Childminder in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY399546 Inspection date 22/04/2010 Inspector Judith Rayner

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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 registered in 2009. She lives with her husband and three children in a detached home in a suburb close to Mansfield. There is level access to the first floor of the house where there are toilet facilities. There are bathroom facilities on the first floor and the kitchen and garden are accessed by stairs to the ground floor. There are also external steps to the enclosed rear garden. The home is close to all local facilities including schools, parks and shops. The family has a pet dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children at any one time. There are four children on roll, of whom, three are in the early years age group. They attend various days throughout the week. At times the childminder also works with a co-minder from these premises. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register, compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and 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 are happy, settled and enjoy their time accessing a good range of toys and activities that support their learning and development. The childminder respects all children's individual needs and promotes inclusion well. The written policies, procedures and records provide a secure framework for how children's health and welfare needs are met. The procedures for safeguarding children are sufficiently in place. The childminder has established warm and positive links with parents and has suitable links with others who are involved with the children. The childminder is committed to improvement and is beginning to focus on areas for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 make more effective use of observations to ensure that activities provide an appropriate level of challenge for each child  develop further the policy on the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against any person working, living or looking after children on the premises  develop further the systems for sharing relevant information with other providers for children who attend more than one setting, to fully ensure their continuity and progression. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has a mainly clear understanding of her role and responsibilities regarding child protection to ensure children are safeguarded and shares this information with parents through her written policy and discussions. However, the policy is not as clear should an allegation be made against anyone working, living or working with children on the premises. Therefore, this does not clearly show parents what the appropriate procedures are to follow should this occur. Daily visual risk assessments are undertaken which are also annually recorded. This ensures that children are cared for in a safe environment and feel safe to explore because the childminder ensures all areas where the children play are free from hazards. All records, policies and procedures are well organised and stored securely. They provide a sound framework for how children's health, welfare and safety is met. These are shared with parents and any other registered childminders

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the early years provision

whom she may work alongside with. This ensures that there is a consistent approach to ensuring the practice delivered is maintained at all times to benefit children. The childminder's home is clean and well maintained. Children are familiar with routines and know where to play with activities in which room, for example, they take their shoes off when they first arrive and know to eat their lunch in the kitchen. Toys are stored within easy reach, such as on the floor, boxes and soft tubs, enabling children to make their own selections regarding their play. There is ample space for them to explore and investigate.

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the early years provision

The childminder carefully plans routines around the needs of individuals such as school runs, tailoring activities to ensure the benefits for each child. She is proactive in creating and promoting an anti discriminatory home environment and adapts activities to support children's individual needs and interests. There is a good balance of resources and equipment that promote positive images of children, adults and diversity such as small world figures, books and dressing up. The childminder has established warm and positive links with parents. From the onset she finds out as much as possible about the child to ensure the child will settle quickly in her care and their development progresses well. The childminder has established sound links with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage where the care of children is shared. However, these are not yet well enough established to ensure that children receive an integrated approach to

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the early years provision

their care and learning. All required registration courses such as Paediatric First Aid and the 'Introduction to Childminding Practice' course have been completed. The childminder’s recent self-evaluation demonstrates a good awareness of her current strengths and areas requiring further development with plans in place to begin to address these. She is proactive in developing her knowledge and increasing her awareness of current issues through the use of relevant internet sites and services provided by the local authority such as a development worker. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, confident and settled in the care of the childminder. They are focused and engaged in the activities. They are making good progress in their learning and development. This is because the childminder provides a wide range of activities and experiences which is built upon what they can already do following information from parents at the outset. The childminder is beginning to undertake useful observations to identify their interests and achievements and links these to the early learning goals. However, these systems are still in the early stages of development and do not yet link closely enough to planning to ensure that activities consistently provide an appropriate level of challenge to individual children.

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and outcomes for children

Children actively engage with their chosen toys, they are very focused, for example, with jigsaw puzzles. They describe the shapes, how many pieces there are and talk their way through how they fit the pieces together. They compare their finished puzzle to the picture on the box and again describe what is happening in the picture and who the characters are and what they are doing. Children's communication, language and literacy skills are developing very well. They have good opportunities to mark make, attempting to write their names, look at books, learn that print has meaning and listen carefully to the instructions given by the childminder. This is further supported because the childminder constantly talks to the children asking them thought provoking questions, repeats words used to consolidate their learning and understanding, and introduces new words to extend their vocabulary. Children are well behaved. They are courteous and polite

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and outcomes for children

saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Good relationships are forming between the childminder and the children. Children openly express their happy feelings towards the childminder and play cooperatively engaging in conversation and supporting one another in their colouring activity with their peers. Children make independent choices in their play. They choose the bricks and decide to make a house. Their imaginative and creative skills are good. This is further supported by the childminder who engages in conversation extending the child's critical thinking to events about their home and family. The children take the lead directing the childminder where to put bricks to help them build the house. They talk about the number of windows, the shape and size of the door, where their bedrooms is and how many floors the house has. Children are totally focused and are very proud of their end creation. Children learn about the wider world. They play with resources

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and outcomes for children

that promote positive images of the others, acknowledge various religious and cultural festivals, and learn about other's lifestyle such as Ukraine and African Caribbean. Children explore texture through activities such as sowing seeds in compost, play dough and painting.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder helps children learn about the importance of maintaining good personal health and hygiene by ensuring they wash their hands regularly, such as after they have used the toilet, before eating and after they have touched the dog. This is further supported because each child has their own hand towel, thus preventing the spread of infection. Children are provided with light lunches such as cheese sandwiches, yoghurt and a drink. Fresh fruit or a biscuit at snack time and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 water to drink throughout the day support offering children a balanced diet. Opportunities for children to develop their large muscle skills are promoted by walking to and from school and spending time at the park trying larger and more challenging climbing apparatus. Children learn how to behave safely both indoors and outdoors by, for example, taking part in fire drills and following road safety

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and outcomes for children

rules when walking to and from school. The childminder provides high levels of attention and has been very proactive in improving children's behaviour. This has been achieved through delivering clear and consistent messages and creating an environment where children feel safe and secure. Children are praised regularly on their achievements and good behaviour. Their self-esteem is good. Through her clear boundaries and gentle encouragement they begin to learn what acceptable behaviour is and how to share and take turns, developing the skills they will need for future learning. Children also develop their mark making and number skills through daily tasks and activities, such as, writing their names on paper, counting the stairs when they move between the kitchen and play room, and how many sandwiches they have on their plate. 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 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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