Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY391568 Inspection date 13/11/2009 Inspector Anna Davies

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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. She lives with her husband and child aged one year in a village just to the north of Cambridge. The whole of the childminder’s house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. Access into and out of the childminder's home is at ground level. Toilet facilities are upstairs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding four children in this age group, all on a part-time basis. She is also able to offer care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The house is within walking distance of local amenities, such as schools, shops and parks. The family has a pet cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and is working towards the Early Years and Childcare Quality Framework.

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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 happy, secure and settled in the childminder's care. The childminder provides a warm and welcoming environment where her inclusive practice is effective in meeting children's individual needs. They enjoy participating in a good range of activities and outings and make good progress in their learning and development. Comprehensive policies, procedures and records are in place and used effectively to promote children's health, safety and welfare. The childminder fosters close partnerships with parents, ensuring that children experience continuity and consistency in their care.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Even though this is the first inspection since registration, the childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of her own strengths and areas she wishes to build upon in the future in order to continually improve outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop assessment procedures; this specifically relates to ensuring there is a balance of both planned and spontaneous observations to help inform children's next steps of learning and that there is a clear system to be able to track, monitor and evidence the progress they are making towards the early learning goals  develop links with other settings providing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), to further support children’s learning and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development.

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the early years provision

Positive steps are taken by the childminder in order to safeguard children and to promote their welfare. She has a good knowledge and understanding of the symptoms of child abuse and the procedures to follow should she have concerns about a child in her care. Household members over the age of 16 years have been vetted to ensure their suitability. Risk assessments of the childminder's home, garden and any outings undertaken with children are thorough, ensuring that potential hazards and risks to children are identified and minimised. For example, the garden fence and gate are currently being replaced to enhance security and privacy for children when they play outside. These effective systems ensure that children play and are cared for in a safe and secure environment.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home and resources are effectively organised to enable children to make independent choices in their play. A good range of toys and resources are available in the conservatory, covering the age range of children currently cared for. The childminder uses local places of interest and groups to further extend the range of activities she offers.

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the early years provision

The childminder has devised a wide range of written policies and procedures. These are used effectively to ensure children's safety and well-being and are shared with parents so that they are fully aware of the service provided. All required written parental consents have been obtained, ensuring children are cared for in line with their parents' wishes. There are close partnerships with parents. They are asked a wealth of information about their children when they begin so that the childminder is fully aware of children's needs and starting points relating to their care and development. Parents have opportunities to be involved in their child's learning through daily chats with the childminder, looking at their children's learning journals and feeding back new information about their children through their daily diary. This helps the childminder to meet children's changing needs and plan for their care and learning in an effective way. Parents speak

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the early years provision

highly of the opportunities offered by the childminder for their children, both in her home and at local groups. Settling-in is flexible according to the child's needs and the parents' wishes. The childminder has fully considered ways to share information with other providers also delivering the EYFS to children in her care and understands the benefits of doing so. However, she has yet to put these ideas into practice to ensure consistency when children attend more than one setting.

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the early years provision

In the short space of time since registration, the childminder has worked hard to ensure that she is implementing the EYFS requirements to a good standard. She has clear systems in place to be able to self-evaluate her provision and identify her strengths and areas she wishes to work on in the future. For example, she wants to explore ways to obtain regular feedback from parents to help her evaluate her service from their point of view. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are offered a good range of activities across all areas of learning and are provided with opportunities to play in a welcoming and comfortable environment. They develop warm relationships with the childminder, for example, snuggling in to her when they are tired or having just awoken from a sleep. Children have good opportunities to learn about keeping themselves safe through learning about road safety when out in the community and practising regular fire evacuation procedures using varying routes out of the house. They are encouraged to follow good hygiene routines, such as hand washing after stroking the pet cat and after using the toilet. These positive messages are given to even the very youngest children; they have their hands washed before eating as they have been crawling around on the floor. The childminder follows a healthy eating policy to ensure that children are offered a balanced and nutritious range of snacks and meals. They

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and outcomes for children

learn about healthy eating through games and from posters displayed on the walls. Drinks of water are freely accessible to children which ensures that they can meet their bodies' needs independently and remain well-hydrated. Clear documentation is in place regarding the administration of medication and the recording of accidents. The childminder holds a valid first aid qualification which enables her to deal effectively with any minor injuries.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a generally positive approach to behaviour management. She discusses strategies with parents so that she can try to be consistent with those used at home. House rules are clearly displayed so that children are clear about expectations. Children are beginning to develop an understanding of the wider world and the childminder has a range of resources that are representative of the diverse society in which children live. The childminder ensures that children develop effective skills from a young age to enhance their communication, numeracy and literacy skills. For example, she introduces counting and colour recognition as they stack cups and introduces new vocabulary, such as 'rough' 'scratchy' and 'shiny' when they read a 'touch and feel' book together.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder understands how children learn, through repetition of new skills to consolidate their learning and by ensuring that activities build upon what children already know and can do. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals given their capability and starting points. Learning journals are in place for each child containing observations which are used to identify children's next steps. However, these are weekly observations rather than 'snap-shot' and 'spontaneous' observations of children's learning which does not ensure that an all- round picture of children's learning is captured. Furthermore, current systems make it difficult to monitor, track and evidence the progress children are making towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop independence as they make choices about their activities, snacks and fillings in their sandwiches at lunchtime. They are curious about their environment and ask questions, for example, about why the leaves are different colours when on an autumn walk. Babies explore and problem-solve as they rattle the toy teapot to hear what is inside, adding other items to shake out. Children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 demonstrate their creativity as they make up their own 'scary' stories, for example, at Halloween, and pretend to be fireworks; spinning, jumping and shouting 'bang' and 'whoosh'. They use their senses to explore play dough with pasta shapes or cous-cous in it. Regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise ensure that children's physical development is promoted; they walk to the local farm, parks and shops. Babies' physical needs are met by following individual routines for

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and outcomes for children

sleeping and eating and the childminder ensures flexibility in her own routines, for example, when babies need an earlier sleep because they have not slept so well the previous night. 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 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 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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