Humphreys, Katie Gemma

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY393585 Inspection date 14/10/2009 Inspector Lisa Jane Cupples

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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 first registered in 2009. She lives with her husband and one child in the early years age range in Purbrook, a residential area in Hampshire. The premises are easily accessible and all areas of the property are used for childminding with a bathroom and rest facilities on the ground floor. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play and the family have a pet dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years. Of these, only two children may be in the early years age group. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for two children in the early years age group and one older child on a part time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and she attends local toddler groups regularly.

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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

All children are happy and settled during their time with the childminder because she takes the time to get to know them and their families well. As a result, she is able to plan a well organised programme of activities and experiences that reflect the children's individual needs. All children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder continually monitors and evaluates her practice, looking for ways to further improve the children's experiences. Comprehensive policies and procedures are in place and are reviewed regularly to ensure they accurately reflect the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the information gathered from parents about their children's starting points in relation to the early learning goals, to ensure children begin to make progress as soon as possible  ensure all six areas of learning are covered equally, both inside and outside, to further extend the children's learning experiences.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively because the childminder has a good understanding of the child protection procedures and knows how to implement them if she has concerns about a child in her care. She would recognise the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and contact the relevant agencies to protect This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children in her care. Parents are fully aware of the childminder's safeguarding responsibilities, through discussion and the written policies. All adults in the household have been vetted and all visitors are supervised at all times. Full written risk assessments are completed and reviewed to promote the children's safety and to ensure a safe and secure play and learning environment is in place for all children. The childminder makes good use of the space available and has organised the play areas well, labelling resources so the children can see exactly

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the early years provision

what is available to them. She uses the toy library to ensure the children experience a wide range of activities that can be changed frequently to meet their individual interests.

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the early years provision

The childminder successfully promotes equality and diversity through discussion, planned topics and themes and available resources. Children are beginning to develop an understanding of differences, through daily routines and making their own choices. They are aware that other children may be interested in and like different things and that it is alright to play on your own or with others. Children learn to share and take turns with ease and the childminder gently reminds them that it is nice to share so that everyone can have a turn. All children are able to participate fully in the activities and experiences, ensuring they are all gaining the most from their time at the setting.

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the early years provision

The childminder is skilled at monitoring and developing her own practice to drive improvement. For example, she recognised that children may not know the range of activities that are available. Consequently, she has labelled the resources in the play room with photographs and text, making them more accessible to the children. This has encouraged them to self-select freely, widening their experiences and promoting their independence and decision making skills effectively. The childminder takes her role very seriously and is keen to develop a greater understanding of child development and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). She is currently completing an NVQ level 3 and has booked on a wide range of training courses to ensure her understanding develops and the provision continues to improve over time.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the good lines of communication between the childminder and their parents. Detailed daily diaries are used to share information, including sleep routines, meals and activities, helping to keep the parents well informed about their children's time at the setting. Before the children attend the childminder gathers a great deal of information about the children's individual care needs. However, limited information is currently gathered about the children's starting points in relation to the early learning goals. This prevents the childminder from planning activities to meet the children's individual needs straight away and makes it more difficult to track their individual progress. The childminder has liaison forms in place to enable her to share information about the children's individual needs with other providers of the EYFS. This ensures the children's play and learning experiences compliment each other, providing continuity for all

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the early years provision

children who attend other EYFS settings. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder gets to know each of the children very well and plans a wide range of activities and experiences to promote their learning and development successfully in all areas. She spends time observing the children at play and uses the information to identify their next individual learning steps. Activities and experiences are then organised and provided to reflect the children's individual needs and interests, ensuring they are fully occupied and interested during their time with the childminder. As a result, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas. Children's social skills are developing well as they take part in adult led activities and enjoy time to initiate the play themselves. The childminder watches what the children are pointing to and listens to what they are asking for, responding quickly to their needs. Children have good levels of self-esteem and confidence, as they show the childminder what they want

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and outcomes for children

to do next. The activities change frequently reflecting the age and stage of the individual children's concentration spans, ensuring they are interested and occupied throughout the day. Children benefit greatly from the good quality interaction from the childminder. She sits on the floor with the children, talking to them all the time, gently encouraging and assisting them when required. She participates fully in all the games and activities, singing with the children and playing games, such as, 'Row, row, row the boat'. The childminder asks open- ended questions to encourage the children to figure things out for themselves, increasing their problem solving skills as they complete floor puzzles. Children have access to a range of multicultural resources on a daily basis, helping them to begin to recognise diversity. They celebrate a selection of festivals such, as Divali, Chinese New Year and Harvest to develop their knowledge and understanding of

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and outcomes for children

the wider world. Children have access to books and writing materials daily and enjoy chalking on the black board in the play room. They listen to stories and are beginning to understand that text has meaning, as they trace the words under the pictures as they look at books. Children are curious and ask question to find out more. For example, they learn how to turn the electronic toys on and off and how to wind up the music boxes.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to learn about how to keep themselves safe from a young age. For example, they know they must not climb on the furniture, in case they fall and hurt themselves. Children practise regular fire drills with the childminder to ensure they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Children's safety is promoted well because the childminder is vigilant and removes all possible hazards. For example, stair gates are fitted at the top and the foot of the stairs, door guards are used to prevent the children from trapping their fingers and all cleaning materials are locked in a cupboard, making them inaccessible to the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from a healthy diet because the childminder has a good understanding of the importance of healthy eating. She provides a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks, including other healthy choices, such, as bread sticks. Children chat with the childminder about the types of food that are good for them, helping them to develop an understanding of healthy eating. Children's independence is encouraged throughout the day, for example, they have This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 access to the hygiene station and they are encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times. All children have individual hand towels to help prevent the possible spread of infection. Children also brush their teeth after main meals, promoting their self-care skills well. Children reap the benefits of the fresh air daily because the childminder organises the routines to ensure the children have

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and outcomes for children

outdoor experiences. They go on outings and enjoy trips to the local parks. However, the children's outdoor experiences do not fully include all six areas of learning at this time, to further extend the children's learning and development. 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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