Childminder in Haringey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY229480 Inspection date 20/10/2009 Inspector Anneliese Fox-Jones

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 2002. She lives with her husband and two children aged 11 and 14 years. They live in a house in Hornsey, in the London borough of Haringey, within walking distance of local schools, shops and play centres. The areas used for childminding are mainly the living room, as well as two bedrooms for undisturbed sleep, the kitchen and ground floor toilet. There is a fully enclosed garden available 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 to care for a maximum of six children under eight years. Of these, not more than three may be in the early years age group, and of these, not more than one may be under one year. When working with an assistant, she may care for a maximum of seven children under eight years, of whom not more than five may be in the early years age group and not more than two many be under one at any one time. At present the childminder cares for nine children under eight years. Six children are in the early years age range and three children are in the older age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association, she attends local drop in groups on a regular basis.

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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

All children are valued and respected and have their needs met owing to the stable, caring and knowledgeable childminder, who recognises the uniqueness of each child. Children are extremely comfortable, happy and secure in their surroundings. They make rapid progress in their learning and development as the childminder is fully committed to the children in her care and is exceptionally skilled in meeting their individual needs. They develop a very broad understanding about the wider world and have tremendous respect for each other. The childminder attends appropriate training to stay up-to-date, develop her own experiences and extend her service, putting the children first. She has extremely good working relationships with all associated adults in order to ensure consistency and effectiveness. The childminder has robust safety procedures in place to safeguard children. The childminder's superb energy, enthusiasm and vision

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

ensures continuous improvement, thereby providing a service which is responsive to children's needs.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop the system for observing children's progress in order to plan children's next steps in learning and individual developmental needs  extend procedures in place for obtaining and using information from parents to further involve them in their child's ongoing learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder strives to provide high quality care and education. Her documentation is well organised and easily accessible. All the required policies and procedures for the safe management of children are in place. All records for children's health and safety are well-maintained. The premises are safe and inviting for children with many pictures, posters and labels to inform and guide children. The childminder is vigilant with regards to children's safety both within the home and when they are out within the local community. Clear and effective risk assessments are undertaken regularly to enhance children's safety throughout all areas and for each specific outing. She holds useful reference materials to guide her if she should have any concerns about a child and fully understands her responsibility to protect children at all times. Recent training completed in this area means the childminder is up-to-date with current policies and procedures. Thus,

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the early years provision

children's well-being is significantly enhanced. The childminder has developed valuable self-evaluation processes. All parents and children are involved as their views are sought to bring about improvements within the setting. For example, the childminder encourages children to draw pictures at home of what they like doing to help the childminder monitor the children's interests and preferences. Consequently, children's voices are fully valued which contributes to their sense of belonging within this setting. The childminder demonstrates a commitment to providing very strong quality care and education for children. She continues to develop her knowledge and skills to promote better outcomes for children. This is demonstrated in her commitment to attending additional training in the early years field. She demonstrates a positive approach to improvements and has successfully addressed the recommendation from her previous inspection.

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the early years provision

The parents value the service highly, appreciating the individuality of care arrangements and open communication provided to keep them fully informed. It is evident from their letters that they are extremely happy with the care their children receive. As a result, children are very secure and it is clear that they have established warm and caring relationships with the childminder. The excellent and close working partnerships with parents contribute to children's individual needs being met appropriately. Parents receive regular communication on daily events and children's achievements; they see all essential information, for example, informative progress records, children's work and scrap books. Photographs of children at play also give parents an insight into the world in which children participate. However, the system for obtaining update reports and using this information from parents to contribute to their child's learning and development is

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the early years provision

less well embedded. The childminder liaises with other adults involved in any child's care, in order to enhance what they do elsewhere and adopt a consistent approach to their ongoing development. Children are happy and confident in their play and develop a strong sense of belonging as they feel included and welcomed This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 in the setting. They benefit from the childminder's knowledge and understanding of how to promote their learning and enjoyment and how to help children feel confident in her care. She adapts her practice accordingly, especially for very young children. Therefore, children develop a real sense of belonging in a relaxed atmosphere. A well organised play area for children is rotated around and provides plenty of opportunity for children to make choices in their play. Furniture, equipment and resources are of high quality and suitable for the ages of all

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the early years provision

children. The childminder uses an extensive range of community resources, such as playgroups, parks and walks in order to offer an extended range of opportunities.

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and outcomes for children

Children thrive in this secure, stimulating and inclusive environment. They make excellent progress in all areas of learning and are supported in achieving because the childminder has a comprehensive knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Records of children's care and achievements are kept in scrap books that provide a useful record of their progress. These observations have yet to be fully evaluated to plan for the next steps of children's individual learning and development within the EYFS. Space and resources are arranged very well to enable children to make their own decisions about their play. They explore their surroundings and play resources with great enthusiasm and remain focused and interested because the childminder provides valuable support and challenge when needed and utilises all learning opportunities. For example, children benefit from regular shopping trips where they talk about the different food items, where they

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and outcomes for children

come from and how they grow and can then observe the cooking process before being served up on their plate. Children's views are genuinely valued and they are encouraged to express themselves. This means that the childminder is aware of their interests and needs, including this information in the planning to ensure that individual development is promoted.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from the childminder's purposeful interaction with them. She listens to their ideas and responds positively to their constant questions. She is fully engaged with them at all times as she challenges their learning through play. They have excellent opportunities to learn and develop through a balanced range of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children are supported to develop their own ideas and be creative. For example, children's art work adorns the walls, in particular the recent art and craft decorations for their Diwali celebrations. Children develop very confident communication skills in an environment rich in language, singing and books. Children use a wide variety of toys and equipment to help them progress in their numeracy and problem solving. They count within daily routines and play, for example, when putting legs into trousers or sorting toys, and use number symbols on the walls and puzzles to reinforce their understanding of

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and outcomes for children

number. Electronic toys are used skilfully to introduce children to technology. Children are delighted when their requests for dressing-up are honoured. They are excited to put on princess and doctor's outfits and enjoy their picnic lunch in their costumes. The childminder's professional approach towards diversity and inclusion ensure that children develop a positive awareness of themselves and others within This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 our wider society. Through their play they learn to respect different people and cultures and how people celebrate their individual traditions all over the world.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop high levels of confidence and independence because they are valued and encouraged at all times. Respectful behaviour and caring attitudes are reinforced and strategies for managing children's behaviour are appropriate for the children's level of understanding. For example, they learn to share toys and take turns when playing to develop social skills that will stand them in good stead for the future. They learn about healthy eating practices as they are involved in the weekly shop and make healthy choices about what they eat. They enjoy extremely well prepared and nutritious food. Children have exciting opportunities to participate in a wide range of physical activities and gain a secure understanding of the importance of regular exercise as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, they access a broad range of challenging resources within the home and on various outings. The childminder is close at hand to give clear and consistent

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and outcomes for children

guidelines about how to play safely. Children's health is both protected and promoted by the extremely good practice of the childminder. The cleanliness of all areas children use is maintained to a good standard and great care is taken to prevent cross-infection. Children are kept safe because of the highly effective measures the childminder has taken both to protect children and to teach them how to keep safe. For example, on outings children are taught how to cross roads safely and to be aware of strangers; young children have to hold hands or ride in buggies. The childminder regularly reinforces traffic light colours, to ensure they are appropriately responsive to the different colours and their meaning when crossing roads. 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 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 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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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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