Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY333146 Inspection date 18/11/2009 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 was registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and two children, aged six and eight years, in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The whole of the ground floor 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 can accept a maximum of five children under the age of eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age range. The childminder currently looks after 12 children in total, five of whom are in the early years age range. All attend on a part time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes children to a toddler group, goes for walks, visits to the park and completes school pick-ups. She links with other childminders at times to increase children's social opportunities.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder forms close bonds with the children to help them feel safe and she provides a varied programme of activities to keep children occupied and interested. The childminder joins in play to offer encouragement and promote independence, taking a re-active rather than pro-active approach to children's learning and development when they are very young and missing opportunities to extend what they know through their play. Health and safety procedures are satisfactory in practice but some documentation to support these areas does not meet the requirements. The childminder keeps parents informed of their children's progress, sharing documentation on request, and she encourages their feedback to help steer improvements and maintain continuous development. Early links exist with children's other carers but these have yet to be developed fully to ensure children benefit from a consistent approach to their learning and development and follow a

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 extend the risk assessment to cover all aspects of risks to children and keep a record of when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident 30/11/2009

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further?

 obtain prior written consent from parents before giving medicine to children and keep a written record of all 30/11/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 medicine administered to children

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further?

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

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further?

 actively promote learning and development for all children in the early years age range.

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the early years provision

The childminder understands the need to protect children from harm and the safeguarding procedure to follow if she has any child protection concerns. She supervises children effectively throughout the day having conducted risk assessments on both a formal and informal basis. The written record of risk assessment does not contain sufficient detail to comply with regulations and help build a bank of possible solutions to minimise risks as circumstances change.

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the early years provision

The childminder makes herself available for parents and carers to discuss their children when they drop off and collect, in order to ensure care arrangements continue to meet the children's needs. She provides brief policies, newsletters and daily diaries to keep families informed about the day, and is happy to share children's progress records if adults want to feel more involved in their children's learning. The childminder asks parents to complete a feedback questionnaire annually to help identify areas for improvement and she addresses the issues they raise in order to adapt to suit their needs. For example, the daily diary began at the request of a parent in order to get to know about feeding, sleeping and nappy routines on a daily basis. The childminder meets other childminders regularly in order to share good practice and she attends appropriate training to increase her own skills and maintain ongoing development. Contact with children's other carers

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the early years provision

is still in its infancy with only one brief response to an invitation to share information and no ongoing communication to help inform children's development and improve consistency.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an appropriate range of resources for children to use and selects different ones each day according to what she wants to have out. The children show considerable interest in their surroundings, focussing on one specific item after the other in short bursts. The childminder sits on the floor to join in the activities and provides each with an equal level of attention and interest to ensure they feel welcome and secure within her care. Young children have cuddles and are fully included in the conversation but the childminder does not consistently promote learning in free play to ensure they reach their full potential.

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the early years provision

The service on offer is reliable and effective in helping children to grow in confidence and become sociable. As a result, the children are happy, they get on well together, and behaviour is good. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The children play very contentedly because they feel secure and safe in the childminder's care. They receive consistent messages about being kind to others and know what the childminder expects in terms of behaviour. As a result, the children form a harmonious group and enjoy each other's company.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder joins in play to encourage children to try things for themselves and develop their confidence. For example, when one wants a drink, the childminder points and says 'there it is, the pink cup, you get it' encouraging independence and developing colour recognition. Children receive praise for their achievements and consequently enjoy exploring the toys they see. Some spin wheels around on a car, trying to discover how it works and extend their knowledge of the wider world. Other young children satisfy their curiosity with their own shoes and socks, taking them off repeatedly to practise co-ordination as they develop their physical skills. The childminder occasionally links learning by, for example, asking children what noises a cow and a car make as they show interest in the resources provided. Communication is developing and the childminder promotes conversation and asks children questions to help them learn to listen and

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and outcomes for children

become adept at interpreting what she says. The childminder understands how children learn and repeats words frequently to develop language skills and understanding.

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and outcomes for children

Children's progress records show a clear rate of progress and make it easy to identify any gaps in children's learning. However, the childminder has no clear aims for individual children to promote progress, working instead on general aims that she feels are appropriate for their age and interests. As a result, the children make steady progress but do not receive consistent challenges in order to be productively occupied and encouraged to work at their individual level.

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and outcomes for children

The children benefit from regular outdoor activities to help develop a healthy lifestyle as they learn more about the world around them. They visit local places of interest, learning to cross the road safely, and understanding the need to stay near the childminder when out. They mix with other childminders to extend their social development and learn skills to stand them in good stead 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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