Childminder in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY389473 Inspection date 02/11/2009 Inspector Anne Barnsley

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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 2009. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years, compulsory and voluntary childcare register. The childminder lives with her husband and three young children aged eight years, five years and three months in a detached house in Sutton on Trent, near Newark, north Nottinghamshire. The family has four tortoises as pets. There are local village facilities accessible both by car and walking such as a school, library, shops and park. Most of the house is used for the purpose of childminding with toilet facilities on both the ground and first floor. There is a fully enclosed and secure back garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered to care for no more than four children under eight years of age of whom two children may be in the early years age group. There are four children currently on roll; of these, three children are in the early years age group and are minded at various times. The childminder

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Description of the childminding

is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 safe and secure in a warm and homely environment where they receive attentive care that respects their uniqueness. They enjoy a wide variety of learning and have their individual needs met well. Resources and activities provide children with enjoyment and, in most areas, progress their developing skills and understanding very well. Strong partnerships are in place and significantly contribute to the continuity in children's care and learning. Reflective self evaluation is used effectively to drive forward improvements in the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide a greater range of activities and learning that promote and value diversity and differences,with specific focus on different family structures and disability.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues and takes her role and responsibility very seriously. She shares comprehensive information with parents about her duty of care to protect children from harm and provides them with personal copies of her polices and procedures. She has up-to-date information in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures to refer to and has strong links with other professionals to ensure children's welfare is always given the highest priority. Evidence of household members' suitability is kept on file to share with parents and she ensures that adults who have not been through This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the vetting process do not have unsupervised access to children. In addition to this the childminder is vigilant about all aspects of safety, which safeguards children. Her supervision of children is highly effective. She is extremely attentive to the

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the early years provision

needs of children and is aware at all times of what they are doing such as supporting toddlers in their safe exploration of the home. Detailed risk assessments are in place for all environments and resources used by children including outings. These are reviewed regularly and records are maintained comprehensively such as emergency evacuation drills to ensure the continued safety of children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has only been minding a for a short time and has made significant progress in developing her service. She is very well organised and makes effective use of space and resources. She identifies areas for improvements through the use of self evaluation and effectively prioritises these according to the areas that have the greatest impact on children. She has developed written partnership procedures that she follows for children who also attend other settings and has developed strong links with preschools and schools to ensure continuity in children's learning. She has highly effective systems for gathering and sharing information with parents so that they are fully involved in their child's care and learning. She is extremely passionate about working in partnership with all adults involved with the children and also those partnerships that develop her own professional development. For example, she provides parents with daily diaries about their

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the early years provision

child's day and with specific activity sheets that enable them to continue children's learning at home is they wish. In addition she uses photographs and observations to share with parents about their children's development. She engages warmly with parents and carers, welcoming them into her home each day. She also makes good use of text services and phone calls to discuss and share information. She takes the views of parents very seriously and actively seeks these through the use of questionnaires. She analyses the data and uses this to contribute to her self evaluation or to discuss in more depth with parents on an individual basis. The childminder meets regularly with other professionals to share good practice and keep herself well informed of contemporary early years issues. She has a development plan in place to meet her own training needs and has a clear vision for driving improvements forward.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes equality and diversity through general practice which is meaningful to the children. Activities and resources are fully inclusive which ensures that no child is discriminated against or disadvantaged. For example, gender is promoted well as all children are fully involved in all areas of learning and have access to all resources. The individual preferences of children are respected such as boys who like to play with transport and girls whose natural preference is playing with dolls. However, the childminder fully promotes girls playing with transport and boys playing with dolls and focuses her attention of meeting the individual interests of the children who attend. The children's curiosity about differences in skin colour, and other cultures are explored in age appropriate ways through discussion, books and general activities that incorporate these elements. However, developing children's understanding of difference is not yet

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the early years provision

fully met as they have limited exposure to learning about different family structures and disability. In spite of this minor area to improve, the individual This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 needs and backgrounds of children who attend are respected and reflected in practice so that they have a strong sense of identity and belonging.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder organises her resources and the environment very well to meet the needs of the children who attend. Babies and toddlers are extremely well supported and fully included in all activities that take place. For example, they have a large floor play area which enables them to explore safely and develop their sense of curiosity. They eat at the table with booster seats, which enables them to be part of the group and at the same height as other children so that they are fully involved and can contribute positively. Appropriate sleep facilities and well organised routines that mirror those of the parents significantly contribute to young children's sense of wellbeing and security. Children are very much included in making their choices about how they wish to spend their time, which enables them to become active participants in their learning and develop an eager disposition towards trying new things through the resources and activities that are

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and outcomes for children

available. Most toys and resources are easily accessible to children and they ask for others that they may prefer as they know where these are stored. All areas of learning are covered in this setting such as growing and harvesting vegetables, nature walks, crafts, discussions, stories and music and dance. Children engage in many activities that develop their skills in problem solving and early mathematical concepts such as counting, shapes, size and measure and they receive excellent attention from the childminder who develops their conversational skills and vocabulary through purposeful conversations and appropriate language.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy social events and developing their awareness of the wider community as they attend pre-schools and toddler groups. They socialise with other children and experience more activities and learn to use resources in different ways that compliment their learning at the childminders home. They spend time talking to the childminder about things they like doing and what they like to play with and the childminder takes notice of these conversations and plans stimulating activities that reflect what children say. She undertakes regular observations of children from the onset and progresses their learning to the next step in ways that have particular meaning to each children and reflect their preferred way of learning. As a result children are making good progress towards the early learning goals and enjoy learning in ways that provide challenge and variety.

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and outcomes for children

Children display a strong sense of belonging and confidence in this setting. They have a familiar routine with which they are familiar and this helps children to feel safe and secure in a stable environment. As a result children behave very well and have developed warm and caring relationships with the childminder. They are responsive and helpful and show pleasure and pride as the childminder thanks them and acknowledges their efforts as achievements. Children are developing skills for their future and learning how to become responsible, cooperative and respectful of each other. Their welfare is extremely well promoted. They learn about healthy lifestyles and keeping themselves safe. Children are well nourished This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with meals that fully promote a healthy and balanced diet. They develop growing independence with taking care of their personal needs and are well cared for if

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and outcomes for children

they become ill or hurt themselves. This is a calm and nurturing environment in which children display a sense of security and safety in the care they receive from the childminder. 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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