Oliver, Tracey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY298439 Inspection date 25/09/2009 Inspector Valerie Fane

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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 2004. She lives with her husband and children aged seven and one year in Welwyn Garden City. The whole of the property except for one bedroom is used for childminding. Accessibility to the premises is up one step. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family have two cats and some goldfish.

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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 two may be in the early years age range. There is currently one child attending who is within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), who attends on a full-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. 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 settle very quickly with the childminder and thrive because she takes account of their individual needs when she is providing care. They have excellent opportunities to develop their awareness of a healthy lifestyle. She works in close partnership with their parents so that she finds out about their home culture and can celebrate this as well as ensuring that they become aware of our diverse society. They make good progress in their learning and development because she plans and provides interesting activities for children of all ages and she has a good range of resources for free play. Her practice is reflective so she has made a number of improvements to her provision since the last inspection. She is committed to attending regular training to ensure that she continues to keep up to date with current good practice.

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further?

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

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further?

 maintain children’s privacy when completing the accident records.

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the early years provision

Children are protected because the childminder has attended an advanced training course in safeguarding awareness and has a clear understanding of the procedures she should follow if she has concerns about children in her care. Children are safe and secure because the childminder has carried out effective risk assessments for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 her home and for her outings. She carries out daily visual checks of the premises and completes a written checklist twice a month. She identifies fresh hazards, such as water that has collected in a bowl in the garden while she was on holiday, and she takes appropriate action to reduce or eliminate the risk. Children are supervised well at all times. The childminder's good practice is underpinned by effective written policies and these are shared with parents.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the childminder's provision of an interesting range of resources and her commitment to update and improve her practice. She has met the recommendation made at the last inspection so the fire blanket is now mounted on the kitchen wall near the cooker. She has made a number of improvements since the last inspection, including the introduction of the EYFS. She has attended a number of training courses and she plans and provides appropriate play and activities that meet children's individual learning needs well. She has a current first aid certificate so children receive appropriate care in the event of a minor accident but their privacy is not maintained when she completes the accident records. She has completed a detailed self-evaluation of her provision and plans to continue to attend a broad range of training courses and workshops to ensure that she keeps up-to-date with current good practice.

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the early years provision

Children enjoy continuity of care because the childminder works in close partnership with their parents or carers to ensure that she is fully aware of their individual needs. She provides a good induction programme and asks parents to complete a settling-in form that helps her to become familiar with their care needs. She observes children's developmental progress and discusses this with parents so that she can identify their current areas for development in their learning. Children are able to continue their learning at home because the childminder gives parents plenty of verbal feedback and they use a communication book for a written two- way exchange of information. She also shows them their children's tracker books regularly. The childminder understands the importance of working with outside agencies to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and she has documentation in place to give her permission to share information

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the early years provision

with other EYFS providers when she is caring for children who attend more than one setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle very easily with the childminder and quickly feel secure with her. They behave well because she has clear expectations for their behaviour and uses appropriate strategies to address any unwanted behaviour. Babies learn to share toys and develop good manners. Older children use the 'thinking mat' if their behaviour is unacceptable and do not join in the fun again until they are ready to say 'sorry' for what they have done.

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and outcomes for children

Children who speak more than one language at home feel valued by the childminder because she learns some words in their other language and she finds out how they celebrate different festivals. She encourages parents to share recipes with her so that she can make them with the children. All children develop their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 awareness of diversity because they mix with people from other cultures when they are out with the childminder and taste their food. They celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year by having Chinese food for lunch, which they try to eat with chopsticks, and they make lanterns.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles. They learn to wash their hands properly before eating their snack and before and after cookery activities. They are protected from cross-infection because they use individual towels and face cloths. They make extremely good use of the garden and frequently ask to go and play outside. They go on walks through the woods to the local airfield where they watch planes and hot air balloons landing and have a snack in the café. In addition they go on a wide range of very interesting outings to places such as a local zoo or a farm park. They bring their own lunches but they have nutritious snacks such as yoghurt-covered raisins provided by the childminder and they eat these at their own pace.

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and outcomes for children

In addition children also take part in regular planned activities to support their awareness of healthy foods. They taste a selection of different fruits, such as strawberry and kiwi fruit, and make them into a 'fruit smoothie'. They learn to try new foods because although they are not keen on some individual fruits the childminder encourages them to taste the drink and they find they like it. Babies enjoy creating their own pizza. They gain hand control because they try to spoon some tomato sauce onto the pizza base, showing good coordination and sustained concentration. They make choices because they taste the different toppings and choose to put pieces of ham and sweetcorn on the pizza but they do not like the pineapple. They develop their communication skills because they chatter to the childminder while they are decorating the pizza. She supports their awareness of mathematical language with suggestions such as a 'big handful' when they are

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and outcomes for children

enthusiastic about putting cheese on their pizza. They become aware of their personal safety because the childminder helps them to understand that the oven is hot when the pizza is ready to be cooked. They thoroughly enjoy eating the finished product.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers children an interesting range of activities such as these, linked to a flexible monthly theme. She understands the range of learning that children get from different activities. She observes and assesses their development in all areas of learning so she is aware of their next steps and looks for opportunities to develop these through children's play. She adapts activities to meet the needs of children of different ages so older children taking part in cookery activities learn to weigh out the ingredients and talk about the different parts of the world where the food is grown. 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 1 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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