Green Lara

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY102902 Inspection date 15/10/2009 Inspector Lynne Milligan

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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 2002. She lives with her husband, three adult children and one child who is 15 in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house and first floor bathroom are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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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, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The family has a pet reptile, a dog and a cat.

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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 are cared for in a safe and stimulating environment where the childminder recognises each child's individuality and adequately promotes inclusive practice. Children are involved in a good range of play activities and everyday experiences, both inside and out, which helps them make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder has good relationships with parents and knows children's home lives and families very well, enabling her to meet children's individual needs. The childminder ensures all children are included and she has developed satisfactory self-evaluation skills to ensure her practice is reviewed and has identified some areas of development for continuous improvement.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 gain information about who has legal contact with the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 30/10/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 develop meaningful activities that encourage children's understanding of the wider world, helping them to gain an awareness of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender and ability  develop further the assessment systems in order to match observations of each child to the six areas of learning and the expectations of the early learning goals. 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 of safeguarding procedures which ensures that children's welfare is a high priority. Detailed supporting documents, contain all the relevant leaflets and contact numbers should she need to gain further advice. As well as daily visual checks, well recorded risk assessments are completed, along with regular fire drills that further ensure children are kept safe. The childminder ensures household members have undergone required suitability checks and that they all sign to confirm continuing suitability. She implements policies and procedures effectively and overall, additional documentation to promote children's welfare and safety is in place. However, information about those parents with legal contact has not been gained and the childminder is unsure of how this impacts on the care of the children, for example, when they are collected. Age appropriate furniture, toys and equipment are clean and in good

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the early years provision

order, and children develop independence as they freely move around selecting toys of their choice to play with. The childminder makes good use of outside resources, such as libraries, local parks, farms and toddler groups, to continually vary her provision and maintain children's interest.

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the early years provision

The childminder has good relationships with parents and shares daily written and verbal information with them about their children. Parents are very happy with the care that their children receive and write many letters to that effect, for example, they appreciate the feedback that the childminder gives them each day detailing what their child has been participating in and food they have eaten. Children's care needs and routines are shared, and the childminder works with parents to meet their child's individual needs. Consequently, the childminder is able to provide an inclusive setting and children are happy and secure in her care. The childminder has systems in place to develop links with other settings that children attend, such as local pre-schools and schools.

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the early years provision

The childminder has begun to review her practice and uses self-evaluation to identify areas for development, ensuring children's continued progress in their learning and development. She has appropriately addressed the recommendations raised at her last inspection and has incorporated the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework into her practice. The childminder attends training to further develop her knowledge and skills and uses this information in her everyday practice to further improve the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident, happy and settled in the care of the childminder. They share warm relationships with her and her family, and enjoy her company as they play. A good range of activities are provided, covering all areas of learning, and the childminder provides toys and activities according to children's individual interests and stages of development. Children's language skills are developing well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 because the childminder uses good questioning skills to help children think and demonstrate what they know. She acknowledges young children's vocalisations and introduces new vocabulary to help develop their communication skills. The childminder plans a wide range of learning opportunities and activities, such as painting, model making, art and craft activities, which enable children to explore and express their creativity. The childminder introduces children to problem solving

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and outcomes for children

and numeracy when taking part in cooking activities, and as they count how many steps they need to climb up when they play outside or go upstairs. Children have access to everyday technology as they play with home made telephones using string and cans, computers, play tools and cookers and programmable toys. Toys and resources have begun to reflect the wider world and help children to understand and respect differences. They enjoy outings into the local community, for example, to the toddler group and parks, and they acknowledge an adequate range of mainly traditional festivals such as Easter and Christmas.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of the EYFS learning and development requirements. She has begun to gather more detailed information from parents through an 'all about me' form at the start of the placement to determine children's starting points. Each child’s file includes written observations of the children's achievements and interests, which are supported with photographic evidence, so parents enjoy clear, visual images of their children's experiences. Children are clearly making good progress from their starting points. However, the rate of progress in different areas of learning is not closely monitored as observations are not consistently matched to the six areas of learning or the expectations of the early learning goals, so as to ensure there are no gaps in children's learning. Children receive lots of positive interaction and attention. The childminder listens and responds to the children throughout their activities and daily routines to

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and outcomes for children

support them in their individual learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles as the childminder encourages outdoor play and fresh air. The children enjoy playing in the secure garden where they choose from a wide range of resources and outdoor learning opportunities. They also go on outings in the surrounding area, such as visiting the local park and visits to the farm, as they explore the environment around them. The childminder demonstrates a clear commitment to encouraging children to understand the importance of a healthy diet. She provides freshly prepared and home cooked meals and snacks which meet children's individual dietary requirements. The childminder helps children to learn about where food comes from, as they visit the supermarket, exploring fresh fruit and vegetables, discussing colour, shape and size. Children follow good hygiene procedures, such as hand washing, and use kitchen towel to dry their hands to effectively prevent

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and outcomes for children

cross infection. Children show signs of feeling safe as they are happy in the childminder's care and look to her for comfort and reassurance. She helps them to learn about keeping themselves safe as she practises road safety with the children when on outings. Children understand the need for simple rules, for example, sharing and turn taking, and they respond very well to praise which shows their behaviour has been acknowledged. Their emotional well-being is well supported and children grow in confidence as a consequence of the praise and encouragement the childminder shows them during play. 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 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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