Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 405457 Inspection date 15/03/2010 Inspector Lynne Milligan

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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 has been registered since 1993. She lives in a village in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire within walking distance of local shops, parks and schools. The whole of the house is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in this age group. The childminder offers overnight care for no more than four children and offers care to children aged over five years. She is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends the local carer and toddler group on a regular basis and visits a local activity centre each week. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is part of the Staffordshire Childminding Network.

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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

Overall, the quality of the provision is good. There are some particularly outstanding aspects to the care the childminder offers with regard to supporting children's learning and development through an exciting range of play-based activities. Her partnership with parents and her work with others are also of a very high standard so that the needs of individual children are a top priority. The childminder is making good use of self-evaluation to identify areas for future improvement and she is professional in her attitude towards her work with young children. The childminder supervises children's play very carefully to ensure they are safe though there are some weaker aspects to the maintenance of required documentation related to risk assessment.

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for outings and trips  improve the record or risk assessment so that it includes information on all areas which chidren can access such as the front play room and both toilets.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a positive attitude towards her work and she regularly pursues training courses to aid her skills and professional development. She This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recognises that child protection is an important aspect of caring for children and this is one area that she keeps up-to-date with the latest guidance and training. She is fully aware of possible indicators of abuse and who to take her concerns to should she have any. The childminder maintains a wide range of documents to support her work and regularly maintains most of them. However, the risk assessments for her home are yet to include all areas in which the children have access to and those for each type of outing are yet to be included. On a day-to- day basis, the childminder is vigilant at supervising the children's play. Whilst on outings the children talk about road safety and where to cross safely whilst

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the early years provision

developing an understanding as to why they need to wear reflective jackets. Indoors the childminder carries out regular visual checks and discusses with the children how they can safely minimise them.

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the early years provision

The childminder uses self-evaluation effectively and regularly gains feedback from parents using her services. Her partnership with parents is excellent with effective sharing of information about the children's stages of development. The childminder also establishes links with other providers so that individual needs of children are acknowledged and met to a high standard. Parents write delightful comments about the care their children receive from the childminder with many praising her caring and professional attitude. The childminder collects information from parents in order to meet the children's individual requirements with regard to their health and well-being. Written policies relating to aspects of care such as behaviour management help to establish meaningful working partnerships.

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and outcomes for children

Children are flourishing with their learning and development whilst in the care of the childminder. She has an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and she is using her extensive knowledge to observe and plan for children's individual progress. Children are active learners in an environment that is designed to help them make choices and decisions for themselves and this provides very good support to their self-esteem. Toddlers are gaining independence, for example, with their toilet training and there is an emphasis on establishing excellent hygiene routines after visiting the bathroom. Children enjoy fresh air and energetic play in the garden where they access challenges to their growing skills. They are confident at using various equipment such as wheeled toys, whilst under close supervision from the childminder, who offers them space to make choices about their own ability to manage risks.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to share and take turns under the calm and patient guidance of the childminder and she makes excellent use of distraction and discussion to settle any disputes. Children are learning to respect others and develop their social skills with trips out to many areas such as the local church as they explore their community and talk about those that live within it. The childminder's proactive approach to inclusion is supported by her wide range of resources that reflect diversity in a positive way with books and dressing-up clothes. She also shares in discussions with the older children who learn about festivals from different cultures. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The children have access to plenty of good quality resources that are well organised throughout her home and in the light and spacious playroom. The range of accessible resources covers all areas of learning and meets the needs of a wide

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and outcomes for children

age range of children. Where appropriate the childminder reminds children of safety issues, for example, when using the knives to chop their fruit at snack time, reminding them to hold the fruit in such as way that they wont cut themselves. Children develop an outstanding awareness of fire safety as they eagerly practise the fire drills, touching the doors to see if they are warm and using cushions to block the gaps. All children are involved in all activities as the childminder carefully and skilfully adapts her practice to ensure they thoroughly enjoy the learning experience.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a deeper understanding of safety as they use tools such as hammers, screwdrivers and sandpaper to make houses, boats and bird boxes which they hang in the garden. They use recycled materials to make models of their rockets, carrying out test flights to see if they work. Trips to the allotment help children to develop an awareness of their own health as they grow and harvest fruit and vegetables and enter discussions about healthy foods. Opportunities are extended as the childminder openly discusses the issues surrounding smoking and how it can affect parts of their body such as the lungs. Children are confident in their ability to use language for a variety of purposes as they engage in many conversations, ask questions and as they consistently problem solve. The childminder extends this as she provides an abundance of resources that promote this area through learning bags and name snakes that

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and outcomes for children

support their understanding of sounds, letters and words. Her innovative and committed approach to offering continuous support and challenge to children ensures each child makes excellent progress. 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 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 2 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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