Montem Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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131218 Unique Reference Number 12 March 2008 Inspection date Marie Thompson 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 1992. She lives with her husband and four children aged 19,18,15 and 10 years old, in Marsh Gibbon, Bicester, Oxfordshire. The whole of the downstairs of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently fifteen children on roll. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The family have a dog, some chickens and a cat. The childminder works with two part time assistants.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a wide range of activities, which contribute to their good health. Each day there are outdoor activities to help them develop their physical skills and enjoy playing in the fresh

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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 air. For example, in the big, beautiful garden, the children can bounce on the large and small trampolines, whiz down the slide, ride around the patio on trikes and play in the Wendy house. They love digging with spades and buckets in the sand tray. The children go for regular walks in the local community, to the pond, the small holding at the end of the road to look at the animals or to take the dog for a walk to the fields to see the horses. They benefit from regular trips to the park and particularly enjoy playing on the large climbing apparatus. Children attend indoor activities at the soft play centre in Bicester. This ensures that children are getting a good balance of activities, promoting a more active child.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn the importance of good hygiene through consistent guidance from the childminder who is a good role model. For example, children know that they need to take off their outdoor shoes before entering the home and put them on the small rack under the bench. They begin to understand simple good health and hygiene practices by washing their hands after touching the pets and before meals, which helps to develop children's self-care skills. The children use the downstairs toilet which has child-friendly facilities such as a small sink that they can easily reach. They are able to dry their hands on individual paper towels which are placed in a small basket. Very young children have their hands wiped with their own flannel or with wet wipes.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder makes sure all the toys are clean by putting them in the dish washer or washing machine regularly which helps to prevent the spread of germs. In the summer, the children help cleaning the toys by having a doll washing party.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children bring their own packed lunches and drinks which are stored in the fridge and clearly labelled. The childminder provides them with extra drinking water throughout the day if they want it. The childminder has a clear understanding of children's dietary needs and takes account of parent's wishes to ensure that children's individual needs are met. She has all the children's individual needs recorded in their personal folders. However, not all injuries or incidents where no wound may be visible are recorded. Everyone sits around the table at snack and lunch time. There is always a lively buzz of conversation as the childminder talks to the children about what they have done and what they are going to do in the afternoon.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children use the home where risks are identified and minimised as the childminder ensures that the garden is secure, the front door locked and there is a range of good quality toys and equipment, which meets safety standards. This means children are able to move around freely and independently. There is a very good fire evacuation procedure in place which is displayed in various rooms in the house. The children regularly undertake fire drills, which promotes children's awareness of safety. The childminder has contacted the fire brigade and they are going to visit in the near future to talk to the children about fire safety and to let the children look at the fire engines.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children develop a good awareness of keeping themselves safe, for example, children know they need to look and listen for cars when they are on outings. The childminder makes sure the children travel safely in the car because she has a range of appropriate car seats for the children she cares for. When sitting at the table, they know to sit nicely and to be careful when stepping out of the door into the garden. This enhances children's listening skills and independence.

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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 The childminder has a very good knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures. She has a first aid kit and personal liability insurance which makes sure children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted. The childminder works with two assistants so the children are well supported and supervised in their daily play and activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder provides a warm relaxed and caring environment for children's learning and play. Children are happy, content and secure in their relationships with the childminder and her assistants because they have very good interactive skills. They are all kind and attentive. Children’s play is encouraged and their interests maintained by the provision of activities that allows them to choose freely from the toys available. The adults sit with the children watching and talking to them about what they are doing. They support the younger children very well. For example, one of the babies is learning to crawl so the childminder sits next to him on the floor offering lots of encouragement and praise for his efforts. Children receive lots of cuddles and praise which encourages their sense of belonging and their independent skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy a wide range of activities that cover all areas of development. Children enjoy taking part in baking and planting sun flowers and bedding plants in the spring. They excitedly look forward to tending the plants and watching them grow. There are lots of books available for the children to look at, both fiction and non-fiction. They can snuggle up in the chair which is shaped like a big red hand to look at books if they want to. After lunch each day, the childminder or one of her assistants will read a variety of books such as, 'Meg at the sea', 'Dinosaur's colours' or 'Charlie the chicken' to the children. They encourage the children to participate by asking them questions about the story and pointing out colours and shapes in the books. The children go to the library van every two weeks to choose some books to bring back. This is something they look forward to immensely.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children's language development is very good because the childminder and her assistants are constantly talking to the children and listening to what they have to say. For example, when the children were getting ready to go outside, a child was describing to the assistant what the weather was like and the assistant listened and asked open-ended questions to encourage further discussion.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children take part in a lovely range of art and crafts activities. At Christmas they made a huge Father Christmas advent calendar, they have made some beautiful hand puppet octopuses and chickens using different materials and a life size robot from junk modelling materials. The children then held a competition to decide on an appropriate name for the robot.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children play very well together and are very good at putting away the toys when they have finished playing with them. Children benefit from the range of toys both indoors and outside which contribute to their development and provide appropriate challenges. For example, sponge painting, construction and playing in the paddling pool during the summer.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children become aware of diversity and learn about the wider world as the childminder provides some good activities and resources, including books, dressing up clothes, dolls and puzzles. One of the childminder's assistants has attended relevant training on equal opportunities which

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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 has provided her with a greater understanding and lots of ideas for activities for children. She shares these ideas with the childminder and the other assistant. The children have taken part in activities that help them learn about and celebrate other cultures. For example, to celebrate Chinese New year, the children each wore a hat with their name written on in Chinese, they used chop sticks to eat noodles and opened fortune cookies. For Mother's Day they made cards and on Valentine's Day they each made a heart shape biscuit to take home. There was great excitement on Pancake Day because the childminder and her assistants took turns to flip the pancakes and the children had them for snack time. The childminder uses an excellent book, 'Cooking for kids, favourites from around the world', to help the children learn about and taste

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Helping children make a positive contribution

food from different countries. A particular favourite was the 'feel good breakfast' from Germany.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children share and take turns using the resources. They are beginning to understand right from wrong as the childminder uses good age-appropriate strategies for managing their behaviour. The childminder uses positive comments and distraction to promote good behaviour.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder shows a very good awareness of the information she would need to care for a child with learning difficulties or disabilities. She has had a lot of experience in this area. The childminder feels communication is paramount between the parents and herself for meeting the children's needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has a long standing and friendly relationship with the parents. Children's needs are discussed thoroughly before the children start to ensure their entire individual needs can be met. The childminder gives parents a news letter every half term. This is beautifully designed and contains lots of useful information, dates for special events and descriptions of the things the children have done. Parents receive daily verbal feedback on their children's progress from either the childminder or one of her assistants, all of whom know the children well.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children play safely as the childminder organises toys and the environment well. Toys are rotated to maintain children's interest and are presented well. This means they are confident to initiate and extend their own play and learning whilst safely exploring their personal boundaries. The space is used effectively to ensure children have plenty of room to play. The children sit at the large kitchen table to take part in messy play and cooking activities and they enjoy playing outdoors in the secure garden.

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Organisation

The childminder has attended some training courses, for example, NVQ Level 2 in Childcare and Education; first aid and food hygiene. This enhances her practice and promotes the welfare, care and learning of the children. Most documentation is in place and well maintained. The parents are made aware of any complaints. However, the complaints are kept in the main folder and not in a specific complaints record which can easily be seen and accessed by the parents. The childminder works with two part-time assistants, which means the ratios are maintained and the children receive a high level of adult support. The childminder and her assistants work extremely well together and seamlessly take care of the daily routines and the care of the children together. This ensures that the care and practice are equally very good.

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Organisation

The childminder has a long standing and friendly relationship with the parents. Discussions with the parents to exchange information and newsletters ensure all information is shared. Children's art work is displayed in the kitchen and play area for the parents to see. The regular

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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 informal discussion and written information ensures continuity of care for the children. 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 childminder was asked to ensure a registration procedure is in place which clearly shows when minded children are in attendance and when they arrive and depart and to ensure all written parental consents are in place. She was also asked to inform Ofsted of all significant changes or events which occur.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The registration system has been improved adequately and all written parental consents are in place. The childminder is aware that she needs to inform Ofsted of any significant changes or events.

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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): • ensure all injuries or incidents are recorded • ensure a specific complaints record is in place

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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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