NexGen Academy

Inspection report for early years provision

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147472 Unique Reference Number 06 August 2008 Inspection date Judith, Mary Butler 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 1999. She lives with her husband and school aged child. The family live in East Barnet. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. Sleep and cloakroom facilities are available on the first floor of the home. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The house is close to local shops, schools, parks and amenities.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for up to six children at any one time. She is currently caring for four children. The childminder is a member of the Barnet Childminding Network although currently she does not have any children in receipt of funded early education.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The childminder promotes healthy eating within her home. Children learn about food that is good for them through discussion and outings to the local market as well as helping plant, dig and harvest fresh produce in the garden and allotment. The childminder discusses the dietary

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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 needs of the children with parents and provides meals to suit children's needs and preferences. Some parents provide food for their children and the childminder ensures this is stored appropriately and then prepared and served in accordance with parental wishes. Children enjoy healthy and fun snacks and meals. Children sit at a table in the dining room or garden to have their meals and snacks, they enjoy chatting to each other and the childminder at this sociable time.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have daily access to fresh air and exercise through a range of different outings. These include visits to toddler, childminding groups and friends as well as outings to parks and places of interest. Occasional day trips include visits to country parks and the seaside. Children are able to access the garden in all weathers as the childminder has recently provided a covered area for children to play under. Children really enjoy playing with the toys and resources available in the garden. These include large physical equipment as well as role play, small world toys, malleable and art and craft activities.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are incredibly settled, happy and comfortable in the home of this childminder. They are developing their independence skills and are supported by the childminder when developing these, for example, escorting one child to the toilet. Children are aware of the importance of personal hygiene and undertake tasks such as washing and drying their hands with ease. Effective procedures are followed to protect the health of children including ensuring each child has their own towel and sharing the health and sickness policy with parents who know that they should not send their child when they are unwell. The childminder holds all of the required documentation and extensive policies and procedures to record all accidents and administration of medication. She shares completed documentation with parents who sign to acknowledge any entries. This ensures they are fully aware of any incidents occurring to their

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Helping children to be healthy

child while in the care of the childminder.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children move independently and with ease around all areas of the home identified for childminding. They freely select the toys they wish to use from the extensive range available. Toys are rotated to ensure children receive an excellent range within the time they spend in the home. Older children are aware of the resources available and confidently ask to play with different toys, for example, one child requests the pasta and dinosaurs while playing in the garden. The childminder sorts and cleans equipment to ensure it is in good repair. Children are encouraged to assist the childminder in tidying the toys away before getting further resources out. The childminder has an excellent awareness of the individual play preferences of all children in her care, for example, one child loves to play with the trains.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children receive a very high level of supervision while in the home. The childminder identifies and minimizes risks to children. She has extensive procedures in place to ensure children play in a safe and secure environment, including regular evacuation practises and daily safety checks in the house and garden. The childminder ensures children remain safe while on outings through the use of appropriate pushchairs when out walking and car seats when travelling in the car. The childminder carries emergency contact details and photographs of the children on her person at all times and this enhances the safety of children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a very good awareness of her responsibility to protect the welfare of children in her care. She is aware of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and the referral systems in place. She has attended additional safeguarding children training to update and

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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 extend her knowledge. The childminder holds all of the required documentation and contact numbers to record and refer any concerns she may have regarding a child in her care. This enhances the welfare and safety of children in her care.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are very settled and happy within the home of this childminder. They enthusiastically select the toys they wish to play with from the excellent range available and attractively set up for their use. Children are confident in their use of language in their play and converse freely and happily with the childminder and visitors to the home. The childminder acts as a good role model and treats the children with respect. Good relationships are in place between the childminder and the children. Children talk with fondness about their friends within the home and others they have made through the variety of outings they undertake with the childminder.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children have many opportunities to make individual choices about the toys and resources they wish to use. The childminder has a excellent awareness of the play preferences of children in her care and provides resources, outings and toys to suit the individual children. The childminder has a very good knowledge of child development and the individual stages of the children she is caring for. She spends time playing with the children and encourages them to extend their learning, for example, counting when the child points out the number on the side of the train.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children regularly undertake a range of outings with the childminder and these include trips to the allotment, market, toddler and childminding groups as well as outings to parks and places of interest. This provides children with excellent opportunities to socialise and make friends with a wider group of children. The childminder is flexible in her planning and adjusts activities and outings to suit the children and events that happen on a daily basis, for example, cancelling a trip out when the traffic is bad and visiting the local park instead. Children have their individual needs met and have opportunities to be active and quiet within their daily routines.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The childminder has a very wide range of toys and resources that enable children to learn about different people and the world around them. These include books, puzzles, small world and role play toys. Further resources have been made by the childminder such as flash cards which are used to assist children in learning about the world around them, for example, showing a visit to the doctors and dentist. Children learn to respect that people are different and have opportunities to celebrate a variety of customs and festivals, for example, Chinese New Year.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are learning to show care and consideration to others when they play. The childminder acts as a good role model and encourages the children to play happily alongside each other. Duplicate resources are available to allow children to play with the same or similar toys and this helps to ease any sharing problems they may have. The childminder supports the children in their play and assists them in sharing and taking turns through constant encouragement and praise. She has established house rules and boundaries in place and has high expectations for behaviour. She discusses these with parents and this enables there to be a consistent approach to behaviour between the homes of the childminder and children. This helps children to feel safe and secure within the minding environment. Children's art work is displayed and this assists them in developing their self esteem.

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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 childminder respects and values the children as individuals; this ensures the children feel comfortable and settled within the home. She plans activities to suit the individual children's preferences and ages and stages of development. Children really benefit from the excellent communication that takes place between their parents and the childminder. They verbally exchange information at each end of the day. Written information regarding the daily routines of all children is recorded by the childminder in a diary and shared with the parents each day. The childminder produces a scrap book of photographs for each child recording activities, outings and toys they have played with; when the books are full the children are able to take them home to keep and share with their family members. Parents receive copies of all of the

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Helping children make a positive contribution

policies and procedures in place and further information including safety checks and certificates of registration and insurance are displayed on a notice board in the dining room.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The childminder has an excellent knowledge of the individual children in her care and uses this to plan an interesting, stimulating and fun environment for children to be in. Children are very happy and settled in the home and move freely around all areas identified for their use. They have access to an extremely good range of activities, resources, active and quiet times within their daily routines. Children receive a high level of individual time and attention from the childminder and this enables them to feel safe and secure in their environment. Excellent relationships are in place between the parents and the childminder and this assists the childminder in meeting the needs of all children in her care.

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Organisation

The childminder has a business like approach to childminding and all of the required documentation is in place and presented in an orderly fashion. The childminder shares all information regarding the childminding service with parents through extensive documentation including policies and procedures. Individual information regarding their child is shared confidentially through the daily diary in place for each child. Effective procedures are in place and followed by the childminder to record children's daily attendance and any accidents or administration of medication that have taken place. The childminder is committed to providing a good service and regularly undertakes training and attends network support meetings to update her childcare knowledge and skills. 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 was requested to review the way in which written information is shared with parents.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection the childminder has introduced a daily diary for each child in her care. This records the individual routines of children as well as the activities and outings they have taken part in and is shared with parents at the end of each day. Further information is shared with parents through daily verbal discussion and photographs that the childminder has taken of the children during the time they spend with her.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required to provider of Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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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 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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