Cotton, Samantha

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 560130 Inspection date 26/01/2010 Inspector Mary Daniel

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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 1999. She lives with her husband and their three children aged seven, 10 and 12 years in a detached house, situated in Mere, Wiltshire. Children have use of the downstairs lounge, kitchen, hallway and toilet facilities and also have supervised use of the dining room for musical activities. They have use of an upstairs bathroom and one bedroom, which is used for sleeping children. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family own several pets including a dog, a cat, two tortoises and some guinea pigs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children aged under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. She is also registered to provide overnight care for one child. There are currently seven children on roll, of whom six are in the early years age group. The childminder receives support from the local authority.

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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 and confident and form warm, secure relationships with the childminder who treats every child as an individual and welcomes them into her comfortable home. Children enjoy the wide range of meaningful play activities provided, which help them make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder is active in evaluating and reviewing her practice to make ongoing improvements and is committed to promoting good outcomes for every child in her care.

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further?

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

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further?

 continue to develop the planning and assessment systems in order to help identify children's individual learning priorities, and use these to inform the planning of further play experiences, which are fully based on their existing skills and abilities  develop further the risk assessment systems to ensure all aspects of the provision are included, with particular regard to the management of any overnight care, emergency evacuation procedures and the reviewing of all outings  develop further the partnerships with other settings to form systems of sharing information to support children's ongoing development and progress. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively supported through the clear policies and procedures followed by the childminder. She has an appropriate understanding of how to manage any concerns arising and intends to attend further training to update her knowledge of child protection issues. Children's records are kept in order, and accidents and administration of medication are all appropriately detailed, which promotes their overall wellbeing. Children benefit from the open communication the childminder maintains with parents on their care, and which helps in forming friendly, working relationships. This contributes to children feeling settled and reassured and the childminder gets to know their individual needs very well. Parents have access to their child's learning journey booklet, which helps keep them informed of any achievements and ongoing progress. Daily discussion is also maintained, although systems of sharing information on children's

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the early years provision

developmental starting points are not yet implemented to support the planning of initial play activities.

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the early years provision

Recommendations set at the last inspection, related to health and safety issues. Overall, most garden debris has been removed, and children's access to the trampoline area is supervised. Parents written consent for any necessary emergency medical treatment is now obtained for all children and this, with other written permissions obtained, such as for going on outings, effectively helps to promote consistency in children's care. Space is organised appropriately and enables children to spread their toys out on the floor or snuggle into a sofa when they feel tired. Risk assessments are completed and this helps to keep play areas generally safe and secure. However, the management of any overnight care has not been fully evaluated, for example, to include any emergency evacuation procedures. Children are encouraged to 'stop, look and listen' when crossing roads and start to learn how to keep themselves safe on outings. Relevant car seats and

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the early years provision

restraints are used, which helps in keeping children safe and secure. Outings are also assessed for risks according to children's specific needs and abilities and consideration is being given to developing further systems to help in reviewing and monitoring their safety on each trip.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation systems are completed and are being established to effectively cover all aspects of the provision and help identify areas for improvement. The childminder shows clear driving ambition, for instance, in continually seeking new resources to enhance children's play, such as from a toy library or scrap store. Good use is made of local facilities and children visit the library, toddler groups or go to events organised at a nearby children's centre. This helps to encourage their enjoyment and interest in books and also develop their social skills as they meet and mix with their peers. Play resources are effectively organised to enable children to make their own choices and support their ideas and interests. Good liaison is maintained with other agencies and settings involved in children's care. Further consideration is also being given to the sharing of more information on children's learning and development to promote consistency in delivering play

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the early years provision

activities. Every child is treated equally and their individuality is recognised and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 respected. Learning about other cultures is emphasised within planned activities and is promoted with children through the childminder's positive approach.

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and outcomes for children

Children have great fun in their play. For example, they help to set up a large train track and laugh with delight as they watch the battery operated train go round and round. This game develops further as they add more carriages, small world people or shops and houses and become absorbed in their imaginative play. Their interest in finding out how things work is promoted well as they press buttons on the 'post office' counter, which make different noises or as they switch the trains on and off. Children work together in the snowy weather to build a snowman and they go for a 'frosty' walk. They make footprints in the snow and then discover what happens when ice is put on a warm radiator. Children make some Christmas decorations from around the world. They plant some bulbs and make cotton wool snowmen as presents for their parents. These activities effectively encourage their physical development, their creativity, knowledge and understanding of the world and their

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and outcomes for children

fine motor and hand eye coordination skills. Children's development is clearly supported through the good balance of purposeful play experiences planned and which cover each area of their learning. Activities are based on children's interests overall, and they are keen to participate. Planning and assessment systems are implemented, and are being developed to clearly identify children's individual learning needs and provide further play experiences, which effectively build on their existing skills and abilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children go on lots of exciting outings, such as to a farm where they see the different animals, or to the beach where they paddle in the sea. They also visit a nearby soft play centre where they can run, jump and climb freely. They go on regular walks to and from the local school and nursery as they take and collect their friends with the childminder. Consequently, they have frequent opportunities to be out in the fresh air and gain from regular exercise, which promotes their good health and wellbeing. Children enjoy their healthy snacks of carrots, cucumber sticks, fruit and raisins and their cooked dinners, such as pasta or roast meat and vegetables. Interesting activities are planned to raise their awareness of foods that are good for them. For instance, they help to grow carrots, potatoes, raspberries and tomatoes in the garden and enjoy eating these with their meals. They go shopping and see all the different fruits and vegetables on display. As a

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and outcomes for children

result, they develop a healthy appetite for foods that are good for them. Children behave very well and are clearly supported in their own understanding of right and wrong. They are frequently praised for their efforts and show obvious delight in their achievements. Consequently, children develop good self-esteem and are very content and settled with the childminder. 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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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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