Childminder in Kent

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 126522 Inspection date 28/01/2010 Inspector Liz Margaret Caluori

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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 in South Ashford, Kent with her husband and three children aged 15, 12 and seven years. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor and there is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children under eight years of whom three may be in the early years age group. She currently has five children on roll of whom three are in the early years age group. Children attend a mix of full and part time hours.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and receives support from the local authority. She is able to drop and collect children from the local nurseries and schools and to take children to toddler groups and soft play centres. The family have a pet dog.

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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 careful organisation of space and resources, along with the calm, friendly atmosphere within the home ensures that children are happy, settled and safe. Their individual personalities and needs are clearly identified and respected which promotes their self esteem and enables the childminder to plan activities and experiences which they enjoy. Children benefit from the positive relationships the childminder maintains with their parents and carers. Relationships are also forming with the other professionals involved in delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to the children. A strong commitment to ongoing reflection and evaluation results in continually improving services for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 make available to parents a written statement that provides details of the procedure to be followed if they have a complaint (Safeguarding and welfare) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 19/02/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop relationships with other professionals involved in delivering the EYFS to share observations which can be used to support the assessment and monitoring process This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are protected by clear and detailed safety procedures. The childminder regularly updates her training to ensure that she is aware of the current child protection procedures. She is able to discuss the potential signs and symptoms of abuse and has all of the contact details required to make a referral if necessary. Comprehensive risk assessments are undertaken which support the childminder to put in place a range of precautions which reflect the ages and stages of development of the children attending. These include safety gates to restrict young children’s access to potentially hazardous areas such as the kitchen. The childminder ensures that children wear fluorescent visibility jackets when out walking in the evenings.

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the early years provision

The good focus given to self-evaluation and continual development is resulting in improvements to the services offered to children and their families. The childminder also seeks the views of parents and carers to ensure that her practices constantly evolve to meet their children’s changing needs. The childminder has recently reviewed the systems in place to record observations of children and to monitor their progress. She also has clear action plans which show improvements she has made or prioritised including providing parents and carers with written information about healthy eating and increasing the focus on learning about different festivals and special days.

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the early years provision

Parents and carers are given a very good range of written policies and procedures giving general details of the service offered although. However, the complaints policy is missing and without it the childminder is unable to fully recall the process that must be followed should parents and carers wish to make a complaint. Parents and carers are also provided with regular reports containing specific information about the progress their child is making. This encourages them to become activity involved in supporting the childminder to plan the child’s next steps. The childminder understands the importance of working in partnership with other professionals. She has begun to make regular contact with the staff of the local nursery and school but has yet to extend these relationships to routinely share information which will help to contribute to each settings monitoring and assessment records.

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the early years provision

Children all have equal access to the activities and resources provided and these are skilfully planned and adapted to be appropriate for their ages and stages of development. Children play with resources which promote positive images of diversity including puzzles, books and dolls. They also take part in activities planned to mark a range of cultural festivals and special days, for example Christmas, St David’s Day and Chinese New Year. The children also enjoy going to out in the local community. 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 relaxed and happy as they confidently explore their environment and select the resources they wish to play with. They make good progress in all areas of their development as a result of careful monitoring and competently planned learning intentions. Younger children enjoy playing with the dolls and small-world toys such as a dolls house. They develop their problem solving and reasoning skills as they work out how to undress the dolls and balance them on chairs. They also develop good vocabulary as they correctly identify images, such as a horse, when playing with the fuzzy felts pictures. The childminder skilfully encourages and extends their learning by praising their efforts and providing additional resources to support their play.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to an impressive range of arts and craft materials as well as several toys aimed at promoting their understanding of number and mathematical concepts. These resources are very well maintained and attractively displayed to inspire children’s imagination. Children also enjoy a wide range of outings to local places of interest such as the woods as well as attending toddler groups and soft play centres. The childminder regularly meets up with childminding colleagues which enables the children to develop the confidence to interact in larger group situations.

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and outcomes for children

Children respond very positively to the childminder’s warm, caring manner. They are well behaved and are developing good self-esteem as a result of the praise and encouragement they receive. They learn how to protect themselves through practical activities such as safe road crossing and practising emergency evacuation drills. The childminder also offers children advice as and when necessary, for example warning them to be cautious of wasps during a blackberry picking activity.

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and outcomes for children

Children are supported to develop an understanding of the importance of healthy living. They play in a clean, tidy environment and are provided with healthy snacks and meals and drinks are available at all times. Their care needs are appropriately met, for example nappies are regularly changed and sleep patterns respected. Appropriate procedures are in place to deal with sickness and to administer medication. The childminder maintains a current first aid certificate and is able to treat children in case of a minor accident. 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 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 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: 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 (Procedure for dealing with complaints) 19/02/2010

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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 (Procedure for dealing with complaints) 19/02/2010

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