Childminder in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY320500 Inspection date 09/11/2009 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 2006. She lives with her husband and three children aged six, seven and nine years in Great Kingshill near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Most rooms on the ground floor are used for childminding with sleeping facilities available on the first floor. There is a large fully enclosed garden available 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 four children under eight at any one time, and is currently minding three children between the ages of two and five years for a variety of sessions. She is a member of the National Childminding Association. The family have a pet hamster.

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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's needs are well met and the childminder takes effective steps to ensure their safety and good health. They are happy and well settled and make excellent progress in their learning. Their development is significantly supported by close links with parents and the childminder has a clear understanding of the value of working in partnership with other settings attended by children to promote continuity in their care and learning. She has conducted a thorough self-evaluation of her service and identified strengths and areas for development, in order to promote continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the premises are safe and suitable by including in the risk assessment anything with which a child may be in contact  update the complaints policy to show the current postal contact details for Ofsted.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures that all adults living in her household are suitable to be in contact with children. She has a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and knows what to do if she ever has a concern about a child in her care. She checks her home regularly to make sure it is safe, however, she has failed to identify a number of potential hazards such as the loose bricks holding down the cover on the barbecue and the possibility of children's fingers being trapped because the end leaves of the kitchen table are down. Risk assessments are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 conducted for all outings and regularly reviewed and she implements a range of measures to help children feel safe, such as transporting them in age appropriate car seats or while harnessed into buggies.

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the early years provision

The childminder helps all children make very good progress in their learning. She observes their development regularly and works closely with parents to support their learning, providing a range of written, verbal and photographic feedback about their child's activities. She regularly asks parents for their views to inform important decisions made about her setting. However, while her complaints policy contains the up-to-date telephone contact details for Ofsted, it does not contain the current postal address, should they ever wish to make written contact. Parents report that they are very happy with the care the childminder provides for their children, particularly with the variety of activities she organises and the way she has helped some of them develop confidence and social skills. Although no children in her care currently attend other early years settings, she values the importance of close partnership working to support children's care. She attends regular

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the early years provision

training to update her early years knowledge and uses these skills to constantly improve outcomes for children. For example, she has attended training about how to use a 'persona doll' in her setting in order to promote children's personal, social and emotional development. She implements a range of policies and procedures to promote equality and eliminate discrimination and ensures that each child is fully included in activities. She has suitably addressed the recommendation made at the time of her last inspection, by updating her child protection policy and setting up a complaints log. She reflects on the quality of her provision and attends local childminder meetings to support ongoing improvements. She has completed a self- evaluation and identified accurately her strengths as well as some areas for development such as the streamlining of her paperwork, however, did not realise that her complaints policy needed updating. Resources are used well to help

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the early years provision

children make progress. She creates a welcoming, child friendly environment where they receive very good support to develop independence in their care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children make very good progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder arranges a variety of activities which are tailored to meet their individual needs and which take their interests into account. For example, she encourages a child's interest in music by providing regular singing activities and access to a range of instruments. Children enjoy a balance of adult-led and child- initiated experiences that help them make very good progress towards the early learning goals. They take part in arts and crafts, play dough modelling and cooking activities, carefully guided by the childminder. They also have plenty of opportunities for free play, choosing independently from the range of good condition, interesting and easily accessible toys in the play room. The childminder observes them regularly, using a range of evidence such as photographs and examples of their work, to assess their progress. These observations are linked to

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and outcomes for children

the requirements of the early learning goals to identify their next steps and very effectively inform planning to meet their individual needs. Additionally she This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 undertakes summary assessments to make sure children are making good progress over time and that there are no gaps in their learning. Children are eager to take part in activities; they are curious about their environment and enjoy investigating toys and resources. They respond very well to her positive, encouraging manner and show they are very comfortable in her home. Interaction with the childminder ensures they receive maximum enjoyment out of the activities. For example, as children model with play dough, she provides a very good range of resources to make the activity fun and interesting. They develop their creativity as they make 'spaghetti' hair for one of the shapes and develop their manipulation skills using a

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and outcomes for children

variety of small tools such as scissors to cut and shape it. The childminder extends their learning as she asks them to consider whether the hair should be short or long and then further reinforces their understanding of mathematical concepts as she rolls out bits of dough to make snails, encouraging children to think about why the daddy snail is made from the biggest piece and the baby from the smallest. Children develop excellent communication skills as the childminder chats to them during play and listens very carefully and responds to what they have to say. As well as developing their language skills, the very good attention she gives them, helps them develop high levels of self-esteem and confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children show an excellent understanding of the importance of following good personal hygiene routines. They are encouraged to take high levels of responsibility for their self-care and show they are very familiar with hand washing routines to help prevent the spread of germs. They enjoy lots of fresh fruit for snacks and receive balanced nutritious meals, developing their own understanding of healthy eating as they are encouraged to be involved in food preparation. Even very young children make choices about what they eat, as they help prepare their own wraps at lunchtime, choosing from a range of healthy fillings. They regularly access play in the outdoor environment to support their understanding of the importance of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children are well behaved and enjoy socialising with other children at local toddler groups, appropriately learning to share and take turns. The gain an excellent understanding of diversity and how

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and outcomes for children

to appreciate the needs of others as the 'persona doll' named Alan is used in role play to make experiences come alive. They also access a range of toys and resources to support their understanding of the wider world, and celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year, by making colourful lanterns. Children are active and inquisitive learners and very well prepared for the future. They develop a good sense of personal safety because the childminder provides a range of equipment to keep them safe, such as age appropriate seating at the table. She gently reminds children about safe play, pointing out hazards such as the slippery road mat in the play room. Children demonstrate that they feel safe in her setting, confidently moving around her house and approaching her for any needed support. However, their safety is not promoted as well as it could be because she has overlooked and not made safe, a small number of hazards in her setting.

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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 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 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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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