Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY285494 Unique Reference Number 19 February 2008 Inspection date Karen Pretty 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 was registered in 2004. She lives with her partner and three children aged 18, three and 15 months in Muswell Hill, North London. The whole of the property is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding five children. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools. She takes children to the local park, indoor adventure play area, garden centre, Parkside pick your own farm and library. The family has a cat and 12 stick insects.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder holds a recognised early years qualification. She is a member of a local childminder support group and the National Childminding Association.

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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. Children's health is well promoted through a wide range of procedures which are proactively shared with parents. An informative and up to date exclusion policy ensures that children are not at risk of cross-infection. Children's understanding of personal hygiene is promoted very well, appealing toiletries and hand towels encourage children to wash their hands and faces. The childminder talks to children to help them develop an understanding of germs and the importance of hand washing. Well-thought-out procedures are in place to ensure children receive the best care should they become ill or have an accident. The childminder has an up to date first aid certificate and records any accidents for parents to sign, however, not all accident forms clearly log the exact location of the injury.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children can rest and sleep according to their needs, younger children use a travel cot which is placed in a quiet well-ventilated upstairs room with clean comfortable bedding. Children enjoy the daily benefit of fresh air which is enthusiastically promoted by the active childminder. They walk to the local park and have regular access to the secure well-kept garden which contains a wide range of play equipment. Children's understanding of the benefit of good fresh food is greatly increased through the provision of healthy and nutritious snacks and meals. The childminder actively encourages children to try new healthy foods. Children are involved in excellent first hand experiences where they have opportunities to cook and grow their own food. The garden is used to grow different vegetables and fruits which children are fully involved in planting and caring for, this enables children to monitor and enjoy their produce as it is

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Helping children to be healthy

flourishing. Younger children are encouraged to enjoy meal times and gain independence as they hold beakers and eat finger foods. Children have constant access to drinks to ensure they do not become dehydrated, younger children have their beakers replenished regularly by the childminder. Further drinks are encouraged during meal times and after exercise. Children's individual dietary requirements are very clearly recorded in written agreements and are sensitively catered for.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are kept extremely safe in a cosy, spotlessly clean environment that is very warm and welcoming. All of the main living space can be accessed by children, these areas are maintained to a very high standard and arranged to enable children to eat and play together extremely comfortably. Resources and toys are stored at child-height in the children's playroom and part of the lounge, this enables children to self-select from the attractive boxes labelled with words and pictures. Children enjoy an excellent balance of resources that clearly meet their needs and are appropriate to their age. All toys and equipment are regularly cleaned and checked to ensure they remain of a high quality and good standard for use by children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's safety is maintained extremely well through stringent and robust steps taken by the childminder to minimise all potential risks. Visual risk assessments are conducted and the environment is extremely secure. Preventative fire safety precautions are proactively taken, such as, a fire blanket and smoke alarms. The childminder has developed a successful evacuation procedure which is regularly practised with children. Children's knowledge is further developed through the activities carried out, for example, they have recently worked to create a fire safety wall display and practise 'stop, drop and roll', which provides them with advanced knowledge

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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 of how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire. Children are taken on exciting well-planned outings in safe car seats with written permission from parents. The childminder exceeds all requirements to ensure that children's safety is paramount at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are very well protected from potential harm as the childminder has an excellent understanding of her role and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Relevant up to date information ensures the childminder is confident and competent in following correct procedures and contact numbers are readily available. Parents are fully informed of procedures prior to admission and incidents are recorded.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children thoroughly enjoy an excellent range of play opportunities provided through stimulating toys and activities. The childminder draws on her skills and knowledge to maintain and create resources that provide interest and challenge. Children build confidence and self-esteem through the development of warm and close relationships with the childminder who is very intuitive of their needs. The childminder constantly gets down to the children's level and joins in with their play, consolidating and extending their language and curiosity with open-ended questions. They attend a number of children's social groups which enhances their social skills extremely well. Children interact and ask questions as they share stories and rhymes with the childminder. They are motivated to learn and interested in what they do because the childminder provides a fantastic range of planned activities starting with the children's interests. Children relish their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

time as they enjoy craft, cooking, modelling and a wide range of construction materials. A dynamic and exciting range of planned and spontaneous activities enable children to develop excellent physical skills, for example, ride-on toys, a large trampoline and many board games. Equipment is replaced and rotated regularly to maintain interest and challenge. Children are very dextrous as they have many opportunities to draw, thread and use scissors. They are actively encouraged to tidy away activities before starting something new, this encourages children to take responsibility for their actions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Younger children's needs are exceptionally well met by the warm and gentle childminder who reflects aspects of the 'Birth to three matters' framework in her outstanding practice. Babies have access to natural resources which they can use to explore textures thus developing their curiosity. The childminder encourages children's communication skills by patiently listening and responding to their questions so they know their views are valued. She is very alert to their need for consistency and believes in offering plenty of one to one time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children develop a good sense of belonging because the childminder knows them and their families well and ensures they are all valued and included. Children have built good relationships with the childminder who responds sensitively to them and respects their individual personalities. All children have equal access to toys and equipment that meet their individual needs so they can become confident and independent. The childminder has several resources reflecting diversity and discusses people's similarities and differences with children, to help them develop an understanding of others.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has a very positive approach to caring for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. She has considered how the environment and activities could be adapted

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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 ensure inclusion. The childminder works very closely with parents to provide individual care required to promote children's welfare and development. She is willing to work with other agencies to further increase her knowledge and would undertake further training to accommodate an individual child's needs and promote their welfare.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn about responsible behaviour as the childminder is a positive role model and has a good understanding of appropriate managing strategies depending on their stage of development. The childminder deals with behaviour in a calm and consistent manner, she encourages self-discipline and respect for others. Regular communication with parents enables any behavioural changes to be shared and ensures a consistent approach is maintained. Behaviour incidents are recorded so any patterns of behaviour could be quickly recognised.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All of the childminder's policies and procedures are shared with parents before registration takes place and a good range of information is provided by parents to ensure their children are looked after according to their wishes. A positive relationship is built with parents from the beginning, as children are able to spend time settling in with their parents. Information is shared verbally or via a report sheet on a daily basis regarding children's meals, daily routines and activities undertaken to ensure their changing needs are met and provide continuity of care. Colourful notice boards in the entrance hall provide further information regarding all aspects of care and learning. The childminder is aware of her duty to make parents aware of how they can make a complaint and she knows to log complaints, should she ever receive any.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder organises her home to provide a safe, welcoming and child-friendly environment in which children can take part in a wide range of activities to support their care, learning and play. Space and resources are well organised to provide children with a good balance of interesting activities. The childminder follows accurate procedures to promote children's good health, safety, enjoyment, achievement and ability to make a positive contribution.

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Organisation

The childminder has a good understanding of the National Standards which ensures children are well protected. Appropriate checks are in place to ensure children are cared for by a suitably vetted person and children are never left alone with any person not vetted. The childminder has attended all the relevant training to support her registration and is keen to develop her knowledge and skills further. Children's needs are met by good adult to child ratios and the children truly benefit from the individual care and attention given.

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Organisation

Children's well-being is positively promoted by the documented information kept. This is well organised to ensure children's personal details are kept confidential. A register is maintained, accurately showing children's hours of attendance and all the required documentation is available for inspection.

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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 registration 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): • ensure accident forms consistently log the exact location of the injury.

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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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