O'Donohoe, Donna Marie

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY265646 Inspection date 08/12/2009 Inspector Sandra Elizabeth Williams

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 November 2003 and is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 13 and 12 years in Ashton. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding as well as the main bedroom and the bathroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed yard for outside play. The childminder lives close to local schools, shops and parks and she attends local toddler groups. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding 12 children aged from one to 12 years. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and / or disabilities and children with English as an additional language.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She is an accredited childminder and is currently receiving funding to provide nursery education for one child. She holds an National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Child Care and Education. She has a Children Come First quality award and she is a support childminder for newly registered childminders in the area.

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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

All children are included in this homely and welcoming setting due to the childminder's good knowledge of their individual needs and interests. The childminder works extremely hard to ensure that she promotes all of the children’s welfare and learning needs to a high standard. This means that children progress well, given their age, ability and starting points. The partnerships with parents and other settings and agencies are strong, which provide children with continuity and coherence in their development and learning needs. Children are safeguarded although some safety procedures are not consistently used. The childminder has evaluated and identified her strengths and areas for further professional development in order to provide the best outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the risk assessment covers anything with which a child comes into contact, including the sockets on the first floor and increase the regularity of emergency evacuation drills undertaken  improve the use of the system to verify the identity of visitors, record their names and details of arrival and departure times  develop ways of invloving parents more in the children's learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding issues and procedures and is committed to keeping children safe and secure whilst in her care. Robust safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and shared with parents. The premises and outdoor area are kept secure at all times. Written parental permissions are in place for all of the required situations although some documentation is not used consistently, such as, the system for keeping a record of visitors to the property. Written risk assessments are in place for the garden, house and each type of outing undertaken and the childminder uses appropriate equipment, such as safety gates in order to minimise hazards and avoid accidents. However, some socket covers on the first floor are accessible to children as they are not currently included in the risk assessment and the emergency evacuation drills are not undertaken very frequently.

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the early years provision

Partnerships between the childminder and parents are well-established and strong. The childminder is very good at addressing children's individual needs and meeting the parents' specific requirements regarding the care they individually require. When children need special input, the childminder embraces this with professionalism and thoroughness. A two-way flow of information is in place. The childminder gives good information about the setting both verbally and via written policies and procedures. Parents are given verbal and written accounts of the children's welfare and development very regularly. They express their satisfaction about the excellent care provided for their children via written statements and thank you cards. Systems are not yet fully developed to maximise parental involvement in the children's learning. Very strong links with other settings and agencies, such as local schools and pre-schools, ensure that information about

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the early years provision

children's welfare, learning and development is shared in order to make sure that children's individual needs are very well met.

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the early years provision

The childminder has undertaken a self-evaluation process, which identifies her strengths and areas for development. She is constantly seeking ways to develop her practice and strives for excellence. She makes good use of resources, such as training in order to further develop her practice, keep up-to-date with current issues and provide the best service possible. She actively promotes equality of opportunity through her inclusive practice and policies. Positive images of different people in society are represented in children's books, toys and posters displayed on the walls.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled at this setting and thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder and their friends. The children are making good progress in their development and learning as the childminder provides a very stimulating learning environment in a homely and welcoming setting. They are offered a wide variety of activities, both adult-led and child-initiated, indoors and outside. All of the play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 equipment is well organised and easily accessible so that children can move about easily and make choices, thus developing their independence. The childminder uses her good knowledge of the six areas of learning and development to plan various activities suitable for all of the children who attend. She has a very good knowledge of children's individual abilities and interests by using information from parents and by listening to the children. The childminder keeps good records of the

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and outcomes for children

children's progress through written observations, photographs and samples of children's work. She uses this information effectively to track children's developmental progress and to plan their next steps in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children have wonderful opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles as the childminder encourages daily outdoor play and fresh air. The well-equipped out door area provides children with opportunities to develop their physical skills, such as pedalling their bikes and playing on small slides. The children enjoy opportunities to go for outings with other children and their childminders. They take part in sports days, bug hunts and teddy bears picnics. They also visit museums in various cities. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and adopt good hygiene practices, such as washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating. They enjoy home made lunches and healthy snacks and regular drinks throughout the day.

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and outcomes for children

The children develop their creativity as they undertake wonderful craft activities. For example, they enjoy making Christmas glitter shakers with their photos in the centre, as presents for their parents. They make Reindeer pictures out of hand and foot prints and they make attractive fire work paintings by flicking the brightly coloured paints onto the paper. They make gold fish bowl calendars and are able to identify the pink octopus, the red crabs and the orange sea horse. They develop their imaginations as they become engrossed in imaginative play. For example, the children spontaneously decide to play in the tunnel. They switch on their torches and take a look at what they can see in the dark tunnel.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder supports children to develop skills in numeracy, literacy and information technology, which contribute to their economic well-being and development of their future skills. The children are making good progress in their literacy skills as they enjoy visiting the book shop to buy books to read with the childminder. They enjoy sitting with the childminder to look at Christmas books. The childminder extends their learning by asking the children to make marks in the shaving foam, such as, the letter 'S'. The children do this and think of other words that begin with 'S' such as snake. They learn to count in everyday situations, such as counting objects in the books. They learn about shapes and make squares using the square shaped cutter in the play dough. Children are assisted to develop skills in information technology as they enjoy looking at their photographs on the computer screen. They begin to show responsibility for their environment as they

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and outcomes for children

help the childminder to recycle various household items.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe at the setting due to the childminder's reassuring approach. They enjoy warm and relaxed relationships with the childminder who gently supports and encourages them to build their confidence and learn through play. She very skilfully includes all of the children, by making sure they receive equal amounts of her attention. She offers a great deal of praise and encouragement and helps the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children to be considerate to one another by sharing and taking turns in their play. They learn to stay safe as the childminder teaches them to use the stairs safely and to tidy up their toys, because she cares very much for the children she looks after. 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 3 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 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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