Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY364423 Unique Reference Number 27 June 2008 Inspection date Gillian Patricia Bishop 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 2007. She lives with her husband and three children aged 12 and five year old twins, in the Ramsbottom area of Bury. The childminder is supported by an assistant to help with the care of children during term time. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding; the first floor is not used with the exception of the bathroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder may care for a maximum of four children at any one time, there are currently four children on roll. The childminder is available to walk to local schools to take and collect children. She attends local toddler groups and takes children to the parks and shops and for nature walks. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding association (NCMA) and receives support from local early years teams.

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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 good. Children develop a good understanding of personal hygiene and physical care due to the well established daily routines which they are familiar with, for example, children are very knowledgeable about hand washing routines including where to access clean hand towels and where to put the used ones. The childminder talks to children about the necessity to wipe their nose or stop for a drink, which ensures they learn to recognise their own physical needs. Children are well protected from the risk of cross-infection due to good hygiene routines during toileting and during the preparation and cooking of food. Detailed policies and procedures for sickness, medication and accidents act in children's best interests and keep parents very well informed about childminding practices.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder encourages the children to develop a very positive approach to healthy living. Children enjoy a wide selection of home cooked and nutritious meals and snacks as they are provided with a low-sugar and healthy diet which is well planned in consultation with the children and parents. Children frequently discuss which foods are good for them and which are not; they know fruit and savoury snacks are much healthier than other foods such as biscuits as they know these contain more sugar which will damage their teeth. These discussions, alongside a variety of food related activities, promote their enthusiasm and awareness of healthy foods.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's individual dietary needs are well known due to effective communication with their parents. As a consequence, the childminder is able to cater for a range of needs because she is very knowledgeable about potential food related allergies. Meal times are relaxed and enjoyable as children sit to eat and chat about their day. Children are encouraged to be independent by helping to set the table and pour their own drinks, and they regularly discuss menus with the childminder which enables them to make their personal preferences known.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy daily opportunities to play or take walks outdoors in the fresh air. They frequently visit local woodlands for their nature walks as well as the local park where they can develop new physical skills when using large apparatus, such as climbing frames. Children benefit from a well equipped garden and frequently dance, sing and move their bodies to a range of music which they create and listen to. Children are very knowledgeable about how to look after their bodies due to the meaningful conversations they have with their childminder, for example, they recognise when their bodies need a rest or food and are frequently reminded of the need to have regular drinks as they play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are relaxed and well settled within the childminder's home. Displays of children's artwork and photographs create a welcoming and inviting environment for children. Space is creatively used to provide busy and quiet areas to play. Children move around the home with familiarity and confidence, which demonstrates their strong sense of belonging within the setting.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are provided with a very good range of safe and stimulating toys and equipment which offer both challenge and interest to all the children attending. Equipment is stored in low-level

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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 boxes and cupboards so children are able to freely access them. This encourages children to make independent choices about what to play with. Potential hazards are successfully minimised by clearly defined policies and procedures. The emergency evacuation plan is practised to ensure children are familiar with what would be expected of them in the event of a fire and the home remains secure when children are present. The childminder has devised a detailed risk assessment procedure which includes written records to demonstrate when smoke alarms are tested and when toys, equipment and daily safety checks are undertaken. However, this system has not yet been updated to include exposed central heating pipes which have recently been installed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children's welfare is further protected by the childminder's thorough knowledge of current child protection procedures. Her written policy refers to the Local Safeguarding Children Board and it outlines the childminder's responsibility for protecting children in her care. This information is contained in a well organised file and made readily available to parents. Children are very knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe due to the discussion they have with the childminder. They talk about how they must secure the stair gate and hold tightly to the banister so they do not fall, and they take care when using tools such as scissors because they know they must be sensible when using them. Children recite how they 'stop, look, listen and think' before crossing the road and they know that the childminder's rules, such as no running in doors, must be respected as these keep them safe.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are extremely happy and they relish the time they spend within the setting. They display great pleasure in the company of the childminder which enables them to seek her support and cuddles as they require. The children's day is a wonderful blend of fun, laughter and excitement. Children are extremely confident and self-assured which encourages them to be self sufficient in their play, for example, they help themselves to extra craft materials and paper during a collage activity and they independently collect the necessary resources to make their own work books after reading some of their favourite story books.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are highly motivated and they display great curiosity and interest in everything they do. They have excellent opportunities to sing, read and experiment with paint, collage and water. They are highly imaginative and able to significantly develop activities which involve designating roles such as mummy, daddy and shopkeeper. Children demonstrate excellent levels of concentration in everything they do, taking advantage of every opportunity to develop it further. For example, a simple collage activity quickly develops into a jungle collage with crocodiles, people and houses, the children bring their pictures alive by creating a role play scene as one child pretends to be the crocodile. Young children are able to work and play in harmony due to the positive messages they frequently receive about sharing a task and resources. As a consequence, they are very successful when working together to build a huge tower of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

bricks by taking turns to place each brick.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's welfare and educational progress are clearly recorded and monitored which ensures the individual needs of all children are successfully identified. The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of how children learn which enables her to provide stimulating and appropriately challenging activities, for example, they are introduced to simple problem solving when asked to find the yellow square and when asked which number comes after four. Children show a keen interest in books as they frequently recite their favourite story books as well as creating their own. Older children develop early literacy skills as many of their activities encourage children to name, write and copy letters as a natural part of their play.

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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 Children are making very good progress in their development due to effective daily planning and continual monitoring of their progress, which ensures the childminder has a clear indication of their next steps in learning. Activities are fun, exciting and well supported by the childminder, who constantly supports and guides children in their play without taking over.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Individual needs are well known due to the successful partnership which the childminder has established with parents. During pre-placement visits parents are provided with a comprehensive welcome pack which contains all pertinent information about childminding arrangements. The childminder encourages parents to offer their views, compliments and concerns about the childcare arrangements, which ensures their opinions can be used to influence the care and welfare for their children. All regulatory documents are displayed for parents alongside policy and procedural manuals which they can refer to at any time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop a good understanding about the wider world. They are introduced to issues of race, culture and disability through meaningful discussion and activities, and they have some multi-cultural resources which depict positive images of others in their play and books. They investigate the natural world during gardening activities and nature walks and by observing the birds and squirrels in the childminder's garden.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children develop a strong sense of maturity and respect which ensures they enjoy the company of adults and their peers. They develop a high self-esteem as a consequence of the consistent praise and encouragement they receive from the childminder. Children recognise the need for behavioural rules as they frequently talk about incidents which make them sad and behaviour which makes them feel happy. This promotes a sense of ownership as the children own the rules. Children share and take turns which helps them to play in harmony. They willingly help to tidy up, display good manners and apologise if they need to. Children talk about the stickers and certificates they get for good behaviour such as for holding hands when walking to school, and they describe how to shake their bodies to get rid of a grumpy mood before they begin to play.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of the requirements of the National Standards which enables her to promote children's health, safety and enjoyment. She is knowledgeable about vetting procedures and she keeps Ofsted fully informed about regulatory issues within her childminding setting. However, she has not completed first aid training as required by her registration. This is a breach in regulation. She has completed other mandatory training alongside several other childcare related courses such as safeguarding and curriculum workshops.

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Organisation

All aspects of documentation are in place as required. Registration and training certificates are displayed in the hallway alongside information about the regulator. Other pertinent documents, such as procedure manuals and parental comments book, are made accessible to parents at all times. Children's records are kept and shared with regard to confidentiality and they contain all relevant details and parental consents. The childminder has devised a comprehensive list of written policies which are used to introduce parents to the procedures within the setting; these provide an accurate reflection of her childminding practices within the setting.

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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 Children are well cared for by the childminder. They are extremely well settled and confident in the childminder's home as a consequence of a familiar routine for play, meal times and rest, which children know and understand. Children are very well occupied in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities which they thoroughly enjoy. The day is effectively organised to suit the children's age, interest and requests, which ensures the children are happy and the day runs smoothly.

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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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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 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): • ensure all low-level piping is made safe or inaccessible to children • complete a first aid course which includes training in first aid for infants and young children.

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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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