Smith, Josie

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 322807 Inspection date 14/12/2009 Inspector Julie Firth

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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 provider has been registered since 1992. She lives with her husband and adult son in a semi-detached property in Leigh. The lounge, playroom, dining room, study, kitchen and bathroom facilities on the ground floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a rear garden available for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years old. There are currently 16 children on roll; of these, nine are within the early years age range. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to allow the childminder to care for older children. Children attend for a variety of placements. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the childminding

Children are taken to the library, park and on trips in the local environment. They are collected from the local primary school. The provider is a member of the National Childminding Association and receives support from Wigan Sure Start.

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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 promotes children’s welfare and learning in an inspiring and challenging way. Exemplary systems are in place in relation to planning, assessment and safety. The children are happily engaged and occupied in a highly stimulating range of play activities and experiences. They make excellent progress in their learning and development. The childminder has a highly successful partnership with parents; they are consulted, involved and kept very well informed of their children’s daily routines, care and learning. Positive links with others promotes excellent quality and continuity of education and care. The childminder has developed highly effective systems in relation to self-evaluation to help her monitor the service she provides and identify key strengths and areas for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 further developing the tracking system to monitor children's learning and progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has a highly effective understanding of safeguarding children and keeps up-to-date with training. She has an excellent knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and procedures to follow should she be concerned about a child's welfare. A record of visitors to the setting is maintained. All other aspects of documentation relating to the welfare of the children are in place, of a very high standard and stored to respect confidentiality. The childminder’s home is highly stimulating and organised to give the children superb opportunities to become independent. Children attend on different flexible sessions and an extremely structured daily routine promotes their welfare and meets their needs exceptionally well. The childminder fully recognises the importance of welcoming children with special educational needs and/or disabilities into a sharing and inclusive environment.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed and works extremely well promoting an excellent and inclusive service to both children, parents and carers. Exceptional documentation, policies and procedures are in place and copies are available to parents and discussed to ensure they are kept fully informed of her childcare. Parents have exceptional involvement in their children's learning and development alongside excellent daily communication. She maintains children's individual diaries, a very informative notice board, detailed questionnaires and parents are able to view and comment on their children's progress. This helps her monitor the service she provides. The childminder has rigorous systems in place to work with other agencies to ensure they are able to complement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provided. For example, she works very well with Sure Start, attends conferences with the National Childminding Association and the local schools. She

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the early years provision

liaises with their nursery teacher regarding the weekly planning of the six areas of learning, which ensures continuity with the children in her home. She has recently been awarded a certificate from the local authority for outstanding practice in childcare within the community.

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the early years provision

Highly effective self-assessment procedures are in place to monitor and evaluate the provision which takes into consideration the views of parents, children and outside agencies. She has attended all available training in relation to the EYFS framework, which enables her to meet the requirements extremely well and promote outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses the EYFS framework in great detail to further develop her childcare practice. She has an excellent understanding of children's likes, dislikes and capabilities, and is very enthusiastic in her practice. Rigorous planning provides a superb range of interesting and stimulating activities to help the children make progress across all areas of learning and development. Planning is also devised in consultation with the children. The childminder uses the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information she receives from parents through the individual record forms in the children's learning journals, which are completed with excellent detail. This ensures the needs of all children are extremely well met. She observes children at play and uses this information to chart their progress and plan their next steps in learning. Assessments indicate that children are making extremely good progress. She has

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and outcomes for children

started to use a tracking system across all the framework. However, this is not fully developed to enable her to enhance some areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

The environment is highly stimulating. She has developed an excellent range of accessible resources to help children explore and investigate, and fully promote diversity. Children learn about different festivals and extend this by tasting foods from different countries, creating Chinese menus and painting flags representing different countries and religions. Children talk about the different seasons and observe a bird in its nest. They have access to a computer and take trips to the beach, the park and garden centres. Heuristic play is very well promoted and young children feel different textures. For example, they break pieces of jelly and watch how ice melts. There is a very strong emphasis on independence, as children are encouraged to access their own drinks and to feed themselves at meal times. This is practised further during a trip to a restaurant. They have great fun making friends and learn how to respect each other when playing. Children use

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and outcomes for children

language very well and are encouraged to make marks, recognise letters, write letters and practise their name. They develop an awareness of numbers through rhymes and counting bricks. Very young children have access to play activity centres using different shapes. They explore and recognise colours of objects in a tray and how to piece a jigsaw. Photographic documentation shows the children have a wealth of opportunities to express their own thoughts and ideas using a variety of creative materials. They explore texture using a large variety of craft materials, dress up, catch bubbles from the machine, engage in stimulating role play and sit having great fun with the small world. Children benefit from and enjoy fresh air and they can freely move between the indoors and the garden constantly throughout the day. They experience a wealth of opportunities outside of continuous provision, such as sand and water and plant seeds, to consolidate their

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and outcomes for children

learning. They use a large amount of outdoor equipment, such as climbing frames, swings, slides and ball games, which promotes their coordination and muscular control.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from being cared for in a home which is extremely clean, warm and well maintained. Stringent hygiene routines and very good cleaning rotas are followed to ensure children's good health. For example, children are fully aware of hand washing after activities and visit the dentist with the childminder to enable them to enhance their hygiene awareness. They are involved in activities to remind them about fruit and vegetables. Children are well nourished and develop an awareness of healthy eating as a well-balanced and nutritious menu is in place to aid their growth and development. Drinking water is freely available from cups to ensure that children remain hydrated. The childminder’s home is very safe and secure and detailed comprehensive risk assessments are in place for every area of the home used by the children. Trips are extremely well thought out to enable children to have fun in a safe environment. Furthermore, a safety book is in place

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and outcomes for children

containing all the procedures and regulations for the setting. Children are involved in the regular fire drill. The older children practise the fire drill with the younger This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ones and the fire drill is recorded in detail in a child friendly book. Furthermore, they take part in activities to recognise people who help us. The childminder acts as an extremely good role model for the children and they receive clear messages about expected behaviour. As a result, the children are polite and behave well. 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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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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