Childminder in Warrington

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY339459 Inspection date 22/02/2010 Inspector Lynda, Margaret Ronan

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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 2006. She lives with her husband and three children aged 16, 13 and four years. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding purposes and comprises of the family room, lounge and conservatory. There is a downstairs bathroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family have a cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age group. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently seven children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has a level 3 qualification in childcare and development. She 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 make good progress in their learning as they experience a wide range of interesting activities and are supported well by the childminder. Children are well cared for and thrive in the childminder's care. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure children receive consistent and individual care and is beginning to build relationships with others who provide care for children, such as pre- schools. The childminder has a good understanding of her strengths and areas for improvement and is highly committed to self-development attending many courses and recently achieving a level 3 qualification in childcare. She is generally well organised, however, there are two omissions in documentation which have an adverse effect on the safety and welfare of children. The childminder is enthusiastic and energetic; qualities which children attending very much appreciate.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment at the time of the child's admission (Promoting good health) 08/03/2010

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further?

 ensure all persons aged over 16 years in the household or persons likely to have regular contact with children are suitable to do so (Suitability of adults). 08/03/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure individual identified learning intentions are specific and that assessments are linked with the expectations of the early learning goals in order to fully support children's maximum progress  plan to meet the needs of different learning styles by providing opportunities in all areas of learning out of doors  ensure the indoor space is safe and fit for purpose by ensuring glass doors are safe.

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the early years provision

Children learn to play independently and make choices as the indoor environment is well planned to support exploration. Toys and equipment are arranged effectively in a conservatory designed as a specific child play area. For example, children can access the range of toys and games from the low-level shelves and storage boxes and request other resources easily seen on open shelves. The outdoor environment is well planned to meet physical needs and is made welcoming. Children have, for example, used plastic bottles to make colourful flowers for the winter. However, the outdoor space is not consistently planned to meet learning needs in all the areas of learning which would inhibit some children's ability to progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to providing a service that is inclusive for all children and their families. She demonstrates this by keeping detailed information about each child and their preferences and actively seeking parental comments, in order to meet children's needs. The childminder fosters open, honest relationships with parents who receive good information about the children's day and both verbal and written feedback each day.

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the early years provision

The childminder is motivated to improve her practice through ongoing training; she has completed first aid training, and attends short courses offered by the local authority. She recognises her strengths and considers ways to improve. She completes a self-assessment of her provision which realistically identifies strengths and areas for improvement. She is committed to embedding ambition and driving improvement demonstrated by her use of knowledge gained during training to develop and improve outcomes for the children she cares for. For example, she has introduced a treasure box and more colour and texture following a course describing how babies use all of their senses to learn.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates an understanding of safeguarding children. Safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and these are in general well implemented to ensure children are safe when in her care. For example, by closely working with other agencies to ensure vulnerable children are safeguarded. However, she has failed to ensure all members of the household are checked for suitability within a reasonable amount of time which is a breach of regulation. The childminder follows procedures to ensure that children are collected by persons known to the childminder and she closely supervises children at all times. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder has completed thorough risk assessments for her home and for most outings that she takes children on. The assessment of the kitchen area fails to identify a glass door as a hazard. The childminder is safety conscious and

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the early years provision

frequently draws children's attention to safety throughout the day, for example, by encouraging them to remove tripping hazards before moving on to the next activity and by involving all children in regular fire drills.

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the early years provision

Records confirm that children are cared for appropriately and in accordance with parental wishes. The childminder has not requested permission to seek emergency advice and treatment, which is a breach of regulation and would negatively impact on children's well-being in an emergency situation.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled as they enjoy their time with the childminder, who obviously enjoys their company. The young children enjoy the musical instruments and small world activities, as they play happily in this warm and welcoming home. The childminder ensures that she provides a balance of adult-led and child-initiated play; children enjoy planned activities, such as feeding the birds and growing cress on cotton wool so that they can make their own egg and cress sandwiches. They enjoy independent play becoming thoroughly engrossed in a role play game of home, babies and shops which is very well supported by the resources available to them.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy a good variety of learning experiences, which cover the six areas of learning. Children have fun at the setting. They use their experience of snow to initiate a snowball 'fight' indoors with cotton wool balls and the childminder enthusiastically joins in. They learn effectively because they enjoy their time at the childminder's. They learn about the world watching tadpoles develop into frogs, butterflies emerging from chrysalises, eating with chopsticks and by celebrating Valentines Day. They chatter constantly with the childminder who encourages them to express themselves. Children and the childminder enjoy story books and use books to gain knowledge by looking facts up. Thus, children gain knowledge and skills in communication, language and literacy. Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they play actively each day and gain fine motor control in real situations as they spread the butter on their

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and outcomes for children

toast and solve the problem of which arm goes into which sleeve. Young children have an appreciation of mathematics and problem solving as the childminder allows them time to explore concepts of shape using a wooden shape sorter, to measure ingredients and to complete jigsaws.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses observation to record children's learning and to identify learning objectives. The learning objectives reflect all six areas of learning but are occasionally too broad to effectively facilitate individual learning. Assessments are not clearly linked to the early learning goals and possible gaps in children's progress consequently are not tracked effectively. Each child has a folder, which contains detailed information about their learning and examples of their work and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 photographs of them involved in activities. Parents also receive daily written feedback and access to all policies and procedures.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop their personal skills as they enjoy regular visits to groups in the community where they enjoy socialising with other children. They feel safe in the care of the childminder as she is kind and caring. The children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety and that of others, for example, by not placing small toys where they can be reached by the baby.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder holds a current first aid certificate and keeps good records of medical conditions and the administration of medicines. Children frequently practise the emergency procedure to familiarise themselves with the evacuation of the home. Children adopt healthy lifestyles as the childminder encourages them to learn about healthy eating by providing healthy home-cooked meals and snacks. She plans activities, such as growing fruits and foods which the children then cook. Children benefit from daily exercise outside while playing in the garden on equipment, such as bikes and a trampoline, walking to visit the horses and on regular visits to the local park.

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and outcomes for children

Children make a positive contribution, as the childminder ensures that they have a good understanding of what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and cooperation with others. She works hard to promote children’s positive attitude towards others by encouraging them to share and take turns. She uses praise and encouragement to ensure that children develop positive feelings of worth when in her care. Children are developing skills for the future as the childminder ensures that they gain communication and numeracy skills and that they have an awareness of technology. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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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