Childminder in Medway

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY299756 Inspection date 09/12/2009 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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Type of setting Childminder to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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 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.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. 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 was registered in 2009. She lives with her husband and one child aged five in Rochester, Kent. The whole of the childminder’s house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of three children at any one time and when working with her husband who is a registered childminder may care for seven children under eight years with five children in the early years age group. They are currently minding ten children part time. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent toddler group. The family has a dog and two guinea pigs.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in a warm and friendly environment where they have access a suitable range of learning experiences based on their age and stage of development. The childminder has a well developed understanding of each child's individual needs and promotes their learning and development generally well. Effective partnerships with parents are established and help her to meet children's individual needs appropriately. The childminder is positive in her approach to improvement. However, the self-evaluation process is not yet sufficiently robust enough to identify priorities for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 implement ongoing observational assessment for each child’s continuing development. Use these observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child and link the observations to the expectations of the early learning goals.  further develop knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the EYFS framework to support children's learning and development opportunities  develop reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion to identify the setting’s strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded through procedures that ensure their welfare is suitably promoted. The childminder holds a current first aid certificate which enables her to act appropriately in an emergency situation and there is a suitable range of written permissions from parents to protect the children effectively. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the Local Safeguarding Children Board Procedures which is shared with parents through a written policy. The childminder works with her joint minder to implement a system of risk assessment which they review regularly. She checks the home and resources each day to ensure that all potential hazards are minimised. Therefore, children's safety is promoted effectively.

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the early years provision

Most of the required paperwork is in place, such as a daily record of the hours of attendance and accident and medication procedures. The childminder adequately promotes equality and diversity adapting activities to suit the age and ability of those attending. She promotes an inclusive setting welcoming all children equally. She teaches children to respect each other for example; by encouraging them to share home experiences and the children enjoy teaching each other words from their home language. The environment is laid out in a child friendly way, the playroom offers a bright and inviting area where there is a good range of resources available for the children to play with. All resources are easily accessible, therefore, children begin to make independent choices.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates how she is supporting those children who are not yet making sufficient progress by making links with the pre-school and other agencies. She works closely with them to help them move forward. The parents are provided with good verbal feedback which keeps them informed of the progress their children are making. Parents report through written feedback that they are very happy with the care their children receive and feel included with their day to day progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder has not taken time to evaluate the service she provides. She recognises that aspects of her service such as her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage could be developed along with reflective practice which will help her to identify strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. The childminder is positive in her approach to developing her setting for the benefit of the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care and build warm relationships with her. A suitable range of toys and resources are available and broadly cover the areas of learning. Children begin to learn and develop through the childminder interaction with them, for example, she asks them open questions while they are playing which helps them to think and develops their communication and language skills. They confidently move from one activity to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 another and instigate their own games such as singing and dancing, acting out parts from their favourite film.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is aware of the children's abilities and where they are in relation to their starting points. She is able to explain clearly what she does to help develop any children who are not yet making sufficient progress. However, she has not yet implemented a system where she carries out regular observations on the children, including information on their interests and learning styles. This means that next steps are not identified and consequently, planning is not fully supporting the children's individual needs appropriately, although there is sufficient input from the childminder to ensure children are moving forward steadily.

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and outcomes for children

Children are kept safe and secure as the childminder uses a range of safety equipment to ensure her home is suitable for them to play in. They take part in regular evacuations procedures which means they learn to keep themselves safe. Children feel safe in the childminder's care and show this through their warm interactions and ability to confidently seek her support and attention when needed. Children are active as they move around the home and have use of the outside areas. They enjoy a healthy balanced diet and learn that physical exercise makes them thirsty. For example, after dancing about they reach automatically for their drinks.

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and outcomes for children

Children's self-esteem and confidence is built through plenty of praise and encouragement. They develop a strong sense of belonging as the childminder talks about their home lives and experiences and encourages them to recall past events. They are set clear boundaries so know what is expected of them consequently they behave well and make the most of their time with the childminder. 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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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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Stage

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

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