Norton Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 124014 Inspection date 26/04/2010 Inspector Jill Nugent

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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 1992. She lives with her husband and two adult children in a house in Cheshunt. Access to the house is at ground level. The whole of the house is used for childminding and there is a secure garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet rabbit. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight, of whom three may be in the early years age group, at any one time. Currently she is minding three children, two of whom are in the early years age group and one is on the voluntary part 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 provides a safe and inclusive play environment for children. She offers a variety of enjoyable play activities and promotes children's welfare through her attention to health and safety issues. She has a close working partnership with parents and consequently children feel very much at home in her care. Most of the required paperwork is in place but the childminder has not yet fully implemented the Early Years Foundation Stage. This impacts on her ability to extend children's learning effectively. She is beginning to reflect on her childcare practice but is not proactive in driving improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase her knowledge and understanding of the welfare requirements, and learning and development requirements, of the Early Years Foundation Stage develop the system of observational assessment to enable appropriate activities to be planned for all children in order to meet their learning needs effectively  introduce a system of self-evaluation to identify the strengths of the childcare practice and highlight aspects requiring further improvement.

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the early years provision

The childminder has many years experience of childcare and ensures that children are safeguarded whilst in her care. She carries out regular risk assessments of the premises and has various safety measures in place in her house and garden. Children practise an evacuation plan so that they know what to do in an emergency. The childminder is vigilant about children's safety on outings and risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assesses each type of outing. She has recently updated her qualification in first aid. All health and safety records are maintained appropriately. The childminder has the necessary documentation in place to enable her to seek advice if having any concerns relating to child protection.

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the early years provision

The childminder liaises closely with parents, and other professionals, so that children's individual care needs are met. She ensures that she has all the necessary written consents and talks with parents on a daily basis to exchange information about each day's events. She is committed to promoting an inclusive practice and encourages children to develop a sense of belonging in her home. Children have access to a wide range of suitable resources, including a selection of attractive toys and books. The childminder supervises children well and is always on hand to support them in their chosen play activities or to respond to their requests.

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the early years provision

The childminder has sought advice to assist her in developing aspects of her childcare practice. However, she has not yet followed up the advice given and, consequently, her knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage is fairly limited. She is aware of the need to improve her documentation, and some recording systems, although she does not evaluate her practice effectively in order to set herself future targets and so continually improve the outcomes for all children. She meets with other childminders in her locality and is interested in attending training courses to develop aspects of her childcare practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children play happily in the setting, choosing their favourite toys and playing alongside each other harmoniously. They develop close relationships with the childminder and enjoy talking with her as they play or eat. As a result they develop self-confidence and feel safe in her care. Children particularly enjoy role play and benefit from the involvement of the childminder as she enhances their play through, for example, engaging them in conversation or finding extra resources. In this way she promotes children's learning in different play situations. She is aware of individual children's stages of development and encourages children to develop useful skills through activities such as mark-making, creating pictures and sharing books. However, she does not yet have an effective system of observational assessment in place to enable her to plan activities which move children on in their learning, or to interact with children and extend their individual learning in freely-

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and outcomes for children

chosen play activities. She has begun to collect photographs to create a learning journey for one child in her care but has not yet extended this to all children so that she can meet all children's learning needs effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children are aware of their boundaries and behave well. They have much fun as they play with others in the group and enjoy outings, such as trips to a local wildlife park and play groups. There are many opportunities for children to explore different materials in art and cooking activities. They like to play outdoors and visit parks in the locality. Children are encouraged to be aware of personal safety. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder reminds them to move and play in ways that are safe for themselves and others. Children respond positively to her requests and instructions. They benefit from the provision of healthy snacks and meals, especially enjoying a choice of fresh fruit at snack times. They learn about growing vegetables, such as potatoes. The childminder ensures that young children have sufficient rest so that they do not become overtired. Children are encouraged to adopt good hygiene

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and outcomes for children

practices. The childminder has a caring attitude towards all children and is attentive to their well-being at all times. Children learn to respect others and develop an awareness of a wider world when talking about aspects of diversity. 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 3 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 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed to safeguard children being cared for from abuse or neglect (Arrangements for safeguarding children) 26/05/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints (Procedures for dealing with complaints). 26/05/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed to safeguard children being cared for from abuse or neglect (Arrangements for safeguarding children) 26/05/2010

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 put in place a written statement of procedures to be followed in relation to complaints (Procedures for dealing with complaints). 26/05/2010

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