Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY252133 Unique Reference Number 13 March 2008 Inspection date Pamela Bailey 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 satisfactory. 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 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged four and seven years in the London Borough of Lambeth. The whole of the childminder's flat is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of two children at any one time and is currently minding two children under five years, of whom, one attends on a part time basis. The childminder attends the local parent/carer and toddler groups and takes children to the park. The family has goldfish.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children receive lots of warmth and affection. The childminder follows babies' individual routines for eating and sleeping and monitors food intake and nappy changes. This contributes to their emotional and physical well being. Routine tasks and activities help babies and young children gain increasing control of their bodies and develop physical skills appropriate to their age and

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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 stage of development. Babies learn to feed themselves which helps to develop their independence and the childminder supports babies to learn to walk. Activities such as music and movement, ball games, digging in the garden and regular visits to the local parks gives children plenty of opportunity to practice and develop their physical skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a warm, clean home where they learn the importance of good hygiene from an early age. Babies are supported to wash their hands before eating. Each child has their own individual wash items which are easily accessible and encourages children to develop good self care skills.

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Helping children to be healthy

Babies and young children receive healthy and nutritious meals and snacks which encourages them to develop healthy eating habits from an early age. The childminder takes into account parents' wishes and children begin to understand the benefits of a healthy diet through activities.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder ensures that she maintains a current first aid certificate. All the required documentation such as accident and medication records are in place and very well maintained. She obtains prior written consent from parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment and gains all relevant information regarding children's health needs form parents. This ensures she can give appropriate care if there is an accident or emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Babies and young children are cared for in a well organised environment. The childminder carefully monitors and supervises children's choice of toys to ensure that they are safe and appropriate for their age and stage of development. Babies play with toys that are readily available and young children are able to independently select and make choices from a good range of resources that are easily accessible in floor boxes.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are able to move around freely. The childminder carries out regular checks of the premises and equipment to ensure that most risks and potential hazards are minimised. For example, a safety gate is in place to prevent children having unsupervised access to the kitchen and child safety locks have been installed on cupboards. However, there is a potential risk that older children may be able to leave the premises unsupervised because the front entrance door lock is easily accessible. Children are learning to keep themselves safe from an early age. Regular fire drills help children become familiar with the procedures so they learn how to leave the premises quickly and safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted. The childminder has a sound knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. She has all the required documentation in place and has also devised written policies for the procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost or uncollected. This ensures that she can quickly recognise when a child is in danger and act in the child's best interest.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children achieve well because the childminder is highly skilled and uses her exceptional understanding of early years guidance to provide high quality care and learning. Early communication skills are extremely well supported through very good adult and child interactions. Babies are able to make themselves understood through language and actions.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 They enjoy stories, listen intently to the childminder's voice and become involved by echoing sounds and turning the pages. They reach out to welcome visitors and wave goodbye. They express their excitement and enjoyment of activities through smiles, body movements and babbling. The childminder acknowledges means of communication. She repeats responses and is very descriptive when identifying object or characters, introducing learning such as colours and numbers. Babies and young children are beginning to make sense of the world as they join in a diverse range of exploratory and sensory experiences. For example, exploring items in the treasure basket, preparing their garden plot and growing salad vegetables. Babies and young children have excellent opportunities to express their creative and imaginative ideas. Outdoors,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they paint walls and create individual art work. They make models that represent different festivals using a variety of different materials and take part in a range of sensory experiences, such as, hand painting, dough and cornflour. Their finer motor skills and hand and eye co-ordination is developing well as they play with shape sorters and use paint brushes to make marks. The childminder observes and assesses babies' and young children's achievements and uses the information to plan for the children's next steps in learning and development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are settled at the childminder's home. Close and caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and gives them the confidence to try new experiences. Babies enjoy looking at their reflection in the mirror which helps them to develop a strong sense of self. The childminder has a positive attitude towards diversity and provides a good range of activities and resources inside the home to promote a positive view on the wider world. Well planned topics such as 'People around the world' and acknowledging different festivals increase children's awareness of diversity and their understanding of others. Children are able to socialise with others as they visit children's groups. They learn about the natural environment and caring for living things as they grow their own vegetables in the garden and help to feed the goldfish.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are respected as individuals. The childminder uses constant praise and encouragement to help children develop a positive self image and promote their self esteem. Although there are no children currently attending with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, the childminder was able to demonstrate how she would assess the child's needs to determine whether appropriate care could be provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are provided with good information about the childminding service. The childminder has an effective system in place to ensure that parents are kept well informed about her policies and procedures, such as, behaviour management and the complaints procedures. Parents share information about their child's individual needs. The childminder keeps a daily diary of children's activities, sleep and food intake which is shared with parents. This ensures continuity of care.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Babies and young children are achieving extremely well. The childminder's written polices and procedures are used effectively to promote the welfare, care and learning of children. These are shared regularly with parents to keep them well informed about the childminding service and their child's activities. However, the childminder is in breach of her registration conditions. This is because the childminder is providing care for children under one year when not registered to do so.

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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 The childminder attends training whenever she can. This ensures she has sufficient knowledge of current childcare practices to support the care and learning of children. All documentation is in place and very well maintained. For example, the childminder keeps an accurate record of the children's daily hours of attendance.

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Organisation

Overall, 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 agreed to provide a suitable range of toys and activities, in order to meet the developmental needs of children from five to under eight years. The childminder has made significant improvements. She has a good range of toys and activities that are suitable for children aged from five to under eight years.

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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 satisfactory. 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): • assess the risks to children in relation to the front door and take action to minimise these • make sure that the conditions of registration are adhered to at all times • improve knowledge and understanding of the requirements set out in regulations and ensure that Ofsted is notified of relevant matters. In this case, change in registration conditions

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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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