Redditch, St John Fisher Catholic First School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116912 Inspection date 07/12/2009 Inspector Jan Leo

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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 registered in 1993. She lives with her two grown up children in a three storey house in Caversham, Reading. Children play on the first floor of the property, sleep on the second floor and have access to toilet facilities on the ground floor. There is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor 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 maximum of six children under the age of eight years, of whom three may be in the early years age range. The childminder currently looks after seven children in the early years age range. All attend on a part time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has a nationally recognised level 3 qualification. She supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 forms extremely good links with parents and children's other carers in order to meet children's individual needs and ensure they feel safe. All children receive a high level of support to enable them to join in fully and they become confident and sociable from an early age. Learning and development is based around stimulating play opportunities and free choice to help children become enthusiastic learners and follow their own particular interests in order to thrive. The childminder is very well organised and has robust documentation to support a professional and effective service. However, some paperwork lacks the detail needed to provide a clear overview of children's progress and full details of the value of safety precautions for different stages of development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop systems for monitoring learning and development to make sure children cover all areas of the curriculum evenly, identify any gaps in their learning easily, and ensure they consistently work towards their next steps  retain risk assessment information regarding changes in proceedure following a review of safety, in order to build a record of possible solutions for future use.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very secure understanding of child protection procedures, having attended training in order to become familiar with the process and fully This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understand her responsibility to safeguard children from harm. She conducts effective risk assessments and supervises children closely to help them learn about safety as they play. The risk assessment record is currently replaced after every review, resulting in lost information about previous precautions and their effectiveness.

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the early years provision

The childminder plays on the floor with the children and talks to them constantly to explain things and help children make sense of what they see. This helps them develop a strong sense of security and feel safe because they know what to expect. The childminder provides the right level of input to promote children's independence and ensure they achieve their goals. She teaches children to share fairly and take turns when, for example, they play with shape sorters together on the floor. The childminder calls children by name, uses eye contact and claps to mark their success and encourage participation. The children are becoming aware of the needs of others and eagerly help remove the coat of a younger child or wave at a visitor to help them feel welcome. All get on very well together and behaviour is excellent.

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the early years provision

Parent value the service highly, appreciating the individual attention their children receive and the efforts the childminder makes to keep them informed about the day. They have easy access to essential information in the hallway, receive policies on disc and get daily updates through discussion at drop off and collection times or text messages throughout the day. The childminder happily follows specific strategies designed by health professionals to help children overcome developmental difficulties. She works closely with parents and carers to offer a consistent approach and enhance what children do elsewhere. As a result, the children make good progress and thoroughly enjoy their day. The childminder invites feedback about her service to help steer improvements and ensure she continues to meet the needs of those who use her service. She attends relevant training in order to stay up to date and continue her own personal development

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the early years provision

and welcomes professional advice to continue raising standards.

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and outcomes for children

The children arrive happily and quickly begin to play, freely developing their own games and becoming engrossed for extended periods. All have choices and free access to a stimulating range of resources stored at low level. Some stack cars in a trailer, counting how many fit and naming the colours. Others play with a shape sorter and rotate pieces dextrously to fit them through the correct hole. The childminder plays with the children at all times, talking through what they need to do and explaining how to succeed. She interacts very effectively at a level the children easily understand. This helps them know what to expect and make sense of what they see, effortlessly increasing their knowledge of the world around them and helping develop their skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

The children follow their own interests and the childminder routinely links learning to ensure it remains meaningful and memorable. For example, she talks to the children about the shape of the pieces they fit into the holes and of the need for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 coats when going into the rain to fetch another child from pre-school. The childminder repeats words to develop children's language and aid their understanding. She enthusiastically encourages children to speak and displays extreme pleasure in all they do, valuing the opportunity to be a big part of their life.

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and outcomes for children

The children participate in craft activities to develop their creative talents and practise hand eye coordination. They sit to colour and paint, learning to avoid accidents and reinforcing good practice. The children explore musical toys and play with telephones to become familiar with modern technology and they confidently copy their peers and play together harmoniously.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder instinctively knows how much support to provide and how to move children on in order to ensure they make good progress. However, her current system of recording children's achievements does not give a clear over- view to fully support children's learning and development. As a result, there is no simple way to check for any gaps in learning and of ensuring that children continue to cover each area of the curriculum evenly. Despite this, the children are competent learners, consistently making good progress while they have fun. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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