Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY387620 Inspection date 14/09/2009 Inspector Gillian Little

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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 most recently registered in 2008 having worked as a registered childminder in the past. She lives in Carterton with her husband and three children aged 16, 13 and six. The whole ground floor is used for childminding, together with a first floor bedroom for sleeping. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. Access to the provision includes a step into the front door. The family has a cat, a lizard and two dogs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder offers care on a daily basis and is available to walk to the local school to take and collect children. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in the early years age group on a part-time basis. She is also registered by Ofsted on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for children over five years, although she currently has no older children on roll. She supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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

Children thrive in this welcoming, supportive and stimulating environment and make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder works effectively with parents, other settings and professionals, to provide consistency and shared strategies which have a positive impact on children. Robust health and safety procedures, together with a good understanding of children's individual needs, ensure that children feel safe and are cared for in a healthy environment. Comprehensive self-evaluation processes effectively contribute towards continuous improvement and ensure that all regulatory requirements are in place.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain the publication 'What to do if you are worried a child is being abused - Summary' and use this to further support safeguarding procedures.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of safeguarding children procedures and ensures that all household members have appropriate background checks. She has a written policy in place which she shares with parents, and clearly displays local guidelines with appropriate contact numbers. However, she is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 not yet familiar with the national safeguarding publication which is recommended in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a clean, safe and secure home, and rigorously carries out risk assessments and fire evacuation practices to reduce the risk of injury to children. She is very vigilant, supervising children closely at all times, and ensuring that any hazards, such as hot drinks, are out of reach. She implements a wide range of policies effectively and these contribute to high standards, such as good levels of hygiene and established procedures for emergencies. She provides a wide range of good quality toys and resources which are appropriate to children's stages of development; these are easily accessible and encourage children to be inquisitive.

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the early years provision

The childminder effectively engages with parents. She takes time to find out about all children's individual needs, interests and levels of development when they first start with her, and provides parents with good information about her setting. She maintains written daily diaries for all children and has daily discussions with parents to fully inform them about their children's welfare and progress. She helps parents to understand the aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provides suggestions for extending children's learning at home. She works effectively in partnership with other professionals to fully support children in her care. For example, she quickly establishes effective links with a speech therapist to develop resources and to learn sign language in order to fully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She also quickly establishes partnerships with other settings which children attend, making arrangements to ensure good

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the early years provision

communication in order to provide consistency in children's welfare and learning. Together with her commitment to planning for and responding to individual learning needs, this demonstrates an effective approach to promoting equality and diversity.

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the early years provision

The childminder is highly motivated to make further improvements to already effective practice. She comprehensively evaluates the quality of her setting, identifying many areas of strengths and also clear targets for further development. For example, she is planning to attend additional training to further support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and to further improve health and safety procedures. Since her registration, she has modified her risk assessments and daily diaries to improve her record-keeping and communication with parents. She actively seeks feedback from parents, who are very positive about her practice, and she routinely uses the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and Guidance to effectively assess quality.

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and outcomes for children

Children display a strong sense of belonging; they are relaxed, settled and confident in the childminder's care. They regularly seek her reassurance and attention which she gives readily spending almost all of her time playing with them and maintaining their interest in the environment around them. Children’s levels of behaviour are good and they learn to do things for themselves to enhance their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 independence skills. They have good opportunities to mix with other people through visits to the library or children's groups and this, together with access to resources reflecting diversity, helps them to learn about the wider community.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a keen interest in exploring the resources and activities on offer as the childminder is careful to ensure that they are relevant to children's abilities and stages of development. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities become engrossed while exploring electronic ‘Tigger’ and ‘Winnie the Pooh’ toys, showing that they understand the different movements and how to switch them on and off. They benefit greatly from the childminder's attention to communicating both verbally and through sign language to further develop their skills. For example, they are able to sign to show that they recognise different animals while posting animal cards into a home-made post box, and through sharing books and puzzles. When children lose interest in an activity the childminder quickly recaptures this by encouraging them to take part in another activity, such as watching a pop-up puppet appear and disappear. Careful

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and outcomes for children

observations of children’s abilities, together with cross-referencing to the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance, ensure that the childminder has a good understanding of their levels of development. With this information she is able to identify their next steps in learning and ensure that they have plenty of opportunities to progress in all areas, adapting activities to suit their individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children also clearly benefit from the childminder's understanding of their welfare needs. They are able to rest and sleep when they need to as the childminder is familiar with their signs of tiredness. They settle quickly to rest and return to their play happily. They show an understanding of routines, calling out to the childminder to sing their special song as she wipes their hands before snack time. They eat nutritious food as the childminder positively supports healthy eating and they have access to a drink at all times. They have lots of opportunities to develop physical skills outdoors as the childminder takes them to the local park almost every day and they have carefully supervised access to the safe and enclosed garden. They learn to keep themselves safe through routine fire evacuations, established behavioural boundaries and discussions about road safety. 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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