Campbell, Deborah Michelle

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 EY243944 Inspection date 14/07/2009 Inspector Marina Anna Howarth

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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 registered in 2002. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged four years and seven years, in the Norden area of Rochdale. Minded children have access to the whole of the ground floor and a bedroom is used to facilitate resting. Toilet facilities are located on the first floor. There is an enclosed rear garden providing outdoor play opportunities. There is easy access to the premises.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time. She is currently minding three children within the Early Years Register, one child within the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and one child within the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. She walks and drives to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local toddler groups and takes children to the nature reserve and park. The childminder holds a National Vocational Qualification level 2 and 3 in childcare.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding. Children are making extremely good progress in their learning and development. Highly effective procedures and practices ensure their welfare remains paramount. They are treated with equal concern and their individual needs are met exceptionally well through robust assessment procedures and successful partnerships established with parents and other agencies. An excellent balance of adult-led and child-led activities ensures that every child is a confident, competent learner. Children develop a high degree of self-esteem as their sense of belonging is expertly nurtured through the warm, welcoming, stimulating environment. The childminder continually reflects on her practice through robust self-evaluation systems, which ensures continuous improvement is effective.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 continuing to develop outdoor play opportunities.

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provision

The childminder is a committed and enthusiastic practitioner who continually strives for improvement. She is highly committed to her personal and professional development and has attended a variety of training and implemented the knowledge gained to develop her practice. She has created her own systems to monitor the service she provides and action plans are implemented to plan and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 review improvements. For example, she has identified that she would like to offer more challenging opportunities for outdoor play experiences. The childminder has developed a questionnaire for parents and older children to complete to enable them to be fully involved in contributing to the evaluation process. Children's needs and interests are always considered which results in them feeling valued as they thrive in the stimulating setting.

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provision

Children develop a positive sense of identity as the childminder is skilled in celebrating and respecting each child's uniqueness and every effort is made to ensure no child is excluded or disadvantaged. For example, younger children are given opportunities to explore messy and creative play as activities are adapted to meet their needs. Consideration is given to emotional development and the childminder provides a selection of role play activities to enable children to express themselves. Children explore different cultures through the celebration of festivals where they dress up and taste different foods. They share their home life experiences through photographs and discussion times. As a result, children value themselves and each other's differences in a sensitive and positive manner.

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provision

The childminder has established effective links with other agencies in the community. She liaises closely with the local schools and works towards the same themes and goals, ensuring that children are provided with consistency. She has arranged for the local fire officers to visit her home, checking fire equipment and discussing fire safety with the children. She has also liaised with the local dental hygienist to discuss dental hygiene with the children, developing their awareness of appropriate dental care.

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provision

Parents and carers are provided with extremely comprehensive written information about their children's welfare and learning. The childminder provides detailed information about the service she provides. For example, robust policies and procedures are shared with them during the induction process and these are reflected in her practice. Parents play an active part in contributing to their child's progress files as they are encouraged to take their children's files home during the school holidays and enter their achievements and experiences. The assessments are used effectively as a working tool between parents and the childminder, which results in children working towards their identified goals and achieving them. Parents' views are highly considered and they are consulted at every opportunity.

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provision

Children's welfare is protected extensively through the implementation of robust risk assessments which cover all aspects of care. Children are encouraged to be aware of their own safety and of others through simple explanations being offered by the childminder. She has introduced creative systems to ensure that children are given clear messages about road safety, travelling in the car and attending visits and outings. For example, children know they must not undo their seat belt until the childminder tells them it is alright to do so. Older children are sensitive to younger children's safety and ensure small items of toys are located out of their reach to prevent the possibility of choking or other potential hazards. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are given excellent opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities and experiences. The childminder ensures that every child has fun whilst they are in her care and that they are suitably challenged by the learning experiences she provides. The enabling environment allows children to move freely and confidently and make independent choices from the wide range of resources available. Young children enjoy exploring natural materials and textures, such as cones, brushes and sponges. They enjoy touching and watching brightly coloured soft scarves and moving objects along the wooden floor discovering the noises they make. They focus on activity centres where they enjoy pressing a variety of buttons to discover different things happening.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are given regular opportunities to explore outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. They splash in the puddles wearing wellington boots and they explore the snow. They hunt for a variety of bugs and discover the lifecycle of a butterfly as they visit the butterfly park. They become acquainted with a variety of animals at the farm and participate in feeding the lambs and touch a snake. They enjoy making dens to shelter from the sun and develop their large motor skills as they climb a variety of apparatus, ride bikes, run, jump and kick balls. Older children demonstrate their balancing and counting skills as they play hop scotch confidently. Children are given the opportunity to attend structured swimming lessons which enables them to develop their confidence in the water as they learn to use floats and their arms and legs to swim. Children are learning self-help skills by being encouraged by the childminder to put on and remove their shoes and

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

coat. There are picture signs located above their coat pegs as a visual reminder for them to remove their coats and hang them up. They enjoy setting the table and tidying away afterwards, wiping down placemats and helping to prepare their own snacks. The childminder has an excellent understanding of children's individual needs and she truly values children's uniqueness. A close bond between herself and the children is evident as they enjoy each other's company. The childminder is skilled at getting down to the children's level, she asks open questions, encouraging children to think for themselves and solve problems. As a result, children are challenged but clearly at ease in her presence and are secure and confident.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Younger children develop a strong exploratory impulse and older children display high levels of interest. The childminder has an excellent understanding of how children learn through play and is constantly seeking new and innovative ideas to introduce different play opportunities. For example, she has identified areas of outdoor play she would like to develop, such as involving the children in growing herbs and introducing them to cooking activities. She incorporates her in-depth understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage to provide a variety of activities that incorporate the six areas of learning. Robust assessment procedures ensure that children are making excellent progress as their next steps in learning are clearly identified and addressed. As children are active learners, the childminder is flexible in her approach to adapt activities in response to their needs. For example, news of a pregnancy prompted a visit to the library to explore stories in relation to

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

this and role play involving the dolls. Experiences of hospital appointments This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 promoted role play using the medical sets and dressing up as doctors and nurses.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children are developing an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. They discuss healthy eating and each child has their own five-a-day chart to illustrate when they have eaten fresh fruit and vegetables and enables them to monitor their intake. They create their own pictures of what they think a healthy meal or snack comprises of and this leads to lots of discussion. Children enjoy creating their own fresh fruit kebabs and growing tomatoes and watercress which they then enjoy tasting. Children are fully aware of their personal hygiene and understand why they need to wash their hands. Photographs contribute as visual prompts and discussions about washing away the germs. They enjoy visiting the dental hygienist who demonstrates on a puppet the correct way to clean your teeth and how to keep teeth healthy. Children proudly demonstrate the right way to clean their teeth and use egg timers to ensure the length of time is sufficient.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

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? 1 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? 1

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 1 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

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