Cox, Rosemary Christine

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116939 Inspection date 15/12/2009 Inspector Jill Milton

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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

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 and she lives with her husband and one grown- up daughter. The family live in Caversham Heights, close to the centre of Reading and the home is within easy travelling distance of local shops, schools and parks. Minded children use rooms on the ground floor of the home with access to sleeping facilities upstairs. There is a fully enclosed rear garden and the family have one pet dog. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and her registration permits her to care for three children at any one time in the early years age range. The childminder has a level three qualification in childcare and education. She frequently works with her daughter who is also a registered childminder. The childminder currently cares for three children, on a part-time basis, within the early years age range.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder is attentive and welcoming to the children in her care. She is helping them to thrive with their learning and development by focusing on their individual needs. The childminder has excellent organisational skills and uses documentation effectively to support her work. She demonstrates an enthusiastic attitude to her professional development and consistently attends training opportunities. The childminder uses self-evaluation successfully to reflect on her practice and she values the input of comments from parents. She builds up excellent partnerships with families using her services.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extending further children's early literacy by providing access at all times to the good book selection and by displaying more letters and words

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the early years provision

The childminder has a highly professional attitude to safeguarding children, shown by her commitment to update training in child protection at regular intervals. She shares her safeguarding policy with parents and makes clear to them her responsibilities in this area, to protect children's welfare. The childminder has a confident understanding of risk assessments, which she uses to monitor the safety of her home and when taking children on trips outdoors. Her safe and pleasant family home provides children with warmth and security. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She uses her growing confidence at using information technology to support her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 work, with an extensive range of written policies and procedures that provide a secure base for her daily practice. The childminder has many years of experience

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the early years provision

of working with young children and she holds an impressive training record, which includes qualification at level three in childcare and education. She seeks out sources of advice from local early years teams to ensure that she is continuing to meet high standards.

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the early years provision

The childminder has built up a wide variety of resources over time and she organises space in her home to enable children to play in comfort. She works successfully with her daughter, who is also a qualified childminder, so that children play together in a small group. This provides excellent focus on the individual needs of each child whilst supporting their social skills. The childminder is proactive in establishing effective partnerships with parents. They receive written information from the childminder to explain her procedures and enabling an excellent start to a two-way flow of information about the children. The childminder is supportive of children with special needs or disabilities, providing care over many years to ensure consistency and joint working with parents and other professionals. She includes new parents in sharing details of their child's development so she is aware of their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and content in the care of the childminder. She has a calm and quiet approach that helps children to feel secure and build close bonds with her. The childminder recognises the importance of children's emotional development and self-esteem, noting a child's positive response seeing themselves in a mirror or when experiencing bubble blowing for the first time. Children gain awareness of how to stay healthy from an early age. They thoroughly enjoy picnic time together and a variety of chopped fruits disappears quickly. Children are regularly offered drinks to quench their thirst and the childminder has experience of taking into account children's varying dietary requirements. A lively activity provides lots of conversation when sorting pictures of food into healthy and not so healthy categories. The childminder encourages children's early language and writing skills effectively. Children play together in a small sociable group and with

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and outcomes for children

the childminder's gentle guidance are developing early skills of co-operation that they will need in their future lives.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder plans the daily routine sensibly and with good awareness of the needs of the children in her care. She adapts plans to suit specific requests from parents, for example to include more outings in the afternoon. The week contains a very good balance between activities outside in the local community, such as mother and toddler groups, and plenty of child-led play in the home. The children frequently visit the nearby park where they can explore equipment to develop their physical skills, such as travelling over and through a climbing frame. The childminder is aware of the needs for younger ones to rest in the day, providing clean and comfortable areas for sleep. There is a comprehensive approach to keeping children healthy, with meticulous standards of cleanliness in the home and an accurate understanding of issues like recording accidents or administering This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

medicines. The childminder is committed to providing individual support to children's early learning. She keeps delightful observational notes and dated photographs of their development. Over time, her notes show how her confidence is growing in linking achievements to specific areas of learning and planning how to support children in taking the next steps. Children are able to progress very well. Activities include many that encourage children explore textures, colours and shapes. They have a say in what activity they particularly enjoy and toys are in regular use that help them to understand about people with disabilities. A good book range, that includes many positive images of diversity, is in regular use though not freely accessible and there are not many examples of letter shapes and words in the main play area. Children are moving forward with their understanding of number, through well-known songs and games and the garden provides them

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and outcomes for children

with a valuable introduction to nature, as they feed the fish or plant sunflowers. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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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