husband and three children aged 12 years, 10 years and five years. They live in a house in Bracknell. There are local shops, parks, schools and pre-schools within walking distance. All areas of the property are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder attends a local carer and toddler group for minded children on a regular basis. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children demonstrate an excellent understanding of the importance of washing their hands. They inform the visitor that they need to wash their hands because 'they are dirty' and use effective procedures such as drying their hands on separate hand towels. Children are reminded of the importance of washing their hands as attractive 'wash your hand' signs are displayed at child height.

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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 The childminder has a clearly detailed sickness policy which she shares with parents at the outset to ensure they are extremely well informed. In addition, she displays very detailed information about incubation periods on the parents' notice board to ensure parents are fully knowledgeable should their child contract a communicable illness. The childminder has a very well stocked first aid kit in place which she checks frequently to ensure the contents meet the requirements set during her first aid course. She has highly effective procedures in place to ensure emergency services are contacted without delay in an emergency because she stores relevant phone numbers and children's details confidentially but within easy access to the telephone. The childminder demonstrates expert practice as she completes accident and

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Helping children to be healthy

medication records accurately ensuring all required detail is logged by herself and the parents. In addition, the childminder duplicates the accident or administering of medication forms to ensure parents have a copy to refer to at home.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are wholly involved with the meal time process, including accompanying the childminder to the shops to buy fruit for snack and ingredients for cooking activities. The childminder is highly skilled in extending the children's knowledge and she uses her expert practice to encourage learning of different foods and their healthy benefits. She encourages the children to feel different fruit, talk about the colours and to taste the fruit. In addition, children have a wonderful time drawing pictures of the fruit and different foods. The childminder extends the learning by talking with the children about their pictures and encourages them to identify the healthy and non-healthy foods. The childminder communicates effectively with parents about what to provide in their children's lunchboxes and encourages them to include healthy options. She displays detailed information about healthy foods on the parents' notice board

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Helping children to be healthy

Children thrive as they immensely enjoy an extensive range of physical activities and have regular opportunities for exercise and fresh air. The childminder takes them regularly to the local parks where they have great fun climbing the bars of the frames and playing with the variety of equipment. They thoroughly enjoy walks through the local woods and become very excited as they collect leaves and twigs. Children become animated as they participate with familiar music and action songs and gain lots of opportunities to develop their manipulative skills such as playing with the coloured play dough and engaging with cutting and sticking activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The childminder has an excellent understanding of ensuring children are safe and protected. She continually risk assesses to ensure hazards are very rapidly identified and minimised. She communicates effectively with her emergency support childminders, giving them advice about safety in their homes and gaining suggestions from them about any safety issues she may not have identified herself in her own home. She has highly robust procedures in place should an emergency occur and has gained written parental permission from parents to leave the children in the care of the emergency support childminders.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children become very knowledgeable about safety and become equipped with the tools and understanding of how to look after themselves. For example, children gain a high awareness of road safety and what to do in the event of a fire because the childminder develops creative and fun activities with the children. These activities are differentiated effectively for the different ages of minded children. Younger children learn about safety issues through the security of role-play, such as moving toy fire engines around the lounge floor and crossing small world

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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 play people across the toy road. Older children foster high levels of understanding through fun quizzes, puzzles and crosswords.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has very detailed lost and uncollected child policies in place and these are signed by parents at the outset. This ensures parents are extremely well informed of procedures which are followed should such an event occur. The childminder has extremely comprehensive knowledge of child protection procedures and has recently attended child protection training to further enhance and update her understanding. She has an excellent understanding of how to record signs and symptoms of abuse and/or neglect and demonstrates a very secure knowledge of where to make referrals. The childminder shares a very clear and detailed child protection policy with parents which ensures they are very well informed of the current Local Safeguarding Children Board's guidelines. She is extremely well organised and seeks advice regularly to ensure her policy still reflects the latest legislation. In addition, the policy clearly

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

details the childminder's professional responsibility to report any suspicions of abuse or neglect to the relevant authorities. This ensures parents are very well informed of the childminder's duty to safeguard the welfare of the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The childminder facilitates a high level of understanding of each child's starting points, individual needs, home circumstances, preferences and dislikes both verbally and written at the outset. This enables the childminder to have some prior knowledge in order to achieve a very smooth transition from the main carer to the childminder's. The childminder uses her expert practice and builds upon the knowledge she gains of the children by conducting regular observations and noting these into each child's tracker records. She works very effectively in partnership with parents to complete observations which ensures consistency in the monitoring of children's learning is achieved.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children within the childminder's home demonstrate a very good understanding of the routine. They independently select toys and resources from the low level shelving and storage and become extremely excited as they lay the story mat out on the lounge floor in preparation for story time. They snuggle in close to the childminder and are very concentrated as they listen to stories they have selected from the box. The childminder reads the story very enthusiastically and clearly which enables the children to hear and join in with the rhyming and repetitive words.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children of different ages have an extensive range of age and stage appropriate toys and resources to play with. These range from pull along and light up toys, small world play, role-play, arts and crafts and board games. Younger children have immense fun as they make meals for the visitor with play dough and tools and older children thoroughly enjoy cutting pictures from magazines and make collages. All children are able to play alongside each other at their own level as the childminder skilfully differentiates activities for all ages. The childminder demonstrates exemplary practice as she interacts at child level continually and takes time to really listen to what the children are saying. She has a very close relationship with the children and demonstrates high levels of care towards them. She illustrates dedication to ensuring their needs are met and shows great fondness for all 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

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The childminder values children highly as individuals and continually shows them equal respect. She acts as an excellent role model which encourages the children to show respect for each other. Children incidentally foster a great understanding of different cultures and positive gender roles within their everyday lives. When out in public the childminder listens to what the children say to her and answers their questions at child-level about people's disabilities, such as why some people use wheelchairs. The childminder uses her excellent practice to encourage children to participate with all activities, to help and respect each other. Children show high levels of respect for the childminder's home and immensely enjoy helping to tidy activities away, wipe tables after playing with play dough and prepare eating utensils and cups for lunch. When out in public the childminder encourages children to show high levels of respect for the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

environment such as talking to them about putting litter into rubbish bins.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has experience of learning difficulties and/or disabilities. She states she uses her observations of the children to identify if children have additional needs and communicates very sensitively with parents. The childminder is very happy to work in partnership with parents and in conjunction with outside agencies to ensure consistency in care and learning is achieved. She states she gains information from the library and internet about additional needs to ensure she is well equipped to meet the individual needs of the children. The childminder states she would access any training necessary to ensure the needs of the children are extremely well catered for.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave very well and know what is expected of them as the childminder uses very consistent behaviour strategies. She uses lots of positive praise and encouragement for good behaviour and achievements. Children immensely enjoy sticker charts for achievements such as trying new fruit and toilet training and are extremely proud to show their parents the chart at the end of the day. The childminder talks with parents effectively to ensure very consistent behaviour methods are used between the two environments. She communicates with parents verbally everyday and provides additional written feedback to parents with young babies. This supports existing verbal communications and enables parents to refer to the information at home. Parents are extremely happy with the provision and state within written references 'I have found her trustworthy and caring' and 'she is warm, friendly, loving person, very competent

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Helping children make a positive contribution

in her job and natural at caring for children and babies'. Parents gain additional information to support verbal communications from the parents' notice board and are given copies of the parents' profile at the outset. The childminder ensures updated policies are displayed on the notice board and parents are given a copy to take home with them. This ensures parents are very well updated and fully knowledgeable about the provision provided for their children.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides. She uses her exemplary practice to ensure children of different ages play and interact with age and stage appropriate resources and activities. Stringent and highly comprehensive procedures and policies have been devised and these are shared highly effectively with parents to ensure they are fully informed about the provision. The childminder obtains all required information from parents and meticulously records these into individual records for the children. This ensures all information for each child is kept separately to maintain confidentiality. She has exceptional

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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 organisational skills as she updates policies and checks information from the parents about their children on a very regular basis.

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Organisation

She ensures children are kept safe and healthy and is able to treat them appropriately in an emergency because she has maintained a paediatric first aid certificate. The childminder stores the attendance register by the front door to ensure children are recorded promptly at the actual times of arrival and departure. This ensures children are accounted for in an emergency. She uses her vigilance to keep children safe as she ensures she checks visitors' identification before allowing them to enter the home. The childminder has an extremely good understanding of the National Standards and a very good knowledge of ensuring all adults within the household are suitable to be with the children. She is very dedicated to her role as a childminder and works extremely hard to build strong bonds with all the children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the childminder was asked to ensure children practise the emergency evacuation procedures. The childminder now practises the fire evacuation procedure with the children and fosters an understanding for the children using different resources, such as role-play, quizzes and puzzles. This ensures children know what to do in the event of a fire and they are equipped with the knowledge to keep themselves safe.

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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. 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 outstanding. 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

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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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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