Childminder in Harrow

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY384505 Inspection date 18/03/2010 Inspector Christine Bonnett

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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 is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age group. She is currently minding one child in this age group. She is registered on the Early Years Register, and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder's husband regularly works with her as an assistant.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent and toddler groups. The family have no pets.

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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 looked after with care and kindness within a clean and safe family home. They make suitable progress in their learning as the childminder has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundations Stage requirements. She also offers an inclusive service in which she works effectively with parents to ensure the needs of all the children are met. The childminder understands the importance of evaluating and developing her service to consistently improve outcome for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 make a record of risk assessments clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). 16/04/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 develop systems to assess observations, identify learning priorities and plan learning experiences tailored to the needs of individual children  further develop systems to self-evaluate practice that include the parents views, to identify strengths and priorities for development that will enhance the quality of the provision for all children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an in-depth understanding of safeguarding issues. She is aware of possible signs and symptoms of abuse, and has up-to-date procedures This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 from her local authority to follow should she have concerns. The childminder carries out risk assessments on her home to identify and minimise potential hazards. However, although the assessments are affective as there are no obvious dangers to children, a record of the assessments is not maintained inline with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. All other records to support the well-being of the children are in place.

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the early years provision

The childminder is enthusiastic and keen to enhance her practice for the benefit of the children. Through self-evaluation, she identifies areas of strength, and those requiring development. To build upon her skills she attends courses, such as ‘Creative Ideas’ and ‘Basic Food Hygiene’. Since registration, she has also gained a National Vocational Qualification at level 2, in ‘Children’s Care, Learning and Development’. The childminder has recognised that it is beneficial to gain the views of parents as part of her self-evaluation process, and intends to implement this straightaway.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides an inclusive service, taking into account children's individual routines and preferences. She works closely with parents to find out a wealth of information about each child before they start in her care, and is aware of their individual backgrounds to ensure the care provided is appropriate and consistent. All relevant information is shared between them routinely. Written testimonials from parents state that they are very happy with the service she provides and describe her as a dedicated and caring childminder. The childminder understands that effective communication with nurseries and schools that the children attend in the future must be established, to further promote their learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder helps children learn about equality and diversity in the world around them. For example, to acknowledge Chinese New Year, the childminder took the children to a Chinese supermarket to see a large model of a paper dragon and to buy the materials needed to make their own. The children then created dragon drawings and models, and talked about their meaning.

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the early years provision

Children have ample space in the home to fully explore the play materials in comfort and safety. The play equipment is clean, in good condition and is attractively displayed on open-fronted shelving to enable children to develop independence by self-selecting what they wish to use.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn through play, and provides fun and stimulating experiences to promote learning and development in all areas. She maintains an overview of children’s progress and plans activities that support their ongoing development. However, this system does not demonstrate the child’s individual development or identify specific learning priorities for their unique learning journey in order to plan experiences tailored to the needs of the individual children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children engage well with the play materials and activities, such as water play and creating mother’s day cards. The childminder identifies what the children enjoy and plans activities accordingly. For example, recognising that the children showed an interest in animals, she organised a family member to bring her cat for a session to

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and outcomes for children

enable the children to look at it and learn how to hold and stoke it. The childminder uses every opportunity to promote communication skills. The library is visited regularly and story times held at home. Children enjoy singing their favourite songs, such as ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’. Number and matching games are used routinely to promote problem solving and numeracy, and programmable toys are available for the children to identify numbers and shapes. All these experiences help children to begin to develop skills for the future. The childminder takes children to play at Grange Children’s Centre to help their social and emotional development as they mix with others and begin to understand the importance of co-operating with each other and sharing and taking turns. In addition, they also have the opportunity to meet children from diverse backgrounds to help them learn more about the society in which they live.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to learn the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The childminder works together with parents to ensure she provides a balanced and nutritious diet that takes account of particular dietary needs. The menu regularly includes fresh fruit and vegetables, such as papaya and broccoli. The childminder encourages children to develop good personal hygiene routines to prevent the risk of cross-infection and to keep them well, such as washing their hands at appropriate times and cleaning their teeth. Children benefit from plenty of opportunities for physical exercises outdoors. The garden provides a secure area for running and climbing, and the park is visited for the swings and to collect fallen leaves to learn about the natural world.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder gives warm and nurturing care to young children. They are settled and content. They demonstrate their closeness to her by snuggling-up on her lap and looking at books or comparing models of animals with pictures. The childminder uses gentle massaging techniques with the children after their breakfast to relax them, and consequently enable them to be ready to learn as they enjoy their play. The children thoroughly enjoy this and confidently remind her when they are ready. 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 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 3 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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