Edwards Carolyne Anne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 204547 Inspection date 09/12/2009 Inspector Saida Cummings

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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 1993 and lives with her family in a residential area situated on the outskirts of Droitwich, Worcestershire. There are local shops, parks, playing fields, daycare settings and schools within walking distance. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and daycare settings. Children are taken on local visits and outings.

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Description of the childminding

Children have access to all of the property. There is a fully enclosed rear garden available for outdoor play. Access to the property is via several steps to the front door. The childminder has procedures to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. She is registered to care for six children at any one time and there are currently five children on roll within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Two children attend on a full-time basis and three children attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also cares for older children. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and is an active member of the local childminding support group. She is also a member of the local childminding network.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children thrive in the well-organised and child-friendly atmosphere of the childminder’s home. Their welfare, learning and development are very well promoted by the childminder. All children are equally valued and respected and benefit from care that is tailored to meet their individual needs, promoting inclusion very well. There are effective partnerships with parents and carers as the childminder ensures they are kept fully informed of their children’s care arrangements. The self-evaluation system and some of the documentation are still under development. These are not yet sufficiently robust to ensure that the childminder is able to maintain continuous development in all areas.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the self-evaluation system further to ensure priorities for making improvements are identified and implemented in all areas  update and maintain the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for each type of outing  extend planning documents to include information relating to how individual children will be supported to make progress in all areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare and safety is well promoted in a safe, friendly and homely environment. Arrangements for safeguarding children are robust and the childminder has a very good understanding of the known indicators of child abuse and also of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Risks of accidental injury to children are effectively minimised because the childminder constantly completes visual safety checks and takes immediate action to ensure children are kept safe and secure in everything they do. The childminder also completes detailed risk assessments which include all the indoor and outdoor areas. However, the risk assessment records do not include how hazards are minimised for each type of outing. All areas accessible to the children are thoughtfully organised to allow freedom to explore, direct access to a wealth of freely chosen resources and safe areas in which to play and relax. Clear policies and procedures have been

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the early years provision

developed to promote children’s health, safety and enjoyment and these are effectively put into practice.

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the early years provision

Children’s care is enhanced because of the childminder’s knowledge and understanding of how young children learn and develop. She has completed Level 3 childcare qualifications, is very experienced in childcare and shows a clear commitment to improving her knowledge and understanding through training. She has made good progress since the last inspection and this reflects the childminder's commitment to making continual improvements to her practice through training and improving her knowledge of current early childhood initiatives. Self-assessment is evident in the childminder’s practice and she has a clear vision for high quality and inclusive care. She shows an understanding of the evaluation process, although this is still under development. The process for identifying priorities for making improvements in all areas is not yet fully developed.

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the early years provision

Children are relaxed, show they feel at home and confidently select and make decisions about what they would like to do and play with. They have the freedom to experiment, whilst still knowing that the childminder is always close at hand for assistance if required. Inclusive practice is promoted as the childminder encourages children's positive self-esteem and adapts the activities to ensure all the children are able to join in at their own level. The childminder ensures that all children's needs are met effectively and that they develop a positive attitude to others. The good partnership with parents and carers is based on effective information sharing, which includes daily discussions and use of daily diaries to inform them of how their children have spent their day. The childminder is aware of the importance of involving parents and carers in the care of their children and seeks their views about her practice on a regular basis. She also involves children

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the early years provision

with making decisions about what types of activities they would like to take part in. The childminder has started making links with other settings in the local area and will be extending this to ensure this is pertaining to individual children's progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children flourish in a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment where they are valued as unique individuals. Their good health and well-being is promoted extremely well as all children have daily opportunities for physical indoor and outdoor activities. They relish playing and exercising in the outdoor fresh air using the wide variety of equipment to develop their physical skills. For example, they skilfully learn to use the age-appropriate outdoor resources to develop their balance, running and jumping skills. Children’s awareness of the world around them and the wider society is encouraged through a range of activities and outings. This includes outings within the local community and regular attendance at the various children’s groups where they have the opportunity to mix with other children and develop their social skills. For example, they love to join in with music sessions at the local ‘Rhythm Time’ group. They learn how to use the various

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and outcomes for children

musical instruments to beat out the rhythm and join in with singing scales. They also practise this at the childminder’s setting and feel very proud of themselves when they are able to stand up in front of the group singing into a microphone. As a result, children are building up their understanding of rhythm, music and developing their confidence in a stimulating environment. Children learn the importance of good hygiene through effective hand washing practice and the childminder has excellent procedures in place to ensure the spread of infection is minimised. Children are kept safe as the childminder ensures they are supervised at all times and discussions are held about how they can keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about fire safety when they practise the emergency evacuation procedure.

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and outcomes for children

Children are progressing very well in their learning and development as they benefit from an exciting range of activities which are specifically planned to ensure individual children’s preferences and interests are fully catered for. Their independence is developed and nurtured as they confidently make decisions about what they would like to play with. The childminder knows the children very well and uses this information to adapt planned and spontaneous activities so that each child is given the opportunity to develop their skills and learning. She has developed systems for recording individual children’s achievements and effectively uses observations of their play to track each child's progress. However, she does not use these records effectively to detail how individual children will be supported to make progress in all areas of learning. Children benefit from the care of the childminder who implements ideas into their play and asks them a wealth of

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and outcomes for children

questions to encourage their thinking and further extend their learning. She actively participates in children's play and they relish their time with her.

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and outcomes for children

Children have many opportunities to explore and investigate, extend their imagination and problem solving skills. For example, they enthusiastically join in with imaginary play when they spontaneously use the play animals and farm buildings. They help to construct the farm buildings, putting the roofs on and using books for the ‘doors’. They choose which toy animals they wish to put into each building and pretend that all the animals have ‘gone to sleep’. Children have many opportunities to extend their hand/eye coordination and develop their skills for the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 future. They join in with puzzle games and enjoy using a variety of interactive toys. Their creativity is encouraged through involvement in a range of age- appropriate craft activities, such as painting and creating textured collages from natural materials. Children have very good opportunities to develop their skills in

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and outcomes for children

communicating, literacy and numeracy. Their language skills are developed through their love of books and storytelling, as well as encouragement to join in with relaxed and interesting conversations. For example, they socialise during meals and snacks whilst joining in with discussions about what food they are eating. 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 2 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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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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