Childminder in Norfolk

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY246450 Inspection date 09/07/2010 Inspector Melanie Calway

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and two children, aged seven and 14, in a village near to King's Lynn, in Norfolk. The whole of the house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a dog, two cats and some chickens.

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Description of the childminding

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

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Description of the childminding

The childminder collects and takes children to the local school and pre-school and takes them on occasional outings to the shops and other amenities. 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's individual needs are met as the childminder knows them well and provides them with appropriate activities. She is beginning to make occasional observations of their play and learning, although she is not yet using these systematically and regularly to plan for them across all the areas of learning. Children are happy and settled in her care and the childminder exchanges information about the children's care with parents on a daily basis. The childminder has made sufficient progress since the last inspection and met most of the actions which were set. She has improved her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and now has a better understanding off the requirements.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 develop the educational programme by making systematic observations and assessments of each child's achievements, interests and learning styles and use these to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating experiences for each child (Educational programmes). 08/08/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessment to cover anything with which a child may come into contact This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop a culture of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  encourage parents to share and contribute to the learning records, developing a two-way flow of information about children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded from the risk of abuse or neglect as the childminder is aware of her responsibility to refer any concerns she may have about children's welfare. She has updated her policy which now includes the procedures to follow, in the event of an allegation being made against her or her family. The environment is safe and secure. The childminder carries out daily checks of her environment to ensure that it is safe and safety measures such as door stops and a stair gate are in place. Children are not allowed access to the kitchen which is currently being re-furbished. The childminder has conducted a risk assessment of her home and reviews this in the light of changes. She keeps a record of risk assessment which covers most aspects of the premises but does not provide sufficient detail of how she keeps children safe in relation to the family dog. The dog is accustomed to the children but can become disturbed when strangers call.

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the early years provision

At these times the dog is kept in a separate building. Children are kept safe on outings and the childminder conducts a risk assessment and keeps a record for each type of outing. She talks to children about road safety, when they are out, and gives them explanations as they play about how to keep safe. The childminder practises an evacuation with the children so they learn what to do in the event of a fire.

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the early years provision

The childminder has improved her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has made improvements since the last inspection. There is an appropriate range of resources, which children can access independently. Children have free access to a large garden and a range of equipment, including slides, swing, sandpit and large construction bricks. Children are very settled and content and have built up good relationships with the childminder and her assistant. They are encouraged to respect each others differences and she has a good knowledge of their families and their backgrounds. Daily information is exchanged about children's care and parents inform the childminder about important developments. Systems to record children's learning and development are not yet fully established and as a result parents are not yet adding to the learning records and there are no systems to exchange information about children's development across all the areas of

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the early years provision

learning. The childminder has met most of the actions from the last inspection and now refers to the statutory framework and guidance documents to ensure that she is meeting requirements. She has not yet developed systems to reflect on and evaluate her practice to identify ways of improving her service further. 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 settled in the childminder's care. She provides a suitable range of appropriate activities. Children are able to select toys in the conservatory and can choose whether to play outside where there are further choices for them. The childminder knows children well and so is able to provide activities which are in line with their interests and stage of development. She has improved her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has set up systems to start observing children's learning and development across the areas of learning. However, she has not yet started to systematically and regularly observe children's learning across all of the areas and so is not able to plan effectively for their progress. Children chat happily to the childminder who interacts with them to encourage their language development. Books and stories are available and children have opportunities to use crayons and pencils to practise mark-making.

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and outcomes for children

Children can investigate and explore outside in the sandpit and develop problem solving skills as they play with wet and dry sand. The childminder counts the animals in the water with them. The outside area provides good opportunities for messy and exploratory play with sand and water. Children learn about the world around them as the childminder chats to them and they play with cause and effect toys. They are developing independence skills as they fill up the watering can from the tap and carry it to the sand. Their physical development is promoted as they move about freely, play on the outside equipment and develop coordination as they use tools in the sandpit.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted satisfactorily. All of the necessary documentation is in place to ensure that they are cared for appropriately, such as accident and medication records. The childminder provides information to parents about children's health so they are kept informed about any developments. In the hot weather children are protected as they are reminded to wear hats and come with sun screen on. Shaded areas are provided in the garden to protect children and they are reminded to drink to keep themselves hydrated. Suitable hygiene procedures are in place and nappies are dealt with appropriately. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before they eat and individual towels are provided to minimise the risk of cross-infection. Children learn to be safe as the childminder gives them explanations as they play and talks to them about road safety when they are out and about. They learn what to do in the event of a fire as they

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and outcomes for children

practise the fire drill. Children are happily occupied in the childminder's care and so behave well. The childminder encourages children to play together. They are learning some skills for the future as they learn to be independent and develop social skills. 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: 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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