Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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133953 Unique Reference Number 21 November 2007 Inspection date Cordalee Harrison 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 1993. She lives with her husband, her adult daughter and her 15 year old son. The family lives in the Southwold area of Bicester, Oxfordshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding. Children have access to the living room and kitchen, toilet and washing facilities are located at this level. There is a fully enclosed rear garden available for outside play. The premises are within walking distance of schools, shops and parks. The childminder attends the local carer and toddler group on a regular basis. The family pet is a cat.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is a member of Oxfordshire's Trio Childminding Network. She is currently caring for six children, of whom four are aged under eight years, all of these children are under five years old. School aged children may attend during the school holidays. All of the children attend on a part-time basis.

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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 use the garden, they visit the parks regularly, and they walk to and from playgroup across the seasons. This allows them to experience the different weather conditions and learn about appropriate clothes to wear in the different weather conditions. Children have many opportunities to participate in a wide range of physical activities, which promotes large and fine movement. They regularly visit parks and local places of interest, such as, the woods. These outdoor activities provide good quality experiences. For example, the children explain that they like to run and use the slide in the park. In addition, they play in the garden where they use many toys with wheels. Children are developing their self-care well, for example, they explain that they wear coats because it is winter and use sun cream in the summer.

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Helping children to be healthy

To reduce the risks of infection to children the childminder's home is maintained to a very good standard of hygiene and cleanliness, the risk of cross infection is further reduced because they use individual personal items, such as, hand towels. The children and the childminder wash their hands often; children are learning that it is important to wash their hands particularly after using the toilet and before eating. Children eat a satisfactory range of foods because the childminder works closely with parents who provide their meals. They learn to make healthy choices about their snacks because the childminder provides them with snacks of mainly fresh and dried fruits. The children explained that the previous day they made and ate fresh fruit salad with five different fruits. They explained that some of the children liked the kiwi fruit and others did not. Fresh drinking water is available to the children throughout the day and

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Helping children to be healthy

the food that parents provide is stored appropriately.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children’s allergies are managed well because the childminder works closely with parents and follows their guidance. Children’s accidents and medication are managed appropriately by the childminder who maintains a valid first aid certificate and suitable first aid equipment. Accident and medication are recorded with the required information. To further safeguard children most essential written parental permissions are in place. However, it is not in place for the childminder to seek emergency medical treatment or advice for all of the children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are welcomed into a warm home environment, where they are safe and secure. The childminder takes many effective safety precautions to safeguard children in and outside of the home. For example, childproof locks are fitted on appropriate cupboards and drawers; this ensures that children are not able to access hazardous substances. They do not have access to sharp implements and the garden is securely fenced. Suitable fire fighting equipment is in place and is readily accessible for the childminder to use. Children are developing their understanding of personal safety well; they practise the green cross code regularly and the fire drills often, which help them to identify safe boundaries when crossing the road and to evacuate the home quickly and safely in an emergency. In addition, the childminder supervises children closely and this assures their safety.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children use a wide range of age and stage appropriate resources and the childminder make a good selection of these resources easily accessible for children to use in their activities daily. The childminder provides additional resources, such as, high chairs, and travel cots for younger

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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 children to use; this ensures that these children are able to sit comfortably to eat and to sleep safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Through discussion, the childminder demonstrates a good understanding of child protection and her responsibility to safeguard children’s welfare. She is aware of the main types of abuse and the possible signs and symptoms that may indicate possible abuse and neglect. Children’s welfare is properly safeguarded because the childminder is also clear about lines of communication to deal with issues of concerns about their welfare. For example, she takes account of parents and the local and registering authority. In addition, to the informative child protection statement, which she shares with parents the childminder keeps contact numbers for relevant local and national agencies, which enables her to act immediately to deal with child protection issues.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and settled in the childminder’s care. They are making good progress in all areas of their development. They are learning through play and the childminder supports them very well. Children promote their emotional development, confidence and self-esteem well because the childminder gives them her time and attention in play and conversation. Children make purposeful choices about play. For example, they explore their creativity as they participate in a varied range of activities including, cooking, drawing, painting and making prints, they learn to recognise the primary colours and explore change as they mix colours. Children sequence words and numbers and develop their memory and recall as they sing nursery and action rhymes, such as, ‘1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive’. They further develop their conversation and communication skills as they converse freely and confidently with the childminder. Children

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

are becoming confident communicators; they are extending their vocabulary. For example, pre-school aged children use describing words, such as, middle, big and little to make the meaning of their conversation clear.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children practise life skills in their pretend play and they use realistic resources. For example, the children set the temperature on the iron before pretending to iron clothes; they know that the iron needs to be hot. Children enjoy books and stories; they explore them independently and with the childminder. The childminder skilfully extends children's language and develops their understanding. For example, she introduces the word clip into the conversation, the children repeat the new word, she explains the difference between a clip and a peg; the children experiment to see how the clip works. Children are interested in learning because the childminder is careful to select activities that are relevant and familiar to them. For example, the story is about new boots because the children have recently had the experience of selecting new footwear with their parents. The story is appealing to the children and this maintains their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

focus. They listen keenly and ask relevant questions. The childminder’s good understanding of child development and her knowledge of individual children enables her to recognise children’s strengths, to further extend children’s learning she skilfully encourages and supports them to share their knowledge and learn from each other.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children benefit from the childminder’s good understanding of issues of equality and inclusion. They use a good range of age and stage appropriate resources in their play, including non-gender

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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 specific toys, books and dolls, which reflect cultural diversity and disability. In addition, they acknowledge many different cultural festivals and express their understanding in their art and creative work. Children’s individual needs are met well because the childminder knows them very well and she works closely with parents to ensure that their care and welfare needs are met consistently.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn to behave well and to consider others because the childminder uses suitable behaviour strategies, which are appropriate to their age and understanding. For example, as they read a story the childminder discusses the behaviour of the children in the story. The children recognise that the behaviour is not nice and that unkind behaviour hurts other people’s feelings. Children learn to behave well because they are learning good manners, right from wrong and to consider how their behaviour affects others. The childminder shares her behaviour strategies with parents to gain consistency in behaviour management for all of the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

To gain consistency of care for the children the childminder works extremely well with parent; this keeps them involved in children's care and learning. She regularly shares written and verbal information with them and is careful to follow their guidance, this ensures that she meets children’s needs consistently. Parents praise the childminder highly for her attention, care and commitment to the children she looks after, as well as for her professionalism.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are welcomed into a very well organised warm homely environment, where they are safe and secure. They have many good quality play and learning experiences that are interesting, stimulating and appropriate to their age and stage of development. These positive experiences enables them to make good progress in their overall development. Children’s welfare is appropriately safeguarded because the childminder ensures that children are in her sight or hearing at all times, she ensures that children are not left with anyone who is not vetted.

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Organisation

All of the documentation required to safeguard children’s health and welfare is in place and most contain the necessary information. For example, record of children’s attendance is accurate and up to date. The records are maintained confidentially and are readily available for inspection. For the benefit of the children, the childminder maintains valid first aid certificate, public liability and vehicle insurances. To assure parents of her consistent good childcare practices the childminder shares many clearly written and informative practice statements with them, such as, child protection, inclusion and uncollected child statements. The childminder is committed to training, since the last inspection, she has attended some training courses, such as, inclusion training; this has increased her understanding of caring for children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Children benefit from the childminder’s up to date knowledge of

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Organisation

issues of equality. 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 provider was asked to ensure that children are familiar with the procedures for emergency evacuation and to make sure that the child protection procedure complies with the September 2003 Children Act Regulations.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, the childminder has regularly practised the evacuation procedure with the children; children now know what to expect in an emergency. They are able to evacuate

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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 the premises safety under the childminder's supervision. Children's welfare is properly safeguarded; the childminder has developed her knowledge of child protection issues and maintains guidance issued by the Local Safeguarding Children's Board. In addition, she also maintains guidance issued by government.

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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 complaint 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): • make sure that parents written permission to seek emergency medical treatment or advice is in place for all of the children.

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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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