Childminder in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY363204 Inspection date 19/05/2010 Inspector Julie Morrison

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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 2007. She lives with her two adult children in Stockton-on-Tees. The family has a rabbit and two pet cats. The childminder’s home is accessed by one step. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s home is used for childminding. There is a garden for outdoor play. The childminder cares for children on weekdays from 9am to 6pm for 47 weeks of the year.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom, no more than three may be in the early years age range. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on both parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has seven children on roll, of whom, three are in the early years age range. The childminder collects children from the local school and nursery and attends toddler groups on a regular basis.

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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

The childminder provides a welcoming and friendly environment for all children. She has developed appropriate procedures to work with and gather all relevant information from parents in order to meet each child's individual needs. The children make good progress in their learning and development because the childminder offers a variety of fun and interesting play experiences for them to enjoy. The home is clean and safe, and children are cared for with warmth and kindness. The childminder has some understanding of her areas for development, however, she has not developed procedures to effectively monitor and evaluate her setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop systems for recording children's progress, including matching observations to the expectations of the early learning goals and identifying learning priorities  update the record of risk assessment to include assessments of risks for all types of outings and trips  develop procedures to regularly share children’s learning and development records and any other relevant information with other practitioner  develop procedures to promote reflective practice, self-evaluation and identify priorities for development to improve outcomes for children. 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 satisfactory understanding of safeguarding matters. She knows the signs that might indicate a child is being abused and the procedure to follow to report concerns. She also maintains all the documents and records required for the efficient management of her provision, and to meet the needs of the children. The childminder ensures that children are kept safe within her home as she implements appropriate precautions, such as keeping external doors to the home locked and using stair gates. The children's safety is further promoted as she carries out risk assessments on her home, garden and for some outings. However, not all types of outings have been included in her assessments. This has only a slightly negative impact as the childminder implements appropriate procedures to ensure their safety, such as maintaining close observation of them, using pushchairs for young children and carrying emergency telephone numbers with

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the early years provision

her. All adults living in the home have had the required checks to ensure their suitability to be around children.

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the early years provision

All children have easy access to a good range of age-appropriate toys and equipment. The childminder gets out boxes full of the children's favourite toys ready for their arrival which they explore independently. The childminder makes good use of the garden, for example, the children enjoy playing in the sand pit, hoola hoop games and skittles. There is ample space for children to fully explore their chosen play activities in comfort and safety both indoors and outdoors, this helps to support their learning and development. The childminder has some understanding of her areas for development, for example, she wants to attend further training to develop her practice. However, as yet, effective procedures to monitor and evaluate her practice have not been established to ensure continuous improvement. The childminder has addressed all of the recommendations raised at the previous inspection, this helps to promote outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Appropriate procedures are in place to work with parents. The childminder invites children for settling in visits and parents receive copies of all policies and procedures. This helps to keep them informed about her setting. Verbal feedback and access to the children's record books helps to keep parents up-to-date about the learning and care their child receives. The childminder is beginning to develop positive relationships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, for example, passing over information to them. However, as the children have only recently started at another setting, she has not yet considered how she might share information about their individual learning and development to promote continuity of learning. The childminder does not currently care for any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, she demonstrates a positive attitude towards ensuring that all children are fully included at the setting

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the early years provision

and to gathering information in order to meet their individual needs. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy their time with the childminder, and are happy and settled in her care. They become active learners as she interacts well with them to encourage and promote their learning. For example, as they tidy away toys the childminder counts out loud how many skittles they have put in the bag. She provides a wide range of fun activities for children which cover all areas of learning. The childminder makes effective use of the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to record the children's progress towards their early learning goals and has developed individual learning books for each child. These include monthly observations of the children's learning, however, they are not linked to the areas of learning and are not used to identify next steps in children's learning. Nevertheless, the childminder knows the children well and they are clearly making good progress in their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The children develop important skills for the future as they count as part of everyday activities and enjoy pressing buttons on programmable toys and using the computer. The enjoyment of books is promoted well by the childminder. The children each have favourite stories which they enjoy looking at independently or cuddle up with the childminder as she reads to them. Communication skills are further developed as the childminder encourages them to repeat words, name characters and talk about the story. A wide variety of outings promotes the children's physical health and helps them to begin to develop an interest in the world around them. For example, they take fishing nets to the river and go on trips to the museum and the farm. A suitable range of resources and discussion with the childminder helps to begin to raise their awareness of diversity. The children have good opportunities to be creative and develop their hand to eye coordination. For

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and outcomes for children

example, they fill buckets of sand as they play in the garden and toddlers enjoy basic mark-making as they use large chalks to draw on the patio.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder encourages children to adopt healthy lifestyles by helping them follow good personal hygiene routines. Some meals are provided by the parents however, the childminder understands the importance of providing a balanced and nutritious diet. Planned activities such as baking and making fruit salads further supports the children's awareness of keeping healthy. The children have suitable opportunities to begin to learn how to keep themselves safe as they become familiar with the emergency evacuation drills from the home, and start to understand how and where to cross roads safely. The childminder encourages children to learn to share their toys, help to put them away, and to play nicely together. Knowing what is expected of them helps the children to develop good self-esteem. They demonstrate this as they move confidently around the home, engage well with the activities, and enjoy a cuddle from the childminder as they sit

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and outcomes for children

contentedly on her knee. 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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 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: 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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