Childminder in Hartlepool

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 313961 Inspection date 15/04/2010 Inspector Julie Morrison

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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 1999. She lives with her husband and one adult child in South Stanley. The family has two dogs and three cats. The childminder’s home is accessed by a step. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s home is used for childminding. There is a garden for outdoor play. The childminder cares for children on weekdays from 7.15am to 6.30pm for 50 weeks of the year.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding four children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder collects children from the local school and nursery on a regular basis.

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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 provides a safe and friendly environment for all children. Appropriate procedures are in place to gather information from parents, in order to ensure that children's individual needs are met. All documentation to support children's welfare is in place and up-to-date. The childminder provides a wide range of activities for children, this ensures they have good opportunities to make progress across all areas of learning. She demonstrates a genuine commitment towards developing her practice and identifying areas for improvement. This helps to promote outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 promote effective continuity and progression by sharing relevant information about children's learning and development with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and parents  build upon systems for recording children's progress, including matching observations to the areas of learning and using identified next steps to inform future planning.

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the early years provision

The childminder is fully aware of her responsibilities with regards to safeguarding children. This is supported by a detailed written policy which includes procedures to follow should she have a concern. The childminder holds a current first aid certificate, and has procedures in place to obtain consent from parents for emergency medical treatment. This ensures that she could respond to accidents This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 quickly and effectively. Children's safety is further supported by regular risk assessments of the home, garden and for outings, this helps to reduce the chance of accidental injury. All documentation required to promote the welfare and effective management of the setting is in place and up-to-date, for example, children's details and accident records.

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the early years provision

Appropriate procedures have been developed to work with parents. They receive copies of the childminder's policies and procedures and are invited for an initial meeting where the childminder discusses with them how she works and gathers sufficient information in order to meet children's individual needs. Important information such as her certificate of registration and the complaints procedure is clearly displayed, this helps to keep parents informed. Parents are kept up-to-date about their child's care through daily verbal feedback. The childminder has developed positive relationships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She obtains information from them about planned activities, for example, new rhymes, this means she can build upon this with the children. However, she has not further developed procedures with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage or with parents to share information about children's individual

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the early years provision

learning and development. This does not fully support continuity of care and learning. The childminder currently has no children on roll with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, she demonstrates an appropriate understanding of the importance of working with parents to meet any specific requirements.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude towards developing her practice through attending a variety of relevant training. She has procedures in place to gather feedback from parents and works closely with her local childminding network to discuss practice and identify areas for development. All recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been addressed. This helps to promote outcomes for children. Space and resources are organised effectively to enable children to make choices about their learning and play, and begin to develop increasing independence. Examples of the children's work are displayed, this helps them to feel a sense of belonging at the childminder's home and promotes their self-esteem.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a sound understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is committed to developing this knowledge through attending further training and reading. Children benefit from individual files, which include examples of their work, photographs and observations of their learning. However, these are not effectively linked to the areas of learning to show children's progression towards the early learning goals. Nevertheless, the childminder clearly knows the children well. She is aware of their next steps in learning and provides a range of activities which covers all areas of learning, and helps them to make good progress in their learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are happy and settled in the childminders care. They approach visitors confidently, enthusiastically talking about what they have been doing and proudly

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and outcomes for children

showing pictures they have made. The childminder interacts well with them, she sits with them on the floor as they play and encourages them to count how many cars they have. A variety of jigsaws, puzzles and games helps children to begin to develop their problem solving skills and they are beginning to use language, such as, 'too big' or 'small' as they try to fit cars in to the building block garages they have made. The children take part in a wide variety of arts and crafts activities, such as, using stencils to draw animals, putting features onto life size cut outs of people and exploring play dough. This helps them to develop their creative skills. The children clearly love to be outdoors, they encourage the childminder to join in with ball games in the garden, and ride around on bikes and in cars. This is complemented with walks to the park and to school, to provide children with regular opportunities for physical exercise. A sand pit provides good opportunities

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and outcomes for children

for children to explore and develop their fine motor skills as they confidently fill bottles with sand. Children are beginning to learn about diversity, and the wider world, as they have access to a suitable range of resources and take part in planned activities, such as, celebrating the Chinese New Year.

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and outcomes for children

Clear routines, such as, using anti-bacterial gel to wash hands after using the toilet and before meals, helps to reduce the risk of cross-infection and promotes children's understanding of good health. This is combined with a suitable range of meals to try to encourage children to eat a balanced and healthy diet. Children have good opportunities to learn about how to keep themselves safe. They practice regular fire drills and discuss road safety on outings. Gentle reminders from the childminder, for example, not to climb as they may fall and hurt themselves, further promotes children's safety. The childminder uses age appropriate techniques to help children to begin to learn right from wrong. She encourages them to share, and house rules are clearly displayed on the walls. 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 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 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 3 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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