Childminder in Greenwich

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY392839 Inspection date 11/09/2009 Inspector Marcia Robinson

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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 is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The childminder is currently caring for six children in the early years age group, who attend a variety of sessions. The childminder lives with her friend and two school aged children. The childminder's friend is registered as an assistant. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and when working with an assistant can care for six children in the early years age group. The property is a house, situated in a residential road in the London Borough of Greenwich. Children use the ground floor living room as the main play area. Sleeping provision and toilet facilities are available upstairs. The property is close to local schools, shops, parks and public transport services. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family have no pets.

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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 happy, settled and making satisfactory progress, because the childminder and her assistant create a warm, loving and secure environment. Links with other childminders and the childcare coordinator from the local authority have been established. These are conducive to continuous improvement being at a satisfactory level. Engagement with parents and children is good and a key strength of the provision as the childminder works well with parents to meet and promote children's individual needs.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop knowledge and understanding of the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation made against the childminder or any members of the household (Safeguarding and welfare) 28/09/2009

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further?

 develop procedures for nappy changing to promote children's good health (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 28/09/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure risk assessments, incorporate regular emergency evacuation procedures and ensure these are consistently used to identify and make safe any hazards at the premises  ensure that there are more resources and materials available to reflect the diversity and backgrounds of individual children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  continue to develop observation and assessment systems so that it clearly shows how the next steps in children's learning are planned for in partnership with parents and carers

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the early years provision

Children's care and learning is reasonably well promoted because the childminder has adequate knowledge of most aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Both the childminder and her assistant have had checks completed to ensure their suitability to work with children. The childminder is alert to the different signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, although she is less sure about what to do in the event that an allegation is made against herself or a member of the household. Risk assessments are carried out, but these are not effective in identifying all accessible risks to children, from a trailing lead and two unused plug sockets. All fire fighting equipment is in place. However, fire evacuation procedures are not regularly practised to ensure children's safety in the event of a fire or emergency. This means children's welfare is not fully safeguarded.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in welcoming and child-friendly premises. The space and resources are generally well organised to support children being independent and this helps them to feel at home. The childminder provides planned, yet flexible, routines which meet individual children’s needs. The childminder has strived for continuous improvement since registration by embracing some training opportunities to improve her practice. She satisfactorily evaluates the care and education she provides, and demonstrates a suitable vision of how she wants to improve the quality of her provision. For instance, through her ambition to train and qualify for a career with children.

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the early years provision

The childminder works together with parents, well in relation to children's care needs, sharing information verbally and in writing. Parents receive sound information about their children's daily care. For instance, a daily diary sheet enables parents to remain informed about their child's eating, resting and outing routines. The childminder plans to improve these by including some information about children's daily activities so that parents can be more involved in some aspects of their children's learning and development. As a result, partnership with parents in relation to children's education is less well established and this reduces the effectiveness of the assessment of where children are in their development. Engagement with parents and children is good however, because the childminder has worked hard to forge good relationships with all parents and carers through social gatherings in the childminding setting.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has some knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements, enabling children to achieve and enjoy. Children are engaged, happy and settled and receive enjoyable experiences which help them to make adequate This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 progress through activities that are appropriate to their levels of development. They happily relate to the childminder and her assistant, as they join in with their play. Behaviour is managed very well in a warm and calm environment where babies are encouraged to treat each other with kindness. They participate in the activities provided, including stacking different sized rings, playing with activity centres, puzzles and wheeled toys. Children benefit from a flexible routine, which brings together an appropriate balance of child-centred and adult-led experiences. Free play is incorporated into each day, where child-initiated play is encouraged

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and outcomes for children

and supported by the childminder. Young children enjoy socialising with other children as they regularly visit local drop-in groups. Use is made of the local area giving children a breadth of opportunities. An example of this is where children visit Greenwich park to feed the ducks and the childminder discusses the reindeers and squirrels they see along the way. Sufficient support is given, which nurtures babies independence and social skills, as they enjoy sitting together for lunch, holding their own spoons and helping to feed themselves. Their confidence and self-esteem is raised through regular praise and encouragement. Babies' communication skills are fostered particularly well, resulting in good interactions between themselves, the childminder and her assistant. Children make a positive contribution to the setting, because photographs show them happily engaged in sweeping the floor with their dustpan and brushes. The childminder demonstrates

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and outcomes for children

a suitable understanding of equality and diversity. She knows the children well and together with her assistant they have forged very good relationships with them, resulting in happy and secure children. Children have access to a small range of resources and play materials that reflect aspects of diversity, such as cultures and disability. However, children's own cultures and backgrounds are not effectively reflected in the resources and materials available. Observations of children are supported with photographs of them in their activities, but these are not clearly linked to areas of learning or their next steps used effectively to inform planning.

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and outcomes for children

Children can participate in activities, whilst babies can crawl and manipulate resources as the premises and equipment are comfortable and clean. They experience good levels of supervision and most safety equipment is in place to ensure hazards are reduced. The indoor premises are generally safe although some risks to children, such as the accessibility to two exposed electrical sockets and a trailing lead. Overall, children feel safe in the setting because the childminder and assistant, both offer warmth and security, along with consistent and familiar routines. Children spend regular times outdoors each day for fresh air and physical activity, although the childminder does not always make good use of the garden in order to extend some of the indoor activities and provide babies with further opportunities to develop their growing mobility skills. The childminder’s flexible routine ensures babies can sleep in line with their individual needs and

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and outcomes for children

parents’ and carers’ wishes, enhancing children’s well-being. Appetising and freshly cooked meals, such as steam chicken with carrots, parsnips and runner beans ensures the children receive the nourishment necessary for their growth and physical development. Health practices are mostly good, with the exception of the unsound nappy changing arrangements, which is not promoting good hygiene and ensuring the individual needs of children are met. Children do not attend if they are sick which enables the childminder to protect others from illness. All relevant documentation with regard to health, including specific dietary needs and consent forms are in place and up to date. These positively safeguard children’s well-being. 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 2 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: Met

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