All Saints' CofE Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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107309 Unique Reference Number 25 February 2008 Inspection date Pamela Bailey 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 1998. She lives with her husband and three children aged five, seven and 10 years in the London Borough of Southwark. The whole of the childminder's flat, except for the bedrooms, is used for childminding. There is a communal garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of two children at any one time and is currently minding one child under five years all day on a part time basis. The childminder attends the local parent/carer and toddler groups and takes children to the local park and library. She walks to the local school to take and collect children. The family has goldfish.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are developing good personal hygiene routines and self care skills and there are effective procedures to prevent the spread of infection. The childminder monitors hand washing before eating and after using the toilet and explains the need to wash hands. Children have

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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 their own individual hand towels and children who are infectious do not attend thus preventing the spread of contagious ailments.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from a healthy diet. They enjoy nutritionally balanced meals and snacks which help them to develop good eating habits. The childminder has had training in food hygiene. She monitors the menu to provide variety and cater for any special dietary needs. However, the childminder does not have a system in place to ensure that pre-cooked foods are reheated to the correct temperature.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have plenty of opportunity to develop their physical skills. Planned activities such as dance, ball games and outings to the park, where there is climbing equipment, swings and slides, helps children to develop their balance and coordination.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder holds a current first aid certificate. She gathers all relevant information relating to children's health needs and ensures that all the required documentation are well maintained such as the accident and medication records. Parents give prior written consent to seek emergency treatment or advice and parents are kept well informed about the sick child policy. This ensures that the childminder can act in the children's best interest if there is an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a well organised environment that allows them to move around freely and independently. Carefully selected toys and resources ensure that children have a good choice of safe and suitable resources. Children are learning about safety inside the childminder's home. Regular fire drills help children become familiar with the routine in the event of an emergency. The childminder has taken positive steps to minimise most risks and potential hazards to children. For example, safety gates prevent children having unsupervised access to areas not used for childminding and the kitchen. However, there is a potential risk that the children can easily access the sharp knives that are stored in a low level drawer.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted effectively. The childminder has a sound knowledge of child protection issues and understands the procedures to follow if she has a concern about a child in her care. She has clear information regarding the signs and symptoms of abuse and all the required documentation is in place. The childminder has devised a written policy of the procedures to be followed in the event of a child being missing. This supports children's welfare and ensures that the childminder can act in their best interest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder understands how children learn. She plans and provides a good range of practical activities and makes good use of daily routines, activities and free play to extend children's learning. For example, children identify different colour fruits at snack time. Activities such as making coloured dough and identifying different colour objects during free play activities, such as small world play house and the trains and track, is used well to reinforce learning. Children learn about different shapes as they enjoy books and listen avidly to stories. They become involved when acting out familiar stories with the use of puppets and learn the meaning of words through the childminder's expressive reading. Children enjoy imaginative play, for example, in the house and shopping. They investigate how things work, such as the cash register with scanner. The childminder listens to what children have to say and questions

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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 them appropriately, encouraging children to express their thoughts and feelings. This encourages use of language. Children have opportunities to participate in creative activities, singing sessions and explore musical instruments.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are settled at the childminder's home. They are able to socialise with others through regular attendance at the local children's groups and learn about the local community through visits to the park and the library. They have access to a satisfactory range of resources inside the childminder's home that reflect positive images of different cultures and gender, such as books, dolls and musical instruments. However, none reflect disabilities. Children are well behaved and the childminder uses lots of praise to promote children's self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents contribute to an initial assessment of their child. The childminder gathers all relevant information about the children and completes a day book for parents, giving information about their child's daily activities, food intake and sleep. This ensures that the childminder has good knowledge of children's individual needs and achievements and ensures continuity of care. Although there are no children currently attending with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, the childminder has good systems in place to determine whether appropriate care could be provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has an effective system in place to ensure that parents are kept informed about her policies and procedures. However, the childminder is not fully aware of the requirements for investigating complaints made by parents. As a result, parents are not provided with sufficient information about the complaints procedures. This is a breach of regulations.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children receive good support from the childminder, who knows them well. This helps children to feel secure and confident to initiate and extend their own play and learning. The childminder evaluates activities and uses the information to enhance learning experiences for the children. She attends training whenever she can, such as Speech and language development and the Birth to three matters. This helps her to improve her knowledge of current childcare practices to support the care and learning of the children.

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Organisation

Written policies and procedures guide the childminder in her daily practice. All records are in place, confidential and well maintained. This ensures that children's individual needs are met and most relevant information is shared with parents. However, parents are not made fully aware of the complaints procedures. A care diary and regular informal discussions with parents ensure continuity of care for the children.

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Organisation

Overall, the childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder agreed to improve documentation. The childminder has made significant improvements. She has devised a policy about the exclusion of children who are ill or infectious and parents are made aware of the procedures. This promotes children's health and improves partnership with parents.

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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

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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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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): • put in place a system to ensure that pre-cooked meals are reheated to the correct temperature • assess the risks to the children in relation to the sharp knives stored in a low level drawer and take action to minimise these • provide resources that reflect positive images of disabilities • improve knowledge and understanding of the requirements set in regulations for investigating complaints made by parents and make sure that parents are made aware of the procedures to be followed if they have a complaint

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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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