Murphy, Sally

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY315444 Inspection date 16/02/2010 Inspector Rebecca Elizabeth Khabbazi

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 2005. She works in partnership with her husband, who is also a registered childminder. They live with their two children aged 8 and 10 years old, in a three bedroom house in a residential area of Beckenham in Kent. All of the house is used for childminding, with the downstairs of the house the main area used for play. A garden is available for outdoor play. The family have two cats.

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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 care for four children under 8 years old when working on her own, with three in the early years age range. When she is working with her co-childminder they can care for up to eight children under 8 years old, with six in the early years age range. There are currently eight children on roll, who attend on various days and times. Five of these children are in the early years age group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has a relevant childcare qualification.

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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 successfully promotes all aspects of children's welfare and development. Children are safe and well cared for in the welcoming, inclusive home and make good progress in their learning. The childminder knows children well and works closely with parents to ensure she has a good understanding of children's needs and can provide appropriate care. The childminder and her co- childminder continually monitor the service they provide. This ensures that any priorities for future development are promptly identified and the provision is responsive to the needs of the children and their families.

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further?

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

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further?

 carry out regular fire evacuation drills and record details in a fire log book of any problems encountered and how they were resolved  ensure next steps identified for children are regularly followed up and reviewed, in order to monitor progress towards the early learning goals

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded. All required documentation that promotes children's health, safety and well-being are in place, and is well organised and kept up-to-date. The childminder has a clear understanding of her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 responsibilities towards the children in her care and knows what to do if she is worried about a child. The childminder and her co-childminder offer a very well- organised, stimulating and welcoming environment for children. Equipment and resources are of excellent quality, readily accessible and used highly effectively to support children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder and her co-minder reflect on their service and make sure that any areas for improvement are promptly identified and addressed. Actions taken are well targeted to lead to improved outcomes for children, such as updating equipment or creating a new quiet area where children enjoy looking at books. The childminder actively seeks feedback from parents and children as part of the self- evaluation process and takes their views and ideas into account. Partnerships with parents are highly positive and contribute significantly to children's good progress at the setting. The childminder and her co-minder have a good understanding of children's backgrounds and needs, which helps ensure equality and diversity is effectively promoted. Parents are very well informed about their children's achievements, well-being and development and have access to a wealth of information about the setting. The childminder is aware of the need to build good

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the early years provision

working relationships with other providers where children attend additional settings.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in the setting. They have excellent relationships with both childminders and show a strong sense of belonging as they move confidently around the safe environment. They grow in independence as they help themselves to a wide variety of toys and play materials. Children learn to keep themselves safe when they remember why they need to pick up the toys from the floor. There are clear evacuation plans in place, but these have not yet been practised with all the children to ensure everyone can act quickly in an emergency. Children adopt excellent hygiene routines when they wash their hands before they eat, using the liquid soap and individual towels provided. The childminder ensures she takes careful hygiene precautions when she changes nappies, which helps protect children from the risk of cross-contamination. Children learn about healthy eating through stimulating, hands-on experiences when they help plant, care for

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and outcomes for children

and harvest fruit and vegetables in the allotment. They benefit from a range of challenging opportunities to practice their physical skills and play outside every day as part of a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities and experiences that support their development and learning. The childminder's good knowledge of their individual needs ensures that activities are very well matched to their interests and abilities. She makes regular observations of their achievements and uses these to identify next steps for their learning, but at the moment these are not always clearly followed up and reviewed in order to monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals. Children's early language skills are fostered when they cuddle up with the childminder for a story or choose their own books to look at in the quiet book corner. They count and begin to solve simple This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 problems as they see how many steps there are or work out which piece of puzzle fits in the gap. They learn about the world around them when they make their own

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and outcomes for children

model of a volcano and proudly take it home with them to keep, or during a walk when they feed the ducks and talk about the leaves falling and seasons changing. Children benefit from the childminder's wide range of creative skills and enjoy an array of exciting experiences such as clay modelling and silk painting. They use their imaginations to draw colourful pictures with chalk on the path in the garden, and have fun dressing up, singing or dancing to music. Children are very well occupied and stimulated throughout the day and thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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