Carroll, Suzanne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY352757 Inspection date 16/02/2010 Inspector Stephanie Graves

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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 0300 123 1231, 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: 0300 123 1231 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 is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Her home is close to public transport, schools, shops, parks and other amenities. The whole of the ground floor and two upstairs bedrooms are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding a total of four children in this age group, all at different times throughout the week, on a part-time basis. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. The childminder has six pet cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends the local toddler and childminding group and 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

The childminder fully understands and meets each child's unique welfare and learning needs. Children play in a safe, secure and stimulating environment where they access a full range of play and learning experiences. The childminder's capacity for maintaining ongoing improvements to the provision is good. She is clear about the strengths of the setting and how she has improved since the last inspection. She has begun to highlight areas for future improvement to promote effective outcomes for the children attending.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop systems for ongoing observational assessment, including clearly identifying children's starting points and the next steps in learning, to inform planning for each child’s continuing development  further develop reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify the setting’s strengths and priorities for development to improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively through clear procedures that promote their welfare and safety at all times. The childminder has an up-to-date understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and keeps important information to hand to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 refer to in the event of any child protection concerns. This includes relevant contact numbers and referral procedures. Children's welfare is therefore, well promoted. The childminder supervises children at all times and uses a back-up childminder in the event of an emergency. This helps to ensure that children are only cared for by vetted persons. Effective risk assessment covers all areas of the provision and is updated regularly. Daily visual checks and clear explanations to children about safety help to prevent accidental injuries.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a proactive attitude towards improving her service wherever possible. She has addressed the previous recommendations well and continually monitors and evaluates all areas of her practice. She maintains a good range of informative policies and procedures, which are signed by parents. The accessibility of toys, resources and experiences is excellent, helping children to continually develop their interests and make good progress. The childminder attends regular training updates to promote good practice and effective outcomes for the children attending.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is well promoted for children and their parents. A written policy is very clear about equal opportunities and challenges any discrimination. The toys and resources promote many positive images of diversity and children learn to respect and value the differences between people in society. Each child has equal access to the learning environment, helping them make good progress.

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the early years provision

The use of self-evaluation is good. The childminder uses the Ofsted document to evaluate the strengths of the provision and has started to record clear priorities for future improvement. These include accessing ongoing training as this becomes available, sourcing more outdoor resources and to continue building on recent improvements. Parents and children are involved in the self-evaluation process, helping to ensure that practices benefit the individual children attending.

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the early years provision

The childminder attends the local toddler and childminding groups to fully promote children's learning and development. She engages well with parents and provides them with much information about the service she offers. Parents value the childminder's commitment to their children. They feel she has bonded well with them, pays good attention to hygiene, children's learning needs and providing them with very healthy meals. Parents are included in their children's learning and development and all information is shared. This helps to promote consistency of care and learning for the children attending.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder supports children's learning well. For example, she asks effective questions as they play, which helps them to think and respond and develop their communication and language skills. The learning environment is rich in toys, resources and experiences. The childminder ensures these are exceptionally well placed, easily accessible and cover all areas of learning. Young children are well supported by the childminder and the older children that she cares for. They include them in activities, such as, playing with play dough, which helps to develop This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their curiosity and interest. They enjoy role-play as they join in with pretend cooking activities, learning to represent real life scenarios through their play. Children learn to problem-solve, for instance, as they discover how programmable resources work or put a game together. This encourages their independence and

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and outcomes for children

ability to persevere with their chosen tasks.

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and outcomes for children

Observational assessment is good. Starting points are informally gained from parents when children start at the setting and the childminder uses observation and assessment to chart their progress. Photographs and written observations show children's achievements and are linked to the areas of learning, but these do not currently show the next steps needed in learning on an ongoing basis. Periodical assessments chart children's progress effectively. The childminder extends children's learning at source to ensure the experiences provided build on their current skills and interests. Overall the experiences provided help all children make good progress and acquire the necessary skills for their future learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Young children demonstrate a strong sense of security through their comfortable interactions with the childminder and other children in her care. Children learn about safety issues through good input by the childminder. For example, she teaches them how to be safe on outings and when walking by the road. They know they must not run around inside her home in case they fall and hurt themselves. The emergency evacuation procedure is practised and recorded regularly. This helps children to develop a good sense of personal safety.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and well-being are exceptionally well promoted. The childminder and older children attending teach the younger children the correct procedures for hand washing through devising notices for the toilet area. Even very young children are taught the importance of having their hands cleaned and why nappies need to go into a bag and in the outdoor bin. The childminder adopts stringent hygiene procedures and clear measures when children have infectious conditions. This input helps to minimise the risk of cross infection. Food is healthy and nutritious and children make choices about their preferred meals. Daily fresh vegetables and fruit are provided and the childminder ensures children are offered regular drinks to keep hydrated. Children enjoy plenty of physical exercise indoors and out, which helps to them to keep fit and healthy.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very well behaved and learn the expected house rules through the childminder's gentle reminders as they play. She encourages their independence but offers help where necessary. She instils a sense of responsibility into all children, for example, as they help to set out activities or tidy them away. She is a good role model and offers plenty of praise and encouragement to each child. She teaches them to respect one another and as a result, children play cooperatively together and develop good levels of confidence and self-esteem. 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 1 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 1 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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