Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY221894 Inspection date 02/03/2010 Inspector Sylvia Crawford

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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 2002. She is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and their three children aged 22, 15 and 12 years. They live on a well established estate close to Central Milton Keynes within walking distance of local shops, pre-schools and schools.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder uses the ground floor and the first floor of her three storey home for childminding which includes rest and toilet facilities. There is a garden available for children's outside play. The childminder takes and collects children to and from the local pre-school.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder’s registration permits her to care for a maximum of six children; three children may be in the early years age group. She currently cares for four children; all are in the early years age group. Children attend on a full and part- time basis. 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a warm and friendly environment which builds upon children’s sense of belonging and confidence. She is committed to meeting the individual needs of each child and takes time to build strong relationships with them to ensure they all feel included and secure. Children are making satisfactory progress in their overall learning and development as they enjoy a varied range of activities and experiences. The childminder builds and maintains very positive relationships with parents and shows commitment to developing and improving her practice to promote outcomes for children effectively. She is beginning to develop systems to evaluate areas for improvement in her service.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the links between individual children’s next steps and the planning and evaluation of activities to demonstrate how all children make progress towards the early learning goals  establish further systems for sharing information on children’s learning and development with parents, carers and other professionals  develop a system for drying hands that prevents any form of cross infection  update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for outings and trips. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded because the childminder has a satisfactory understanding of her role and responsibilities to protect children. She has attended training to update her knowledge and ensures children are sheltered from unvetted persons. The childminder is aware of the local safeguarding procedures, the signs and symptoms that would concern her and has relevant literature in place to refer to. Consequently, she is confident in her ability to know what to do if she has a concern for a child’s welfare. Although the childminder has some written risk assessments for reducing hazards to children in her care, these do not include outings outside the home.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the good relationship the childminder has with parents and information is shared verbally on a daily basis. She requests initial information from the parents, such as, the children's likes, dislikes and any special requirements. This is so that she can ensure that she is meeting all children's needs and they are being fully included in all aspects of the setting. There is a satisfactory range of toys including some that reflect equal opportunities and diversity and the childminder deploys them well to enable children to make choices and decisions about what they want to play with. The childminder is taking appropriate steps to ensure resources and the environment are sustainable.

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the early years provision

The childminder maintains all required records such as the accident and attendance register appropriately and has some written policies and procedures in place to support her practice. The childminder has written parental consents and maintains a current first aid certificate. The environment is child friendly and the childminder has a satisfactory understanding of keeping children safe. The childminder is vigilant about supervising children and has some effective safety measures in place, such as, stair gates and socket covers. The childminder has informal links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) but has not yet established a system to share information about children's learning and development with them. The childminder has attended a range of training in the last few months and is committed to extending her knowledge and understanding to improve the outcomes for children in her care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are comfortable and able to relax in their surroundings, developing their confidence and becoming fully included within the setting. The childminder has some older children in her care who have been coming since they were babies, consequently, she knows them very well and is able to meet their individual needs. The childminder has a good range of resources and activities that children can access easily themselves. Therefore, children are able to make choices in their play and show enjoyment in their achievements, with positive praise from the childminder for their efforts, which encourages their developing self-esteem. The childminder develops sound working relationships with parents, sharing This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information and working in partnership for the benefit of the children.

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and outcomes for children

Through her recent training and the books that she has bought to further improve her knowledge, the childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how young children learn through play and first hand experiences. Consequently, children are beginning to make progress in their learning and development. The childminder is beginning to record children's achievements through a scrapbook with photographs which she shares with parents. However, the childminder is not yet making the links between her observations of children's next steps, her planning and the evaluating of activities to show how children are progressing towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder develops children's spoken language through conversations and questioning and children extend their imagination through play equipment such as the pretend shop and play dough. They have the opportunity to invent their own games, for example, one child makes pizzas with the play dough and sells them at the shop. They make pictures using shapes and glue, and draw pictures with a variety of coloured pencils and felt tip pens. Children use both indoor and outdoor equipment to develop their physical skills and use numbers as they play in everyday activities, for example, counting the number of pizzas that are for sale. They are able to play with jigsaws, musical toys and games which deepens their knowledge of colours and shapes. As they play children respond well to the childminder and so learn new words, solve problems and discover better ways of doing things. When matching sounds to objects, the childminder's prompting

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and outcomes for children

enables children to complete tasks well and so gain a sense of achievement. Children also enjoy stories and this provides them with opportunities to become closer to the childminder, as they extend their interest in the written word.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to feel safe because of the childminder's caring approach, with routines followed from home for consistency and continuity of care. They are able to rest according to their needs in a safe environment and learn about their own safety as they move around the childminder’s home and when outside. There is a fire evacuation plan in place and they practise it regularly to ensure that children know what to do in an emergency. Children enjoy a healthy lifestyle while in the care of the childminder and develop their understanding about simple hygiene routines, healthy food and drink choices and the importance of fresh air and exercise. However, children currently share a towel which increases the risk of infection. The childminder manages behaviour well so that children gain an understanding of the difference between right and wrong, and are able to relate well to one another. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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