Dumper Julie

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 258803 Inspection date 01/12/2009 Inspector Donna Stevens

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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 2001. She lives with her husband and two children aged 12 and 13 in a house in the Wollaston area of Stourbridge. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. 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 have a rabbit and goldfish.

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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 six 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. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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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 benefit from the childminders ability to create a happy welcoming environment where children are valued as individuals and have their welfare and learning needs well met. The childminder has introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage successfully and works closely with parents, carers and staff from other settings to ensure consistency of care for children. This enables them to make good progress. Systems to evaluate her practice have been effectively used to identify areas of improvement and the childminder acts upon these promptly to ensure an ongoing programme of development.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the system for recording who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child  develop further the system for recording risk assessments for outings.

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the early years provision

Children are very well safeguarded. The childminder has a good understanding of her roles and responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children. She has an up- to-date policy that she asks parents to read and sign at the bottom of their contracts to ensure that they understand her responsibility to report any concerns and that the welfare of the children in her care remains her primary concern. Risk assessments for the home and garden have been completed and although the childminder ensures that safety standards are high during outings, recording these This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 checks will enable her to clearly identify particular risks to children.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures that mandatory training requirements are met and has attended short workshops to develop her knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to support the specific legal requirements and successfully implement areas of the guidance that support children's welfare and learning. She meets regularly with other childminders to share good practice and has good links with staff at the local school and preschool. Documentation is generally well organised, stored confidentially but readily available to refer to if needed. The childminder knows the children's family circumstances well, however, recording information with regards to who has legal contact with the children and who has parental responsibility would allow this information to be clear.

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed good relationships with parents and carers. She provides flexible care and from the very beginning encourages families to be fully involved in the setting. Parents are encouraged to visit with their children before they start and settling in arrangements are adapted to suit each child's and families needs. Once children have settled the childminder encourages parents to be in touch as often as they want and welcomes regular phone calls and text messages. This allows parents to stay in touch with their child's welfare at all times and provides continuity of care for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes equality of opportunity and works closely with parents, carers and staff at other settings the children attend to ensure the children's individual needs are met. Children and their families are valued and the childminder takes a great interest in their home life talking to them about their experiences, giving children a sense of belonging and feeling valued.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals and in all areas of their development because the childminder has a clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are encouraged to choose their own toys and resources from a good selection that are in easily accessible storage in the playroom, allowing them to increase their independence. They enjoy a good mix of adult-led and child initiated play. Each day the childminder will organise a more structured activity such as play dough but if children are happily playing she encourages them to continue and will bring the activity out at another time. She is skilled at organising impromptu activities sparked by the children's interest. For example, children enjoy collecting autumn leaves on their way home from school and then use them to make pictures. These opportunities develop children's natural curiosity and encourage them to be confident and independent learners.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy in the setting and loving, caring relationships with both the childminder and their peers are evident. They have clear and consistent boundaries to enable them to develop an understanding of acceptable behaviour and are able to share, take turns and engage in positive behaviour. Children are polite and considerate because the childminder leads by example, praising and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 thanking children and listening to their ideas and requests. She spends a great deal of time involved in the children's play, gets to know children quickly and encourages them to develop their skills and learning through activities that they find interesting and enjoyable. She recognises that children learn and develop at their own pace and following self-evaluation has begun to use observations of the children at play to assess the level of their development and plan activities that will

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and outcomes for children

provide both support and challenge in all areas of their learning. She also takes into consideration children's interest and enthusiasm, for example, when children enjoyed painting she broadened their experiences by introducing a range of different tools they could experiment with and encouraging them to help mix the paint and share ideas of their own about how the paint could be used.

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and outcomes for children

Planned activities provide children with opportunities to extend their learning, experiment and develop new skills. Whilst enjoying an activity which involved making bugs from play dough the childminder encouraged children to think and question how these animals might move. Children were very articulate and were able to use their vocabulary to describe how the creatures look and move. They demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of the world as they talked about how insects change during their lifetime and which ones may sting you and those that help us and how. They used a range of different tools skilfully and drew on their imaginations as they bought the bugs to life.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very secure and confident. They are open and friendly and interact well with adults and each other. They learn to keep themselves safe in the home as they pick up toys and practise the fire drill and understand the importance of road safety and staying close to a familiar adult when away from the home. Parents provide children's meals and children are encouraged to eat healthy options first as the childminder talks to them about food that is good for them. They learn the importance of good personal hygiene as they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children's health and well being is supported and they are protected from cross-infection as they have their own towels. They enjoy daily exercise and fresh air as they play outside in the garden, walk to the local school and visit parks and play areas where they can use a range of equipment.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to feel part of their local community as they regularly visit toddler groups where they can socialise, join in with group activities and use an extended range of toys and resources. They have opportunities to learn about other ways of life as they use a range of resources that depict positive images of race, culture, gender and disability and enjoy activities that demonstrate how festivals from other cultures and countries are celebrated. 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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