Childminder in Enfield

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY319630 Inspection date 27/04/2010 Inspector Carolyn Mary Hasler

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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 2005. She lives with her husband, adult daughter and four-year-child and in Edmonton Green, an area which is part of the London borough of Enfield. The family home is a two-bedroom flat that is situated in a modern housing estate above Edmonton shopping centre. The premises can be accessed by a lift and stairs. The flat is on one level and children have access to most rooms. There is no outside place space available.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of three children at any one time and is currently minding two children in the early years age group. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder offers a welcoming service; she has measures in place to acknowledge children's individuality. She introduces the Early Years Foundation Stage into her practice, although fully effective observations and assessment processes are not yet in place. Initial communication between parents and the childminder means that she has the information on which to base her care arrangements. The childminder has taken some steps to improve the service since the last inspection, including addressing recommendations to improve practice. She shows enthusiasm to continue her improvements over time using a self-evaluation process to underpin and secure this.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further sensitive observational assessment in order to plan to meet young children’s individual needs  develop further a rich and varied environment which supports children’s learning and development, to give children the confidence to explore and learn independently, for example through the use of resources and providing better accessibility  develop further children's learning by working in partnership with parents to extend learning within the home.

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the early years provision

The childminder is meeting all the regulations and duties to safeguard children and demonstrates a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. For example, she is able to competently talk about the different areas of abuse, their signs and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 symptoms and the action she takes to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The childminder understands her responsibility to ensure that children are not left unsupervised with others and is able to demonstrate that she and all members of her household over the age of 16 have been appropriately vetted by Ofsted.

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the early years provision

The childminder has maintained a programme of training on childcare issues and shows interest in continuing this to address areas of weakness within her practice. Since her last inspection, the childminder has updated her knowledge on paediatric first aid and attended further short courses on indoor and outdoor movement, activities for large and small spaces, and how to complete self-evaluation. She continues to work within the requirements of her registration and maintains appropriate insurance to support her childminding practice.

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the early years provision

The environment is small and intimate. However, the childminder has moved furniture to the sides of the room to allow children to maximise on the space available. There is little space to store play resources, children help themselves from a small selection which is rotated daily. However, this impacts on their ability to have free access to resources and make independent choices within their play. Although there is balcony space, children do not have free access to outside play space. The childminder takes them out daily to the park or to visit the shops and community facilities in the area, such as the local library and children's centre. The childminder is clear in her role as key person and supports both children and their parents and carers in meeting children's individual needs. There is sufficient knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to support satisfactory outcomes for children. Documentation and record keeping is generally well organised, the

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the early years provision

childminder meets requirements to ensure that children's enjoyment, learning and welfare is sufficiently met. The childminder has fully effective procedures in place to ensure children keep healthy and safe.

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the early years provision

Children and their families receive a warm and welcoming reception to the setting. During initial contact, the childminder begins to build a strong knowledge of individual children through discussion prior to them starting. She understands the importance of collecting information about their unique characteristics and home routines and takes time to learn about each child's family background, religion, culture and abilities. The childminder establishes a clear baseline to children's development and has taken tentative steps to close identified achievement gaps. However, these measures are not sufficiently established to deliver results consistently. The childminder strives to support children's understanding of other people's differences through a range of play resources such as puzzles, small world people and puppets which she has available. She shares her own cultural background with children and encourages communication in both children's home

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the early years provision

language and in English. Posters on the wall show children that their languages are respected.

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the early years provision

The childminder has systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of her service, this includes documented self-evaluation, risk assessments of the premises, outings and fire safety. Parents' views are sought on the effectiveness of the service through questionnaires. The childminder is generally clear in her assessment of her strengths and weaknesses. She plans to work with her local This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 authority to build on her vision for the future of her service.

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the early years provision

The childminder explains that she has not yet had the opportunity to develop relationships with other early years partners. However, she demonstrates that she understands the importance of establishing key relationships with professionals who are involved in the care of children so that she can act on behalf of parents and carers by seeking information on children's development and passing on verbal and written messages to support parents' involvement in children's care arrangements.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a generally positive relationship with parents and carers who receive lots of information about the service in the form of policies and procedures. They contribute to the experiences children receive by providing written permission for a number of different issues which support childcare. Verbal and written information is shared daily. The childminder is bilingual and this supports communication with some families. However, although the childminder and parents share information on children's interests, she is not sufficiently proactive in building systems to encourage parents to continue to support learning in the home environment.

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and outcomes for children

With the support of parents the childminder has established a baseline assessment of children's development. There are systems in place to observe and evaluate, offering suggestions for next steps. However, although the childminder has been caring for children for some time, children's development is not consistently monitored. For example, the childminder does not assess their development regularly and observations do not sufficiently reflect a progression.

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and outcomes for children

Children separate well from parents and carers and build secure relationships. For example, they are happy to see their friends and the childminder at the beginning of their day. They are lively and inquisitive, showing self-assurance as they play and explore the familiar environment. They take some responsibility for their own safety by responding to boundaries set by the childminder and are learning through example and by first hand experiences about how to play safely. There are fully effective procedures in place to ensure children keep safe.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning the skills to adopt healthy lifestyles. Toddlers show independence in daily routines such as hand washing. Pictorial posters and reminders from the childminder help children build an awareness of the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of germs. Fully effective cleaning routines ensure that children have a clean environment to play in. Meals and snacks are healthy and nutritious, parents are kept informed about the setting's healthy eating policy and receive information on the menu children are offered. Children are active around the home environment enjoying activities such as dancing. Frequent visits to the local parks and playgrounds provide children with opportunities to stretch muscles and practise ball skills. Children take tricycles to the park and have opportunities to climb and use the large play equipment. 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 increasingly building social skills. They are learning to show respectful behaviour, such as learning to be polite and sensitive towards others' feelings. They are happy to play alongside their peers or to become involved in each other's games. Outings to community groups help to extend these skills in larger groups and children are learning to co-exist with other children and people who behave or look different to themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children's language development is encouraged both in their home language and in English. As they grow increasingly confident in the use of spoken language they are able to access each different area of learning. Children borrow books from the library and enjoy stories, they are building skills in using tools to mark make on paper. Children enjoy sequencing puzzles and talk about matching colour and shape. They are learning to count with increasing skill and are beginning to associate numbers with objects. They have a small variety of interactive programmable toys that encourage children to explore communication technology. Children spend part of their time with the childminder on outings where they are able to observe, experience and absorb the world they live in and socially interact with others. 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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