Childminder in Barking and Dagenham

Inspection report for early years provision

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504400 Unique Reference Number 11 February 2008 Inspection date Amanda Gill 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 July 1999.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

She lives with her husband and two children aged 17 and 13 years in an end of terrace house within a Banjo in a residential area of Dagenham. Her home is within walking distance of local shops, library and parks. She takes minded children to and collects from Hunters Hall Primary school.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Minded children have access to the whole of the ground floor with toilet facilities available on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered to care for four children under the age of eight years. The childminder currently has six children on roll and three of these are over eight years of age. There was one child present at the time of inspection.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and regularly takes children to a local childminder group and other local amenities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

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 to be healthy

The provision is good. The childminder provides children with a clean, hygienic and well organised environment in which they can play and learn. As play areas are clean and hygienically maintained they can be explored by children with little risk to their well being as there is a reduced risk of the spread of infection. The childminder is aware of appropriate exclusion times for children when they have a contagious illness and agrees all measures with parents prior to minding. The childminder is confident in her ability to deal with minor accidents or medical emergencies and has a current first aid certificate and a comprehensive first aid kit which is checked and restocked when appropriate. The childminder has good written procedures in place for recording accidents and the administering of medication. Children's good health is promoted by the use of these written records especially in the way that it is shared with parents, through individual daily diaries and

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Helping children to be healthy

verbal feedback. Children's good health is further enhanced as the childminder has obtained written permission from parents to allow her to seek any emergency medical advice and treatment that may be required.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are made welcome in this warm and clean home environment where they are able to learn the importance of good personal hygiene from an early age through well-organised routines and practices. They learn that they should wash their hands after using the toilet, after playing in the garden, getting messy through arts and crafts and when they come back from the park to prevent germs accumulating.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy a wide range of activities that contribute to their good health. Children benefit from opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air and develop their physical skills. For example, they take daily walks to and from school and make good use of the nearby parks. Children also have access to the childminder's enclosed garden, although this is currently out of use for safety reasons.

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Helping children to be healthy

Parents provide meals and snacks for their children which the childminder makes suitable arrangements to store and prepare. She ensures surfaces are clean and checks the temperature of food before serving to the children. The childminder provides some snacks for the children after school, which are mainly fruit and toast.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a safe and well maintained environment. The childminder has taken steps to minimise hazards around the home, for example, using equipment such as a safety gate to manage younger children's access to the stairs and kitchen area and cupboard catchers are used to ensure cleaning materials and sharp objects are inaccessible to children. Children are aware of what to do in the event of a fire as the childminder has practised routes with the children and evaluates her procedure after every practise.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Space is well organised and enables children to move safely and freely whilst enjoying a number of activities. Children are provided with good quality toys and equipment which meet their developmental needs and interests. The childminder provides toys that are age appropriate and checks the durability of all toys and equipment to ensure no small parts can be pulled or broken off, which could cause a choking hazard. Toys are effectively organised and stored on

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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 shelving or in boxes, enabling young children to easily identify toys and self-select. This encourages children to make choices, initiate their own play ideas, and be independent.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are protected because the childminder has a good understanding of her role in safeguarding all children. She has covered child protection training during her CACHE courses and is clear in her responsibilities. The childminder maintains regular, informal communication with parents which develop 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 develop confidence and self-esteem due to the secure and caring relationships the childminder has built with them and their parents. She talks to the children enthusiastically whilst they play and they respond positively with lots of conversation appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children clearly feel good about themselves as they receive praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. They show great interest in what they are doing as the activities provided by the childminder are varied and stimulating. For example, children enjoy making pictures from rubbing stencils with crayons as well as listening to music and completing puzzles with the childminder.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Younger children benefit from the childminder's good understanding of their specific needs. They enjoy many activities and experiences to support their play and learning. This is supported by the childminder's knowledge of the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder also takes children to a number of local groups so that they can interact with others from outside of the setting. In particular, they enjoy a local childminding network group.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have access to outside space during the warmer weather to allow them to have daily physical exercise and to give them the opportunity to explore their immediate surroundings. However, the childminder has risk assessed her garden as unsuitable at the moment and therefore uses the local parks for children to get daily fresh air and exercise.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are happy and settled in the care of this childminder who has a warm and caring approach. Routines have been established which are consistent with home life. Children relate well to one another and become friends in the childminder's home. They are well supported by the childminder who encourages them to extend and develop their experiences by listening to them and talking with them.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The children have good relationships with the childminder. Younger children respond well to signs of affection such as cuddles. The childminder verbalises well with the younger children promoting communication. Children have a very strong sense of belonging because they are made to feel valued as part of an extended family and relate very well to the childminder and her family.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder manages children's behaviour appropriately. The childminder acts as a good role model using positive language and displaying good manners. She uses strategies which are appropriate for their age and stage of development and discusses these with parents prior

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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 to minding. For example, she has introduced a behaviour points chart and uses distraction to redirect their interests. She explains unwanted behaviour and the consequences. This helps children to take responsibility for their own actions and see the effect they may have on others. As a result children are mostly well behaved and use good manners.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's individuality is respected because the childminder seeks information from parents about their needs and preferences, for example with regard to health, culture or diet. Children begin to recognise and respect diversity as they use resources such as dolls reflecting different skin tones, or celebrating different festivals such as the Muslim festival of Eid. The childminder has limited resources that represent positive images of individuals with a disability but plans to increase these over time. The childminder uses inclusive practise and an appropriate Equal Opportunities policy to teach children about caring for one another and not discriminating against others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

No children attending currently have learning difficulties and/or disabilities but the childminder is aware of the issues involved and the implications for care of her own and other minded children. The childminder has no experience of caring for children with a disability and/or learning difficulty but she demonstrates a positive and realistic attitude to meeting the needs of all children in her care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder establishes sound partnerships with parents. She discusses and records children's individual needs during the settling-in period. Information is shared in a variety of ways such as through informal conversations, written policies and procedures, daily contact diaries and verbal feedback with her each day.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are cared for by a very motivated and committed childminder in her safe and welcoming home. Children are well supervised by the childminder and feel at home and at ease in the well-organised environment. This means they are confident to initiate and extend their own play and learning. The childminder effectively uses the policies and procedures to promote the welfare, care and learning of children. She shares them regularly with parents to keep them well informed about the service and their child's activities. This contributes to continuity in the children’s care.

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Organisation

Documentation is well ordered, accessible and is stored appropriately. It meets the requirements of the National Standards and is shared with parents prior to minding. In addition to her policy and procedure file, the childminder offers parents daily written and verbal feedback. This keeps parents fully informed about all aspects of their children's care. The childminder's certificate of registration is openly displayed.

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Organisation

The childminder is keen to develop her knowledge and skills to benefit the children and has a valid first aid certificate in place. Children's overall care, learning and welfare are enhanced by the information that is regularly shared between parents and the childminder. The childminder makes use of local resources, for example, parks and the library to increase the range of opportunities she can offer to minded children.

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Organisation

The childminder organises herself and the home to enable children to enjoy a safe and child focused environment. They make independent choices and are supported by the childminder.

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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 Children are happy and secure. 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 two recommendations were made. The childminder was asked to make sure that poisonous plants are inaccessible to the children and to request written permission from all parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The childminder has taken positive steps to update her registration documents to include written permission from parents for her to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. The childminder has also researched information about the plants in her garden. The plants in her garden are not poisonous and therefore not causing any harm to children, helping the childminder to ensure that the children's health and well-being is promoted at all times.

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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 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): • consider increasing the range of images and resources that show positive images of individuals with a disability, to increase children's understanding of the diversity of our wider world

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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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