Barrett, Denise Anne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY397753 Inspection date 15/12/2009 Inspector Carol Johnstone

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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 their six- year old son in a large bungalow in Christchurch, Dorset. Most areas of the bungalow are used for childminding purposes. The outdoor area is not yet registered for use.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She can care for a maximum of five children under eight years, of whom three may be in the early years age group and one may be under one year. There are currently six children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are very settled and secure with the childminder. They are cared for in a spotlessly clean environment which is bright and spacious. Children make good progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The childminder is very well organised in her practice and all of the necessary aspects of documentation needed to support children's welfare is in place. The childminder gets to know the individual needs of each child well and consequently they settle quickly with her and become confident in her care, enjoying lots of cuddles.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing which must be reviewed before embarking on each specific outing (Safeguarding and welfare) 15/12/2009

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the existing planning of activities to more closely link with children's identified next steps in learning  continue to work with parents to ensure that healthy eating is consistently promoted

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a commitment to her new childminding practice. She has attended the relevant training necessary for registration and is planning to continue to develop her knowledge and understanding through additional training. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 In addition, she has recently joined a quality improvement scheme as an additional way of developing her practice. She has completed a detailed self-evaluation document in order to identify the areas she wishes to develop further as her practice progresses and evolves.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a sound knowledge of safeguarding issues and can recognise the types and signs of child abuse. She knows the procedures to follow in recording any worrying signs and who to contact to report a concern. Consequently, a child at risk would be quickly identified and external support obtained for them. A detailed safeguarding policy is given to all parents to outline the childminder's responsibility in this area.

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the early years provision

The childminder has taken steps to reinforce the security of her premises to make sure that children are protected from any dangers from the road. There is a security gate in place which prevents any risk of children escaping and also prevents any unwelcome visitors entering the premises. The childminder has completed detailed risk assessments of all areas of her home. However, risk assessments have not been done for each type of outing, which is a requirement. Fire drills are completed with the children each week. This helps the children to be aware of what to do in the event of an emergency occurring.

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the early years provision

There are strong partnerships with parents. The childminder has completed policies and procedures for all aspects of the care provided and these are contained within a detailed parent prospectus which is given to all parents. The prospectus also contains information about the EYFS. A daily diary is completed for all parents who wish to have one and in addition, there is a daily discussion on arrival and collection of the children. Parents are able to look at children's assessment records whenever they wish and there are regular photos of the children for them to look at. The childminder has started to develop links with other providers who share the care of the children. This will ensure that there is continuity in the delivery of the EYFS.

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the early years provision

The childminder helps to promote children's understanding of equality and diversity by planning topics related to different cultures and religions. All children are encouraged to play with all of the resources regardless of their gender and they are encouraged to respect each other and to be kind. The childminder has planned for ways in which she can support children who may have English as an additional language. She has also thought about how she can support and care for children who may have special educational needs and disabilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children are relaxed and happy. There is an extensive range of bright, colourful toys for all ages and these are arranged to be easily accessible so that children can help themselves to what they want. Children enjoy cookery sessions, play with sand and water, puzzles, model making and painting. The childminder supports the children's play very effectively to encourage them to think and learn. For example, when a child is building a garage with bricks, she asks him if he wants to use the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 big long ones or the short square ones. She asks how big the garage needs to be to fit the cars inside. When the child plays with a fire truck, she discusses with him what he could use to make a ladder, why he must be careful of the fire and what the fireman does to put the fire out.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder carries out regular observations of the children during their play and makes assessments of their achievements. She then identifies the areas where the children need to go next in their learning to help them progress. The childminder already does written planning of the activities, however, children's next steps are not always clearly linked to these. The childminder gets to know what the children like to do and there are regular outings to local parks, forests and nature reserves where the children investigate mini beasts and collect leaves to make pictures and hats. The childminder discusses the size and shape of the leaves and encourages the children to count them to promote their learning. There are also regular visits to the beach, toddler groups, the local watermill and museums. Children enjoy regular picnics when the weather is fine and have weekly trips to the library to look at the books and listen to stories.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and hygiene is promoted effectively. The childminder keeps the kitchen and toilet areas very clean and uses separate chopping boards for the preparation of snacks. The childminder helps the children learn about healthy eating by giving them fruit and vegetables at snack time. There is a healthy eating policy which is given to all parents providing packed lunches. However, this is not yet regularly reinforced with parents to ensure that the content of packed lunches is consistently appropriate. Children learn that they need to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating and they each have a separate flannel to dry their hands on. Tooth brushing is also encouraged after eating. The childminder uses disposable gloves and antibacterial spray when changing nappies to avoid any risk of cross infection.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about their personal safety as part of the daily routine. The childminder talks to them about how to be safe, for example, not running inside and wearing slippers so that they do not slip on the wooden floors. They are told about road safety when out walking and know that they must wait at the kerb before crossing.

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and outcomes for children

Children play very well together and the older children help the younger ones with the toys. For example, an older child pushes the handle of a spinning top for the baby who can't quite manage it. Both enjoy playing like this together and laugh excitedly. Children are encouraged to use good manners and to be kind to each other. Stars are given to children who have been very helpful or kind and the childminder praises them freely, which helps to build their self-esteem and confidence. 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 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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