Childminder in Hampshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 161147 Inspection date 20/10/2009 Inspector Loraine Wardlaw

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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 their three children aged under nine years. They live in a three bedroomed home in Bishopstoke, which is on the outskirts of Eastleigh, Hampshire. There are local amenities within walking distance, such as shops, parks, the school and pre-school. The whole property is available for childminding, although the main play area is the lounge and designated play room and cloakroom. There are sleeping facilities upstairs, and a fully enclosed garden which can be accessed through the dining area. The family have four cats and a rabbit.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years, two of whom may be under five. There are currently two children on roll in the early years age range. The childminder is also registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder drives or walks to local schools to take and collect children. She 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

All children are welcomed into a safe, child-friendly environment where their welfare needs are met with success. They have an enjoyable time with the childminder, attending a variety of activities and experiences each week, both indoors and out. The childminder's knowledge of the steps leading to the early learning goals and the requirements of observational assessment is still developing, which means that overall children's progress is sound. A strength of the provision is how effectively the childminder communicates with parents and the systems in place to liaise with other providers. The childminder has started to reflect on her practice, and meets with other childminders to discuss practice issues but the evaluation of her learning and development provision is not as accurate as the evaluation of the rest of her provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop knowledge of the steps leading to the early learning goals and the six areas of learning  develop the observation and assessment system, identifying and implementing individual learning activities for children  discuss and note children's developmental starting points with parents, across the six 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

Children are safeguarded well because the childminder has a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and has written a child protection policy which is shared with parents. Their health and welfare is effectively underpinned by written policies, procedures and consents sought from parents. Children are kept safe because the childminder has conducted a thorough risk assessment of her home and outings minimising all risks and closely supervises children. Children develop independence as they select from a range of age appropriate toy resources which are readily accessible in the designated playroom and lounge. Weekly activities and routines ensure that children have opportunities to play and learn indoors, outdoors and on a variety of outings to groups, with other childminders. The childminder promotes equal opportunities by acknowledging children's cultural background and promotes positive images of all groups of

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the early years provision

people through her toy and book resources. She has built good relationships with parents with open communication which includes instant mobile phone photos of the children's achievements with her. Although lots of information is gathered when a child commences with the childminder, there is less discussion about children's starting points with regards to the six areas of learning. The childminder has a system to observe and assess children's development but it is not effective because she struggles to understand how children's play and activities fit into the different areas of learning. She has also not fully grasped the cycle of starting with each individual child, observing their capabilities, assessing against the development matters and planning their next steps, which has an impact on their progress. Through self-evaluation, the childminder has identified areas for further development such as expanding children's community experiences, but

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the early years provision

individualised learning has not been identified as an area for improvement. The childminder is a committed individual who operates a toy library with other childminders, sharing quality resources such as story sacs. She is also keen to access further training to develop her knowledge and skills.

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and outcomes for children

Young children feel secure and happy in the company of the childminder. They explore the varied toy resources fleetingly; the small worlds toys, the stacking cups, the beads on the wire, enjoying the independence and freedom of choice. The childminder interacts generally well with the children, role modelling language, counting and encouraging colour recognition and playing alongside them. An under two-year-old selects a guitar from the musical instrument box and pretends to play and then has a jump on the small trampette, developing their physical skills and demonstrating they are making suitable progress. They build a sound relationship with the childminder who praises them appropriately for their achievements. The childminder has a general overview of each child she cares for, but does not yet know each child well enough to competently recognise their current stage of development across all of the six learning areas. This results in satisfactory

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and outcomes for children

progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder spends most mornings This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 out and about at local community groups such as the Sure Start centres, soft play areas and childminder drop-ins; there is less emphasis on adult-led play activities which targets individual learning, informed by assessment. All age groups take part in activities such as chestnut hunting and a treasure hunt in Stoke park woods using a sat nav, organised and led by another individual. Children develop a healthy lifestyle through the constant supply of water and snacks of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. They gain fresh air in the garden; going to feed the rabbit and play on a sit and ride toy manoeuvring it around the path. The childminder helps the children to stay healthy by teaching them to use careful hygiene routines before they eat and providing disposable hand towels to prevent the spread of

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and outcomes for children

infection. A topic on road safety, with the use of books and a discussion about talking to strangers means that keeping safe is positively encouraged by the childminder. She has purchased 'little life' back packs for children to use which gives them their independence when out walking but enables the childminder to keep them on a safe rein, holding the lead attached to the pack. 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 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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