Childminder in Worcestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 205014 Inspection date 17/12/2009 Inspector Valerie Fane

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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 1983. She lives with her husband and adult children in north Worcester. The whole of the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor are used for childminding. Accessibility to the premises is up one step. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family has two cats.

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Description of the childminding

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 years age range. There are currently seven children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She provides funded early education for three and four-year- olds. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 with the childminder because she has a secure grasp of the Early Years Foundation Stage and she ensures that their welfare and learning needs are met well. Children make good progress because she identifies their individual learning needs and includes these in her planning for children's play, but opportunities for partnership working are not fully developed. Her practice is inclusive and she takes into account their particular needs including any cultural variations as well as ensuring that all children gain a good understanding of our diverse society. She is committed to maintaining high standards and has recently met the requirements to become an accredited childminder. She attends regular training to ensure that she is up to date with current good practice in many different aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All required documentation is in place but a minor area for improvement has been identified.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the opportunities for partnership working where children receive care and education in more than one setting  improve the recording of regular safety checks. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well because the childminder has attended several recent training courses and has a very secure knowledge of the possible signs of abuse and the procedures to follow if she was to have concerns about a child in her care. Parents are made aware of her responsibility regarding safeguarding through a brief statement in her confidentiality policy. Children receive care in a safe and secure home because the childminder has completed a risk assessment to identify any hazards and she carries out regular safety checks to ensure that risks to children are minimised or eliminated. She updates the risk assessment each year and she has a record of regular fire practices which includes a check on the smoke detectors but otherwise there are no records of the regular safety checks. Visual risk assessments are completed for all outings.

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the early years provision

Children enjoy a very good selection of toys and since the last inspection she has increased her range of toys that reflect other cultures. Children benefit greatly from the childminder's commitment to attend regular training to ensure that her practice is fully up to date. She has also recently become an accredited childminder to provide funded education for pre-school age children. She has a clear vision to continue to develop her provision in this area and she is also exploring the possibility of Forest School training in the near future. Her practice is reflective and she has made good use of the self-evaluation document over a period of time to identify ongoing areas for further development.

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the early years provision

Children thrive because the childminder develops a close relationship with their parents or carers. She gets to know children and their families very well and ensures that their home culture is represented in her activities. Children are able to continue their learning at home because the childminder completes a daily diary sheet for parents that includes information about children's welfare and learning. Parents see photographs of their children enjoying a wide range of interesting activities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well because the childminder works closely with their parents and with other agencies who are involved in their care. She understands the benefit of partnership working for all children but she has not developed links with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers who share the care of minded children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very settled with the childminder. They respond well to her clear boundaries for their behaviour and are enthusiastic learners. They share toys, learn to be kind to one another and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that they develop their awareness that all people are different. Children have good opportunities to develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. They spend plenty of time outside using climbing equipment, wheeled toys, bats and balls of different sizes to develop a good range of physical skills. They go on regular visits to the local park and have additional opportunities This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 for exercise at local soft play areas. Children learn about healthy eating. If they bring their own lunch the childminder teaches them to eat the savoury items first. She supplements their snacks and lunches with extra fruit if necessary and she

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and outcomes for children

adheres to any individual dietary restrictions. Older children help to prepare their meals and snacks if these are provided by the childminder. For example, they help to peel and chop vegetables and fruit. All children enjoy cookery activities such as bread or biscuit making. They develop mathematical skills because they help to weigh out the ingredients, they stir the mixture, explore the texture of the bread dough and roll out and cut shapes for the biscuits.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a very interesting range of play opportunities that covers all areas of learning. Their individual learning needs are met well because the childminder observes and assesses their progress and identifies their next steps in each of the different areas of learning. She then provides play or activities that support children to take these steps. For example, she observes that a baby is not yet crawling or walking and identifies ways to encourage the child to start moving. She shares her strategies with the parents. The range of activities also supports children's development of skills for the future well.

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and outcomes for children

Children's home culture is celebrated by the childminder. She encourages the older children to talk about their culture, lifestyle and religion. She supports all children's understanding of our diverse society through celebrations of festivals such as Chinese New Year. Children make a large dragon and have fun pretending to be the dragon with lots of legs. They make lanterns and they taste Chinese food such as stir fried pork.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about their personal safety. The listen to a book called 'We can say no' which talks about different situations they may find themselves in when they need the confidence to say 'no'. They learn about road safety when they are out with the childminder and understand that they must use appropriate car seats. They know how to use the pelican crossing to cross the road safely. Older children discuss the evacuation procedure with the childminder and talk about what they would do if they were in different rooms of the house when a fire occurred.

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and outcomes for children

Children of all ages thoroughly enjoy their play. Babies make Christmas calendars for their parents and use Christmas ink stamps to decorate the border of a picture of themselves and are very pleased with the finished calendar. They then have fun with a blank sheet of paper and experiment freely with stamps, squealing with delight when they see what picture they have stamped. Older children use a range of technology equipment. They play games on the computer and use learning programs to support their literacy and mathematical knowledge. They use electronic toys to play sport games. Babies use simple electronic toys to operate lights and make different noises. They play with small world toys such as the train track. They develop early problem solving skills as they work out how the magnets join the trucks together and they like pushing the trains round the track using descriptive language such as 'faster'.

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and outcomes for children

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 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 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 2 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (Arrangements for safeguarding children) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register). 14/01/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Arrangements for safeguarding children). 14/01/2010

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