St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 139547 Inspection date 04 November 2005 Inspector Amanda Jane Tyson

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Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

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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 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 has been registered since 1996. She is currently caring for three children, two of which attend part time hours and are aged 2 years, and one child aged 9 attends after school. She lives with her husband and two daughters in a three bedroom terraced house in Worcester Park, on the borders of Epsom and Ewell and the London Borough of Sutton. The house is within walking distance of Worcester Park and Stoneleigh shops, schools and community resources. All areas of the home, except the second floor loft bedroom, are used for childminding. The conservatory and through

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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 lounge-diner are used for play activities. The bathroom is situated on the first floor, and there is a rear garden providing outdoor play space. The family have one kitten.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a clean and warm home. The childminders sound knowledge and understanding of children's emotional and health needs enables her to provide appropriate and good levels of care for children. Required documentation, such as; a record of accidents; administered medication; permission to seek emergency treatment; and information detailing children's individual health needs are maintained. Children are encouraged to manage their own self care, to make independent decisions, and as a result their confidence and self esteem is developing well. Children are secure and happy because the childminder is kind and affectionate in her approach and provides a consistent and familiar routine. Relationships between the children and childminder is strong. The childminder minimises the risk to children of cross contamination by practising and encouraging good hygiene standards. Children understand the importance of

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Helping children to be healthy

covering their mouth when they cough, they are provided with individual hand towels and drinking beakers, and are reminded about the rules for hand washing after touching the kitten. Good daily use of the outdoors helps to keep children healthy; they visit parks, play in the garden, and are able to take part in indoor physical challenges when they visit toddler groups, such as using climbing apparatus. Nutritious meals, which include fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy options, such as drinking water encourage a fondness for a healthy diet.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a secure and well maintained home. Potential hazards are mostly well identified and minimised, for example, cleaning fluids are stored safely in the kitchen, and electrical sockets are covered. However, children have access to the stairs, which leads to the second floor loft conversion; children's safety could be compromised by the low roof windows. The radiator in the hallway is unprotected and the temperature is too hot to touch, which could harm children. Whilst the childminder has ensured an excellent system for ensuring a third party could identify that children with her may not be her own, not enough consideration has been given to what she would do if a child became lost whilst out and about. Children are learning the importance of road safety through daily walks to school, and their safety is ensured whilst playing indoors because toys and equipment are well maintained and in good

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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 A fire blanket is well placed within the kitchen, and smoke detectors are installed on all three levels of the home. However, although the childminder has planned a procedure for emergency evacuation, she has not practised it with the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder knows the children well and uses her sound knowledge of children's individual needs and stage of development to plan a range of interesting and stimulating activities. The wide variety of arts and crafts is a particularly good, and regular feature; children use paints, glue and scissors to create and design pictures, models and presents for parents. Children play happily and the childminder provides a suitable balance of allowing children time to explore and experiment independently and providing adult support to extend and challenge learning. Early mathematical skills are encouraged whilst children build with construction resources. They are challenged to recognise colours during the daily routine, play, and whilst out and about in the community. The childminder initiates and encourages developing language skills, and children are becoming confident communicators, for example,

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

children support their speech with actions because they are keen to be understood. Regular visits to community groups are helping children's developing social skills and provide them with varied experiences and challenges, such as group singing and stories, malleable play opportunities, climbing apparatus and peddled equipment. The childminder understands the needs of older children after a busy and structured day in the school environment, and works closely with parents to ensure their needs are well met.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The childminder's friendly approach to parents and her sound knowledge of children's individual needs ensures consistency of care for children. Some aspects of care have been verbally agreed with parents, for example, methods for managing children's behaviour, but few are supported in writing. Parents are not sufficiently informed about the childminder's regulatory responsibilities, such as those relating to child protection, and the procedure for making a complaint. Children are learning the importance of positively contributing towards the environment; the childminder re-cycles and reinforces their knowledge through her daily routines. Good use is made of local resources to support their understanding of community life, and the childminder is beginning to introduce children to more diverse beliefs, such as different religious festivals through a range of creative activities. The

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Helping children make a positive contribution

childminder has some resources which reflect and depict positive images of race, disability and gender, and she is committed to increasing the variety. The childminder's sound knowledge of child development equips her to recognise developmental concerns which she is able to share with parents, although her overall

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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 knowledge and experience of special needs is less secure. Children play co-operatively together because there are sufficient quantities and varieties of toys, and the childminder ensures good levels of supervision. Sharing and turn taking are encouraged well, and the children routinely use common courtesies, such as 'excuse me', 'thank you' and 'please'. The childminder regularly praises the children which contributes towards their developing levels of self esteem. They are secure in their understanding of right and wrong because the childminder is consistent in her approach to behaviour management, which is agreed with parents.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children are happy, confident and secure in the childminders home. They are able to help themselves to a range of good quality toys and resources and have sufficient space to enable them to move freely around. Good use of both indoor and outdoor community resources ensures a varied and interesting day. The childminder cares for low numbers of children at a time, and is therefore able to provide them with good individual support. Most required regulatory records and documentation are in place and sufficiently used to promote good quality care. However, not all procedures have been sufficiently thought out, and parents are not familiar with all aspects of the childminder's care and regulatory responsibilities. The childminder's delayed recognition of the expiry date of her first aid certificate, means that until December, when she is booked to renew her training, she is not qualified to respond to

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Organisation

emergencies. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The last children act inspection recommended the childminder should improve her knowledge and understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the procedures for recording and reporting concerns. She has obtained some written information and now has a clearer understanding of the signs and symptoms. However, her knowledge of the procedures for recording and reporting concerns, and how to address these with parents is still not secure enough.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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 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): • develop knowledge, understanding, and confidence in dealing with child protection issues and procedures • improve safety by; practising the emergency evacuation procedure with children; ensuring radiator temperatures do not present a burning hazards to children; and by making sure that children are unable to access the loft bedroom on the second floor • improve partnership with parents by providing them with information about all aspects of care, and procedures to meet childminding regulatory responsibilities; pay particular attention to complaints and child protection.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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