Dolphin School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 126646 Inspection date 08/01/2010 Inspector Liz Margaret Caluori

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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 has been registered since 2000. She lives with her two children aged 16 and four years of age in a bungalow in New Romney. The whole of the premises is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a total of five children under eight years, of these two may be in the early years age group and of these only one may be under one year. She is currently caring for one child in the early years age group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds the Diploma in Childminding Practice and a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 in Childcare. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is also an accredited member of the local childminding network.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is able to deliver and collect children from pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools in the local and surrounding areas. The family do not keep pets.

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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 are very relaxed and happy in the safe, comfortable, child-centred environment. The good level of attention given to identifying and addressing their individual interests and the highly effective planning systems ensure they are progressing well. Positive partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals support the childminder to provide consistent, coordinated care. A commitment to continual improvement and self-evaluation supports the childminder to offer a service which is specifically developed to meet the needs of children and their families.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the clarity of written observations to more clearly indicate how next steps have been identified  address the minor weaknesses in the written policies and procedures, specifically update the contact details in the child protection statement and ensure that the complaints procedure is reviewed to reflect the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has robust arrangements in place to ensure children’s safety. She is confident in her ability to identify the potential signs and symptoms of child abuse and is clear on the procedure to follow should she have any concerns about children’s safety or welfare. She has a range of precautions in place within her home to ensure that children are able to move freely between rooms. This helps to promote their independence in a safe, secure environment. The childminder has undertaken risk assessments on her home and planned outings and maintains the required written records. However, these have a tendency to take the form of health and safety checklists. This does not reflect the high level of competency the childminder demonstrates in assessing and managing risks to provide an appropriate level of challenge for each child.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very positive attitude towards evaluating and reflecting on her practice. She is committed to ongoing training and has completed an NVQ in Early Years Childcare, Learning and Development. She very competently identifies her strengths and weaknesses and is prompt to implement improvements where necessary.

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the early years provision

Positive relationships with parent and carers support the childminder to understand each child’s personality and to share information openly. Parents and carers are given a good range of written information, including a range of policies and procedures. With the exception of the complaints procedure and the child protection procedure, both of which require minor revisions, these are generally detailed, clear and regularly updated. Parents and carers are given regular information about their child’s progress. They also contribute observations from home and work with the childminder to plan future goals for their child. This ensures that the childminder is able to provide care which is carefully planned to provide consistency and which is responsive to the families' changing needs. In addition the childminder fully recognises the importance of communicating effectively with other professionals. She has strong links with the local teachers

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the early years provision

which help her to prepare children for the transition into school.

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the early years provision

Children are provided with an extremely good range of toys and resources. These include items which reflect diversity including images of people from different backgrounds and cultures as well as dolls depicting disability. The childminder has also bought a calendar of festivals and days of special cultural significance in order plan activities to increase children’s awareness of different customs.

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the early years provision

The childminder maintains all of the records and documentation required for the safe and efficient running of her provision. These are generally well organised and are confidentially stored. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from the strong focus placed on teaching them about healthy living. They have very regular opportunities to play physical games including climbing, running and using ride on toys. They enjoy the fresh air and understand how to dress appropriately for the weather. For instance, they put on boots, coats, scarves, gloves and hats to play in the snow and discuss how differently they need to dress during the summer.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about the importance of eating healthily as the childminder skilfully builds their enthusiasm for eating fruit and vegetables. They are also developing very good personal hygiene practices, routinely washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating. The childminder holds a valid first aid certificate to enable her to treat children in case of a minor accident. Appropriate procedures are also in place to deal with sick children and to administer medication.

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and outcomes for children

The thoughtful organisation of space and resources has created a stimulating environment in which children have a good deal of fun as they play and learn. They are making good progress in all areas as a result of the childminder’s thorough knowledge of child development and commitment to planning for their individual needs. She undertakes sensitive observations of the children in order to plan their next steps, although the written records of these sometimes lack clarity. This does not detract from the quality of children’s experiences as the childminder has a range of complimentary systems in place to ensure that their progress is effectively monitored.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making extremely good progress in their communication, language and literacy skills as they chat happily throughout the day. The childminder very competently extends their language by introducing new vocabulary as well as new concepts and ideas. This also helps to extend their general knowledge and understanding of the world. Children have access to a very good selection of books including story books and reference books covering a broad range of topics. They are also very well supported to develop an interest in writing, for example, practising forming letters in the snow. Similar attention is given to promoting children's problem solving, reasoning and numeracy development. They enjoy counting, matching, sorting and sequencing activities as well as using construction sets and puzzles to plan and build. Children also enjoy very regular opportunities to engage in arts and crafts activities and to go to local groups and places of

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and outcomes for children

Children behave extremely well and are developing very good self-esteem and social skills as a result of the childminder’s warm, friendly manner. This, together with the practical skills they are taught, such as preparing food, dressing, and using computers, helps to prepare children for the future. 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: 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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