Elliot, Wendy Ann

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY400867 Inspection date 09/04/2010 Inspector Doreen Forsyth

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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 2009. She lives with her husband and three school-aged children in a semi-detached home in Mortimer, near Reading, Berkshire. All of the home may be used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed rear garden area available for outside play and access to the premises is on street level.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for up to three children in the early years age group and for four children in total at any one time. Currently there are five children on roll, of these four are in the early age range.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 children are very settled and happy, they are making good progress in their learning and development because the childminder plans many interesting and worthwhile age-appropriate activities for them to take part in. She welcomes and values all children and works closely with parents and other carers to ensure their individual needs are very well met. She recognises that each child in her care is unique. The childminder is newly registered, but she has previous childcare experience. She has created a very welcoming and child-centred environment where children feel safe and secure. The childminder has effective strategies in place to evaluate and monitor the provision she offers. She has identified targets for future improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment (Promoting good health). 19/04/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 use the daily observations that are made to plan individual learning targets for each child 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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the early years provision

The childminder has made her home very welcoming, she has created a stimulating, child-centred and comfortable environment for children. All the policies, procedures and records that are necessary for the safe and efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are very well kept and are shared with parents. They have their own copies of all policies and procedures and can access information about the provision and their children on the childminder's website. One required parent's permission is missing from the excellent record keeping, parents currently do not give their permission for the childminder to seek emergency medical assistance if necessary. The children's well-being and safety are a priority for the childminder, she is very confident in the procedures she would follow if she has any child protection concerns. Both the childminder and her husband have been vetted to ensure their suitability to have access to children, the

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the early years provision

childminder ensures any unvetted adults do not have unsupervised access to the children.

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the early years provision

Children play in a very safe and secure environment. The childminder has carried out very comprehensive risk assessments to ensure children are kept safe. She has identified and minimised any potential risks to the children, both in her home and garden and when they are out on regular outings. There is a large selection of safe and age-appropriate resources available to the children throughout the home and in the enclosed rear garden. Children develop their independence by choosing what toys and resources they wish to use. The resources are stored so that children can easily select what they wish to play with. The childminder is developing very strong links with parents and with any other providers the children use such as a nearby kindergarten. Each day the childminder e-mails parents with information about their children's day, for example, what activities they have taken part in, their meals and rest times.

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the early years provision

The childminder is focussed on helping children to enjoy themselves, to make good progress and to promote their welfare. All children are welcomed and their individual needs met. She continually evaluates the quality of the provision she offers and has ideas and aims for future development, for example, the childminder plans to attend further training and hopes to cultivate an allotment with the children.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a very good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how she can promote the children's learning and development. She plans a broad range of interesting activities that are usually linked to a theme or topic, often the children suggest the topic or the childminder discovers a theme that the children are very interested in. She observes the children at their play and records their activities on a daily observation record sheet. Each day she plans an activity that is linked to the early learning gaols and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 takes photos for the parents of the children at play. Although she is plans and records the children's progress very well, the childminder does not use the observations she makes to identify an individual learning target to help each child to move forward.

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and outcomes for children

Children can freely access the rear garden, where there is a good range of toys and activities. These include a play house, lots of wheeled toys, a sand tray and an enclosed trampoline. The children enjoy helping to plant and grow vegetables, they helped to prepare 'growing bags' for planting potatoes during the inspection. The childminder regularly takes the children out and about enabling them to explore their environment and to interact with other adults and children. They often visit nearby parks and the local library. They enjoy many different activities such as cooking, messy play, stories, finger puppets and construction toys. There is a large selection of books stored in a low-level bookcase for the children to explore. Children are able to practise their physical skills, they use the trampoline under the childminder's supervision and enjoy the equipment at the play park. The childminder provides all the children's meals and snacks, these are healthy and

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and outcomes for children

well balanced, parents are given a copy of the menus the childminder uses. Children can access their drinks whenever they wish. Children learn good hygiene routines; they have their own towels to use for hand washing which helps to prevent cross infection and are beginning to understand when it is important to wash their hands, for example, before eating. They can rest and sleep according to their individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well, they quickly understand the routines of the setting and enjoy praise and rewards from the childminder, such as stickers for their achievements. They learn about sharing and taking turns in their play. Children learn about the wider world through the topics they explore and the resources they play with such as books, dolls and musical instruments. The childminder is skilfully helping children to develop some of the skills they will need for the future. She provides opportunities for them to progress in communicating and provide opportunities for them to explore communication technology by using the computer and a laptop. They begin to learn to work alongside and to co-operate with others. The childminder aims to help the children become independent and inquisitive learners. 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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