St Mark's Catholic School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 102543 Inspection date 26/10/2009 Inspector Lynne Stephanie Bowden

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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 1998. She lives with her daughter, who attends secondary school, in the town of Wadebridge, in Cornwall. The childminder walks children to and from local shops, parks and schools. Due to the steps to both the front and back of the property, the childminder's home is not suitable for people who use wheel chairs. Only the ground floor of the childminder’s home is used for childminding. The rear garden is available for outside play. She has two pet cats. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early year’s age range. She is currently minding one child in this age group, who also attends a local day nursery. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There were no children present when this

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Description of the childminding

inspection took place. The findings of this report are based on evidence gathered from discussions with the childminder, and an inspection of the premises, equipment and relevant documentation.

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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 provides activities and routines which meet the general care needs of children and cover all areas of learning and development. Regular discussions and use of daily diaries with parents ensure sufficient information is shared to meet their children’s individual requirements. However, the childminder has not established a system to work in partnership with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Nor is there a system to monitor the effectiveness of her practice and her influence on children’s learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue develop knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework learning and development and develop systems to share information with parents and other providers of the EYFS to enable all to provide complementary care and help children progress  continue to develop systems to monitor the effectiveness of her practice and use self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

Children are kept safe from harm, as the childminder has an understanding of signs and symptoms of child abuse and has a clear child protection policy, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 including the reporting procedure. She ensures that the environment is safe, using appropriate safety equipment and carries out and keeps written records of risk assessments. Children learn to keep themselves safe when out and about, for example, the childminder teaches them to cross the road safely when going on walks or to collect children from the nearby school. The childminder's home is clean and tidy and children are able to independently choose from a good range of age appropriate toys and activities. They are well protected in the event of having an accident as the childminder is qualified in first aid. The childminder provides healthy snacks such as fresh fruit and plans

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the early years provision

energetic outdoor activities in the fresh air on a regular basis. The childminder has established warm relationships with children and their families and through discussion ensures that all respect each others beliefs. Parents feel well informed about their children’s activities and information about the setting is shared with parents through written policies and procedures, notice boards and individual diaries. The childminder is conscientious in obtaining required consents. She is experienced in supporting children with learning difficulties and disabilities. The childminder shares appropriate information with other agencies to ensure that children’s needs are met. However, she has not established a partnership with other providers of the EYFS, to enable all involved, to plan and provide complementary activities and care to promote children’s learning and development. She is able to describe how she promotes children's learning and development

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the early years provision

through play activities and daily routines and experiences. However, she has not developed a system to record each child's progress and monitor the effectiveness of her input on children’s learning and development. This limits her ability evaluate her practice and consequently restricts her capacity to maintain improvement.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder explains how having been cared for by her since babyhood, children are confident and secure in her home. They have easy access to a good range of resources to promote independent play. These include a variety of books, construction and role play toys. Children are able to learn about and respect diversity through their use of small world play figures, which include people from other cultures and with disabilities. Numerous books are available to encourage children's enjoyment of the written word. The childminder describes how she plans activities for children according to their individual preferences and needs. For example, introducing different materials such as play dough and finger paint to encourage them to handle different materials and participate in messy play. She explains how children learn about the environment and the world about them, on outings to local parks and walks. The secure rear garden is used effectively to

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and outcomes for children

promote children's learning, especially their physical development, with opportunities for physical challenge on the trampoline and swing hopper and access to sand and water play. There are also opportunities for children to observe and learn about herbs and plants grown there. Children enjoy fresh air and exercise through walks to the local park. The childminder has a little knowledge and awareness of the EYFS framework and the activities she provides are designed to cover all areas of learning. Although there are no written systems in place the childminder shows an adequate This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understanding of being able to assess individual children's capabilities and provide relevant activities to ensure that some progress is made. Therefore, children make adequate progress and the childminder is able to understand the targets for their

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and outcomes for children

individual next steps. 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 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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