Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY355277 Unique Reference Number 29 April 2008 Inspection date Donna Suzanne Lancaster 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 outstanding. 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 has been registered since August 2007. She lives with her husband and their four year old son in a house located in the Ingelby Barwick area of Stockton. The house is located close to local amenities including shops, a library, schools and parks. Children have access to the ground floor of the property, the first floor bathroom and a bedroom for daytime sleeps. There is a fully enclosed garden to the rear of the property for outdoor activities and the childminder makes use of the local amenities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding three children. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is a qualified nursery nurse.

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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 outstanding. The childminder provides the children with a range of excellent activities that promote their physical skills very effectively. Access to the garden is throughout the day and offers the children ongoing opportunities to use the variety of well placed and interesting equipment and have lots of fresh air. The children have ball games and this includes using resources that extend and challenge the children, such as throwing and catching, kicking the ball and knocking down the cones and knocking the skittles down. They use large and small containers, jugs and sieves in the water tray to develop their hand-eye coordination. The use of pedal, push and pull resources provide the children with very good ongoing opportunities to practise their negotiation, stopping and starting skills and further develop their physical skills. They join in music and movement sessions led by the childminder, such as pretending to be a butterfly. They have

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Helping children to be healthy

great fun using the indoor ball pool. The children also visit other provisions that enable them to experience large adventure equipment, this effectively supports the older children. Regular interesting walks and visits to the local area are used very effectively to extend children's abilities and strengthen their enjoyment of being physical and outside.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children receive an excellent range of home cooked meals, which are both healthy and nutritious. This helps children to develop healthy eating habits from a young age. Comprehensive and imaginative menus are devised by the childminder, following topics and themes the children have covered about healthy eating, diet and exercise. The childminder is happy and confident to meet individual dietary requirements, of which she has obtained clear information from parents. The childminder is very aware that children need to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep them hydrated. Their social development is very effectively promoted at meal and snack times as the children choose their own plates, cups and cutlery from the cupboard, then help to set the table, they decide between themselves who is sitting next to who and their table manners are impeccable. The children and the childminder sit together to enjoy their

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Helping children to be healthy

meals and snacks. They talk at length about healthy foods which make them grow big and strong and the children display pleasure when they receive a sticker for eating up their lunch. A daily diary containing details of the children's food intake is given to parents. Children's health is further promoted by stringent food hygiene practices that protect them from cross-contamination of foods. For example, a selection of coloured chopping boards are used for different food preparation. The childminder follows guidelines from her training in food hygiene to ensure that surfaces, appliances and kitchen tools are clean and used appropriately, such as checking fridge and food temperatures daily, which are recorded. Children enjoy participating in cooking activities where, for example, they make fresh fruit smoothies at snack time and cakes and biscuits for special occasions.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are cared for in a very clean home where hygiene is maintained to a very high standard. For example, each child has their own bag with their own face cloth, toothbrush and hairbrush in. They develop an excellent awareness of the importance of hygiene and keeping themselves healthy, as the childminder encourages them to follow robust daily routines, such as regular hand washing, brushing teeth and washing faces. Children can confidently recite that they use a tissue to wipe their noses, then put it in the bin and that they wash their hands before eating, after playing outside and after using the toilet to get rid of the germs on them which make you have a 'poorly tummy'. They independently ask to wash their hands before their meals. Children's health is further safeguarded by the childminder's sound understanding of meeting their needs if they are unwell and her up-to-date knowledge of first aid for children. Parents

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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 receive comprehensive information about any accidents children may have and detailed records are kept of medicine administration. The clear guidance given to parents about not bringing children with infections further protects children's health.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children relish their time in the stimulating environment the childminder's home provides. They are confident within the premises, moving freely between indoor and outdoor play space. They choose what they want to play with from the wide variety of attractive play resources that are set out to be easily accessible with many stored in labelled draws and baskets. Interesting posters and children's artwork are displayed around the playrooms.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder is extremely vigilant and has a high level of safety measures in place within the home to safeguard children well. For example, adults' identification and authorisation are checked on entry to the home and a written record of visitors is maintained. Safety issues are regularly discussed and explained to the children. Planned activities further enhance children's knowledge and understanding as they discuss people who help us, such as fire fighters and the police. For example, the fire service has recently visited the childminder's home during their topic of protecting ourselves, the children thoroughly enjoyed climbing into the fire engine. The childminder has extended this and harnessed the children's interest by providing role play clothes and equipment, including a fire extinguisher that squirts water. Children understand what to do in the event of a fire as emergency evacuation procedures are regularly practised

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and recorded, taking into account patterns in children's attendance. The childminder has an excellent understanding of creating a balance between encouraging children's freedom and setting limits to maintain their safety. Children are extremely well safeguarded because the childminder is experienced and therefore very secure about her child protection responsibilities; she is fully able to put appropriate procedures into practice if and when necessary.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All children have access to a superb range of quality toys and resources, which are suitable for their ages and stages of development. Resources have been carefully chosen to support children's play and are regularly checked for hygiene and safety. Although the playrooms are set up into areas of learning with focused activities prepared and ready for each day, the children can also follow their own interests by helping themselves from the highly organised selection of interesting play equipment. The childminder utilises the local toy library to supplement her resources.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children flourish as they have many stimulating experiences that promote all aspects of their learning and development. They gain new skills and knowledge as spontaneous opportunities are seized to extend their learning. For example, they recall enthusiastically how the butterfly is in a cocoon for two weeks before hatching, how they search for snails and mini beasts and look at them in the holding pots with magnifying glasses. They talk about how they draw round the puddles with chalks after it has been raining and watch them shrink in the sunshine and describe with enthusiasm and clarity how ice cubes melt in the water tray. Children benefit from the highly comprehensive understanding of the childminder of how children learn through play. Her enthusiasm, high motivation and wealth of skills and experience ensure children make excellent progress. Younger children are offered highly innovative opportunities to explore,

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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 experiment and play through access to ‘treasure baskets' which contain a wide range of natural materials, such as wooden rings, shells, natural sponges and different shapes and sizes of balls.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children learn effectively through their play because the childminder purposefully asks them questions about what they are doing. She listens to what they say to find out what they know and then extends their understanding, for example, talking about and reinforcing the children's knowledge and understanding of colours, what happens when they mix two colours together and number recognition with the ladybird game. Children use language of size, texture, shape and position when looking at the 3D shapes and when playing with containers, sieves and funnels in the water. They find hidden mini beasts, dig for treasure in the sand and pull funny faces when they play with the gloop and jelly.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder carefully plans a broad range of interesting activities based on themes, such as healthy eating, ourselves, exercise and fresh air, transport, spring and growth, mini beasts and people who help us in the community. The children learn simple history through displays of what they did last month, last week, yesterday, today and what they will be doing tomorrow. They thoroughly enjoy and are engrossed in stories, they confidently recite and laugh, clap and join in with stories of the hungry caterpillar, the lazy ladybird and wiggly caterpillars. They know who the authors of the books are and who illustrates them. As a result, children are being fully extended in their learning and development. Children develop their imaginative skills through the role play resources and acting out stories using small world figures. They thoroughly enjoy singing songs and joining in with the actions rhymes, they clap in a circle and a square

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

in time with the rhymes. They dance and move to music and enjoy playing the instruments. Children have good opportunities to explore information technology as they sit side by side and help each other with the simple programs.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder's excellent knowledge of the Foundation Stage and the 'Birth to three matters' framework means that the two frameworks integrate seamlessly together. All children are able to access an extensive range of interesting and purposeful activities, within an environment which is enriched with many opportunities for children of all ages to explore. The childminder records children's progress through ‘special books’ where pieces of their work with additional comments as well as photographs of themselves at play are included. She successfully plans for children's next steps in their learning.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Behaviour is managed by the childminder in a well informed and highly supportive way with the children. For example, the children are highly delighted when they receive sticker rewards for washing their hands independently, eating their meals and helping to tidy away. They choose their own sticker and decide whether to put them in their 'special books' or put them on their t-shirts. The childminder is sensitive to their needs and through the routines the children are very confident, which is reflected in their good behaviour. The childminder's approach is calm and she is very skilled in reassuring and promoting the positives with the children through praise and ongoing encouragement in all they do. There is a strong emphasis on the children using their manners and to share and take turns which they do very well, even the younger children, and this promotes self assured and happy children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The excellent partnership with parents and carers contributes significantly to the children's care and well-being. Written feedback from parents demonstrates their high regard for the childminder's practice and her skills in caring exceptionally well for their children. The childminder

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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 gathers and shares extensive information with parents, including a daily diary for each child, photographs, developmental records, artwork and other evidence of progress so that parents are well informed of their child's achievements and progress. This ensures that children's care, well-being and development are greatly enhanced. Extremely comprehensive policies, record forms, accident book, consent forms and pre-existing injury book all communicate shared information.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

All children are welcomed and play a full and extensive role in the setting through the excellent high regard the childminder places on children’s individuality, and her comprehensive understanding of the needs of the children in her care. Children's ideas and views are well respected and valued. They benefit from an environment which is rich in promoting diversity through a wealth of excellent resources, such as books depicting sign language linked into everyday routines, discussion and celebration of other festivals. The childminder is a positive role model who gives the utmost priority to promoting children's understanding of their needs and those of others. For instance, she uses stories, hand puppets and posters to discuss a range of feelings, such as enjoyment, anger and sadness.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Children are thriving in the stimulating environment the childminder has created. She has clear aims and is committed to ensuring that the children receive the highest quality of care. Children are confident and independent because the childminder has the confidence of parents, with whom she works closely and has developed excellent systems for enabling them to be fully involved in their children's day.

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Organisation

The overall organisation of the childminding is outstanding due to the highly efficient and progressive management of the provision. The childminder has childcare qualifications and demonstrates a considerable commitment to continual development as she regularly attends training courses and workshops to support her in her work. She enthusiastically puts what she learns on her courses into practice, which enhances children's opportunities in this inspiring and innovative setting. Children receive excellent care from the childminder who has an expert knowledge and understanding of children's needs and development. The childminder ensures she is aware of current legislation and guidance with regard to childcare and effective practice. As a result, the childminder has developed a very secure understanding of the outcomes for children and how these link with the National Standards. Children are wonderfully relaxed and

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Organisation

confident in their environment due to the effective organisation of their care and learning. Their play opportunities are highly stimulating as the childminder organises the premises and resources very well to enable the children to make choices in their play. There is ample space for children to move around freely and safely in their play and comfortable areas for children to relax. The children are introduced to stimulating and different activities and challenges throughout the day both indoors and outdoors.

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Organisation

Documentation is thorough and stored with a high regard for confidentiality. Policies accurately reflect the working practice observed at all times. Children's educational needs are met to a high level through the imaginative resources provided by the childminder. Children receive superb care because the childminder has a wealth of experiences of working with children and an excellent understanding and knowledge of childcare and development.

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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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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

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since registration 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 outstanding. 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

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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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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