Heath View Academy

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 141145 Inspection date 28/01/2010 Inspector Jill Nugent

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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 registered in 1992. She lives with her five children, three of whom are adult and two are aged 13 and five. They live in a house in Chingford. Access to the house is at ground level and the whole of the house is used for childminding. There is a secure garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog. The childminder's daughter works with her as an assistant.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight, of whom three may be in the early years age group, at any one time. Currently she is caring for six children, three of whom are in the early years age group, two on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and one on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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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 provides a welcoming and inclusive setting where children enjoy their play and learn new skills. Children's individual care needs are catered for appropriately and the childminder is attentive to their well-being at all times. She works closely with parents to ensure that children are happy in the setting and make progress in their learning. She has the capacity to continually improve her practice through her commitment to maintaining the good quality of care on offer.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the system of observational assessment in order to plan to meet children's individual learning needs more effectively  develop the use of self-evaluation to enable reflection on all areas of the childcare practice and to highlight aspects for further improvement  review the risk assessments of the premises, to ensure that they are specific to the setting, and introduce a fire log book.

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the early years provision

The childminder has all the required documentation in place and this forms a good framework for her practice. She has a sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues and has appropriate procedures in place regarding children's health and safety. She knows what to do if she has any concerns relating to child protection. She carries out safety checks on the premises to ensure that children keep safe, although her record of risk assessments does not relate specifically to her setting so that she can ensure all potential hazards are included and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 minimised. She organises regular evacuation practices but has not yet introduced a fire log book to record any problems that arise. She updates her training in first aid as necessary and ensures that children's medical records are well maintained.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good working partnership with parents and develops close relationships with children's families. New parents receive a welcome pack with useful information attractively and clearly set out. The childminder makes good use of daily diaries to exchange information with parents on a daily basis. She is aware of the need to establish links with other providers to help support individual children in their development. Parents express their satisfaction with the care provided for their children and especially appreciate the childminder's caring attitude. The childminder promotes an inclusive environment, making sure that all children can join in any activities on offer. When working with her assistant children benefit from the opportunity for individual attention.

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the early years provision

The childminder spends her time with the children, ensuring that their well-being is promoted and they are happy in her care. She is attentive to their individual care needs and responds appropriately to these. Children enjoy the freedom to move around the downstairs rooms, choosing from the wide range of resources. The toys, books and games are varied, and interesting, and maintained in good condition. The childminder has made various improvements to her provision since the previous inspection. These include updating her paperwork in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage and attending relevant training courses. She is keen to attend further training and plans to review the organisation of her resources, although she does not yet use self-evaluation effectively to reflect on all aspects of her practice and use her evaluation to guide further improvements.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to explore with the support of the childminder, for example, discovering the different sounds made by musical instruments. They develop confidence and independence as they make their own choices. The childminder encourages them to follow up their own interests and interacts with them to promote their learning. As a result, children develop close relationships with her and feel valued and included. She organises activities to focus children's learning and encourage the development of new skills, such as cooking and painting. She makes good use of visits to a variety of local play groups to enable children to mix with others and participate in a wider variety of activities. Children also enjoy outings to parks and farms where they can practise their physical skills and learn more about the natural environment.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has introduced a system of observational assessment to help her move children on in their learning. She collects photographs as a visual record of their participation in activities and has begun to note one or two observations. She is aware of the stage of development of each child and also some areas in which she needs to work with them to help them develop appropriate skills, for example, in communication. She has much experience of working with children and is able to support older children in their acquisition of key skills in the areas of literacy and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 numeracy. However, she has not yet established a routine of regular observations of children so that she can use these to work out individual children's next steps of learning according to their stages of development. Consequently, she does not plan effectively to meet their individual needs and so ensure that all children make

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and outcomes for children

good progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is particularly adept at promoting children's welfare, ensuring that they are well looked after and feel safe in her care. There are various safety measures in place around the house and children are encouraged to talk about keeping themselves safe in different situations. Older children feel able to confide in the childminder if necessary. The childminder has appropriate strategies in place to manage children's behaviour and deals with them in a calm but firm manner. As a result children abide by the rules and develop a sense of belonging within the setting. They learn to respect others when talking about people with different cultural backgrounds. The childminder offers children a varied and healthy diet, and involves them in food preparation, so that they develop an awareness of healthy lifestyles. Children are encouraged to adopt good hygiene practices and enjoy opportunities for outdoor play in fine weather.

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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 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 3 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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