Childminder in LincolnshireOfsted inspection, 21 Jan 2010

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 257423 Inspection date 21/01/2010 Inspector Anne Barnsley

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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 2000. She lives with her husband and two daughters aged 13 and 10 years on the outskirts of Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Entry into the house is via a small step to the front door. All areas of the property are used for childminding although this normally takes place on the ground floor. Children may use the upstairs for sleeping and the older ones occasionally use her children's bedrooms for play. There is a fully enclosed back garden containing large equipment which is suitable for outside play. Shops, schools and pre-schools are all within walking distance. The family has a pet rabbit and two hamsters.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to provide care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time. There are currently six children on roll, five of whom are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The childminder may also provide care for older children and is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register as well as the Early Years Register. 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are safe and secure in a warm and homely environment where they receive attentive care that respects their uniqueness. They enjoy a wide variety of learning and mostly have their individual needs met well. Resources and activities provide children with enjoyment and enable them to make consistent progress in their learning and development. Strong partnerships are in place and significantly contribute to the continuity in children's care and learning. Reflective self- evaluation is used effectively to drive forward continuous improvements in the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that children's behaviour is managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues and has completed child protection training. She informs parents about her duty of care to protect children from harm and ensures that they are conversant with all of her policies and procedures. She has up-to-date information in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures to refer to and has strong links with other professionals to ensure children's welfare is always given the highest priority. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Evidence of household members' suitability is kept on file to share with parents and she ensures that adults who have not been through the vetting process do not have unsupervised access to children. In addition to this the childminder is vigilant about all aspects of safety and has effective safety measures in place to keep children safe. She supervises children well and completes risk assessments to

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the early years provision

ensure that the home and resources are safe for children to use. These are reviewed regularly and records are maintained comprehensively such as emergency evacuation drills to ensure the continued safety of children.

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the early years provision

Since the last inspection the childminder has made significant progress in developing her service. She has developed her system for observing children and planning activities around their interests and individual needs and she has completed High Scope training to develop her own knowledge. Further to this she has updated her risk assessments to reflect the introduction of some new equipment in the garden. She is very well organised and makes effective use of space and resources. She identifies areas for improvements through the use of self-evaluation and effectively prioritises these according to the areas that have the greatest impact on children. She has developed written partnership procedures that she follows for children who also attend other settings to ensure continuity in children's learning. She has highly effective systems for gathering and sharing information with parents so that they are fully involved in their child's care and

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the early years provision

learning. For example, she provides parents with daily diaries about their child's day and with specific activity sheets that enables them to continue children's learning at home is they wish. In addition she uses photographs and observations to share with parents about their children's development. She has a development plan in place to meet her own training needs and has a clear vision for driving improvements forward.

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the early years provision

The childminder respects each child as a unique individual and promotes equality and diversity through general practice which is meaningful to the children. Activities and resources are fully inclusive which ensures that no child is discriminated against or disadvantaged. All children are fully involved in all areas of learning and have access to all resources. The individual preferences of children are respected as children are asked what they would like to do and the childminder interacts with children and extends their learning through each child's interest and preferred learning style.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder organises her resources and the environment very well to meet the needs of the children who attend. Children have plenty of space to play in as they have a playroom and the lounge for indoor play and they have a large, secure garden for outdoor play. The environment is organised well, which enables children to explore safely and develop their sense of curiosity with confidence. Children are well nourished with meals that fully promote a healthy and balanced diet. They eat together at the table in the playroom, which promotes aspects of their social learning very well. Children have drinks available at all times in personal screw-top cups so that they can help themselves when they are thirsty This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and transport these without fear of spilling the contents. They develop growing independence with taking care of their personal needs and are well cared for if

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and outcomes for children

they become ill or hurt themselves. They learn to be responsible for their safety as they help to tidy away their resources, practise fire drills and road safety. Appropriate sleep facilities and well organised routines that mirror those of the parents significantly contribute to young children's sense of well-being and security.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very much included in making their choices about how they wish to spend their time, which enables them to be active participants in their learning and develop an eager disposition towards trying new things through the resources and activities that are available. All areas of learning are covered in this setting such as growing and harvesting vegetables, nature walks, bird tables, crafts, discussions, stories and music and dance. Children engage in many activities that develop their skills in problem solving and early mathematical concepts such as counting, shapes, size and measure and they receive attentive care from the childminder who develops their conversational skills and vocabulary through purposeful conversations and appropriate language. Meal and snack times are used extremely well by the childminder to engage children in purposeful conversations that fully involve all children so that they can contribute positively.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy social events and developing their awareness of the wider community as they attend pre-schools and toddler groups. They socialise with other children and experience more activities and learn to use resources in different ways that compliment their learning at the childminder's home. They spend time talking to the childminder about things they like doing and things that interest them such as planes taking off and landing, mice hiding cheese in the castle walls and going to see 'Pepper Pig' at the weekend. They tell the childminder what they like to play with and she takes notice of these conversations and plans stimulating activities that reflect what children say. She undertakes regular observations of children from the onset and progresses their learning to the next step in ways that have particular meaning to each children and reflect their preferred way of learning. As a result children are making good progress

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and outcomes for children

towards the early learning goals and enjoy learning in ways that provide challenge and variety.

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and outcomes for children

Children display a strong sense of belonging and confidence in this setting. They have a consistent routine with which they are familiar and this helps children to feel safe and secure in a stable environment. As a result children mostly behave well, although some can become over zealous and excitable at times, which sometimes detracts from the attention the childminder is able to provide for other children. In spite of this children have developed warm and caring relationships with the childminder and they show pleasure and pride as the childminder thanks them and acknowledges their efforts as achievements. Children develop skills for their future and learn how to become responsible, cooperative and respectful of each other because they are given clear and understandable explanations about how to behave appropriately. This is a nurturing environment in which children display a sense of security and safety in the care they receive from the

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and outcomes for children

childminder. 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 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 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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