Childminder in Rochdale

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 316253 Inspection date 27/04/2009 Inspector Gillian Patricia Bishop

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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 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 was initially registered by the local authority in 1996. She has been registered under Ofsted since 2001. She lives with her two adult sons in the Middleton area of Rochdale. The lounge, playroom and kitchen/dining room on the ground floor of the property and the bathroom and on the first floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to provide care for a maximum of six children at any one time. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the Compulsory and Voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently five children on roll. Three of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder takes and collects children to local schools and she routinely visits toddler groups for younger children. The family have a pet dog.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the provision for children is satisfactory. Children’s welfare is promoted through some effective polices and procedures which promote children's health, safety and enjoyment although some safety records and procedures are not fully secure. Children are provided with a range of appropriate activities inside and outside the home which help them to make steady progress in their development. However, systems for observing and assessing children's progress are still under development. The childminder ensures she is well informed about children's individual needs which ensures their interests and preferences are used to influence the care and activities they receive. The childminder has identified some personal goals for the future to bring about further improvement within the setting although these are not linked to a more formal self evaluation process at this time.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase awareness of current safeguarding procedures and the role of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and update the written child protection procedure with accurate information about referal procedures and procedure for allegations  further develop the risk assessment records to contain details about current risks, hazards and routine outings for example, in realtion to the steps in the kitchen, the decking outdoors and nature walks in the woods  reflect more widely on the care and education within the setting in order to develop a system for self evaluation and bring about continuous improvement  increase familiarity with the early learning goals and develop the procedures for observing children's progress and for planning the next steps in their learning and development This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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provision

The childminder is steadily becoming more familiar with the requirements of the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which has enabled her to begin to develop progress records for children's learning. She has undertaken mandatory first aid training in line with theses requirements and she has attended some basic EYFS training. However, she has not continued to attend a wider range of courses which prevents her from keeping up to date with new procedures and guidance, particularly in relation to current safeguarding procedures. As a consequence, her written policy does not contain up to date information and she does not have current guidance documents to refer to. She has identified some areas of the provision which require further improvement, such as recording systems to support children's learning and she has booked on a number of courses to demonstrate how she will achieve this. However, the childminder is not reflecting more widely

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provision

on her childcare practice and potential action plans are not yet linked to a secure self-evaluation process.

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provision

Parents benefit from a two way flow of information because they are provided with a generally good range of written and verbal information and they are encouraged to share pertinent information about their child's well being which may have had an impact on the child's care. The childminder values the importance of getting to know the children well so she also seeks information about children's health, character and behaviour in order to provide consistency between home and the setting. The parents receive a news letter to advise them about events and activities and they are encouraged to access children's observation files and discuss pertinent information about their child's learning and play. Parents have some opportunities to share their thoughts and opinions about childminding practices because this is encouraged by the childminder.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are happy and well settled in the childminder's care because she offers lots of praise and encouragement which helps them to feel confident and express their own needs, for example, 'I want paint, I need a drink'. Children benefit from a very child orientated play environment and their play is enhanced by a wide selection of toys and equipment which are readily available and easily accessible to them. Children engage in lots of painting, sticking and role play which allows them to be creative. They learn about good manners and behaviour which helps them to make friendships. They access a good range of books and the childminder encourages them to draw and recognise letters in their name. They learn about the natural world because they take lots of nature walks and they are currently growing their own flowers. Children learn about the wider world through some meaningful activities which celebrate festivals of the world and they access toys

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

and resources which promote a positive respect for cultural differences.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The childminder is becoming more familiar with the six areas of learning which enables her to support children's progress towards the early learning goals in the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 EYFS. This helps her to provide a balance of interesting and appropriate activities for children in the early years age group. The time she takes to talk and play with children enables her to monitor their progress and consider more challenging activities to extend their learning. She has begun to record what children can do by taking photographs and by noting their capabilities as they play however, these systems have only just been introduced and the childminder is still trailing various methods. Therefore, children's activities are not formally evaluated to help the childminder to plan for their next steps.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children's health and well being are promoted through nutritious food such as lots fresh fruit and healthy snacks. Children enjoy food in good supply and they frequently help themselves to fresh drinking water from the water dispenser in their playroom. The home is well organised to provide busy and quiet areas to play and sleep and safety precautions in and outside the home ensure child are kept safe. However, newly developed risk assessment procedures lack detail about some potential hazards in the home and during particular outings.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are introduced to behaviour rules and boundaries such as not running in the home, the childminder helps children to keep themselves safe through discussion about road safety and procedures for emergency evacuation. For example, children all know that they must act quickly if the childminder blows the emergency whistle, ensuring young children are well prepared in the event of a dangerous situation. Children are encouraged to be very independent, they help to tidy away, they cut up their own fruit for snack and they have good opportunities to dress themselves when putting on their coats and shoes for the outdoor play. Children access some programmable toys which introduces them to technology and they help with the shopping by collecting and purchasing food in the supermarket. These experiences enable children to learn skills for the future. The childminder keeps documentation to a generally good standard and records are

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

stored and shared with regard to confidentiality. 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? 3 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? 3

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 3 How well are children helped to be healthy? 3 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 3 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

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