Lowerplace Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 105777 Inspection date 02/11/2009 Inspector Helen Maria Steven

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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 December 1996. She lives with her husband, two adult children and fifteen year old son in a two bedroom basement flat, accessed via stairs. The home is in the Notting Hill area in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. All of the flat is used for childminding except the small back bedroom and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play; the childminder uses local drop-in groups, parks and playgrounds for outdoor and physical play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years old; of these, not more than three may be in the early years age range. She currently has two minded children on roll in the early years age range.

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Description of the childminding

The family has a cat which is sometimes accessible to the children. A lizard and a corn snake are also in the home, but children only view these with parental permission and under adult supervision as they are housed in a room not used by minded children.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has a National Vocational Qualification in early years child care at Level 3. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is a quality approved member of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Children Come first Childminding Network.

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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 happy and settled and receive a high standard of care from a childminder who has established close relationships with the children and ensures each child's individual needs are effectively met. Children take part in a wide range of activities and play experiences, both inside and outside of the home, that support their learning well. The childminder works very well with children's parents and carers, and makes links with other professionals when needed. The childminder demonstrates a commitment to continuing to improve her provision by attending on-going training; she has started to use the Ofsted self-evaluation form to assist her in strengthening the process of identifying areas to develop further.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop the observations and assessments to more accurately monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals and to identify and plan for each child's individual next steps for learning  continue to develop the systems of self-evaluation to monitor all aspects of the setting and build on already good practice in order to promote continuous This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improvement of the provision and outcomes for children

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as the childminder has a sound understanding of child protection issues and is actively seeking further training to ensure that her knowledge is kept up to date. She has recently carried out risk assessments for her home and outings in line with regulation and visually carries out daily safety checks. The childminder has developed written policies and procedures that keep parents informed of her methods. She organises space and play resources effectively to meet children's needs, enabling them to self-select. A good range of age appropriate toys and activities are set out attractively in the hallway and children have free access to a larger space in the front room. The childminder observes children’s play and organises activities based on their interests.

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the early years provision

The childminder has built strong relationships with parents, which helps to provide an individualised care for all the children who attend. Photos of the children are displayed and photo albums are available to enable children to develop a strong sense of belonging. Resources and activities reflect the diversity of the local community and all children are supported well to help them make good progress in their development. Children enjoy cultural events, such as entering the Notting Hill carnival to help them gain an understanding of cultures different to their own. Information about the children's time with the childminder is shared with parents verbally at the end of every day and diaries are kept for each child. Parents report that she is 'brilliant at her job' and is ‘loving, caring, educating, entertaining and stimulating’.

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the early years provision

The childminder works alongside other agencies as and when the need arises in order to support children’s individual needs. The childminder holds an NVQ3 qualification in childcare and attends on-going training courses and workshops to further improve and update her knowledge of childcare and education, for example, she has recently attended a music and movement course. She has begun to develop her systems for self-evaluation to ensure that her many strengths are well recorded and areas requiring further improvement are recognised. The recommendation from the last inspection has been successfully addressed, demonstrating the childminder's capacity to make necessary improvements.

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and outcomes for children

Children form good relationships with the childminder and are developing friendships with each other. They benefit from interesting learning experiences which support them on their journey towards the Early learning goals. The childminder encourages young children to make choices about their play by arranging resources attractively at a low level; in addition she instigates activities, such as setting up a wooden circus toy. She ingeniously uses the figures as a tool for discussing the principles of sharing and helps the children to recognise the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 benefits of turn taking. Children are afforded time to undertake routines, such as hand washing after touching animals and following a nappy change, as this is recognised as a learning opportunity. Children's developing language skills are supported very well as the childminder commentates, asks questions and responds

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and outcomes for children

to children’s comments. They relish sharing books with the childminder in the cosy book area, responding to favourite stories, such as ‘The Gruffalo’ by adding the sound effects. Children’s understanding of numbers is enhanced by posters and resources, young children spontaneously count items during play; in addition the minder uses mathematical language during her commentary throughout the day. They skilfully complete challenging puzzles and are afforded time to carry out the activity independently with encouragement and suggestions given by the childminder when needed. Children explore different media as they mark make and create pictures. Children have good opportunities to explore the world around them through outings to local drop in groups where they learn about their community and socialise with peers. They are embarking on a project to give them first hand experience of growing vegetables in a recently acquired allotment.

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and outcomes for children

Children are visibly excited when the family’s cat comes to join them, albeit briefly; they develop an understanding of how to treat animals with respect; alongside the childminder they stroke the animal gently, saying ‘ahh’. They are fascinated by simple electronic resources, for example, they record sounds and voices by pressing a button and press another to play it again.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a range of toys and take part in activities which support them in understanding their own and other cultures. The childminder gathers some information from parents at the start of their children's placements, but there is currently not a system in place to use this process to establish children’s starting points in their individual learning journey. The childminder observes children’s play in order to organise activities that meet their interests, but the system to use observations to inform planning for children’s individual progress towards the early learning goals is less robust. Children's good health is positively promoted, for example, children wash their hands after touching animals and have individual towels to dry themselves. The childminder provides them with nutritious snacks and meals, which are in line with children's dietary requirements, for example, children enjoy cheesy pasta and fruits for lunch. Children enjoy the benefits of

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and outcomes for children

fresh air and exercise when on outings, for example, to a Moroccan garden and they sleep or rest according to their individually established pattern. Children are helped to stay safe because the childminder reminds them to be careful in case they fall backwards when climbing on a stool. Children develop a sense of belonging in the setting and are very content in the childminder's home. They learn to behave responsibly as the childminder is confident in her management of behaviour and her gentle praise and encouragement helps children to feel secure and confident. 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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