Childminder in West Berkshire

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY372761 Inspection date 27/10/2008 Inspector Jenny Scarlett

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Type of setting Childminder This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration whichever is the later, which require Ofsted or the provider to take action in Annex C.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder registered in 2008. She is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and daughter aged two years in Newbury in West Berkshire. Newbury town centre is within walking distance as are toddler groups, preschools and local schools. The childminder can take and collect children from nearby schools and pre-schools. The family have two cats.

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Description of the childminding

The whole of the premises is used for childminding although in practice children remain mostly downstairs. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The home is not accessible for wheelchair users. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time. She currently minds six children aged between 10 months and five years on a part-time basis.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder offers a safe, secure, well-organised, inclusive provision that supports children's welfare and learning needs extremely well. They enjoy an extremely worthwhile experience of the Early Years Foundation Stage owing to the childminder's excellent understanding that children learn through play. Partnership with parents and other providers positively support children's development and the continuity in their care. The childminder has effective systems in place to evaluate the service and actively seeks to make improvements which impact positively on children's development and learning.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 continue to manage the setting safely and efficiently by setting time scales for the review of the written risk assessments  ensure the observations and assessments made of children's achievements, interests and learning styles consistently identify the next steps.

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provision

The childminder has a committed and enthusiastic approach towards developing the quality of her provision. She undertakes targeted training to improve her professional knowledge and keeps abreast of changes by reading relevant child- focused publications and websites. The childminder has begun to reflect and evaluate her practice and seeks feedback from parents in order to enhance the service she offers to children and their parents. Detailed risk assessments are in place and parents are made aware of the childminder's policies and procedures that guide her practice. However, she has not set review dates for the risk assessments, which means she cannot be sure of identifying future areas for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improvement to continue to maintain her provision safely and efficiently.

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provision

The childminder makes effective use of her understanding of how young children grow, learn and develop to provide a suitable learning environment for them both indoors and out. As a result, she has created an extremely warm and inviting environment for the children. Due to the well-organised and child-focused setting, children develop a high level of confidence and independence in their play and learning. Children benefit from the excellent relationships the childminder has established with their parents. Parents are extremely positive about the childminder and what she does for them and their children. In addition the childminder has established effective links with other settings children attend, in order to support their learning.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The childminder has a thorough knowledge of the individual children she cares for. This contributes greatly to children's learning and development and they clearly enjoy being in the childminder's company. They move confidently around her home, happily choosing what they want to do from the good range of safe and age appropriate resources available. Children behave well. This is because they know what is expected of them, such as not climbing on the furniture, removing shoes when entering the house and eating meals at the kitchen table. They are beginning to show cooperation in their play. The childminder encourages them to develop relationships and play alongside their peers; providing enough resources to allow them to play harmoniously. Children are properly safeguarded. They play safely because the childminder understands the principles of risk assessing the home and outings.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

There are effective systems in place for collecting initial information about what children enjoy and can do before they start. As a result, the childminder has a good knowledge of the individual needs of the children including their likes and dislikes. Systems to assess children's progress are effective and the emphasis is on sharing these regularly with parents. This, along with ongoing observational assessments, ensures that plans for individual children are purposeful, challenging and extremely enjoyable. However, the information gained is not consistently used to plan for each child's future learning. There is a very good balance of adult and child-led activities for both indoor and outdoor play. As a result the childminder ensures that plans remain flexible to allow her to respond to the interests and ideas of the children. This is evident when one of the children arrive at the setting tired therefore plans for the potato printing activity were delayed until the

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

afternoon. The childminder is very adept at recognising and maximising learning opportunities. For example, she encourages children to identify colours of the bricks as they build towers and count how many bricks there are.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The childminding environment has been thoughtfully organised to ensure all children have independent access to the excellent quality resources and equipment available to them. Children enjoy an extensive variety of activities which contributes to their imaginative, physical, creative and language skills, such as role play, drawing, construction and books. They thoroughly enjoy books and love the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 talking teddy and programmable toys with buttons they press while they sing and dance along to the music and sounds. The childminder's confident approach to equal opportunities actively contributes to children's positive attitudes to the wider community. They experience outings within the community and learn to socialise at toddler groups.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy daily fresh air and exercise, which helps them learn about healthy lifestyles. They learn excellent hygiene routines, knowing they wash their hands before and after meals. They eat freshly prepared meals and snacks and eagerly tuck into tomato soup and enjoy dunking the brown bread squares at lunch time. They become aware of safety in the kitchen as the childminder cuts up the fruit for dessert whilst explaining the safety aspects of using the knife. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 1 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 1 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

This section of the report includes details of any complaint/s made to Ofsted when:  we took action for the provider to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  we asked the provider to take action in order to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register; or  the provider had already taken any necessary action to meet the requirements of the Early Years Register.

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Annex C: complaint/s made to Ofsted

We will not report on any complaint where the provider met the requirements of the Early Years Register or did not require any action by Ofsted or the registered provider.

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Detail of the complaint/s

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration.

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Detail of the complaint/s

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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