Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 258054 Inspection date 11/12/2009 Inspector Deborah Kerry

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 1995. She lives with her family in Stretham, Cambridgeshire. The whole of the childminder’s house is used for childminding. Children have access to a secure, enclosed garden for outside play. The property is accessed via a low step.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time. There are currently three children attending who are within the early years age group. This provider is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children, and she attends the local parent and toddler groups.

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Description of the childminding

She is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and attends the local childminding group. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification.

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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

The childminder provides a secure, safe environment for all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Each child is supported and their individual needs met well as the childminder has developed close relationships with parents. Children benefit as the childminder ensures their safety and welfare are fully promoted through clear risk assessments. Children's independence and self-esteem are promoted well through a range of resources and activities which they are able to self-select. The childminder ensures all children are fully included and she is beginning to evaluate her practice. However, there are minimal areas which have been identified for development to ensure continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that the contents of the first aid box are suitable to meet the needs of children  develop clearly defined procedures for the emergency evacuation of the premises and ensure that regular evacuation drills are carried out and details recorded in a log book of any problems encountered and how they were resolved  develop further the use of reflective practice to identify the strengths and priorities for improvement that will improve the quality of the provision for all children. 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 good understanding on safeguarding children procedures should she have a concern about a child's welfare. She has attended training and has a clear written policy in place. She ensures that her knowledge remains current and attends up-to-date training on a regular basis to ensure children's welfare is maintained. The childminder has in place clear records of the risk assessments undertaken for both the home, garden and for outings to ensure that there are no risks to children's safety. However, the childminder has no procedures in place to evacuate the premises in an emergency. This could compromise children's ability on learning how to keep themselves safe. Resources are fully accessible to children as the childminder organises her home to enable children to make choices when selecting toys which meet their interests and promotes their independence well.

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the early years provision

The childminder has close relationships with the parents of minded children and keeps them fully informed about their child's learning and development through daily verbal feedback. The childminder has in place a range of policies and procedures to support her good practice, she shares these with parents. This helps to keep them fully informed about the care and learning she provides for their children. The childminder writes daily diaries for younger children which are shared with parents on a regular basis. The childminder keeps scrap books on all children to record their progress, they include photographs and examples of their art and craft work. Through regular questionnaires for both children and parents the childminder gains feedback on her practice. This helps to ensure that her practice meets parents needs. The childminder has a range of resources and plans activities to develop children's understanding on the wider world. Children regularly

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the early years provision

participate in activities around different world festivals during the year. The have created a Nativity scene and make Christmas cards to send to their families.

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the early years provision

The childminder has undertaken many training courses since becoming a childminder. This helps to develop and consolidate her knowledge around early years to benefit minded children. She has completed courses on the EYFS and as a result she has implemented positive changes to support children's learning and development well. The childminder has undertaken a review of her practice to record what she has in place to meet the statutory requirements for the EYFS. However, there has been limited areas identified for development to support her continued improvement. The childminder collects children from other settings delivering the EYFS and has good systems to exchange information to support children's learning and development in place to ensure their ongoing progress.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder ensures that children are well cared for and all food provided by parents is stored appropriately to promote their health. Children have developed a good understanding on why they need to wash their hands to ensure they are clean, after using the toilet and before eating. Children's health and medical needs This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are fully supported through the range of policies and procedures the childminder has in place. However, several items in the first aid box are out of date which could compromise children's health. Children access the garden on a regular basis to promote their physical development; they go on regular walks within the local area. This helps to promote their understanding on their environment and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers children cuddles for reassurance to help them to feel secure and promote their self-esteem. Children are able to manage their own toileting needs and can feed themselves with minimal support from the childminder. This helps them to develop good self-care skills and promotes their independence. Children develop their understanding on literacy as they enjoy looking at books and listening to stories read to them by the childminder. Children draw and colour to develop their pencil control, they make marks with paint brushes to support their future writing skills. The childminder supports children in developing an understanding on numeracy as she helps them to count how many play people they have lined up in a row. The childminder supports children's understanding on nature and the environment as they spend time watching the birds eat food on the bird table in the garden. Children are confident communicators as they chat freely

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and outcomes for children

The childminder undertakes regular observations on children's progress and has clearly identified the next steps in their learning; these are then used to inform planning so that their progress can be fully supported. The childminder plans activities around children's interests and from the observations undertaken. She links the observations and children's records to the six areas of learning. This ensures that children receive a broad and balanced curriculum to support their ongoing progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder evaluates her observations on children to ensure that they are making good progress through the developmental scales, so that their future learning needs can continue to be met. 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 3 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: 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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