Childminder in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique Reference Number 318877 Inspection date 04 October 2005 Inspector Kathleen Snowdon

p.1

Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

p.1

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

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.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder lives with her husband and two sons, aged 6 and 9-years-old, in Chapel Park, a suburb in the west of Newcastle, close to all local amenities including schools. The family keeps two pet cats. All of the ground floor is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed back garden for outdoor play. Originally registered in 1999, the childminder can look after a maximum of 5 children under 8 years. She is currently looking after four children, two of whom are 10-years-old and attend on an out-of-school basis. The other two children are aged 1 and 2-years-old and attend five days a week.

p.2

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 The childminder is working towards accreditation, which will enable her to look after children aged 3 and 4-year-old, whose parents receive nursery grant funding. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The childminder gives extremely high priority to children's physical development and has excellent arrangements in place to promote the children's good health. For instance, when they are with the childminder the children are reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Some of the children understand the connection between these practices and staying healthy through the consistent and very good-humoured way the childminder reinforces the message. This is an extremely effective way in which to promote good personal hygiene. Children do not attend when they are sick. This highly appropriate arrangement helps to prevent the spread of common illnesses and infections The children play with gusto on the trampoline and ride bikes with vigour, which provides them with valuable exercise and great scope for fun. Highly beneficial activities like these increase the children's stamina and help them to stay fit. The

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

children learn valuable information during highly informative discussions with the childminder. For example, they talk about healthy hearts and healthy teeth. This helps the children to understand how exercise and a well-balanced diet play crucial roles in staying healthy. Delicious and highly nutritious snacks and meals, which include generous amounts of vegetables and fruit, have a hugely beneficial impact on the children's health. These are immensely important to children's physical development and encourage them to enjoy healthy eating.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are very well protected. Excellent practices, such as frequent risk assessments, help the childminder to determine whether her home is hazard free. This excellent practice includes thorough checks to smoke detectors and to the radiators among other things. Consequently, the highly secure and very well organised home environment allows the children to move around freely and safely. In addition, it ensures that the children are very well supervised by the childminder at all times. Very well planned evacuation procedures, which are practiced frequently, teach the children how to stay safe even in emergencies. Children have very easy access to top quality toys. The children are encouraged to respect the equipment that they play with and to put it away when they have finished with it. This establishes very good lifestyle habits, which make a valuable contribution to the children's on-going safety. The children thoroughly enjoy helping the

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

childminder to clean and check the equipment. They explore the possible

p.3

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 consequences of handling damaged items. This teaches the children the importance of risk assessment. Regular short trips in the locality offer younger children interesting chances to recognise significant people in the local community. Very good opportunities like these, enable the children to identify people who can help to protect them, such as police and road safety officers. This broadens the children's experiences and introduces them to the emergency services. The children benefit enormously from the excellent advice that the childminder gives to them. For example, they are taught that they have the right to say no to anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or afraid. This equips the children with the confidence and strength to protect themselves. The children's safety is extremely well

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

protected through the childminder's very strong awareness of child protection issues. Clear written information, which is shared with parents, demonstrates the childminder's awareness of how to seek help and advice from appropriate agencies. Frequent attendance at relevant courses helps to keep the childminder's awareness and knowledge up-to-date. This protects the children from danger and harmful situations.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The children have effortless access to items which help them to make sound progress in their intellectual development. For example, they handle and look at a beautiful range of books and turn the pages correctly most of the time. This promotes the children's literacy and helps them to understand that text and illustrations carry meaning. The children paint with flair and enthusiasm, which encourages them to experiment with colour and texture. They grow in confidence when they see their work displayed on the childminder's kitchen walls. The extremely well organised environment provides the children with many excellent opportunities to move in and around things, such as items of furniture. This supports the development of good spatial awareness, and encourages the children to play resourcefully and imaginatively. The children trust and approach known adults confidently, for example, when they

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

need re-assurance or comfort. This teaches them how to build very strong and secure relationships with others. They respond with great pleasure and amusement when spoken to in an affectionate manner, which encourages the development of good communication and effective listening skills. The children carry out a range of simple tasks independently and with growing competence. During snack times, for instance, they help to feed themselves. These highly beneficial opportunities promote independence and the development of self-help skills.

p.4

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

p.4

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The childminder manages the children's behaviour in a highly effective way and sets realistic boundaries. She expects the best from them. Consequently, the children behave extremely well and have impeccable manners. This is praised and acknowledged by the childminder, which boosts the children's confidence and self-esteem. The children handle a very good selection of items which reflect various aspects of diversity. They read and look at books, for example, which show vivid and eye-catching illustrations of people from other cultures and countries. They play with small-world equipment and tackle jigsaws, which reflect people who have different roles and abilities. These encourage the children to form highly positive views of culture, ethnicity, gender and disability. The childminder works extremely well in partnership with parents. Excellent and highly informative written information is given to parents before the children start.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

This gives parents a clear impression of the childminder's practice and enables them to make an informed decision. Contracts are used and are reviewed regularly, to ensure that the expectations of the parents and the childminder are being met in full. Daily discussions and diaries are used to keep parents fully informed about what their child has done during their time with the childminder.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The children's needs are met fully through the childminder's excellent understanding of child development. The childminder plans extremely beneficial activities for the children using the Birth to three matters framework and the Foundation Stage guidance. This ensures that the children benefit from an excellent range of experiences, which helps them to make progress in all areas of their development. She builds on her very well informed knowledge of child care issues through frequent attendance at training courses dealing with relevant topics such as child protection and behaviour management. Her very good understanding about the importance of ensuring that registered numbers are not exceeded means that the children remain safe and well while in her care. The registration certificate is displayed prominently to enable parents and other interested parties to scrutinise it. Meticulously well organised records, which contain

p.5

Organisation

all essential information, are reviewed regularly to ensure that the information remains up-to-date and accurate. Regular meetings between parents and the childminder give parents a valuable opportunity to express their views and opinions. The childminder's very sound regard and respect for the children's individual preferences ensure that they feel valued and special. She is a very good role model to the children and teaches them to respect themselves and other people. The solid

p.5

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 partnership between parents and the childminder ensures that the children's needs are as fully met as possible. As a result, the children are very happy, secure and contented. Overall, the childminder meets the needs of the children who attend.

p.5

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, a recommendation was raised relating to equal opportunities. As a result, the childminder has gathered a very good range of readily available resources which reflect positive images of diversity. These help the children to form balanced and well-informed views about gender, disability, cultural and ethnic issues.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. 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.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.6

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.

p.6

The quality and standards of the care

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

p.6

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

p.6

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

p.6