St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 111369 Inspection date 25/09/2009 Inspector Sharon Waterfall

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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 1998. She lives with her husband and teenage son in a village on the northern outskirts of Lincoln city. All areas of the ground floor are used for childminding, with use of a first floor bathroom and bedroom. Outside there is a fully enclosed garden suitable for outdoor play. Some amenities, such as a park, are within walking distance and the childminder also uses public transport and a car, on occasions, to access others.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children when working alone and seven when working with an assistant. She currently cares for five children in the Early Years age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and is actively involved with the local childminding group.

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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 benefit from a warm and caring childminder, who offers them a welcoming and child-friendly environment. The childminder is developing her knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and as a result some of the requirements are not fully in place. She provides an appropriate range of activities and opportunities for children, though has just begun to implement observations and assessments of children's learning to enable her to provide more individualised learning experiences. She promotes inclusive practice and effective partnerships with parents and carers are in place, which keeps parents well informed about their child's care. She has identified her strengths and areas for improvement through self-evaluation processes.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure written parental permission is requested at the time of the child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and welfare) 14/10/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for each type of outing and trips  develop further the opportunities for sharing relevant information with other providers for children who attend more than one setting, to fully ensure their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 continuity and progression  develop the observations and assessments to identify children's progress towards the early learning goals and use these to plan for individual children's next steps for learning.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because the childminder has a sound understanding of child protection procedures. She is knowledgeable about the possible signs of abuse and has a clear understanding of what to do in the event of a concern. There is a safeguarding policy in place that is shared with parents, which means that they are made aware of her role and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. The childminder is aware of the required documentation, however some is not in place such as permission to seek emergency medical treatment which is a regulatory requirement. Written risk assessments have been devised and the childminder carries out daily safety checks on her home and garden. As a result, the safety of the children is enhanced in this area. The childminder has also completed a risk assessment for the local park that the children visit almost daily and ensures she assesses the area on each visit, however risk assessments for

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the early years provision

other types of outings are not in place, including those where assistants are in sole care of the children. Therefore potential hazards to children's safety at these times have not been assessed. Permission to take children on outings and in a vehicle are in place for most children and parents are kept informed about regular visits.

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the early years provision

The childminder has completed a written self-evaluation and has appropriately identified areas for future improvement, for example, her knowledge and understanding of the assessment arrangements within the EYFS. Her process of self-evaluation includes the views of the parents who use her service. She has accessed some training to keep her knowledge and skills updated and implements advice and guidance from development workers. She has visited other early years providers and used the information gained to enhance the environment for children making it more child-friendly. Her provision is inclusive for all children and their families, she ensures that children are making steady progress through her developing understanding of the EYFS.

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the early years provision

The childminder has formed good partnerships with parents and carers to ensure children's individual needs are met and they are provided with a range of information about her service. This includes a variety of clearly written policies and procedures and discussion about forthcoming events, for example, her Ofsted inspection. Further information is beginning to be shared through examples of children's work, photographs and some written observations. A two way flow of communication between the parents and the childminder ensures a consistent approach towards the children's care. Consequently, this helps them to settle and feel secure. Partnerships with other professionals involved with children in her care are less effective. For example, although she has introduced herself to the local pre-school her assistant collects the children and there are no arrangements to discuss children's learning in order to promote continuity and progression. The

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder is aware of the importance of such relationships and intends to develop these further.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder understands how young children learn and this enables her to provide an appropriate range of experiences and activities to support children's overall development. She has put into place files for individual children which contain photographs of the children involved in a variety of play and has also completed some written observations of what the children are doing. However, these are few in number as she has just begun to use this process and is developing her knowledge of the learning and development requirements. Currently there are no links to the six areas of learning and the next steps planned are not consistent with the learning experiences recorded. Consequently, children are not making as much progress as they could. The childminder has completed an overview of the children's capabilities and personalities which she has discussed with parents as a firm starting point for their individual development. She will use

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and outcomes for children

this initially to make links to the six areas of learning and to begin to individualise and tailor learning experiences for the individual children.

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and outcomes for children

Cooking activities are enjoyed by the children and provide a range of learning experiences. For example, a favourite recipe has been displayed in pictorial and written form in the kitchen and is used with older children to sequence how to make the cakes. This supports their literacy and problem solving skills. The children learn about weights and measures and hear mathematical language such as more and less, and count items. They also experience the changes of the raw and cooked ingredients and use their creative skills to decorate them. Pre-school children discuss initial letter sounds and try to guess what familiar items might begin with a certain letter and they have trips to the library to develop their interest in books. Creative activities support learning about the world around them as children collect leaves on a nature walk and use them for leaf printing and collages. They use their imaginations in role play as they copy the adult roles they

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and outcomes for children

see around them, this can be further enhanced for pre-school children to support other areas of learning such as writing for meaning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning about the wider world through activities based around a variety of religious and cultural festivals. For example, children tasted different foods during activities to celebrate Chinese New Year. They also have access to a range of resources that reflect positive images of diversity. Inclusion is promoted and all children are valued by the childminder who offers them praise and encouragement during their play. As a result, this helps to develop their self- esteem.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing their understanding of how to keep healthy through thorough hygiene practices. For example, they wash their hands before lunch time and use tissues for wiping their noses. Children are beginning to understand about keeping safe as they participate in practising the fire evacuation procedure so that they know what to do in an emergency. 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 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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: 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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