Childminder in Worcestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY395127 Inspection date 04/02/2010 Inspector Saida Cummings

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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 2009 and lives with her family in a residential area situated on the outskirts of Worcester city. There are local shops, parks, playing fields, day care settings and schools within walking distance. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and day care settings. Children are taken on local visits and outings.

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Description of the childminding

The main areas used for childminding are situated on the ground floor, with sleeping facilities available on the first floor. The childminder is registered to care for five children at any one time and there are currently four children on roll within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA).

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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 thrive in the very well-organised stimulating environment. Their learning and development are well-promoted in a stimulating and homely environment. There is a clear focus on inclusion and the childminder ensures activities are adapted so that individual children are given many opportunities to participate at their own level. Children’s welfare is successfully promoted in a safe, friendly and homely environment. The childminder works in partnership with parents and carers to ensure that each individual child’s needs and routines are met. Although the childminder has started systems for self-evaluation, these are not yet sufficiently implemented to ensure she is able to make continuous improvements in all areas.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the self-evaluation system further to ensure priorities for making continuous improvements in all areas are identified and implemented  update and maintain the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for each type of outing.

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the early years provision

Children are safe, secure and protected through effective procedures and everyday practices. Their welfare is fully safeguarded because the childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of the known indicators of child abuse and also of Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Adults in the home are suitably vetted and the childminder promotes safety through good levels of supervision for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children. Risks of accidental injury to children are effectively minimised because the childminder constantly completes visual safety checks and takes immediate action to ensure children are kept safe and secure in everything they do. This includes making sure children are kept safe during outings. However, although the childminder has developed relevant systems for recording the risk assessments, these do not include details for each type of outing to ensure

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the early years provision

children's safety is fully protected. The effective policies and procedures work in practice to safeguard children and promote their health and well-being.

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the early years provision

Children enjoy their time in the childminder’s care, thriving in the ability to freely access resources whilst playing and learning in a caring and stimulating environment. Lots of free-play opportunities, and the childminder's responsive approach to children's requests, mean they can choose what they want to do throughout the day. The childminder is observant of these choices and organises herself and the resources so that all children can join in. She always stays close to the children, dedicates her time to joining in their play and sharing her attention equally. The effective partnership with parents and carers plays a key part in providing high quality care and education for individual children. The childminder is aware of the importance of involving parents and carers in the care of their children and constantly consults with them. They are kept well-informed of how their children have spent their day through daily verbal and written

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the early years provision

communication. The childminder has started making links with other settings in the local area and will be extending this to ensure this is pertaining to individual children's progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder is highly motivated and displays a secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage through the consistent implementation of the policies and procedures. She has a positive approach to her professional development and regularly attends local relevant training. The childminder has worked hard to develop the provision since registration. Self- assessment is evident in the childminder’s practice and she has a clear vision for high quality and inclusive care. She shows an understanding of the evaluation process, although this is still under development. The process for identifying priorities for making improvements in all areas is not yet fully developed.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and happy within the environment. They are comfortable with the childminder and have built a warm and trusting relationship. Children are progressing well in their learning and development as they benefit from an exciting range of activities which are specifically planned to ensure individual children’s preferences and needs are fully catered for. The childminder has developed a system for observing, assessing and planning appropriate activities for each child which provides them with many interesting opportunities to develop their skills. She successfully uses the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidance and her knowledge of each child’s stage of development to adapt and extend planned and spontaneous activities. As a result, individual children are given every opportunity to move on to the next stage in their learning and early education. Strong, positive This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

and caring relationships are developed, with children having wide opportunities to express their views and make choices. They show considerable independence and make choices about their toys and resources they wish to play with.

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and outcomes for children

Children are all encouraged to develop their language skills through relaxed conversation with the childminder and their peers, as well as their love of story telling and singing songs. Young children are encouraged to use their vocals and experiment with sound. They are able to build up their vocabulary through everyday activities and routines, such as repeating words they hear and the childminder reinforces this by pointing to the relevant items and encouraging children to use the newly discovered words. Children are provided with many opportunities to explore and investigate, extend their imagination and creative skills. For example, they all love to join in with messy play activities, such as manipulating play dough.

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and outcomes for children

Children have opportunities to extend their hand/eye coordination and writing skills. They enjoy using various writing and craft materials to create their own brightly coloured pictures and collages. The childminder consistently and positively interacts with the children to encourage their involvement and learning, such as when she encourages young children to further develop their curiosity and problem solving skills. For example, when children attempt to post the play ‘letters’ into the ‘posting box’, but cannot work out why the door keeps shutting. The childminder encourages them to use their other hand to hold the door open. They soon discover this means they are able to hold the door open, allowing them to ‘post’ each brightly coloured ‘letter’ into the box. As a result, children are developing their hand/eye coordination whilst experimenting during their everyday activities and routines.

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and outcomes for children

Children thrive as they enjoy an extensive range of physical activities and have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise. They relish their time outdoors which includes taking part in various local outings such as visiting the parks and going on local walks. Young children are supported and encouraged to develop their creative physical experiences. For example, the childminder supports them when they attempt to stand up and gives them lots of encouragement whilst they attempt to take their first steps. Children are developing good personal hygiene awareness. Young children learn to use wipes before and after eating, and older children routinely wash their hands. The childminder has good procedures in place to ensure the spread of infection is minimised and children are not cared for if they have an infectious illness. Children are kept safe as the childminder ensures they are supervised at all times and discussions are held about how they can keep

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and outcomes for children

themselves safe. For example, they are taught safety through everyday routines, such as being made aware of road safety whilst out walking. 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 2 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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