Helm, Sarah

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY398018 Inspection date 25/03/2010 Inspector Nicola Hill

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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 2009. She lives with her husband and their three children aged five, three and two years in a semi-detached house in West Horsley, Surrey. The property is close to local schools and amenities and there is a park nearby. The ground floor of the house is mainly used for childminding, with toilet and sleeping facilities available on this floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family have a dog and two cats as pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to provide care for a maximum of three children under eight years, of these, one may be in the early years age group at any one time. She currently has two children on roll aged three and six years.

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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

The childminder's enthusiasm and obvious commitment to her role ensures all children feel happy and are fully safeguarded in her company. Children are making good progress as the childminder provides a rich learning environment within her home. The childminder is beginning to evaluate the care and education she provides, and demonstrates a commitment to developing her knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage by attending further training. Consequently, the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is good. Good relationships with parents have been established and partnerships with other professionals involved in the care and education of the children is outstanding.

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further?

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

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further?

 further improve hygiene practices and procedures with regard to hand washing prior to snack time  further develop the current planning systems by detailing the aim of structured activities and an evaluation of these activities after they have taken place.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a high level of commitment in promoting children's safety and well-being. For example, all adult members of the household have been vetted, and the childminder has a clear understanding of child protection procedures. The childminder's policy on safeguarding is shared with parents and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any existing injuries a child has are discussed fully with them and recorded. All required documentation is in place and is well-organised. Safety is a priority and visual daily checks of the premises ensure that potential hazards are minimised. The childminder conducts and records a thorough risk assessment of the premises and outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a genuine commitment to developing her practice. She is taking good steps to evaluate and monitor her provision and is in the early stages of using a formal self-assessment system. Informal evaluations have been effective and the childminder is proactive in taking action to seek improvement. For example, to help increase her knowledge of the learning and development requirements, the childminder has attended a workshop on 'letters and sounds'. She has sought children's views about the meals she is providing, and has purchased a new bookcase to make the books more accessible to the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder creates a welcoming environment where children are able to play, rest and eat in comfortable surroundings. The indoor and outdoor environments are well resourced with easy access to a range of good quality toys and resources which encourage children to make choices. The childminder makes sure that resources are appropriate to children's individual ages and stage of development and that toys are maintained in a good state of repair. The childminder has a good understanding of the children's needs and the activities they enjoy. Children learn to respect and understand all members of society through discussion with the childminder and using resources that promote positive images as part of their everyday play. They enjoy frequent visits within the surrounding community, which helps to promote a positive view of the wider world.

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the early years provision

Children settle with ease and feel secure because the childminder dedicates time to get to know them and their parents. Parents receive copies of all relevant information about the childminding service, including all policies and procedures which inform the childminder's practice. Children benefit enormously from the warm and friendly relationships that are established between the parents and the childminder. The daily exchange of information, both verbal and written, ensures that children's ever changing needs are consistently supported. Parents comment extremely positively on the service they receive. They feel the childminder is 'caring and responsive' to their children and provides a 'warm and secure environment for their children to flourish'. The childminder is highly committed to working in partnership with others and has taken a proactive role in establishing effective working relationships with other providers delivering the Early Years

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the early years provision

Foundation Stage to children who also attend her setting. Well established channels of communication have been set up, starting with initial meetings with a child's key worker to find out the child's starting points; their strengths and likes as well as their dislikes and areas the nursery are working on for their development. The childminder ensures she talks to staff each time she collects the children from nursery and has worked with staff to formulate an observation and assessment system which compliments the nursery arrangements. This ensures consistency and successfully promotes the children's learning, development and welfare. 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 well cared for and have lots of fun with the childminder. The childminder's welcoming, pleasant manner helps all children to feel safe, settle easily and develop a real sense of belonging to the setting. The childminder skilfully supports and extends children's learning through play. She provides a good balance of child-led and planned adult-led activities and is starting to plan themes to focus the children's learning. The childminder also uses an online activity learning program, to assist her in planning relevant and challenging experiences for the children. However, her written records do not currently show her reason for planned activities, or an evaluation of the activities afterwards to ensure they were successful and met the needs of the children. The childminder does undertake regular observations, and children's development records track their progression in all learning areas. The childminder clearly identifies each child's next steps for

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and outcomes for children

learning, and these are shared with parents.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They take part in enjoyable activities and experiences, both inside and outside the home that allow them to develop their skills across each area of learning. For example, they visit places such as Wisley Gardens, a local Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Recommended Garden, and take part in a recycling initiative, collecting items such as old glasses, used stamps and foreign coins that can be passed on to certain charities to raise money. Children are confident and have clearly developed a good relationship with the childminder and her own children. They enjoy playing together, but are also content to explore their own interests. They sing happily to themselves as they play and show good imagination as they shout 'all aboard' into a microphone on the toy train station. They enjoy putting the train track together and the childminder encourages them to identify the different coloured trains and

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and outcomes for children

find straight and curved pieces of track. Children are familiar with numbers and show good concentration skills, working hard to complete a floor puzzle and using the picture on the box to help them find out what piece they need next. They take part in a range of creative activities such as drawing, painting and baking.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted by consistent daily routines to ensure the premises and resources are clean and well maintained. The childminder provides well balanced, nutritious meals and has also registered with her Local Authority Environmental Health Department to further ensure children's health and safety. Daily routines are well used to ensure that children enjoy regular fresh air and exercise. The childminder generally gives high priority to ensuring children start to understand the importance of good hygiene and personal care. However, children do not always wash their hands before eating snacks. The childminder helps children to learn about possible dangers and how to keep themselves safe through discussion, practising fire drills and learning about road safety. Age-appropriate techniques, such as discussion and distraction along with clear and consistent boundaries, are used to good effect to promote children's positive behaviour.

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and outcomes for children

Children are generally well behaved. Overall, the childminder provides children with the necessary resources, activities and opportunities they need to help them gain important skills for the future. 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 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 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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