Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

EY258799 Unique Reference Number 27 February 2008 Inspection date Marilyn Peacock Inspector

p.1

Childcare Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

p.1

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

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.

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder was registered in 2003. She lives with her husband and three children aged 15, 13 and seven years in a house in Romford, Essex. The childminder uses the whole of the downstairs part of the house for childminding. A fully enclosed garden is available for outside play.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The family have a large number of pets; including two dogs, three cats, two chinchillas, rabbits and guinea pigs.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for no more than five children under eight years and is currently minding five children under eight years. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children and takes minded children to a local pre-school group.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

She is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA).

p.2

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

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are care for in clean and well maintained environment. Children stay healthy as the childminder implements good hygiene practices. Kitchen surfaces and nappy changing mats are wiped down after use, using an anti bacterial spray. The sick children’s policy ensures that effective measures are in place when children are ill. The childminder is able to respond effectively if children have an accident, as she is trained in paediatric first aid and a fully stocked first aid kit is readily available. Parental consents are in place to seek emergency medical advice or treatment therefore the childminder is able to ensure parents wishes are met in an emergency. Any accident that may occur to children in her care are recorded in detail and parents are requested to sign to say that they have seen the entry and understand the nature of the incident. Family pets are fully immunised and all preventative measures taken to ensure they remain

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

healthy therefore they are safe to be in the proximity of the children.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children’s dietary needs are well met as the childminder gathers full information from parents on their dietary needs. She meets these needs by providing vegetarian alternatives and when possible providing organic foods. The childminder has a good understanding of healthy eating and food nutrition which she obtained through attending training courses and she uses this knowledge to guide her menu planning. If parents choose to provide children’s meals she encourages them to provide healthy food including fruit and yogurts. Children are not at risk of dehydration as drinks are freely available. Children have different coloured cups so that their drinks are not mixed up. The childminder is up to date with food handling practices as she has attending recent food hygiene training.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy regular opportunities to be active and have physical exercise outdoors which promotes development of their physical skills and a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy playing in the rear garden and have access to a wide variety of outdoor toys and equipment such as a trampoline and ride on toys. Young children sleep according to their own patterns, usually harnessed into a pushchair for safety.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are safe and secure in the childminders warm and comfortable home. The environment is made interesting to children through welcoming displays of children’s work, educational poster and attractive displays of books and resources. There is lots of space for children to move around. An excellent range of good quality toys and resources are stored at children’s height around the conservatory and the lounge. Children can freely access items that interest them helping them develop choice and initiate their own ideas.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a good understanding of safety and has taken all reasonable steps to safeguard children while in her care. Smoke alarms are on both levels of the house these are checked regularly and a fire blanket is within easy reach in the kitchen. Stair gates prevent children accessing the stairs and the kitchen. Children practise the emergency evacuation procedure on a regular basis. If children are going on an outing parents have given their prior consent and children wear reflective jackets and wrist bands with the childminder telephone number on to help keep them safe.

p.3

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 The children’s welfare is safeguarded as the childminder has a good knowledge of the possible indicators of abuse. She has recently attended a refresher child protection course to renew her understanding of procedures and possible sign and symptoms but has not yet up dated her policy to reflect recent changes.

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children relate well to the childminder and are content in the child friendly environment. They enjoy a broad range of activities which are matched to their individual skills and stage of development. They select from the toys and resources set out for them, they concentrate for a long time as they roll, push and pull the play dough. They excitedly push wooden trains around the train track, sharing toy train engines and waiting until there is a space before engaging their train on the track.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder knows the children well and uses her sound knowledge of child development to support children’s learning she is skilled at adapting activities to sustain children’s interests. Effective use is made of the local environment to give children different experiences and develop their understanding of the local community. Children enjoy trips to the bowling alley, the park and to take the dogs for a walk, they visit the toy library to choose new resources and borrow books they like from the library.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder is a keen crafter and has an extensive range of resources in bright colours, different textures and shapes which children are free to choose from. Children paint ceramics and wooden bird boxes and make photo frames for their mummies on Mother’s day. They explore the life cycle of the ladybird using plastic figures and good quality books.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The baby that attends enjoys lots of cuddles from the childminder. She sits surrounded by bright colourful toys and board books, the other children make sure she is not left alone a bring her items to play with and they operate the interactive musical toys which they know she enjoys.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children gain a good awareness of the wider world as they share an interesting range of activities that promote diversity and develop their understanding of differences. Bright, colourful posters of children from different countries, paper dragons and photographs of the children enjoying Indian music at the library help develop children’s understanding of the equality. Children learn about different cultures when they dress up in sari’s and paint their hands with Indian patterns and make red money purses for Chinese New Year.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from the good working relationship between their parents and the childminder, their continuity of care is promoted as information is shared on a regular basis. The childminder keeps excellent journals of children’s achievements which include good quality photographs of children’s play which the parents can take with them when their child leaves the childminders care. Parents are informed of the childminder’s polices and procedures when they enrol and are encouraged to comment on her practice. Cards and letters show parents appreciation of the service the childminder provides.

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

Children behave well. They are learning to share and take turns during activities with the sensitive intervention of the childminder. The childminder uses plenty of praise and

p.4

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 encouragement to build children’s self esteem and well being. She makes good use of stickers and incentive charts to encourage children to try new experiences and to help children understand the simple house rules.

p.4

Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder provides a good service to parents and children. Children are happy and settled in the childminder care. She organises her space, time and resources effectively to meet children’s needs. All the required documentation is in place. This is well organised and includes all the necessary information apart from one or two minor omissions. Parental consents and permissions have all been obtained helping to safeguard children. Documentation is stored in a secure and confidential manner and is easily accessible. The childminder meets the needs of the range children for whom she provides.

p.5

Organisation

A comprehensive file containing information on the service the childminder provides is shared with parents when they first visit this includes information on what they should do if they are unhappy with any aspect of the service provides. However this policy lacks detail.

p.5

Organisation

The childminder meets regularly with other childminders to share ideas and discuss practice issues. She also attends in service training to further develop her childcare practices.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

Following the last inspection the childminder was requested to ensure that emergency contact details where available. The childminder has improved children's records by ensuring she has emergency contact details on file for each child. She was also recommended to increase first aid training to ensure a minimum of 12 hours has been completed. The childminder has now updated her first aid training to make sure she can deal with accidents appropriately.

p.5

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 to meet the National Standards.

p.5

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.

p.5

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.5

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.

p.5

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):

p.5

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 • make sure that the child protection policy reflects Local Safeguarding Board guidance • extend the complaints procedure to give parents a clear understanding of the steps to take if they have a formal complaint regarding your childminding service.

p.5

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

p.6

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

p.6