Francis Holland School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 101158 Inspection date 15/01/2010 Inspector Angela Cole

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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 has been registered since 1971. She lives with her husband, adult son and daughter in a six-bedroom, detached property to the north west of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The whole house is registered for childminding and children play on the ground floor, including in the playroom, and in the enclosed garden. The family has a cat and two dogs as pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder works with her daughter as her assistant and her husband is a registered childminder. She is on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to offer childcare before, during and after school and in school holidays. She is registered to care for six children at any one time and is currently minding 14 children in the early years age group on a part-time basis. The childminder also cares for older children. Overnight care is offered for three children under eight years. The childminder currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and a number of children learning English as an additional language.

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Description of the childminding

Local amenities within walking distance include shops, parks, country walks, a toddler group and a doctor's surgery. The childminder takes and collects children to and from playgroups and primary schools. She is gaining a Level 3 qualification and is working towards being accredited to provide funded nursery education for three and four-year-olds.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder is highly trained and exceptionally well organised so that children’s well-being is significantly enhanced and their safeguarding is assured. She has high aspirations for quality through ongoing improvement so that children make outstanding progress in their learning and development. She has a very strong commitment to equality and diversity and makes exemplary use of resources, including training opportunities, to meet the requirements of individuals. Each child’s needs are exceptionally well met through highly effective partnerships between the childminder, their parents and other providers. The childminder's excellent commitment to self-evaluation fully involves children and families in developing and taking forward her provision to ensure continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extend systems to monitor the use of children’s next steps to ensure that they continue to make maximum progress in each area of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

High levels of organisation, drive and motivation of the childminder ensure children are happy, have positive experiences and are well cared for in a secure environment where their health and safety is of the highest standard. The childminder is abundantly aware of her responsibilities for the safeguarding of the children in her care. She regularly updates her knowledge through training with regard to child protection to have current understanding of legislation. All adults living in the house, and with sole care of children, are vetted and the children are always protected from those who are not checked. Detailed policies and statements are clearly visible for the parents and all childminding records are highly maintained to support the excellent care offered to children and their families. As a result, the childminder and those who work with her, support all children to achieve with excellence in their learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder is meticulous in constantly improving partnerships with parents. She has clear systems to work in depth with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage for continuity of care and sharing of relevant information to benefit the children. These approaches enable her to respond swiftly to any identified learning and development needs. All of the parents' ideas and suggestions are listened to and responded to in a very sensitive and efficient manner. Parents have excellent opportunities to contribute to their children’s learning. They share highly interesting, daily accounts of the children's day so that reading it together as a family helps them to feel part of the children's care. They have all confidence in the childminder who takes delight in the children to provide them with a wonderful, family environment where they have fun, grow and develop, particularly outdoors where they spend a great amount of time.

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the early years provision

The childminder's practice is highly inclusive because of her in-depth knowledge and clear understanding of each child's background and needs. Her exemplary knowledge, resources and activities effectively help children to understand the society in which they live. They highly enjoy learning about their local area and the natural world around them. For example, children are actively involved in choosing and measuring wood for Christmas logs and are fully included in celebrations that are important to the families of other minded children. The childminder is enthusiastic and has ambitions to further raise the standards of care and learning for all the children in attendance. She has a clear vision of developments she wishes to make and is confident and capable to make continuous improvement. Evaluation takes full account of parents' and children's views to identify her many strengths and she is highly competent in accomplishing the goals she sets for

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and outcomes for children

Children make outstanding progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities that are shared by their parents. This is because the childminder's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 teaching is rooted in expert knowledge of the learning and development requirements and a full understanding of how young children learn and achieve. Exceptional organisation of the educational programme reflects rich, varied and imaginative experiences that fully meet the needs of all children. Assessment through high quality observations is rigorous and the information gained is used very effectively to guide planning that is tailored to the needs and abilities of each child. Children learning English as an additional language, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are very well supported to make exceptional progress. Some monitoring systems are in place to ensure that children continue to

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and outcomes for children

make maximum progress in each area of learning. Young children enjoy their learning as the childminder interacts and teaches most effectively. She continually responds to their early communications, talking about what they and she are doing. She supports and challenges them continuously by asking, for example, 'How many birds do you think will come to the bird table? Do you think the birds’ beaks will get through the holes - shall we try it?'

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and outcomes for children

The children are active learners, interested in the variety of toys at their level and concentrating for a long time at each activity. Their learning is skilfully supported by highly effective use of spontaneous opportunities. For example, they read their own and other children's names on toothbrush mugs and recognise clock numbers to work out their collection times. From a young age, children are highly motivated to be creative and to think critically. They explore exciting materials for painting and woodworking, and play imaginatively to become familiar with different roles. Their interest in sounds and music is highly fostered as young ones make puppets for rhymes, such as 'Five, little, dicky birds', and explore sounds and different instruments with the childminder.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain an excellent understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They sing songs to adopt healthy habits, such as good hygiene practices, and talk about why it is important to take care of their bodies, for example, in colder weather when they play in the snow. Children are active and gain a very good understanding of the benefits of physical experiences. They are challenged on walks and visit parks to gain confidence on different play equipment. In reasonable weather, children have free access to the garden with its wealth of resources, including a parachute, a challenging slide, space to hone their rolling and throwing skills, and areas for digging and growing fruit and vegetables. Children help to prepare food, such as pineapple, to smell and taste. They make healthy choices about what they eat and drink, while role play in 'shops’ and ‘cafes' further illustrates healthy choices to make.

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and outcomes for children

Young children are very settled and quickly become absorbed in their play. They feel safe with the childminder and gain an excellent understanding of issues relating to safety. They behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others, confidently moving around the ground floor and following house rules devised with children. They learn how to keep safe when out and about wearing high visibility vests, for example, watching trains and planes at the airport; they listen carefully to visitors who talk about personal safety, including stranger danger. Children have outstanding opportunities to develop awareness of their responsibilities and play a part in the setting and wider community. They enjoy their learning immensely and show a strong desire to participate and make choices. The childminder is highly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 skilled and sensitive in her management of children and their behaviour. As a

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and outcomes for children

result, young ones behave very well, interacting and learning to respect, cooperate and share resources with each other. The childminder and her co-workers are excellent role models so children develop high levels of self-esteem through warm praise and respond to become kind, polite and considerate. Young ones have excellent support to learn how to be more responsible for the earth's resources, for example, recycling household materials and using net bags for bird food.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is highly successful in enabling children to develop skills that will support them in the future. Children develop excellent early language as they are given time to communicate their ideas and to solve problems as these arise in their play. They learn to pronounce words, suggest items beginning with the same sound and delight in sharing books and stories while creating characters' voices. Children's awareness of numeracy and spatial learning are heightened as they are challenged by the childminder to notice detail, for example, when constructing shapes from large materials and creating patterns to camouflage animals. They become familiar with technology, for example, learning how to use a camera and a laptop. From a young age, children are effectively enabled to work independently and to develop confident, self-care skills so they are ready to move on to the next stage. 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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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