Childminder in Warrington

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY266868 Inspection date 01/02/2010 Inspector Susan Patricia Birkenhead

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged five and six years. The family live in the Great Sankey area of Warrington close to schools, pre-schools, local facilities and transport links. The designated play room, the kitchen and downstairs toilet are used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. Family pets include two dogs and five chickens.

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Description of the childminding

This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. There are currently six children on roll all on a part time basis and of these three are within the early years age group. The childminder has completed required basic childminding training and holds an appropriate qualification in early years.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in an inclusive, caring and welcoming environment where their welfare requirements are generally promoted with success. As a result children are safe and secure in the childminder's care. She uses her developing knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning and development requirements to provide a good range of purposeful activities, complete observations, which suitably monitor children’s positive progress. Good relationships develop with parents’, which promotes consistency in meeting children’s individual needs and the development of partnerships with other settings children attend is an ongoing area of development. The childminder shows some commitment to the continuous development of her service; however, systems for self-evaluation are not fully implemented.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the planning of activities to clearly reflect children's interests and the next steps in learning  further develop risk assessments of areas of the house and all outings to clearly reflect hazards and how these are minimised  review the deployment of resources to enable children to access books independently and make more informed choices  extend links with other settings children attend to complement the delivery of the EYFS and encourage parents to comment on their child’s learning and development  develop systems for self-evaluation which reflect the strengths of the setting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and areas for future development.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded because of the action the childminder takes. For example, she makes documentation available to parents to demonstrate the suitably of adults in the household and has recently attended safeguarding training. As a result she has a clear understanding of the indicators of abuse and her role in protecting children from potential harm. The childminder generally takes positive steps to ensure the safety of the environment by using appropriate safety equipment and procedures to meet the children's individual needs. She completes and regularly reviews the health and safety checklists and some risk assessments are in place. However the hazards and action taken to minimise risks are not fully outlined and some outings have not been included. The setting is suitably organised and, as a result, children are cared for within a self contained area of the house, which includes a designated play room conducive to children's learning.

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the early years provision

There is a wide range of purposeful resources available which are well used to support children's learning and development. However it is not clear to children what is accessible in the storage boxes because they are not labelled with picture or words and books are not easily accessible to further promote children's independence.

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the early years provision

Positive relationships develop with parents through the exchange of information verbally, the sharing of written policies, which include safeguarding and complaints and the daily diaries record their well being. Parents reflect how they are happy with the care their children receive. However opportunities for them to contribute to the children's learning and development are not built upon. Suitable links are developing with other settings children attend because they share a summary of the topics they follow. However, the childminder does not share information with them about her activities and children's achievements to maintain a complementary approach to the delivery of the EYFS. The childminder has given little thought to self-evaluation although some systems are in place, such as suitable parent questionnaires, the National Childminding Association and Ofsted self-evaluation forms for her to use. All the recommendations raised at the

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the early years provision

previous inspection have been addressed, which means a good level of parental consent and a system to record complaints are in place and the details of her registration are on display. In addition she extends her knowledge through attending training, which includes workshops relating to the EYFS and food hygiene. This supports her approach to the continuous development of her childminding practice to promote better outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for within an environment where they can feel safe and secure, which is made welcoming by the provision of posters and the wide range of purposeful resources. The childminder's positive approach to their care and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning is evident through the time she devotes to the children. She extends and challenges their learning through her effective interaction during play and the discussions they have. As a result children's interest in play is sustained; they become active learners and make good progress in the learning. The purposeful observations the childminder completes are linked to the areas of learning and outline the children's next steps. In addition further systems to provide an overview of the children's developmental progress towards the early learning goals are being developed. The planning of activities ensure all areas of learning are

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and outcomes for children

covered in sufficient depth over a period of time and provide an appropriate balance of adult led and child initiated experiences. However, they are not specific to the children's individual interests nor do they incorporate the next steps in learning reflected in the observations made.

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and outcomes for children

Children dress up in the Peter Pan costume and their interest is captured as the childminder reads the associated story to them. They anticipate familiar story lines, therefore, promoting their interest in books and developing their imagination. They discuss other favourite stories, for example, 'The Enormous Crocodile' and make characters, such as, the 'Rolly Polly bird' and the crocodile from play dough. They think about how they can make sharp teeth for the crocodile and children suggest using the fork. They take part in group activities and sort and match the characters in the game they play and count the number they successfully complete to six and four. They further consolidate their learning as they successfully point to the associated written number on the poster. They take part in many experiences to promote their understanding of the wider world, which include the celebration of festivals, visiting the local library to loan books and the farm shop to buy fresh

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and outcomes for children

produce. They are introduced to simple science as they experiment with jelly and watch it dissolve, make cakes and observe differences before and afterwards. Unique opportunities enable children to learn about the natural world, for example, they learn what happens when the eggs the chickens have laid are kept warm in the incubator and hatch to reveal the chicks. Children develop their fine motor skills and extend their understanding of shape and number as they use tools to cut and role the play dough. All activities contribute to the development of children's future skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children's safety and well being is promoted through effective health and safety procedures and practices. Children learn the importance of good personal hygiene as they wash their hands at appropriate times of the day and know they use soap 'to get the germs off'. Children receive a healthy balanced diet, which incorporates home cooked meals using fresh ingredients and fresh fruit is available throughout their day. They plant and nurture vegetables in the garden, such as runner beans, potatoes and tomatoes. Which are incorporated into their meals to aid their growth, well being and understanding of healthy foods. The childminder helps children to keep themselves safe as they practice fire evacuation, road safety during walks and tidy toys away before getting others out. The childminder acts as a positive role model to the children and through her swift intervention and effective methods for managing children's behaviour minor squabbles are soon

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and outcomes for children

diffused. Children delight at being called 'a super star' and the stickers awarded recognise their achievements. Consequently children's self-esteem develops, they behave well, learn to play cooperatively and share resources with others. 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 3 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 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 3

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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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