Childminder in Medway

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY401684 Inspection date 17/05/2010 Inspector Linda Patricia Coccia

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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 one child aged two years in Rochester, Kent. Their home is within walking distance of local schools, pre-schools and parks. All of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding. A bathroom is situated on the ground floor. The front door and garden are accessed by steps. Children play in the top part of the garden only.

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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 a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time. She is currently looking after one child aged two years who falls within the Early Years Foundation Stage. She visits a number of local parent and toddler clubs with the children. She 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 childminder has a good understanding of how young children learn and develop which means she is able to meet their needs very effectively. She is effective in providing suitable age related activities for children which encourages their learning and development. The childminder has instigated a number of safety precautions to ensure children stay safe within her home. She has plans to further improve a variety of aspects of her service. This shows that she is able to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide opportunities for parents to comment in the learning journey record and be involved in their child's learning  provide opportunities for children to regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures in order to learn to keep themselves safe in an emergency.

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the early years provision

The childminder manages her provision well. She is an experienced child-carer who has worked in a number of day nursery settings. She has a full portfolio with well written policies and procedures which are made available to parents. She ensures that all adults who reside on the premises hold current Criminal Record Bureau checks which parents are able to examine. She notifies Ofsted of any additional persons temporarily residing on the premises. She has a good understanding of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and has produced a written This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 policy which is in line with them. She has a complaints procedure and displays the information for parents. Children's personal records are well maintained and stored confidentially. The childminder risk assesses the premises on a regular basis and makes notes of any changes. Assessments are signed and dated. She encourages

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the early years provision

children to learn about home safety as she reminds them about using toys and equipment safely. However, they have not had the opportunity to practise the childminder's good emergency evacuation procedures. The childminder uses a password system to ensure children are collected by appropriate adults nominated by their parents. So far there have been no accidents nor any need for the childminder to administer medication. However, all procedures are in place to deal with those eventualities. Overall, children are safeguarded well. The childminder offers a fully inclusive service to all children. Her experience of caring for all sorts of children ensures that she is able to meet their individual needs well. The toys contain a variety of pictorial images of race and culture and there are some books in the French language. Children have their individual needs catered for.

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the early years provision

The childminder is keen to make her provision the best in the area. She is considering how best to make improvements to her service in order to have the greatest impact on the children. For example, by condensing her observation records she will have more time to spend with the children. She has made numerous notes for her evaluation record but has not formalised her findings yet. She provides a range of good quality toys and activities for the children which are age appropriate yet offers the children appropriate challenges. The childminder takes children to a local pre-school. She has made significant advances in partnership working with the provision. She exchanges information with key- workers and has ideas to make the process more informative for parents. The childminder is also building good relationships with parents. She has included them in gathering information for the baseline assessments focusing particularly on what

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the early years provision

their children like and dislike. She provides a written daily diary for each child as well as giving a verbal appraisal of children's achievements to their parents at the end of each day. Children benefit from consistent care.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a very enjoyable time with the childminder. They are happy and relaxed in her company and look to her for support when necessary. For example, they look to her to intervene during arguments and scraps. This shows that they feel safe. The childminder has suitable behaviour management strategies in place to deal with children's behaviour. The current children are aged two and are therefore still learning to share toys and be nice to each other. The childminder fully discusses children's behaviour with their parents to ensure that corrective messages are consistent. Children learn to play nicely together. Children also learn about eating healthy food as they help the childminder prepare their snacks and wash off the germs. They are keen to try new tastes but also like their favourites such as strawberries and grapes. They practise the childminder's hygiene procedures regularly and understand why they need to wash hands before they

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and outcomes for children

eat. They get plenty of physical exercise in the home as they crawl around the floor playing with their cars and using the construction toys. They also have plenty This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of opportunity for exercise at the local parks, preschool and toddler club where they use a range of large physical play equipment. The childminder also promotes children's fine motor skills with activities such a bead threading. Children adopt a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

Children achieve well. The childminder provides a range of well thought out activities which cover all the areas of learning. Children's works of art are displayed around the playroom walls. They use lots of different mediums to create some lovely pictures. They recreate their own pictures from books. For example, children glue scrap paper to make their own hungry caterpillar. Whilst they stick they talk to the childminder about the caterpillar's colour and how many feet it has. The childminder offers children choices about the materials they use which are all readily to hand. Children like to do puzzles and use the construction toys which helps them with their problem solving and numeric skills. They enjoy dressing up and using the play kitchen to prepare pretend meals. They happily talk about things they do at home with parents. These activities promote their personal social and emotional development. They use push button toys and play home equipment

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and outcomes for children

which helps their understanding of technology. They talk incessantly to the childminder about what they are doing and what they want. The childminder corrects their language and prompts the use of new words by offering different descriptions. In addition the children enjoy a range of books, some of which are in different languages. Physical play opportunities are abundant. The childminder keeps good observational records on the children. They clearly show initial assessments of the children's abilities, good assessment of the observations being carried out and clearly identify children's next steps. She plans activities in advance on a weekly planning sheet which caters for the next steps for each child. Observations are supported by photographic evidence. The childminder discusses her observations with parents to help them stay involved in their children's learning. However, they have not yet had the opportunity to contribute to the

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and outcomes for children

learning record. Overall, the children make good progress towards the Early Learning Goals and are developing lots of skills for the future. 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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