Home Childcarer in Southampton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY316817 Inspection date 09/09/2009 Inspector Sylvia Shane

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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 2005. She lives with her husband and their school age child in Southampton, Hampshire. The childminder lives within walking distance to local shops, schools and parks. All areas of the childminder’s home are used for childminding except one bedroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have a cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age group. She is currently minding three children in this age group on a part time basis. She also offers care to one child aged over eight years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends the local toddler group. 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 childminder promotes the children's welfare and learning with success through a well developed knowledge of their individual needs and promotes inclusive practice. Through a range of well implemented policies and procedures and routines children are kept safe and feel secure. Effective partnerships with parents, and other providers of care and education ensures children receive continuity of care and education. As a result children progress well, given their age, ability and starting points. Through ongoing self-evaluation the childminder identifies priorities for development and acts upon these, ensuring that the service she provides responds to the needs of the individual children.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop self-evaluation, in particular ways to ensure parents have the opportunity to comment on the childminder's provision

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the early years provision

Children safety is paramount in this well organised childminding setting. All records are maintained effectively and support children's welfare, learning and development with success. A range of policies are shared with parents to ensure they are aware of her good practice. This includes an effective complaints procedure. Clear systems are in place to ensure all adults in the household are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 suitable to be with children and that they are only collected by adults identified by their parents. Through regular risk assessments hazards are identified and minimised or eradicated both in the home and on outings. Since the last inspection the childminder has developed emergency evacuation procedures, and practices this regularly with children so that they become familiar with the process. Children have access to a broad range of good quality toys and resources, both indoors and

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the early years provision

outside, these are regularly checked to ensure they are in good repair and suitable for the ages and stages of the children minded. The childminder clearly understands the signs and symptoms of abuse and her responsibility to protect and safeguard children. She has systems in place to ensure that any concerns are acted upon. She does not have a written policy but explains to parents her responsibility prior to taking the children on.

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the early years provision

Through regular daily discussion the childminder keeps parents well informed about all aspects of their child's care and education. From the outset she discusses and records children's starting points and uses this as a base to plan and build on children's achievements. She takes care in finding out about children's individual routines and comforters to ensure that children settle well and feel secure. All essential records including consents are in place to support the children's ongoing welfare. The childminder invites parents to view and contribute to their child’s learning record and discusses and agrees ongoing development targets. Parental consent is gained to share information with local schools and pre-schools. As a result the childminder has been able to share what she knows about the children, providing continuity of care and aiding a smooth transition on to school. An effective complaints procedure is shared with parents and this includes the

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a service that is inclusive. Children are recognised for their uniqueness and through discussion with parents their individual specific needs are recognised and met. These include information about the children's differing cultures and ethnic origin; religion; any specific dietary or additional needs to support disability and/or learning disability; and ongoing development. Each child has an individual learning plan and as part of the plan the childminder considers suitable resources and how the activity can be adapted to ensure all children can be included. For example, she ensures that art activities are fun and support boys as well as girls and that girls have equal access to construction. Through a range of activities children learn to understand the needs of others and respect their individuality.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to improving her practice and she has addressed the recommendations set at the last inspection. She is pro-active in her own development and regularly discusses practice issues with other childminders. In order to aid her implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) she has attended further training. As a result this has had a positive impact on children's learning and development experiences. She has reviewed and implemented new learning records. She uses this to effectively plan individual targeted learning. As a result children are making good progress across all areas of learning. She encourages children to talk about their likes and dislikes, for example, she ensures that children enjoy the outings and activities so that they meet their needs, giving them choice. The childminder talks to parents casually This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

about the service she offers but has not yet developed robust systems to gather their views and include them in evaluating all areas of her practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children are relaxed and settle well in this child orientated environment. They enjoy a wide range of activities through spontaneous play and adult-initiated ideas. Children are able to choose what they want to do and as a result are quickly engrossed in activities of their choosing. They are learning to be independent when dressing and undressing and are praised when they achieve, this develops their self-worth and self-esteem. Each child has a board with their own photographs on, which encourages them to use their language and recall what they have been doing through the holidays, making them feel equally valued and included.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is knowledgeable about the EYFS. She makes regular and accurate observations and from these she confidently plans for the next steps in children's individual learning. She evaluates the children's records, ensuring that they have opportunities to make progress across all areas of learning. She is skilful in providing activities which offer more than one area of learning. For example, children have a keen interest in construction; they are offered wide range materials, including magnets, shapes and building blocks. They work well as a group, talking to each other and the childminder. They problem solve as they work out how the train track should go together. Children negotiate space and learn about size and shape and add bridges and junctions. They are encouraged to talk about their environment and identify the colours and count. They act out emergency scenes with fire engines and small world people. The childminder is

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and outcomes for children

skilful in asking them questions, which encourage them to think and explore situations for themselves. Children are fascinated with the strategically placed fairground constructed out of cogs and are soon working out what makes it work. They learn new words, such as forward and reverse. The childminder recognises the older children know the numbers but need games such as hopscotch to consolidate their learning and make them confident. Younger children join in trying to copy their peers, they particularly enjoy numbers through rhymes and identifying everyday items such as how many shoes they have.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder knows the children well, she knows the children who need a little coaxing to be creative with art and craft materials so plans an achievable project which all children can participate in. They paint using brushes and water colours and talk about the colours and the effects they are making. With help from the childminder they turn them into treasure boxes, giving each child somewhere special to keep their personal belongings. This activity is further extended as the children are offered glue and glue sticks and range of material including feathers and tissue paper to decorate them. Children are learning to grasp pencils and mark make and write their names.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is promoted through daily outings and they benefit from playing in the fresh air. They visit parks and the countryside and as well as playing This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 in the garden. They learn about how things grow and discuss the seasons, they climb and balance on the apparatus. Regular visits to the soft play centre improve children’s confidence in balance. Children state how they love this outing, in particular the bouncy castle. Through regular routines children are learning good hygiene routines. Their individual dietary needs are well met as the childminder liaises with parents about individual needs. Packed lunches provided by the parents are stored appropriately and children are encouraged to eat savoury before sweet. Each child has their own cup to drink from and are able to access it as they play. 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: 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

 keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect. (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) (arrangement for safeguarding children) 09/10/2009

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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 compulsory part of Childcare Register section of this report 09/10/2009

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