Thompson, Emma Louise

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY395370 Inspection date 12/01/2010 Inspector Andrea Caroline Snowden

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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 08456 404040, 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: 08456 404040 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. She lives with her partner and three children aged 14, 12, and five in Lowestoft, Suffolk. The ground floor of the premises is used for childminding, whilst the first floor is excluded from the registration at the childminder's request. There is a secure garden for outdoor play and there is level access to the provision.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently eight children on roll, six of whom are within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

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Description of the childminding

The family have a number of small animals as pets including cats and chickens.

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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 making sound progress in their learning and development whilst in the care of this childminder. The childminder engages well with parents to ensur e children's individual needs are met, but partnerships with other practitioners are not yet established. Children are valued as individuals and supported accordingly in the setting. Record keeping is mostly in place and maintained effectively to promote children's safety and welfare. The childminder has tentatively begun to use self-evaluation as a method of examining her setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 keep written records of all medication administered to children and inform parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare; also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 12/01/2010

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further?

 request written parental permission to seek any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 12/01/2010

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further?

 undertake observational assessment in order to meet children's individual learning needs (Organisation) 30/04/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 develop strategies to maintain a regular two-way flow of information between practitioners involved with the children  implement a self-evaluation system in order to identify the setting's strengths This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and weaknesses and priorities for development to improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a sound understanding of her duties with regard to safeguarding children from abuse. All adults in the setting who have contact with children have undergone the vetting process and children are not left with any other adults. Children explore the childminder's home in safety as robust risk assessments have highlighted and addressed hazards. The policies in place aid the smooth running of the setting and ensure children's safety and welfare are mostly promoted. Record keeping and documentation in place is maintained effectively. However the childminder has not made a record of medication administered to children, nor sought written consent to seek emergency medical treatment or advice. As a result children's welfare has the potential to be compromised.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures that children feel valued and respected as individuals. She cares for children from different backgrounds and ensures their beliefs and wishes are sought and acted upon, for example by speaking with parents about the recent Christmas celebrations. The partnership with parents is strong and as a result the childminder now understands children's routines from home and is able to offer a consistent approach to meet their welfare needs. Parents comment that they feel well informed about the setting with written policies and procedures and that the childminder ensures they know what activities their children have been doing. However, the partnership with other early years providers is not yet established and therefore the childminder is not aware of what progress the child is making in the alternate setting. The organisation of the setting is effective in ensuring children are able to make choices and have opportunities for active play, outdoor

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the early years provision

The childminder has recently begun to use self-evaluation to examine her practice. She is beginning to identify the characteristics of her setting and the routines adopted. She has also identified some training needs and is waiting to attend courses. In discussion she demonstrates a positive attitude towards implementing change to improve practice and promote better outcomes for children. However, her reflective practice has not yet enabled her to identify targets in order to bring about improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and exceptionally well settled and good relationships between childminder and child are forming. They are very confident in their approach and chat easily to the childminder demonstrating a feeling of security in the setting. Children are encouraged to vocalise their wishes and become independent as the childminder gives them choices in almost everything they do. The childminder follows children's interests throughout the day, ensuring that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 plans are modified according to their wishes. For example, a baking activity was cancelled in favour of the children building snowmen in the garden. Through planning these activities which meet children's specific interests she is able to ensure children stay motivated and interested in learning. However, because she has not yet started to observe and assess children's learning she is not routinely

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and outcomes for children

identifying learning priorities or always able to plan the most relevant and challenging learning experiences for each child.

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and outcomes for children

Children's personal and social development is appropriately fostered. They regularly visit other childminders and mix with different children and adults, also enjoying the different toys and activities. They manage personal tasks independently and take responsibility for their personal needs. Conversations between the childminder and child help children in their communication skills, expose them to new language and develop their confidence in using words. Children use early mathematical techniques in their play. Language such as 'biggest and smallest' are used when talking about dinosaurs and older children are able to read numbers competently from the side of the toy train engines. Children use estimation as they assess whether one train will catch another and compare sizes when handling the plastic tools on the work bench. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world is promoted through visits in the local community and

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and outcomes for children

learning about nature as they plant seeds. Children of all ages are thinking about Burn's Night and linked activities are adapted to meet the differing ages and abilities. Children investigate how things work and operate battery driven toys. They enjoy trips to the local park and sometimes use computer games to learn new physical skills, whilst arts and crafts promote their creativity and fine motor skills.

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and outcomes for children

Older children learn about their personal safety, as the childminder talks to them about road safety and teaches them about stranger danger. They know how to dial 999 in an emergency and have practised fire drills. Children are encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles. They eat healthily and the childminder introduces new foods to broaden tastes, for example, during Burn's Night she intends to introduce children to Haggis, tatties and neeps. Children are able to learn where their food comes from as they grow vegetables in the garden and collect the eggs from the hens. Hygiene practices are reinforced as the childminder talks to children about germs and how they make you poorly.

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and outcomes for children

Children are involved in activities which promote turn-taking and cooperation. They learn to work together and the childminder is consistent in her approach. As a result children learn boundaries and behave in a way conducive to learning. Children are developing skills for the future through their daily routines which enable them to become confident, independent individuals. 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 exceptiona lly 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 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the Early Years section of the report (Records to be kept) 12/01/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the Early Years section of the report (Records to be kept). 12/01/2010

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