Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY277893 Unique Reference Number 17 March 2008 Inspection date Mary Wignall 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 two children, one of whom is aged under eight years, in Hindley Green, Wigan. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, as well as the bathroom facilities and two bedrooms on the first floor. There is a rear enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder has relevant qualifications in childcare and currently has four children on roll.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children are well protected from infection. The childminder’s effective cleaning routines mean that the children play in a clean environment with clean toys. Careful spraying of tables before and after lunch provides effective protection for the children. The children have a good understanding of how to keep healthy. Following messy play the children hold up their fingers knowing they need to wash their hands before eating. They are confident to independently access the bathroom. The childminder sensitively supervises their hand washing to make sure they use facilities safety and appropriately.

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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 The childminder plans a range of fun activities to support their all round development. For instance, they attend local groups, dance and go swimming. There is also an enclosed outdoor garden which the childminder has plans to further develop in order to maximise the children's use and enjoyment of the space.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder works effectively with parents to ensure the children are well nourished. For instance, she provides home cooked meals or serves food provided by the parents.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder provides an attractive, stimulating environment in which the children learn and play confidently. Toys are stored effectively. They are well organised into themed groups. This extends the children’s interest in them and makes them easily accessible.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a good understanding of safety. Good use of risk assessments and effective use of safety equipment helps keep the children safe. The children benefit from her understanding as she explains the danger of tripping over toys on the floor. The parents are fully informed of any outings and suitable parental consents are obtained. Fire safety is well understood and effective. The children practise fire safety routines. These are well recorded to demonstrate their effectiveness. Clear records show the efficient maintenance of the smoke alarms.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a keen understanding of and strong commitment to safeguarding the children. Policies are shared with the parents. These include all relevant contact numbers and promote effective partnership with the parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very happy and relaxed in the childminder’s home. They play with great enthusiasm, making good use of the toys and each other’s company. They gain self-esteem by highly skilful and well placed praise from the childminder. She uses highly effective strategies to develop the children’s confidence. For instance, the childminder naturally joins in their play. She uses considerable sensitively, asking searching questions she knows the children can work out for themselves. The high level of challenge is appropriate for their understanding and develops their confidence in problem solving skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder plans a broad range of fun and interesting activities for the children. She balances the differing needs of the children attending confidently. Visits to local groups reflect an excellent balance of social, craft and physical activities. Plans are used flexibly, and clearly reflect the childminder’s well developed knowledge of how children develop and learn. Each child has their own folder with samples of their activities and achievements. For instance, they show how the children have enjoyed painting, music, cooking and making flower pots for Mother’s Day.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The childminder’s excellent planning and interaction makes all children feel included and valued. The childminder chats comfortably as she joins in activities based on their individual needs.

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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 The children learn about diversity from the childminder’s use of her superb range of toys. The range and storage of the toys are planned to maximise the children’s enjoyment of and benefit from them. She has a wide range of books to help her plan exciting activities to extend the children’s experiences and understanding of different cultures. For instance, photographs show bread the children have made following recipes from one of the books of multicultural crafts.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder understands that some children may have either learning difficulties or disabilities. She has highly effective ways to communicate with the parents. Regular sharing of written information means the childminder and the parents work together to meet the children’s individual needs. The parents are fully informed about the setting. The childminder’s policies are clear and concise and shared effectively with parents. Information about her positive behaviour methods promotes consistency with the parents. The children’s behaviour is excellent. They are happy to play and share together and are aware of each other's needs.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder has a strong understanding of the National Standards. She has a clear commitment to continuing improvement and has relevant qualifications in both childcare and childminding. She maintains a personal training programme to ensure her knowledge is regularly updated. Training attended since the last inspection includes food hygiene, health and safety, fire safety and the 'Birth to three matters' framework. This training is evident in the implementation of her policies and her care of the children. The majority of her documentation is clear and concise. Parental consent for emergency treatment is obtained, though not worded as in the National Standards. All documentation regarding complaints is available ready to be organised into a log as necessary. The childminder has a clear understanding of child protection with effective procedures to inform parents of her commitment and responsibility to protect

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Organisation

children. All persons living at the premises over the age of 16 years have the required suitability checks to ensure children’s safety and protection.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder agreed to a recommendation to monitor her ongoing training needs in order to ensure her childcare practice develops. Since then the childminder has maintained her training file which helps identify and plan all relevant training needs. Relevant training has been attended and used to develop her practice, particularly regarding health and safety, first aid and the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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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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Complaints 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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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): • consider revising the wording of the parental consent for emergency medical advice and treatment and the organisation of documentation regarding complaints

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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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