Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY379646 Inspection date 05/11/2009 Inspector Janice Walker

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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 daughter in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The home is within walking distance of local facilities including schools and shops. It is accessible with car parking available at the front of the house. All areas of the property are used for childminding although this mainly takes place on the ground floor with bathroom and sleeping facilities on the first floor. There is an enclosed rear garden available for outdoor play. The family do not keep any pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children aged under eight years at any one time, two of whom may be in the early years age range. Currently, there are six children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age range. She provides care all-year round and is registered to provide overnight care for one child. The childminder has a vehicle available for her use. She 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

The strong emphasis on inclusion and high value that the childminder places on each individual supports all children in recognising and valuing their own unique qualities and to learn to value differences in others. Her clear policies, procedures and effective practices ensure children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted. They make good progress in their learning and development because they participate in an interesting range of hands-on play experiences within the home and at local groups. Generally effective relationships with parents and other providers, contribute to continuity of care and learning experiences for each individual child. The childminder evidences a good awareness of her strengths and areas for improvement and is pro-active in seeking information and advice to support her in continuing to develop and improve her provision for the benefit of the children in her care.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the planning for the outdoor environment to ensure that each child has regular opportunities to participate in outdoor experiences  extend the systems for sharing relevant information with other providers for children who attend more than one setting, to fully ensure continuity and progression. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has worked hard since her registration to establish effective systems and procedures to support the effective management of her childminding business. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that adults are suitable to be in contact with children and that children are vigilantly supervised when outside of the home. Comprehensive risk assessments, supported by daily check lists help to ensure that possible risks are identified and minimised both indoors and outside of the home. The home is safe and secure with appropriate use made of safety equipment such as stair gates and child locks. Clear procedures are in place to enable the childminder to respond to accidents and emergencies. The childminder has a clear understanding of her responsibilities regarding child protection to ensure children are safeguarded and provides this information to parents as she shares her written policy with them. She establishes good, supportive relationships

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the early years provision

with parents. They receive detailed information abut the setting through the written policies and procedures and ongoing verbal exchanges and the written daily diary. The childminder makes effective use of internet translation facilities to ensure that parents who speak English as an additional language receive all relevant information and to support ongoing communication. They are well- informed about their children’s achievements and progress through the assessment records which include many visual examples for parents who speak little English. The childminder has established good links with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) where the care of children is shared. However, information exchanged is not yet effective in ensuring that children fully benefit from an integrated approach to their learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder has attended required training and has worked hard to establish a detailed range of useful documents, policies and procedures. She makes effective use of these to underpin her practice and to promote children’s safety and well- being and to ensure that they make good progress in their learning and development. She monitors her provision on an ongoing basis, making use of training, relevant childcare literature and relationships with other childcare providers to influence this. She strives to keep abreast of current practice through attending short courses and has recently begun an early years’ degree course. She is an active member of the local childminding group and makes good use of the close working relationships she has established within the group to share practice issues and evaluate her own provision. She is very well organised; all documentation is methodically organised, ready to hand if needed and contains a

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the early years provision

good level of detail. The home is welcoming and inviting to all with ample space for children to comfortably eat, rest and explore their toys. Daily routines are carefully organised to ensure that the needs of all children attending are well met.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress in their learning and development. The childminder is developing a good understanding of the EYFS and uses this This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 knowledge to plan a range of activities indoors and outside of the home which ensure that all children make progress across all six areas of learning. She makes some useful observations and demonstrates an in-depth understanding of individual children’s levels of ability. She uses this information to plan activities for children's next steps for learning. Children are happy and well-settled in this warm, welcoming and culturally diverse home. They have established close relationships with the childminder, demonstrating their affection and trust through their eager greetings on arrival and the way they contentedly settle for their sleep. Children attending come from a variety of different cultural backgrounds and there are

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and outcomes for children

many opportunities for them to explore the similarities and differences between themselves and others which promotes their sense of self-worth. The easily accessible toys enable children to make their own choices regarding their play and good organisation of furniture and resources within the home means they can explore them in comfort and space.

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and outcomes for children

Young children and those with English as an additional language confidently make their needs and wishes known through gestures and single words, such as when they are hungry or want to listen to music. They eagerly search through toy crates to find musical instruments and play them as they dance along to and join in the actions of familiar songs on cd’s. The childminder makes good use of daily routines to support children’s learning such as when they count as they climb the stairs and manipulate cutlery as they feed themselves. Children freely access books, developing their language skills as they look at pictures with the childminder and they learn to handle the books with care. They participate in a wide variety of activities in the local community where they are introduced to large group activities which support their developing social skills. Messy play sessions also provide opportunities for them to explore and investigate using many different materials

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and outcomes for children

and the ‘jelly bean’ sessions encourage their self expression through music. The childminder’s effective ongoing observations ensure that children remain actively engaged in their play and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Very high standards of cleanliness within the home along with the childminder’s clear policies regarding children who are unwell, help to minimise the spread of infection. This is further enhanced by good hygiene routines such as nose-wiping and hand cleaning. Children are encouraged to be active through indoor and outdoor play. However, they access outdoor activities less often in poorer weather which impacts on opportunities for learning in different ways along with frequent first hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world. Young children learn about maintaining their own health through daily routines such as eating healthy meals and snacks and cleaning their teeth after meals. They develop an understanding of possible dangers and how to stay safe through daily routines such as going up and down stairs with care and sitting properly on the furniture. They remain safe due to the childminder’s appropriate use of safety equipment

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and outcomes for children

and vigilant supervision. Through her gentle support along with clear and consistent messages young children begin to learn to share, take turns and treat each other with care and consideration, beginning to develop the skills required for future learning. 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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