Childminder in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY334562 Inspection date 13/01/2010 Inspector Rachel Ruth Britten

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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 was registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and two children aged nine and six years. The family live in the Milton area of Stoke. The whole of the ground floor and the upstairs bathroom are used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. Family pets include one hamster.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age range. She operates all year round. There are currently four children on roll aged from one to five years. Of these, three are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The care for children aged over five years is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has completed required basic childminding training and is undertaking a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 2 in early years.

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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

The childminder recognises the uniqueness of each child and meets their care, learning and development needs well. Every child is properly safeguarded and receives good support to make progress from differing starting points. There are good partnerships with parents, pre-schools and schools, so that children receive consistent care and education, especially where there are particular identified needs. The childminder is motivated and successful in reviewing her practice and making continuous improvements which benefit children.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide parents with the procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing and in the event of a parent failing to collect a child at the appointed time  make systematic observations and assessments for all children attending who are in the EYFS and use these to identify learning priorities and motivating learning experiences for them, relative to their time in the setting.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a high level of commitment to promoting children's safety. She employs robust child protection procedures which ensure that children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 are safeguarded if there are concerns, and she works well with families, social services and childcare partners. The welcoming home contains a wealth of stimulating, accessible resources and equipment which are safely used and maintained with the help of suitable risk assessments, policies and procedures. For example, risk assessments are reviewed each time an outing is undertaken to remind the childminder about the safety issues and regular emergency evacuation practices take place so that the children know what to do. Children are taught how to play safely indoors and out, and can take manageable risks without being fearful. Precautions, such as wrist bands with the childminder's mobile telephone

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the early years provision

number on, are available for use in situations where there may be crowds of people. Robust child details, parental consents and emergency contact information ensure that children are supported if they are ill or any emergency occurs. Children are also familiar with suitably vetted adults, including the childminder's own family and her emergency back-up childminder, because they routinely spend time together. Parents are kept well informed about their child through daily home books, well-documented accident, medicine and incident records, and careful passing on of messages from schools and pre-schools as necessary.

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the early years provision

The childminder is motivated, enthusiastic and skilled in organising and providing high quality care and education. She makes good use of grants and community services to enhance her provision; for example, using 'stay and play' sessions at the local children's centre for activity ideas and advice about how to observe and plan for each child's development. She has also used grants to improve the garden and indoor and outdoor play resources, so that children can play in diverse ways with stimulating and high quality toys and equipment, including a computer. The childminder acts upon recommendations from previous inspections; for example, ensuring that parents have given consent for going out in the car and for any necessary emergency treatment. She undertakes training and research, which is well-targeted at improving the outcomes for the children attending. For example, she has undertaken online equality and diversity training and feels confident to

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the early years provision

weave activities and play around celebrating children's family cultures and the countries their parents are from. She has undertaken EYFS and child protection training and uses the knowledge and confidence gained from this to liaise effectively with other childcare providers. As a result, each child receives consistent care and education, even when there are a number of settings which they attend. However, the childminder has not made proportionate observations, assessments and planning for Reception-aged children, making it unclear how the childminding links with and complements the care and education which they receive in school.

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the early years provision

The childminder is open and relates well to parents, showing empathy and insight. She communicates effectively with them verbally and through home books, text messages, periodic newsletters and sharing photographs. Their views are obtained using occasional questionnaires too. These indicate great confidence in the childminder's care, kindness and skills. For example, they are pleased with the way she includes children in family, community and social activities which benefit their emotional development and give them a sense of belonging. They also appreciate the guidance on healthy eating and play activities which promote speech and physical development. The childminder balances parents' rights and professional team-working well. She ensures that parents are fully informed and give their consent to the sharing of individual development plans with therapists and other This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

involved childcarers. She reflects on her practice, using the Ofsted self-evaluation form and local authority quality assurance tools, and is undertaking childcare training at NVQ level 2. As a result, improvements, such as the picture and word labelling of the toys and resources, have been completed. The childminder plans ongoing improvements, such as introducing oral hygiene and better individual progress recording. She shares her written policies with parents, but has not provided parents with the procedures she would follow if a child was lost or uncollected.

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and outcomes for children

All children, including those with special educational needs and social difficulties, are making good progress from their starting points towards the early learning goals. This is because the childminder is skilled and committed to providing individualised high quality care and education in her home. She ensures that children receive consistent care and stimulation, based upon their interests and choices. She follows the advice of professionals, such as speech therapists, as appropriate throughout her input. Her involvement is also tailored to her insight into each child's needs and abilities. Children use books, toys and equipment and play at home and are regularly out in the local community. For example, one- and two-year-old children who like to play with the cars and the trains are able to choose these as often as they like. Their matching and word recognition skills are promoted as they search for the labelled box in the playroom with these toys

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and outcomes for children

inside. The childminder promotes their speech too as she clearly says the names, colours and numbers of the cars and trains. Children tolerate one another's needs and differences well because the childminder shares her attention fairly between them and teaches them appropriately to share and think how others might be feeling.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in the personal qualities that enable them to take responsibility for small tasks and develop skills for the future. Good quality interaction and routines employed by the childminder help young children to become secure and confident in the setting. For example, children have learnt to sit at the little table for snacks and drinks before they are two years old and they learn to adopt good hygiene routines as the childminder helps them with hand washing. They are reminded to help put back the toys they have played with to make space to safely move around and they enjoy choosing books to look at with the childminder. Children have good relationships with the childminder and her family, enjoying seeing photographs of the family members and talking about where everyone is. They happily sit on the childminder's knee for stories and share cuddles with her and the giant soft toy penguin. Children's speech is developing

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and outcomes for children

well as they learn new words while they look at simple books. One- and two-year- old children can concentrate well, interacting one-to-one with the childminder. For example, they investigate the contents of coloured boxes containing soft toy fruits, animals and balls, learning to identify, name and sort them by colour.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a broad range of social and outdoor experiences which enhance their knowledge and understanding of the world. They visit the children's centre This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 play sessions, toddler groups, parks, ponds and soft play centres. They dress up warmly to walk to school or pre-school, build snowmen and frequently get together with another childminder and her children. Their social confidence, friendships and large physical skills are developing well as they play in groups on the climbing and balancing equipment or feed the ducks. Afterwards, they frequently look at photographs of their outings and activities, remembering what they enjoyed and who they were with. The childminder uses photographs to provide evidence of progress and to help children talk about and consolidate what they have learnt. Children are leading a healthy, active lifestyle, eating plenty of fruits and

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and outcomes for children

vegetables and drinking water. Their senses are stimulated and they are becoming confident to investigate from an early age. For example, the childminder provides a tray of snow from the garden and places some toy polar bears and glitter in it. She encourages children who are almost two years old to feel and stir the snow, noticing how cold it makes their hands and the way it melts, leaving the glitter sticking to the skin. She compares the polar bear figures with other animals and lets children add in some other animals to the scene. 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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