Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 222603 Inspection date 10/09/2009 Inspector Anna Davies

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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 1996. She lives with her adult son in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. The whole of the childminder’s house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. Access into and out of the childminder's home is at ground level and there are downstairs toilet facilities.

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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, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently six children on roll, three of whom are within this age range. The provision is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register, offering care to children aged over five years to 12 years. The house is within walking distance of local amenities such as schools, the library, shops and parks. The family have no pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is working towards the Early Years and Childcare Quality Framework.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in a generally safe environment and are appropriately engaged in a suitable range of activities that cover all areas of learning, although effective assessment procedures are not yet fully established to ensure that each child's learning potential is fulfilled. The childminder communicates regularly with the parents to enable her to meet children's individual needs and to keep them appropriately informed of issues in relation to their child's care and learning. The childminder is beginning to use systems to self-evaluate her practice and is able to identify the strengths of her provision and some areas for further development.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks, in relation to the positioning of the lock on the bathroom door (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register). 24/09/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 develop assessment procedures, for example, by increasing the frequency of observations made on aspects of children's learning. Use assessments to identify children's next steps across all areas of learning and demonstrate the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 progress they are making towards the early learning goals  develop systems of self-evaluation focussing on identifying specific areas to develop, how and within what timescale these will be implemented and how the impact on the children will be monitored and assessed  develop closer links with other settings providing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), to further support children’s learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a sound awareness of safeguarding procedures and she shares her written policy with all parents so that they understand her responsibility towards safeguarding children's welfare. Children are cared for within a generally safe environment as the childminder effectively identifies and minimises most hazards within the home, keeping a written record of the risk assessment she conducts of the premises, garden and for all types of outings. For example, hazardous substances and items such as knives are kept out of reach of children and the long garden is fenced off to ensure that the youngest children can be appropriately supervised. However, the low positioning of the lock on the bathroom door poses a potential risk to children's safety.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home environment is satisfactorily organised to help children make some choices about what they wish to play with. For example, they are able to request toys and resources from those stored upstairs and they enjoy the ability to move freely between indoor and outdoor play. The childminder organises her week around visits to groups in the local community. This benefits children by extending the range of activities offered within the childminder's home as well as giving them further opportunities for socialisation. All documentation is well- organised and professionally presented, which ensures that parents have easy access to relevant information. The childminder has worked hard to implement the EYFS and has attended relevant training to support her, as well as booking herself on another first aid course to ensure that her qualification remains valid.

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the early years provision

Parents receive satisfactory information about their child's care verbally at the beginning and end of each day and the childminder organises an annual barbeque to bring all parents and children together. 'All about me' books completed by the parents give the childminder good information about the children before they begin in her care, which enables her to meet their individual needs, likes and dislikes straight away. A 'Welcome' board in the hallway gives parents and children additional information about the service provided such as the house rules and a visual timetable of activities. The childminder shares satisfactory information with other providers also delivering the EYFS to children in her care such as how the child has been, any messages needing to be passed on to parents and the activities being provided through newsletters. However, there are no systems in place to share information relating to children's learning and development in order

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the early years provision

to promote and support consistency between settings.

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the early years provision

The childminder is beginning to develop and make use of systems to support the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 evaluation of her practice. For example, through working towards the Early Years Quality Framework and completing the Ofsted self-evaluation form she is able to identify key strengths. However, whilst able to identify some ideas for future improvement, these systems do not focus sufficiently enough on how and within what timescale these will be implemented and how the impact on the children will be monitored and assessed.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder ensures that children enjoy a suitable range of activities both inside her home, in the outdoor environment and at local groups. She has a sound understanding of learning through play and supports children appropriately as they freely move between activities. For example, she asks some open ended questions to encourage them to think and supports them as they try new skills such as showing them how to take a photograph of a spider in its cobweb with the digital camera. The childminder is aware of some aspects of learning that she feels she needs to promote with children on an individual basis; however, this is not secure across all areas of learning. Although she has recorded some observations and next steps of children's learning in their 'EYFS Observation files', these are not frequent enough to give the childminder sufficient information to ensure that each child's learning potential is fulfilled across all areas of learning. Furthermore, the

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and outcomes for children

progress children are making towards the early learning goals is not able to be clearly demonstrated. Activities are planned around visits to groups and in response to children's interests and some identified next steps of learning such as a bug hunt for a child who is fascinated by ladybirds.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate growing independence as they learn to solve simple problems such as constructing a goal post from tubing and fitting items of clothing and footwear onto their play figures. They behave generally well in response to the childminder's clear explanations about inappropriate and expected behaviour. On occasion, children are able to spontaneously share, for example, when using popular toys and resources, and the childminder uses opportunities such as taking it in turns to score goals into the net to further promote this aspect of learning. Children's communication skills are developing appropriately as the childminder spends time in conversation with the children, promoting discussions and listening to children's responses. They enjoy mark-making activities such as drawing pictures for family members and using emergent writing to label their pictures. Children access a suitable range of resources reflecting diversity as well as

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and outcomes for children

celebrating some multicultural festivals; this helps to promote a positive view of the wider world and helps them to begin to understand about their differences and similarities. They have opportunities to develop their physical skills in the spacious garden, soft play sessions, visits to the park, and daily walks to and from school. Children generally explore their creative ideas, for example as they create models from paper, stickers and straws, using sticky tape to assemble pieces together.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is appropriately promoted. Children are beginning to learn about good hygiene routines. For example, they are prompted to wash their hands when they come in from outside and reminded when they forget to wash their hands This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 after using the toilet. Children have access to individual hand towels to dry their hands which effectively reduces the risk off cross-contamination. They learn how to keep themselves safe through practising regular fire evacuation procedures and being reminded to use play equipment carefully so as not to hurt others close by. The childminder works with parents regarding the provision of food for children; some choose to bring in food from home and others choose for the childminder to provide meals. Food offered is generally well balanced and the childminder has begun a government initiative with the children to encourage them to eat 'five a

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and outcomes for children

day'. Children enjoy helping to prepare foods such as strawberries and raw carrots, carefully using a safety knife to cut them up into bite-size pieces. Drinks are freely accessible to children at all times to ensure they remain well-hydrated. Suitable procedures are in place for recording accidents and medication and the childminder ensures she is able to respond appropriately if children have an accident as she holds a valid first aid qualification. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the Early Years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 24/09/2009

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the Early Years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 24/09/2009

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