Childminder in Hampshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY396207 Inspection date 03/12/2009 Inspector Jacqueline Munden

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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 two school-age children in the Bursledon area of Hampshire. The ground floor of the house is mainly used for childminding and there is access to a first floor toilet and a bedroom for when children need to sleep. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have two cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum four children under eight years at any one time, of which, no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently caring for five children on a part-time basis, one of whom is in the early years age group. The childminder is also registered by Ofsted on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA).

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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 welcomed into a warm and nurturing environment where their safety and welfare are generally promoted successfully and they are all valued and included. Strong relationships with parents enable the childminder to ensure children's individual needs are met effectively. Their learning is supported through methods appropriate to their ages and level of development; therefore children make good progress. All the required documentation is in place and some additional records are maintained to record children's development. The childminder is constantly reviewing her practice and identifies areas for future development to 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?

 improve hand-washing procedures to minimise the risk of cross infection to children when drying hands  improve fire safety by fitting the fire blanket in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and maintain a record of when the emergency evacuation procedure is practised  further develop systems of observation, assessment and planning to enable children's learning and development to be tracked and monitored against the areas of learning to support their progress towards the early learning goals. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The good organisation of the childminder ensures that children are generally safeguarded well; she has a procedure to follow should she have a concern regarding child protection and holds appropriate records and parental consents to promote children's health and welfare. Risk assessments are conducted within the home, garden and for outings with suitable steps taken to minimise any identified hazards. She practises the emergency evacuation procedure with children although is yet to maintain a record this. The fire blanket is not wall-mounted and ready for use to enable it to be used to full effect if needed. The childminder generally follows effective hygiene routines such as ensuring children's hands are cleaned before eating and after using the toilet. However they share a towel to dry their hands which does not fully prevent the risk of cross- infection.

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the early years provision

The environment is clean, homely and welcoming. The childminder uses space well to ensure children can move around freely and take part in creative activities. A suitable range of resources is available to meet the needs of those attending but the space available limits the amount she can have out on display for children to self-select. To compensate, she varies the range of toys she provides for younger children, and older children, who come after school and in the holidays, can select toys and games themselves from the cupboard. Equality and diversity is promoted well as all children are included and can take part as play equipment suits their development level and interest. For example, children under one year join in creative activities using chunky, easy grip crayons and chalks. The childminder has plans to increase the range of resources to meet the needs of those that are approaching the walking stage in their development. The childminder is committed

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the early years provision

to providing an inclusive setting. Although there are no children attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities, she is happy to discuss any concerns about a child's development with parents and to be involved in supporting them where she can, including working with other professionals. She has considered how she will support a child with English as an additional language in her setting to ensure their needs are met. The childminder forges strong links with parents; they share information regularly through discussion at delivery and collection times and by the use of a daily diary. Parents enthuse about how quickly children settle with the childminder and report they are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They appreciate the written information they are given in the diary that includes meal and sleep times as well as how children are progressing and developing skills such as using a cup to drink from. She plans to meet with other

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the early years provision

providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) should the situation arise, understanding how this will support the continuity in children's learning and care.

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the early years provision

In the short time since registration, the childminder has been active in improving her practice. She has increased her knowledge in food hygiene through a system provided by the local authority and has introduced a system to record observations and assessments of children's learning and development; she has booked to attend training in using the EYFS to develop this further. She plans to broaden children's experiences by providing them with greater access to resources that promote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 positive images of all people in society. This demonstrates a good ability to continually improve outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and settled in the calm and nurturing environment the childminder provides. Although she has only been childminding for a short time the childminder quickly gets to know each of them well and meets their individual care routines as preferred by the parents. Children show delight as they arrive and the door is opened by the childminder. From then on, they are relaxed and respond positively to her care and interaction. Children feel safe and secure due to their needs being catered for well and the good attention they receive. The childminder plans activities and outings to meet their individual needs and to aid all areas of their development, including skills for the future. For example, she allows children under one year ample time at meal times, and encourages them to develop their hand co-ordination and independence to feed themselves and to use a cup to drink from. The childminder plans activities outside the home around the times they are

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and outcomes for children

with her to ensure they benefit from a wide range of experiences including meeting with others and having access to additional physical exercise. For example, she has found a toddler group that operates in the afternoon and takes children swimming.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of how children in the EYFS age range learn and provides lots of opportunities to help them progress in all areas of learning. She gets down on floor level with very young children to enable her to interact with them. They respond well to the eye contact she has with them, the gestures and the verbal communication she uses. They clap their hands as she sings 'Pat-a-cake' and excitedly hold her hands, leaning back and forth as she sings 'Row, row, row your boat'. Children begin to make sounds to respond to the childminder's singing. Children enjoy looking at board books which is fostering an early interest in books. Their physical development is promoted through a good range of resources such as posting shapes into the shape sorter and by being encouraged to move their bodies to reach something. They are interested in electronic toys and discover how to make a sound by pressing a button. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder speaks knowledgeably about the children and the stage of development they have reached, how she has helped them to make good progress since starting with her and what she intends to do to aid this further. She has begun recording observations of children's achievements and shares them with parents; although the system does not allow for their progress to be tracked against the early learning goals to monitor their progress in all areas of their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides appropriate activities to children above the EYFS age range that attend which supports their learning and benefits younger children also as they relish being involved with them. These include cooking where children use scales to weigh ingredients and games such as 'Jenga'. They enjoy taking the tea set into the garden and pouring water and using the trampoline. Children find out about keeping safe as they learn to walk safely to and from school and to keep the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 floors free of toys to avoid tripping. They learn about healthy lifestyles as they have many opportunities to be outdoors and enjoy physical play. They are encouraged to make healthy choices of drinks and snacks. Children learn to manage their behaviour through the clear and consistent boundaries the childminder provides according to their developing needs.

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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 3 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 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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