Stamford Welland Academy

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 137600 Inspection date 03/11/2009 Inspector Caren Carpenter

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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 1983. The childminder lives with her two children in a three bedroom house within the London borough of Brent. The ground floor of the house is used for childminding. Children have access to the through lounge and the conservatory. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. There are no steps to access the premises.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years old, of these, not more than three may be in the early years age group and of these, not more than one may be under one year old. The childminder is currently caring for five children in the early years age group. Children attend a variety of sessions. This childminder may work with an assistant.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has two dogs, a king Charles Cavalier and a Labrador. The dogs are kept in the kitchen during childminding hours.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes and collect children from local schools. The childminder takes children to toddler groups and local parks.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides good quality care and education for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are happy and are cared for in a warm and welcoming home, where they are well supervised by the childminder. The childminder promotes an inclusive provision, ensuring that all children and their families feel valued. The childminder evaluates her practice well and is able to identify areas for further development to support continuous improvement.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom,date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation). 04/12/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the use of self-evaluation further to support effective reflection on what has been accomplished so far and to maintain continuous improvement use observations of children's achievements to identify learning priorities and plan relevant experiences for the next stages in their development This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve the two-way flow of information with regard to the organisation of documentation.

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the early years provision

Children are protected from harm and neglect because the childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding and understands the importance of reporting child protection concerns. She has all the information in place to report any concerns and is familiar with the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures.

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the early years provision

The childminder carries out visual safety checks and recognises potential hazards in her home. However, she does not yet record her findings to enable her to fully monitor the actions taken to minimise them to ensure the safety and welfare of the children. The childminder has all required safety equipment in place, such as a fire blanket, smoke alarms and safety gates to promote children’s safety. In addition, she carries out regular risk assessments for daily trips into the local community.

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the early years provision

The childminder has started to evaluate her work with the children and is committed to further improving her practice. For example, she has attended additional training courses, such as safeguarding children to enhance the quality of care she provides to the children. She has successfully addressed the recommendations from the last inspection. For example, the childminder has a system in place to investigate complaints and now maintain a record of medication that includes the dosage, times and dates. Consequently children’s welfare is promoted. She does not yet, however, record her self-evaluation to support her to reflect on her achievements so far.

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the early years provision

Children’s welfare is further supported through the maintenance of the required records, policies and procedures, which ensures they are safeguarded. However, they are not well organised. The childminder organises her home and play resources well enabling children to make choices freely and safely. For example, children choose from an exciting and stimulating range of resources that are stored in boxes supporting their independence skills. The daily routines are planned to provide a well balanced day for the children to have a wide range of experiences. For example, they enjoy regular trips to the local library, local parks, toddler groups, Welsh harp and Oldham Country Park. This provides further learning experiences and opportunities to extend their social skills.

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the early years provision

Inclusive practice is very well addressed and individual children feel a sense of belonging and included. Children’s awareness of diversity and the wider world is well promoted through their access to a suitable range of resources, activities and discussion about similarities and differences. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to liaising with professional agencies to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are equally provided for.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is good. The childminder has effective systems in place to share information with parents. She talks to parents before children attend her setting in order to find out about their children’s individual needs and any relevant This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information relating to their children. Parents are kept fully informed of their children’s achievements and progress on a daily basis. Parents are actively encouraged to keep the childminder up-to-date of any relevant details that may have an impact on the continued care of their child. Written comments from parents say she is dedicated, knowledgeable, caring and reliable and provides excellent care to their children. They say she clearly loves her job and they would not wish for a better environment for their children.

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the early years provision

As well as the close links that have already been made with parents, the childminder has also established some links with the local school the children attend to share relevant information about the care and learning of the children. She uses this to extend and build on children’s learning experiences in her provision. The childminder is now planning how this can be extended to enable her to work effectively in partnerships with other settings that children attend.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and feel at home in the childminders’ care. They have close relationships with the childminder who is attentive to their needs and takes care to ensure they are valued and included within activities and the routine. She recognises children’s unique qualities and ensures that their individual needs are being fully met.

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and outcomes for children

The childminders’ good knowledge of child development and her excellent skills in engaging children in interesting and exciting activities enables children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder extends children’s learning further by talking to them about they are doing and makes all experiences a learning opportunity. Children are inquisitive learners and explore their environment with ease and toys and resources are organised so that children can access them allowing them to be active learners and make choices about their play.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is beginning to observe and record children’s achievements using photographs of them participating in a stimulating range play and learning experiences. However, information gained from observations does not allow clear identification of their next steps and the planning of appropriate challenges for them.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a good awareness of numbers for example; they use sorting cups to count up to ten. They enjoy placing the sorting cups in order of sizes, such as small, big, and bigger. They are learning to identify shapes, such as square, circle, and triangle and show a sense of achievement identifying various colours. Children’s language skills are developing well because the childminder uses good questioning skills to help children think and demonstrate what they know. For example, she ask children about what they enjoy doing at the play group and what items of clothing they wear when they go swimming. Children are developing their early writing skills; they have good access to mark making materials, such as crayons, pencils and paper, which they select independently. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children have good opportunities to participate in a variety of creative activities,

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and outcomes for children

such as painting, sand and water play, arts and craft. They use programmable toys to explore and investigate how things work. In addition, children are learning about animals as they observe flamingos, ducks, pigs, cows and hens during their trips to the Welsh harp, Oldham Country Park and Golders Hill Park.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is proactive in teaching children about a range of safety aspects, such as keeping themselves safe when crossing the roads. They learn about fire safety by practising regular emergency evacuation to enable them to become familiar with it, to assist with their quick and safe evacuation from the home, should the need arise.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder actively promotes a healthy environment because she is a good role model. She teaches children well how to stop germs from spreading because they regularly wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Children’s dietary needs are taken into consideration and are offered healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, such as a variety of fresh fruits daily. Children are learning the importance of being healthy and active through physical play. For example, they go out on daily walks into the local community, play in the childminder’s garden and visits local parks.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder makes good use of praise and encouragement to develop children’s confidence and self-esteem. Children are well behaved because they are suitably occupied and feel secure. Children learn to share and co-operate because the childminder is a good role model and helps them to take turns, share and consider others. Children form strong relationships with the childminder and each other. They enjoy valuable experiences which enables them to develop their skills in a learning environment. 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 2 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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