Laura Molloy

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY302643 Inspection date 18/02/2010 Inspector Emma Bright

p.1

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.

p.1

Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

p.2

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 2005 and she co-minds from another registered childminder's house. The co-childminder lives on the premises with her husband in a village near to Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. All areas of the co-childminder’s house are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

p.4

Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time, of these no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in this age group. When working with the co-minder they may care for a maximum of seven children at any one time. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children and attends the local parent and toddler group. The co-childminder has one cat and four rabbits. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a very high quality provision for children, they enjoy an exceptional range of activities and challenging experiences which helps them to make excellent progress in their learning and development. The childminder is exceptional at promoting inclusive practice, she recognises and values the uniqueness of each child and ensures their individual needs are met through highly effective communication with parents. Resources are extremely well deployed to ensure children’s safety and enable them to become very active learners. The childminder’s capacity for sustained improvement is outstanding, she regularly updates her knowledge and skills, which means outcomes for children are exemplary.

p.4

further?

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

p.4

further?

 developing further the use of information gathered about children's learning to show more clearly their progress towards the Early Learning Goals.

p.4

the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent understanding of her role in safeguarding children and is well informed about the procedures to put into practice when This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 necessary. This knowledge has been gained as over time she has regularly attended child protection training to ensure her knowledge is up to date which means children are extremely well protected. The childminder is very clear about informing Ofsted of any changes. The childminder is exceptionally well organised, documentation and record keeping is exemplary which promotes the safety and welfare of the children and underpins the high quality care offered. All documentation is professionally presented and stored securely to ensure that it remains confidential. Risk assessments are thorough and all aspects of the childminding home are rigorously checked on a daily basis which ensures children

p.4

the early years provision

The childminder and her co-childminder work exceptionally well together as a team which means children benefit from highly organised provision and children positively thrive in their care. The childminder ensures the children’s play space is inviting and organised so they can move around freely and safely and make independent choices from the accessible resources. To enhance this aspect, the childminder has developed a book of photographs showing additional resources that are stored. This gives all children a voice and enables them to make choices about what they want to play with. The childminder is highly committed to inclusive practice and ensures that all children's individual needs are well met. Children's safety in the home and on outings is promoted well because the childminder carries out regular risk assessments.

p.5

the early years provision

The childminder values the importance of working with parents and others beyond the setting. For example, she provides a summary of children’s progress to share with other providers who care for the children. This promotes effective partnership working and ensures that continuity of care and education is maintained. Parents are provided with very detailed information, about the setting and their child’s progress. The childminder effectively gathers excellent information about children’s individual and changing needs. This enables her to take each child's uniqueness into account when planning activities and providing care. The childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of child development and is very well qualified. She has a clear and realistic self evaluation process to identify areas for future development and this is done in conjunction with her co-childminder. Together they regularly reflect and evaluate their provision to ensure that children

p.5

the early years provision

have excellent experiences and continually look for ways to improve their service for all users.

p.5

and outcomes for children

The childminder has an excellent understanding of children’s individual abilities and interests, children thoroughly enjoy their activities with the childminder and they take part in a range of challenging opportunities that help them to learn and develop. Planning is in place and is flexible so that it can be adapted to focus on and extend children’s interests. The childminder observes children in their play and takes photographs of them to illustrate the activities they enjoy. This demonstrates that they are making outstanding progress across the areas of learning and development. However, this information is not always used to clearly identify the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 next steps in each child’s learning.

p.5

and outcomes for children

Children’s independence and confidence is effectively promoted as the childminder organises toys and resources where they can access them, allowing them to be active learners and make choices about their play. The childminder provides a relaxed environment where each child is valued, she values linguistic diversity which means children have opportunities to hear and use their home language at the setting. The children are clearly comfortable in her nurturing care and this significantly enhances children's self-esteem and confidence. Children enjoy lots of creative activities and the childminder values their work by displaying it for everyone to see and enjoy. This helps children to feel apart of the childminding family, fostering a deep sense of belonging. The childminder has clear strategies in place to care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The childminder has an excellent knowledge of how children learn and provides practical, meaningful activities so that they can think critically and become active learners. As a consequence she has set up her provision to offer a range of challenging experiences and opportunities to enable this. For example, children learn about nature and caring for living things. They feed the rabbits and help take the cat to the vets. The childminder sensitively discusses with children why there is one less rabbit and children explain that the rabbit ‘is in the stars’. Children develop their early literacy skills exceptionally well because the childminder ensures they have lots of good quality experiences to promote this area of learning. For example, they make marks to represent their ideas, write shopping lists with their own words and visit the library to develop their love of books. In addition, children take books home to share with their parents. Young children’s

p.6

and outcomes for children

language is developing very well because the childminder listens and responds to their talk. Children enjoy practicing new words and the childminder praises their efforts which encourage them to repeat and refine their skills. These simple activities effectively lay the foundations to develop children’s future skills.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate their understanding of keeping safe as they discuss how they keep safe in the sun. They practice the fire drill regularly so that they know what to do in an emergency. Children’s behaviour is exceptionally good because the childminder is consistent and promotes positive behaviour so that they understand about sharing and being kind to one another. The childminder helps children to adopt healthy lifestyles in a wide range of activities. Children have lots of varied opportunities for physical exercise, they play with an excellent range of resources outdoors and enjoy dancing to music indoors. Good hygiene practices are clearly understood as children put their dirty tissues in the toilet and they notice that their hands ‘smell nice and clean’ after washing them. Children have a healthy attitude towards food because the childminder ensures they have balanced and nutritious meals and snacks. Menus are shared with parents and alternative meals are

p.6

and outcomes for children

offered such as a vegetarian option. Children help to shop for fruit and vegetables and grow tomatoes and potatoes in the garden which helps them learn about where food comes from. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.7

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

p.7

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.7

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

p.7

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

p.7

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

p.7

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

p.7

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.8