Childminder in RochdaleOfsted inspection, 25 Feb 2010

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 316054 Inspection date 25/02/2010 Inspector Rasmik Parmar

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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 1998. She lives with her husband and two children in a house in Littleborough, Rochdale. The whole of the ground floor and one spare bedroom on the first floor are available to children. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. The childminder is close to local amenities, including a library, parks, playgroups, shops and a lake.

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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 whom may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding five children in this age group and she also offers care to 10 children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on both 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 is a member of the Rochdale childminders network and holds the Rochdale 'High 5 Quality' award. She has a Combined Honours Degree in Advanced Studies of Early Years and Disability Studies.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children thrive in this wonderfully happy, child-centred, homely environment. They flourish and make excellent progress in their learning and development through the childminders acknowledgment of each child's individuality. The childminder works extremely well with parents, other settings and agencies to ensure children receive all the support they need to progress and she promotes continuity of care and learning. The childminder's systems to evaluate her provision are exceptional and she has the ability to continue to improve standards and make progress. She has exceptionally high aspirations for quality which is evident through her ongoing improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to build upon the links established with other providers offering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure there is consistency and coherence in children's learning.

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the early years provision

The extreme effectiveness of the promotion of children's welfare in the setting ensures children are safe and secure in a stimulating environment in which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children are encouraged to fulfil their potential. The childminder has a policy in place that informs parents and carers that she will endeavour to protect their children from unvetted or unknown persons in the setting. Parents are informed if a visitor is expected such as an oral health promotion worker. She ensures that she attends relevant training courses to keep informed of legal requirements. Comprehensive risk assessments include a daily and weekly health and safety checklist for the indoor and outdoor environment. The children are regularly reminded of where the fire exits are and fire drills are practised regularly and a record is kept. There are discussions about what to do in the event of a fire and

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the early years provision

children have a buddy system which gives older children a sense of duty and responsibility in case of a fire.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is wholly inclusive, providing an accepting, caring and enabling environment, which is accessible to all. There is an admissions policy, which clearly states that no child or family would be discriminated against if there is an available place in the setting. Resources are labelled with photographs to support and enable those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language. There are welcome signs in the hallway in several different languages, the children enjoy saying them, they tell parents and visitors how to pronounce them and which country they derive from.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops excellent relationships with parents to support her in meeting children's individual needs. Parents are encouraged to be involved and support their children's learning by making entries into the daily diary, completing input sheets for their child's personal profile, regularly reviewing the personal profile and making comments which are used as a reflective tool. Parents are kept informed of changes to the provision, through newsletters and leaflets about government initiatives, information regarding care and education, and any information gained from the childminders' training courses that are useful to the parents. Parents have commented that they have received positive feedback from teachers after attending a parents evening at school about the way the childminder interacts with children. The children's learning is extended at home through discussion about the varied outings that take place, such as, talks about

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the early years provision

watching a barge being taken through the locks in a canal. The childminder has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures which are available to all parents in the form of a compact disc so that they can access the information on their computers at home. These include anti-racism, equal opportunity, equality and diversity and anti bullying. Parents sign to confirm that they are in agreement with the policies and procedures.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent relationship with nursery and reception class teachers. The childminder has worked as a volunteer in order to build this relationship and understand more about the children's learning. She has further supported children by adapting her planning to enhance the current topic work in the nursery. For example, when the children were learning about 'people who help us' at the nursery, the childminder took children to visit the police and the fire museums. The childminder has a transition policy in place to ensure that children move from her setting to another setting with confidence. The childminder has a very good relationship with the health visitors at the local children's clinic, so that necessary advice and information can be sought from them, to support children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Assessments have taken place in

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the early years provision

the childminder's house, which is a familiar place for the child, in order to gain a clearer picture of the child's development. The childminder attends a childminding support group, to enable her to share her knowledge, learn from others, and to keep updated with current practice as well as build relationships with colleagues, which helps to form a support network. The childminder is currently supporting other childminders with areas of their provision they may have difficulty in, such as information and communication technology skills, or activities to promote problem solving, reasoning and numeracy.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an extremely strong commitment to evaluating and improving her service. She has highly effective systems for self-evaluation in order to recognise her strengths and areas for improvement. Parents are given the opportunity to complete feedback questionnaires which help the childminder to reflect on her practice. There is also a parental suggestion envelope on the parent notice board. The childminder has also developed an evaluation for children to complete in two formats, one in written form and one in picture form. Listening to children and parents helps the childminder to evaluate the impact any changes she has already made may have on children. For example, the childminder no longer uses the car to travel to school, they walk there and back everyday, whatever the weather, and children have commented on how they like walking. The childminder has attended numerous training courses as part of her professional development to

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the early years provision

build on and enhance her provision and therefore lead to positive outcomes for children. The childminder has attended a dental health conference and provided parents with an information leaflet about a new fluoride programme that is available to children. The childminder has gained a Combined Honours Degree in Advanced Studies of Early Years and Disability Studies and is currently on the short pathway to gain the Early Years Professional Status. As part of maintaining standards the childminder attends a child minding support group regularly where verbal and written peer observations are done that help analyse and self-evaluate her practice.

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and outcomes for children

The children flourish as a result of the childminder's skilful and competent ability to promote their learning and development, through play which is both child and adult led, but predominantly child led. They enjoy a vast range of activities that are based on their individual interests, preferences and abilities. The childminder successfully implements the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and meets both the welfare and learning requirements for every child in her care, she plans interesting and challenging activities and experiences to accommodate their differing abilities. She provides extensive opportunities for children to learn through play and makes both structured and random observations of individual children to meet the full range of their learning needs. The childminder uses children's personal profiles to measure children's individual progress across all areas of learning and to aid plans for their next steps towards the early learning

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and outcomes for children

goals. The childminder is very much involved in sustained and shared thinking with parents in supporting their children's learning towards early learning goals. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder has supported parents, where they expressed concerns about their child's reading ability, in making reading a more fun activity. The children have taken turns to read aloud anything of their choice or have a story or rhyme read to them as part of developing their vocabulary. This has resulted in children having a more positive attitude to books.

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely well behaved, they adhere to written 'house rules' for the setting and also a 'be a friend not a bully' poster. The childminder has attended a course on anti-bullying which led to her producing a work booklet that helps children to understand when they can say no. She compiled two formats, one for younger children and one for older children, explaining how they can say no to people touching them where they do not like or feel comfortable, about keeping secrets and learning who they can speak to if they need help. There is a feelings folder where children can place a picture or write about how they are feeling if they feel they cannot talk about it. When children are out and about, they wear high visibility vests and on trips they wear a security wristband with the childminder's contact number on. Children talk about topics such as 'stranger danger' prior to the trip, on arrival they look for 'safe' adults and a safe meeting

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and outcomes for children

place. Children are taught about road safety through role play, using crossing aids in the community such as the crossing patrol person and pelican crossings. They have made a song to help them remember the safety rules for crossing the road. Children complete a risk assessment for their outdoor play and this empowers them by giving some responsibility over to them about their own safety. The children are beautifully behaved, friendly and very sociable. These very positive attributes, together with the range of practical skills they are developing, including good table etiquette, cooking and helping to tidy up, help to prepare them for the future. They are exceptionally well supported to make choices and solve problems. As a result, they are becoming very independent in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Excellent consideration is given to ensuring that children understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. They are given an impressive level of encouragement to develop good personal hygiene, proudly following the advice on the poster in the bathroom to wash their hands after using the toilet. Parents and children are given information about and encouraged to promote healthy eating. Children are encouraged to be active and frequent discussions take place about the benefits of looking after ourselves. Activities are planned that are flexible to meet the needs of each child, for example, when celebrating Chinese New Year, children tasted foods that could be eaten by the youngest of the children and a craft activity was adapted so that the baby and toddler were able to participate. Children are encouraged to use music and movement as a fun way of keeping healthy, listening to music from around the world, using different musical

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and outcomes for children

instruments and learning about festivals and celebrations in other countries and cultures, for example Chinese Dragon Dances, Diwali, Holi, Cocuk Bayrami and Easter. The children enjoy learning everyday words and numbers in different languages and are currently building their own language books to share at home.

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and outcomes for children

Outdoor play is a major part of the day and children are encouraged to cherish the outdoors and their environment. The childminder has broadly adopted a Forest School approach to outdoor play and children celebrate nature on a daily basis and through her enthused discussion with parents, they have provided surplus outdoor This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 clothing such as rain jackets and Wellington boots. Children have grown fruit and vegetables, built a bird bath from recycled rubbish, built a hedgehog feeding station and built a den with sticks and branches. Children have learnt about different trees and flowers, they can recognise dangers such as nettles and know how to treat them if they were to be stung. Children are encouraged to take risks, by investigating their environment. Children enjoy simple science experiments such as changing the colour of flowers with food dye, growing a plant from a bulb

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and outcomes for children

without soil and documenting what they see and think will happen. 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 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

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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 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

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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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