Farlingaye High School

Inspection report for early years provision

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136834 Unique Reference Number 15 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 1996. She lives with her husband and three teenage children in the London Borough of Bromley. The whole of the ground floor and first floor of childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children at any one time and is currently minding three children under five years all day or before and after pre-school. The childminder walks to local pre-schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/carer and toddler groups. She takes children to the local park and library.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children benefit from a healthy diet. They receive nutritious snacks such as rice cakes and fresh drinking water. The childminder takes into account the wishes of parents regarding meals and ensures that she gathers all relevant information relating to children's health needs. This ensures that children's individual dietary and medical needs are met.

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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 have plenty of opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities that contribute to their good health and improve their physical skills. Very young children enjoy indoor activity games that help to develop their hand and eye coordination and pushing wheeled toys gaining increasing control of their bodies. Regular visits to the park where there are large climbing equipment improves children's physical skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a warm clean home. However, young children are not learning good personal hygiene routines. For example, the childminder does not wash the children's hands before they eat finger foods.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder ensures that she maintains a current first aid certificate and has a sufficiently stocked first aid box in place. All the required documentation such as the accident and medication records are in place and parents are informed of the sick child policy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a spacious home where risks are identified and minimised. For example, the front door is secure and ensures that children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised. There are safety gates in place to ensure that children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen or stairs. This means that children are able to move around safely, freely and independently.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children independently select activities from a wide range of toys and resources. The childminder carefully monitors and supervises children's choice of toys to make sure that they are suitable for the age and stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder demonstrated satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the different signs of abuse and neglect and knows what action to take if she is concerned about a child in her care. However, she is not fully aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against her or a member of her household. She has all the required documentation in place and has devised written procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost or if a parent fails to collect a child. This promotes children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Young children enjoy their time at the childminder's home and show lots of interest in the activities. They are achieving exceptionally well because the childminder uses her skills and understanding of early years guidance such as the Birth to three matters framework to plan and provide high quality play and learning. Very close and caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and help them to develop a strong sense of self. Early communication skills are extremely well supported through high quality adult-child interaction. Children have a healthy interest in books. They listen and respond to stories and learn new words during free play activities. The repeating of children's responses and use of visual aids encourages use of language. Children enjoy exploring a wide range of activities which contributes to their creativity. They make jelly, self portraits, decorate biscuits and use a wide range of different types of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

materials during arts and craft activities. Young children relish the sensory experience of making marks with their hands and fingers in paint. The children's imaginative development is promoted well during role play activities such as when taking part in the tea party, taking dolls for a walk in the prams and cleaning using the play hoover. Young children's finer motor skills are

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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 developing exceptionally well as they use paint brushes and pens to make marks and complete inset puzzles. The childminder use planned activities and free play to extend the children's learning. For example, they learn about different colours, shapes and numbers.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children learn about their local community as they visit places of interest such as the park, library, garden centre and post office. They have access to a satisfactory range of resources inside the childminder's home that reflect positive images of diversity, although none reflect disability. Children socialise with others by attending children's groups and have some opportunity to learn about different celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. However, the childminder does not ensure that she knows about children's needs with regard to religion and culture so that she can help children to acknowledge their own culture and see it as important. Although there are no children currently attending with learning difficulties and/or disability, the childminder was able to demonstrate how she would assess the child's needs to determine whether appropriate care could be provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are very well behaved. The childminder's gentle and calm approach and the use of play resources such as puppets encourages children to respond effectively to any guidance and praise. For example, children learn important social skills such as sharing and keeping themselves safe.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents share information about their children with the childminder and receive information about the childminding service such as the childminder's policies and procedures. Although the childminder is not fully aware of the requirements for dealing with complaints made by parents, the complaints procedure is available to parents in writing.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are settled and have a sense of belonging at the childminder's home. This means they are confident to initiate their own play and pursue their own games. They benefit from playing in a well organised environment where their health and safety is promoted well in most areas.

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Organisation

Children's learning and development are extremely well promoted. The childminder has recently attended training on Observing young children, Treasure baskets and Heuristic play and Introduction to the Early Years Foundation Stage. This ensures that she has the latest and most relevant information to support children's play and learning.

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Organisation

Written policies and procedures guide the childminder in her daily practice. This ensures that all relevant information is shared with parents. All documentation required are in place. However, the children's daily hours of attendance for those attending pre-school is not accurately recorded.

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Organisation

Overall, the childminder meets the needs of the range of the 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 some improvements. Most of the children's daily hours of attendance is accurately

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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 maintained and parents give prior written consent for the childminder to seek emergency treatment of advice. This promotes children's health and improves partnership with parents.

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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): • provide opportunities for young children to develop good personal hygiene practices from an early age • improve knowledge and understanding of the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against the childminder or a member of the household • improve knowledge and understanding of the requirements set in regulation for dealing with complaints made by parents • provide a range of resources that reflect positive images of disability • improve the information kept about children's individual needs • keep an accurate record of the children's daily hours of attendance

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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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