Childminder in Cheshire East

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY272037 Inspection date 05/07/2010 Inspector Dianne Andrews

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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 has been registered since 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged 11 and eight years in Crewe, Cheshire. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding, except for the master bedroom and en suite bathroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding two children under five years and one school aged child, all on a part-time basis. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The family has a cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends local parent/toddler groups and activity centres. The childminder is an active 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

Children settle well with the childminder, fully enjoy their time with her and make good progress in their learning. An inclusive and welcoming service is provided and children's individual needs are met. Effective links with parents and carers help to involve them in their children’s care and education and ensure that they are kept well informed of their progress. The childminder has enthusiasm and a sound capacity to continuously improve. She makes good use of training, advice and her previous experience to develop her practice. She is developing the use of self evaluation to plan for future development, but there are minor weaknesses in some systems and practices.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the use of observation and assessment to ensure they are carried out systematically to enable children's progress to be tracked in all areas of learning  review and monitor risk assessments to ensure they cover anything that a child may come into contact with and that all hygiene practices fully promote children's good health  develop the use of a system to verify the identity of any visitors, to record their names, the purpose of their visit and details of arrival and departure times. 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 understands her role with regards to protecting children in her care and has effective systems in place to ensure children are safeguarded. She has undertaken recent training to update and refresh her knowledge. Suitability checks had been completed on household members, which provides reassurance to parents that they are suitable to have contact with children. However, a record of visitors to the premises is not maintained to further promote children's well- being. The implementation of risk assessments within the home, garden and when on outings helps to keep children safe. However, some practices and activities, such as supervised play within the area at the front of the childminder's home, are not included in the written record to confirm the steps taken to ensure children's safety. The childminder uses some sound practices to promote children's good health and the play environment is well maintained, however, routines such as

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the early years provision

nappy changing and hand drying are not fully effective in protecting children from the risks of cross-infection.

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the early years provision

Children's care and learning is promoted well because the childminder has developed a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implements this effectively to promote successful outcomes by planning activities children enjoy. She shows a good understanding of how children develop and takes photographs to show the sorts of activities that help them to progress. However, the systems in place for observing children's achievements are still being evolved to ensure that their progress in every area of learning is regularly recorded and there are no gaps in their development. Children develop secure trusting relationships within the setting, which are enhanced through the well-established relationships between the childminder and their parents. Effective settling in procedures enable parents to share what they know about their child and provide the childminder with a good insight into their home and family life to ensure their

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the early years provision

individual needs are met. Parents receive verbal and written feedback about their children's day and have access to the childminder's policies and procedures, which underpin the service. They make comments to confirm their complete satisfaction with the care provided such as, 'I cannot praise highly enough the standard of care, support and development that I have experienced through my childminder' and 'by reading my child's day journal I am kept fully briefed on the vast range of activities and experiences that my child is involved in.' Younger children's routines, in particular taking account of their patterns for sleep, are respected and met, ensuring continuity for children. The children on roll do not presently attend any other provision but the childminder has considered the strategies that she would use to effectively develop partnerships with others to promote consistency and progression.

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the early years provision

The childminder recognises her strengths and has effective systems in place to evaluate her practice. She is beginning to involve parents in the self-evaluation process, to identify areas for improvement, by asking for their views through questionnaires. She accesses training opportunities and obtains advice from the Local Authority development officers in order to further develop her practice. 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 happy and well-settled in the childminder's suitably-organised home where they move around in freedom and comfort. The childminder's good knowledge of the learning and development requirements and guidance means she is confident in helping children learn appropriately both in and out of doors. She makes effective use of everyday opportunities to develop their knowledge and children are inquisitive and ask questions about what they see and do. They express themselves through action and sound and their language skills are excellent. They are fully supported by the childminder as she repeats and models words they say and as she develops their vocabulary by introducing new words and phrases. They confidently and excitedly chatter during their play, interacting positively with one another and their carer.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy being involved in activities based on their interests; a child who loves bubbles is offered a range of different shaped resources for her to create them, the children wonder at the fragile spherical shapes and observe the colours that swirl and shimmer before they pop nearby. They benefit from good opportunities to be active and to learn skills for the future through play and social experiences relevant to their age. They experiment with interactive toys and delight in creating sounds by pushing buttons on the toy playhouse.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyles as they share nutritious meals and snacks. They are involved, where possible, in food preparation such as helping to peel vegetables or helping to make up a picnic. This facilitates discussion about what they are eating and why it is important to have a balanced diet. They benefit from fresh air and exercise as they play in the garden kicking and throwing balls and jumping on the trampoline. While jumping they take the opportunity to count their movements and they use mathematical terms such as more, bigger and smaller within their play experiences. They have regular opportunities to go on outings to local parks and other places of interest, thus developing their awareness of their local environment. When they are out with the childminder they develop awareness of their personal safety because they learn about road safety and 'stranger danger'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are thoughtful and behave very well. They take one another's needs into account, for instance the older child helps her younger playmate to get back on her feet as she tumbles on the trampoline. They play with a wide range of toys, which introduce them to diversity and help them to embrace differences in gender, disabilities and culture. They create and develop characters and recognise, within the play scenario, the need to say sorry when offending someone to form positive relationships. 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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