Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY344889 Inspection date 24/06/2010 Inspector Shazaad Arshad

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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 November 2006. She lives with her husband and one child aged three years in the Rawtenstall, Rossendale area of Lancashire. The family has a dog. Local amenities, such as shops, schools, a park and a library are close by and also transport links into the centre and to Manchester. The whole of the ground floor, two bedrooms, one is converted into a playroom and bathroom on the first floor and a designated playroom on the third floor, are used for childminding purposes. Children also have supervised access to the dining kitchen. There is a fully enclosed area for outdoor 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. There are currently 11 children on roll, of whom four are in the early years age group. The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register, the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder collects children from one of the local schools and regularly attends the local parent and toddler group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder 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

Children make good progress in all aspects of their learning and development, because the childminder responds to and fully reflects their individual needs and interests through her effective practice. Children enjoy a balanced programme of child-initiated and planned activities, both indoors and outside, that support their learning and development extremely well. Children's welfare is promoted efficiently with high regard given to health and safety. Their individual needs are met extremely well, because the childminder's practice is fully inclusive. The partnerships with parents is exceptionally strong and a consistent approach is used to ensure that children’s individual learning and welfare needs are met. The childminder has evaluated her practice and successfully addressed the recommendation from the last inspection.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems to regularly share children's development and learning records and any other relevant information, with practitioners from each setting a child attends  develop further the process of self-evaluation as a means to accurately reflect on the childminding practice in order to identify clearly the areas for further improvement. 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 has a high regard for children's good health and safety. The procedures used to protect children are routed in good practice. Detailed risk assessments are carried out to ensure children are safe, both in the home and when on outings. The childminder has a very good understanding of safeguarding procedures. She is able to protect children from harm, because she follows the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and she has updated her training in this area. She ensures all persons having unsupervised contact with the children are suitable to do so.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to making continual improvements to support children's well-being. Ongoing training and professional development enables the childminder to keep up-to-date with good practice and make effective use of teaching strategies. For example, she uses Makaton signs and posters to identify any additional needs. She reviews the effectiveness of her provision, which helps to enhance the care she offers and as a result, promotes better outcomes for children. However, the process of self-evaluation does not clearly identify future areas of development. She has successfully addressed the previous recommendation around developing resources which reflect diversity.

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the early years provision

Resources are used effectively to support children's needs. Play areas are organised to provide sufficient space for children to move around comfortably. Each child is valued for who they are and this approach effectively helps them in developing their self-identity. All children have equal access to all activities regardless of gender or background. The childminder operates a fully inclusive service for all children.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are extremely well established. An extensive portfolio provides prospective parents with detailed information about all aspects of the childminder's practice. Questionnaires completed by parents and after a six month period a full review of the service is conducted with parents. The childminder works closely with parents to share information about children's daily routines and progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage through daily diaries, observation records, photographs and developmental record. The childminder plays an active role in supporting other childminders locally and is developing links with other practitioners and agencies in the area. However, the links with other early years provisions, which children attend are not fully developed to effectively ensure continuity in children's learning assessments.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and very settled in the home and are included within the childminder's family life. They are confident in the environment and have good language skills. The interaction between children and adults is very good, the childminder promotes children's learning through conversation, questions and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 opportunities for children to share their own unique experiences. Children use a wealth of good quality resources during their play, which are used to enrich their learning experience. Resources are easily accessible enabling children to make choices and independently select what they want to play with. A favourite is the shopping trolley board game which enables children to develop their imagination and creativity as they think about the foods they buy in supermarkets and link this to what they have eaten. Children use the library to extend resources which reflect

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and outcomes for children

diversity and engage in activities which promote wider understanding of other countries and cultures.

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and outcomes for children

Children are recognised as unique individuals, their development is nurtured through the high levels of care they receive and the opportunity to be engaged in stimulating learning experiences. The childminder is a mentor for new childminders and she has a recognised childcare qualification. She is an experienced professional and has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which results in children making good progress overall. The childminder uses photographic evidence and examples of children's work to record their activities with comments and records, she evaluates her observations sufficiently well.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is promoted extremely well. They are encouraged to have a healthy lifestyle through eating healthy, balanced meals and snacks. Meals are planned according to children's likes and careful consideration is given to food hygiene in preparation of meals. Children have regular walks and enjoyable physical play activities, such as football games and trip's to a local parks, where they are supported in climbing safely on appropriate play equipment. This helps them use up their energy while having fun. The childminder implements effective systems to minimise infection with good policies and effective procedures for keeping the home clean. Children are very effectively encouraged in learning to keep themselves safe. The childminder discusses safety issues with them, supporting their understanding of how to prevent accidents and incidents, while also giving reassurance on how these can be managed. She implements good

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and outcomes for children

systems for outdoor safety, for instance, children wear high visibility vests, learn about stranger danger and how to cross roads safely.

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and outcomes for children

Positive and caring relationships are developed, children's contribution is valued and encouraged. Children are very well behaved and caring, understanding rules and codes of behaviour. They have formed good friendships with one another. Children use language well to talk and express themselves, they are confident talkers. During snack time children sit together with each other chatting happily about their day and sharing news. Children go on a variety of outings, for instance, they visit the Space, an area used for specific sensory play experiences. They attend local childminder groups, where they meet up with their friends and have fun playing group type games together. This provides opportunities for them to mix with their peers and develop their socialisation skills. Clear behaviour boundaries are maintained to help keep children safe and to support them in behaving well. As a result, they show that they feel secure and settled in the

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and outcomes for children

childminder's care and respond positively to her friendly, calm and reassuring approach. Emphasis is given to respecting the needs of others and encouragement is given to help children develop a caring approach to their friends. The childminder provides a good role model, encouraging the use of good manners and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sharing. Overall, children are very well supported in achieving, according to their interests and stages of development. 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 1 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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