Fortuna School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 134229 Inspection date 08/06/2010 Inspector Gillian Little

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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 registered in 1997. She lives in a village to the south west of Oxford with her husband, adult daughter and two younger children aged 14 and nine. The whole ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding, together with a first floor bedroom for sleeping young babies. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. Access to the provision includes a step to the front door. The family has two dogs although these are not usually present during the childminding day.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder offers care on a daily basis and is available to walk to the local school, nursery and playgroup to take and collect children. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time, of whom no more than three may be on the Early Years Register. She is currently minding five children in the early years age group on a part-time basis. She is registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register although currently has no children in this age group on roll.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has established partnerships in place with some local provisions, including another childminder, a playgroup and nursery.

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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

Children flourish in this safe, welcoming and stimulating environment. They make good progress towards the early learning goals as the childminder knows them well and meets their individual needs effectively. Partnerships with parents and other settings which children attend positively promote continuity in welfare and learning. Self-evaluation processes are comprehensive and the childminder shows a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Most regulatory documentation is in place.

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further?

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

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further?

 maintain a record of the risk assessment of the premises (Documentation). 22/06/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 develop confidence in using systems for observing and assessing children's progress and in planning for their next steps in learning  ensure that the risk assessment of the premises identifies how to further reduce the risk of infection when children are washing and drying their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 hands.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of safeguarding children procedures including possible symptoms of abuse and how to record and report concerns. She ensures that all household members have appropriate background checks. The home environment is safe and free from hazards, both indoors and outdoors. There is a wide range of good quality toys and resources available and, as storage space is limited on the ground floor, the childminder provides a book of photographs of all her resources so that children can choose which ones they would like to play with.

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the early years provision

Effective procedures help to keep children safe; for example, the childminder routinely checks sleeping babies and teams up with another childminder, local playgroup and nursery to take children on outings away from the village. Hygiene procedures are generally effective, although children use a communal towel which increases the risk of infection and the childminder does not identify this as part of her risk assessment. She does maintain a very wide range of documentation, including records, policies, procedures and general information, which contribute towards the safe and efficient management of the setting. However, she does not yet have in place a record of her risk assessment of the home, although these are in place for the garden and outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder effectively promotes equality and diversity. She tracks the progress of individual children systematically to ensure that they are developing as well as they can, although she does not yet feel fully confident with her systems for this and is in the process of exploring different formats. She works well in partnership with parents and provides a wealth of information about their children including daily diaries, daily discussions, development files, newsletters, and comprehensive policies and procedures. She takes imaginative steps to encourage parents to become involved in their children's learning, such as introducing a ‘holiday teddy bear’ for families to take away with them and return with stories and photographs about their experiences. Parents comment that they are very happy with the childminder's care of their children. The childminder also works well in partnership with other settings which children attend, particularly those within the

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the early years provision

village, in order to maintain continuity in welfare and learning. She has good relationships in place with other professionals which enable her to join in with various events and outings and this further enhances the quality of experiences available to children.

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the early years provision

The childminder maintains a comprehensive self-evaluation document which accurately reflects her practice and identifies many ideas for further development, such as additional training and involving children in the risk assessment process. She proactively involves parents in evaluation processes by sending out questionnaires and encouraging them to make comments in their children's daily diaries; she responds positively to suggestions and incorporates these into her practice where possible. She regularly accesses training and gains information from This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 other settings, books and the internet, which all helps her to continuously improve her practice.

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and outcomes for children

Young children are very settled in the setting and confidently explore their environment which offers a range of easily accessible, age-appropriate resources. They have good relationships in place with the childminder and show that they are very attached to her. They receive good support from the childminder as she spends all her time playing with them and talking to them. They are able to follow their own interests as the childminder knows them well and responds positively to their individual needs. For example, when babies indicate that they want to try to walk the childminder helps them put their shoes on and provides physical support to ensure that they can develop their skills safely.

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and outcomes for children

Older children enjoy a wider selection of toys and can choose freely from the photograph book of resources giving them an opportunity to contribute towards activity choices. They also enjoy activities planned by the childminder, such as reading the story of ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ and then making their own butterflies.

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and outcomes for children

All children enjoy a wide range of outings in the local community, such as children's groups where they explore music, stories and messy play. They develop positive attitudes towards people in the local community who are different from themselves as the childminder helps them to learn about different customs, such as making Diwali cards for a local shopkeeper. They are able to play outdoors every day in the safe and enclosed garden which has a good range of toys and the childminder works effectively with parents to ensure that children have appropriate clothing for different weather conditions. They benefit greatly from the childminder's attention to their individual needs, such as organising ‘play dates’ with their friends to enhance their social skills and continue the normal social activities that they enjoy at home. They adopt a positive approach to behaviour as the childminder acts as a good role model and discusses any difficulties with

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and outcomes for children

children ensuring that they understand her expectations.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to learn about health and safety and the childminder works effectively in partnership with parents to achieve this. For example, she jointly approaches the issue of ‘stranger danger’ with parents to help children become aware without being fearful and she discusses healthy eating options with parents for packed lunches. Children enjoy nutritious snacks supplied by the childminder which may include fruit, cheese and bread sticks, and younger children have bottles of milk while snuggling up on the childminder’s lap. Older children have good opportunities to learn about hygiene routines although they currently share a communal towel, which increases the risk of infection.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has good procedures in place to track children's progress. She records observations of children’s starting points as soon as their placement with her begins and she routinely records further observations. She is aware of children's individual interests and uses the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to help her decide on their next steps which she incorporates into her planning. A termly summary of children's progress in each area of learning ensures that parents have good information about their children's development. The childminder is developing her confidence in exploring different formats for these tracking systems and shows a strong commitment to securing her knowledge in this area. 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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