Childminder in Leicestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 226113 Inspection date 26/10/2009 Inspector Alison Edwards

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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

This childminder registered in 1999. She lives with her husband and two children aged 15 and six years of age in a house on the outskirts of Leicester in the Blaby district of Leicestershire. Minded children use the ground floor of the premises and the first floor bathroom. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered to work with an assistant. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of five children aged under eight years at any one time, whether working alone or with an assistant. This includes three children in the early years age range when working alone, or five when working with an assistant. There are currently ten children under the age of eight on roll, including four in the early years age range. The childminder is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register to care for older children.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder has a generally sound understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), helping her to support children's welfare and learning appropriately. She works well with parents to ensure that she has a good knowledge of children's specific needs, abilities and interests, so enabling her to recognise and value their individuality. She has taken steps to develop her own knowledge of equal opportunities in order to improve the ways in which she helps all children learn about diversity.

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further?

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

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further?

 make a record of risk assessments, clearly stating when they were carried out, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Documentation) 26/11/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 include assessments of risks for outings and trips in the record of risk assessment  develop more effective use of self evaluation processes to assess existing strengths and priorities for further development to further improve the quality of provision for all children  develop the existing use of observations to more effectively identify and plan for the next steps in children's learning to ensure the highest levels of progress in all areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Overall there are sound arrangements to safeguard children from harm. The childminder is aware of what child abuse and neglect mean, and recognises her responsibility to notify the relevant authorities in the event of any child protection concerns. She complies with requirements to ensure that all adults living in the household, or working with her as an assistant, are vetted for suitability. She maintains required records about individual children, such as personal and health details, and parental consent to obtain emergency medical treatment. This helps to underpin the safe management of their care. Minded children are cared for in a secure and suitably maintained family home, enabling them to play, relax and eat comfortably. However, the childminder sometimes allows them to use the conservatory, which the conditions of registration in place at the time of her inspection do not permit. This is an offence unless the provider gives a reasonable

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the early years provision

excuse. Ofsted does not intend to prosecute on this occasion. The childminder regularly assesses the premises to minimise any potential hazards, for example by checking the condition of fixed play equipment in the garden, and ensuring that household medicines and cleaning materials are safely stored. However, at present she does not keep a written record of these assessments as legally required. She makes similar practical assessments of ways to reduce risks to children on outings, but does not currently record these. Consequently, she does not fully document the sensible precautions taken to maintain children's safety inside and outside the home.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures that prospective parents receive good information about her services through use of initial visits and provision of useful written information about policies and arrangements for children's care. She encourages parents to share their knowledge of each child's needs, interests and abilities. This enable her to support their individual welfare and developmental needs effectively, for example with regard to promoting the inclusion and progress of children with English as an additional language. The childminder keeps parents well informed about children's experiences and progress through informal discussion and use of individual journals. She encourages parents to contribute their views and suggestions informally and through the introduction of review sheets. The childminder is aware of the importance of liaising with other agencies, such as health professionals, to support the inclusion of any child with special educational

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the early years provision

The childminder has taken appropriate steps to address the issues raised at her last inspection, so improving arrangements to underpin children's welfare. For example, household medicines and toiletries are now safely stored, parental consent to obtain emergency medical treatment is obtained, and the childminder has extended the use of play materials to promote children's awareness of different lifestyles and abilities. The childminder makes use of relevant local advice and training to update her understanding of a range of childcare issues, enabling her to more effectively and positively manage children's behaviour and to promote their awareness of equal opportunities and diversity. She has started to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 systematically evaluate her own practice, although, as yet, this is only partially effective in accurately identifying priorities for further development.

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal and social skills are developing well because the childminder knows them well and values them as individuals. For example, she works closely with parents to take account of different family lifestyles and backgrounds, enabling her to incorporate aspects of different celebrations, and to build on children's existing communication skills. Consequently, children develop confidence and enjoyment in their relationships with others, and in their play and activities. The childminder helps children to recognise and understand their own and other people's emotions, for example when encouraging them to act out the 'scary giant' in a favourite story. Children learn to cooperate and take turns with others when playing simple matching games, and develop good levels of concentration as the childminder helps them to successfully complete jigsaw puzzles.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to show an understanding of healthy lifestyles as the childminder prompts them to follow sound hygiene procedures, such as cleaning their hands with wipes before eating. Provision of meals and snacks by parents helps to ensure that these are suited to children's individual dietary needs and to family routines. Children enjoy a range of opportunities for energetic activities in the fresh air, for example as they run through the snow or through autumn leaves, or as they use their climbing and balancing skills on fixed equipment such as see-saws. They develop their dexterity as they build with construction toys, or through a variety of creative activities such as printing, painting and chalking. Children show growing awareness of how to behave safely within daily routines, for example, as they sit sensibly at a low folding table at lunch time. The childminder helps them begin to learn about some potential hazards, for example, by talking with them about

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and outcomes for children

aspects of road safety when outside the home.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a sound overview of what children need to learn, and of the value of practical play and first hand experiences. Consequently, children enjoy a varied range of activities and experiences helping to support their overall development and to establish a sound basis for their future skills. For example, children begin to gain a recognition of numbers as they play a simple dice game making frogs hop onto numbered lily pads. Children across the age range begin to learn about everyday technology as they use simple electronic musical toys or toy mobile phones. Children show familiarity and interest in favourite stories, and show growing confidence and fluency when talking about their own experiences, such as recent holidays. The childminder keeps a record of each child's experiences and activities in their individual learning journals, so helping her to identify their current abilities and interests. She has not yet established fully effective use of these

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and outcomes for children

records to identify the next steps in children's learning in order to plan for the highest levels of continued progress. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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