Childminder in Worcestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY273924 Inspection date 28/10/2009 Inspector Deborah Ball

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and four children aged 17, 15, 14 and nine years, in the Lowerwick area of Worcester city. The whole of the property is used for childminding. The premises are easily accessible. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. Children are taken on local outings and walks. The family have two dogs and 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 group. There are currently nine children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Of these, two children are in receipt of funding for nursery education. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has procedures to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and is also a member of an approved 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

The childminder is very experienced and uses this to support individual children well, they are all made to feel special and receive a lot of individual attention through the additional support of her assistant. She has robust paperwork and systems in place to obtain and exchange all relevant information with parents and strong relationships with them are in place. The childminder is well organised and ensures she keeps updated about changes in childminding practise so that as a result all the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are in place. Children are also provided with an extensive range of activities and experiences which enable them to make at least good progress in their learning and development. The childminder has introduced systems for self-evaluation, which identify the main strengths and she demonstrates a good awareness of making continuous improvements. However, the self-evaluation system is in its

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

infancy and is not yet sufficiently developed to ensure the childminder is able to make continuous improvements 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 systems further to ensure priorities for making continuous improvements in all areas are identified and implemented. 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 because the childminder understands her responsibility to protect them and is confident about those issues that would cause her concern and what action to take if necessary. Parents are made aware of all relevant policies and procedures and give appropriate consents. The childminder has systems in place to ensure the suitability of adults who children are in regular contact with. Risk assessments are used effectively to identify potential hazards during activities, within the premises and on outings, with a daily check ensuring everything is maintained to a high standard of safety. All documentation necessary for the safe and efficient management of the EYFS are in place and well maintained so that confidentiality is assured. Several activities can take place concurrently due to the effective deployment of the childminder and her assistant to provide necessary support, the good use of the space available, and to the

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the early years provision

confidence and increasing independence of the children. Excellent use is made of facilities within the locality, such as the library, various parks and places of interest to broaden children's experiences. The effective promotion of equality and diversity underpins her practice, for example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are welcomed and careful consideration is given to including relevant cultural and religious festivals through a range of practical activities and experiences. The children attended a 'World on your doorstep' day at a local school where they participated in a range of crafts, games, dances and sampled ice creams from around the world to increase their awareness of diversity and their understanding of others.

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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. The childminder and her assistant have positive approaches to their professional development and attend appropriate training to ensure they keep themselves updated with the latest information and legislation. Children benefit from the childminder’s commitment to further development as she implements any changes or good practice into the care provided. The childminder acted upon the recommendations made at her last inspection and ensured that appropriate assessment procedures were put into place. Self-assessment is evident in the childminder’s practice and she has a clear vision for high quality and inclusive care. However, the monitoring and evaluation process is still under development and is not yet fully robust in identifying priorities for making improvements in all areas of her practice.

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the early years provision

A welcoming service is provided for all children and their families. The childminder establishes strong partnerships with parents, engaging with them to ensure that necessary information is collected to allow her to care for children's individual needs and to take account of their views. She provides them with good quality information about the provision and their child's achievements. The childminder also has effective relationships with key staff in other settings some of the children attend to promote continuity of care and learning. Having strong relationships with all those involved with the children, as well as with the children themselves, is central to the childminder's practise. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a wide range of activities and experiences within a child- centred environment. During free play they enjoy reading stories together, playing with small world toys and choose to paint. They are encouraged to access resources for themselves, with suitable items easily within their reach, and also to help tidy them away. The childminder supports children's learning very well, using her knowledge of what the children are able to do and their interests to help them try new activities and develop existing skills. She includes them all in a planned activity to make pizza, earlier discussing what they might like to put as toppings, devising a shopping list, shopping for the ingredients, then during the activity carefully listening to each child's choices. A wealth of evidence demonstrates that children have opportunities to access a broad balance of activities, many in the outdoors, covering all areas of learning. Regular observations contribute to each

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and outcomes for children

child's assessment and show that they make at least good progress from some information obtained about their starting points and the childminder tracks individual children to ensure that they make regular progress in all areas and can plan the next steps in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle into the environment exceptionally well and are happy, confident and eager to learn. They are involved in a stimulating range of activities which are interesting, fun and develop their curiosity, creativity and imagination. For example, they love to join in with painting activities, using a wide range of natural resources to create brightly coloured and textured pictures. The childminder adapts this type of activity to ensure each child is able to take an active part. For instance, older children use paint brushes to paint, whilst younger children enjoy experimenting with their hands and fingers to make prints. Young children enjoy a wide range of different experiences that help them to develop and learn through all of their senses. Lots of sound, movement and textured toys are offered and these all help to stimulate babies fully and keep them learning. They enjoy many tactile experiences such as paint, play dough, clay and sand and water play and

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and outcomes for children

they love dressing up, dancing to music and making things. Children's language skills are developed through their love of books and story telling, as well as encouragement to join in with relaxed and interesting conversations. Young children are encouraged to use their vocals and experiment with sound. They are able to build up their vocabulary through everyday activities and routines, such as repeating words they hear and the childminder reinforces this by pointing to the relevant items and encouraging children to use the newly discovered words. The children enjoy mark-making and use appropriate implements such as pencils, chalks and crayons with increasing control and are beginning to link letters to their sounds. Activities such as role play are used to introduce children to writing, for example, they enjoy making shopping lists to take with them when they visit the supermarket. Songs and finger rhymes are used extensively to help children count,

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and outcomes for children

solve simple number problems and to understand positional language such as in, out, under and over. Children gain good skills for the future as they explore the world about them and learn to recycle resources. Their awareness of the world around them and the wider society is encouraged through a range of activities and outings within the local community to places such as parent and toddler groups, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the library and museums.

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and outcomes for children

Children show they understand about a healthy lifestyle as they are provided with healthy and nutritious food and drink. They learn the importance of good hygiene through effective hand washing practice and the childminder has appropriate procedures in place to ensure the spread of infection is minimised. Children’s good health is assured as they make the most of the fresh air and outdoor play offered each day. They naturally challenge their physical abilities as they practise climbing, jumping and co-ordination in the garden and at the park. The childminder ensures that taking part in fire drills and regular routines for outings enhances their understanding of keeping themselves safe. Children's behaviour is very good as the childminder ensures they understand what is expected of them, using praise and simple rewards to reinforce desired behaviour and dealing consistently with any incidents that occur. As a result children learn to play together, share and take

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and outcomes for children

turns, developing necessary skills for the future. 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 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 1 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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