South Wigston High School

Inspection report for early years provision

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137931 Unique Reference Number 10 December 2007 Inspection date Helen Deegan 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 has been registered since 1991. She lives with her family in the Colliers Wood area of Merton. They live near to local toddler groups, soft play, childminder's drop in group, library, parks and tube stations. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding plus one bedroom and the bathroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have a cat. The childminder currently cares for two children under five on a part time basis. She takes and collects children from local schools.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children play in a clean and well maintained environment. The childminder uses anti bacterial spray to ensure good standards of hygiene and provides individual flannels for hand drying so that children are protected from the risk of cross infection. She has obtained written parental consent to seek emergency medical treatment and has attended training on infection control, allergies, anaphylaxis and Epi-pens so that children's needs are appropriately met. She asks

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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 parents to keep children with infectious illness away from the setting so that other children are protected from the spread of infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder provides healthy snacks and drinks for children and requests that parents provide all other meals. She obtains information about children's dietary needs from their parents so that their individual requirements are met. She has attended training on food safety which enables her to offer high standards in food hygiene and preparation.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular opportunities for physical play in the childminder's garden, local parks and toddler groups.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's safety is promoted because the childminder has a current first aid certificate and has taken appropriate steps to ensure safety throughout the premises. Safety gates, smoke alarms, a fire blanket and cupboard locks are in place and the childminder has attended training on how to maintain a safe and secure environment so that risks to children are minimised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a warm, welcoming environment. The childminder provides a good range of age appropriate toys, which are stored on low level open shelves so that children can make choices and access activities independently. This ensures that they remain interested, occupied and stimulated.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities with regard to child protection. She has relevant reference materials neatly filed so that they can be quickly accessed in the event of a concern arising about a child. This helps to ensure that children's welfare is protected.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder interacts warmly with the minded children. She has a calm, sensitive manner and talks gently to them so that they are happy and relaxed in her care. Children enjoy playing with puzzles and the abacus and the childminder sits on the floor beside them to help and encourage them. She encourages children's language skills by naming objects and counting the abacus beads as the children play. The childminder is responsive to the children's needs providing drinks, snacks and changes of activities as needed so that the children remain well occupied and their needs are met. The childminder holds babies to feed them a bottle of milk, smiling at them and talking to them so they develop a sense of security with her. Children benefit from regular outings to local toddler groups and childminding groups where they can socialise with other children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The childminder has produced a written equal opportunities policy and has some good quality children's books which reflect different race, ability and gender roles so that children gain positive messages about diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has produced an information file for enquiring parents with details about her policies, however, information contained in the policies does not always accurately reflect her

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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 practice. She provides feedback for parents verbally at the end of each day so that they are well informed about their child's progress. The childminder displays her certificate of registration for parents to see and provides information about how a complaint can be made in her policy file.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder verbally praises the children's efforts and achievements as they play so that good behaviour is promoted. She maintains a calm, consistent approach so that children know what is expected of them and behave well as a result.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder has all the required documentation in place and maintained up to date. She attends ongoing training to update and improve her knowledge. She has produced a thorough set of policies, however, these are not always reflected in her practice. She has not notified Ofsted at the earliest opportunity of household members reaching the age of 16 and this has resulted in delays to the necessary vetting procedures being completed. She organises the space and resources effectively to meet children's needs.

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Organisation

The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides

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Improvements since the last inspection

At last inspection the childminder was asked to obtain written parental consent for assistants to have sole charge of minded children, to maintain medication records in more detail, to ensure that a confidential incident book is maintained, to provide evidence of her car's MOT, to obtain child protection information, to make the drain safe and to store medication safely. She now has written parental consent for her assistant to be left in sole charge of minded children and she has obtained the NCMA accident, incident and medication record book so that accurate records are kept. She no longer has a car which requires an MOT. She has child protection reference leaflets neatly filed for easy access so that appropriate steps can be taken to protect children in the event of a concern arising. The drain is now securely covered and medication is stored safely out of children' reach.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required either 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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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): • ensure that Ofsted is notified of major changes at the earliest opportunity, including household members reaching 16 years of age.

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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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