Childminder in Bracknell Forest

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY219737 Inspection date 05/11/2009 Inspector Margaret Davie

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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 2002. She lives with her husband and two children aged seven and 10 years in Warfield, near Bracknell, Berkshire. All areas of her house are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children at any one time and currently minds five children between the ages of 17 months and five years for a variety of sessions. She occasionally works with an assistant. She collects and takes children to local schools and 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides excellent care for children and manages her setting very effectively. Children are very happy and make excellent progress in their learning and development. She knows them well and ensures that activities provided for them are enjoyable and tailored to their individual needs. Partnerships with parents very effectively promote children's welfare. She demonstrates an excellent capacity to sustain high standards by rigorously monitoring her provision and ensuring that any developments have a positive impact on improving outcomes for children.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 explore ways in which assessment information can be shared with other key settings attended by children in order to promote continuity in their learning and development

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the early years provision

Excellent steps are taken to safeguard children. The childminder has a comprehensive awareness of issues relating to keeping children safe and attends regular training to keep her knowledge up to date. She has a clear understanding of the important role she plays in promoting children's welfare and knows what to do if she ever has a concern about a child in her care. She ensures that all adults living and working in her household are checked for their suitability and that her assistant is fully up to date with all policies and procedures to promote full inclusion. She makes sure that as a matter of priority children are taught about This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 personal safety and how to keep themselves safe. She checks her home regularly to identify and minimise any hazards and uses a range of measures to protect children. For example, her kitchen is fitted with cupboard and drawer locks and

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the early years provision

she has a hob guard to prevent children from hurting themselves. Risk assessments are conducted for all types of outings and she ensures she is fully prepared to deal with unforeseen eventualities, by carrying children's contact details with her at all times.

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the early years provision

The childminder has high aspirations and maintains her excellent standards of care through high quality self-assessment and monitoring. She has a strong commitment to equality and diversity and carefully checks that all children are making progress. She discusses her service with parents and takes their views seriously when planning future improvements. All required records for the safe and efficient management of her setting and to meet children's needs are in place. Her home is incredibly well organised to provide children with care in a safe, secure and clean environment. She provides parents with regular information about how well their children are doing and gives them a range of written information about their progress, such as weekly diaries. Parents report that they are highly pleased with her service, and that they have the utmost confidence in her. These very strong partnerships impact significantly on children's welfare. Links are well

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the early years provision

established with other early years settings attended by children to make sure that any messages or issues are quickly passed on to parents, however this does not yet extend to the exchange of assessment information in order to promote continuity in their learning and development. Resources are used very effectively and she attends regular training in order to ensure her knowledge and skills are up to date to meet the needs of the children.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers exciting, stimulating and fully inclusive early years care. Children are encouraged to be active learners, creative and develop critical thinking skills. They make excellent progress given their starting points because she knows them very well and provides toys and activities which they find interesting and are tailored to their individual needs. They show they feel relaxed and comfortable in her care, confidently making decisions about which toys they would like to play with. The playroom is very child friendly; decorated with their art work, a range of posters and a large welcome sign containing pictures of children from around the world. The room is extremely well organised to allow them to exercise their independence and to self select from the toys stored in low boxes and on shelves which are easy for them to reach. When babies are cared for, the drawer handles are fitted with short cords to encourage them to pull themselves

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and outcomes for children

up onto their feet to develop their walking skills. The room opens onto the garden so that children can easily access outdoor play. The childminder is very engaging, playing with babies down on the floor and skilfully intervening in their activities to extend their learning. For example, a child playing with a Duplo truck is offered a single brick and encouraged to manoeuvre it inside until the door can be closed. This provides excellent support for the development of hand-eye coordination and manipulation skills. She is constantly praising children and recognising their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 achievements in order to promote their development. A baby is urged to take a few first tentative steps as she smiles and opens her arms to catch it, and this is quickly followed by a big hug and a promise about how happy mummy will be when they tell her. She carefully follows children's interests, letting them explore

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and outcomes for children

as they wish. When a child shows an interest in an activity centre, she demonstrates how to push the buttons in order to listen to nursery rhymes in both English and French, thereby promoting learning. She encourages children's love of music, often singing with them and demonstrating to very young children how to sway and move in time. She plans a wide variety of play experiences to meet each child's needs, including regular outings in the locality and to organised activities such as the music group. She undertakes regular written observations, taking many photos to keep as evidence and to share with parents, and links these to the requirements of the early learning goals in order to plan for the next steps in each child's development.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain an excellent understanding of the importance of following good personal hygiene routines. The childminder demonstrates how to wash hands thoroughly and draws their attention to the notice in her playroom about good hand washing. She ensures that nappies are changed hygienically and afterwards she thoroughly cleans the mat and her hands to minimise the spread of germs. Children engage in a wide range of activities both indoors and outdoors to secure an understanding of the importance of regular exercise. They enjoy regular, nutritious meals and are offered plenty of fresh fruit at snack time. They sleep according to their own routines and are very carefully checked to make sure they are safe and comfortable. She shows lots of care and affection toward children, giving them cuddles as they awake from their sleep. Children develop a clear sense of how to keep themselves safe. They practise regular fire drills so they know what

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and outcomes for children

to expect in an emergency and she encourages them to sing the road safety song to remind them about how to keep safe outdoors. Children show they feel secure in her setting and babies are extremely well settled, constantly making happy babbling noises as she speaks to them and listens to what they have to say. She provides an excellent range of resources to help children gain an understanding of diversity, such as the play hospital which has children with a variety of different needs. She is proactive about informing herself about how she can continually make learning more fun and interesting and has found information on the internet, which she uses to organise activities to teach children about festivals celebrated around the world. Children play a full and active role in their learning, very well supported by the childminder's infectious enthusiasm, and make excellent progress in acquiring skills which prepare them for future learning.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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