Childminder in DurhamOfsted inspection, 6 Jul 2010

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 313460 Inspection date 06/07/2010 Inspector Karen Marie Tervit

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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 2000. She lives with her husband and two adult children in the Stanley area of Consett. In the locality there are shops, schools and pre-school facilities. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years old and is currently caring for four children in the early years age range.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the local Childminding Network. She takes and collects children from the local nursery and school and regularly attends toddler group.

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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 very warm and welcoming environment to all children and their families. She meets the needs of the children in her care because she has a good awareness of their individual abilities. As a result, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in most areas of learning. Most required documentation is in place to promote children’s welfare. The childminder is in the early stages of evaluating her strengths and areas for development. She is committed and enthusiastic about continually improving her practice and she attends regular training, to help her promote better outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop systems to evaluate the service provided to ensure that plans for the future are prioritised and well targeted to bring about improvement and outcomes for children, for example, by using the Ofsted self-evaluation form  continue to build upon the systems already in place for recording children's progress, including matching observations to the expectations of the early learning goals and identifying learning priorities.

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the early years provision

Children are well protected. The childminder has a wide range of written policies and procedures, including child protection, behaviour management and complaints, and she uses these effectively to underpin her practice. She has systems in place This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to review these on a regular basis. All adults in the household have been suitably vetted. Well-maintained systems are in place to record children's details, medication and accidents. These are all up to date and stored to promote confidentiality. The childminder completes comprehensive risk assessments for her home and outings. The childminder has completed recent safeguarding training and has a good understanding of child protection issues, including procedures to follow should she have any concerns. This helps to safeguard children.

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the early years provision

Children's play opportunities are maximised through the effective organisation of space, time and resources. Storage systems enable children to self-select resources and make choices safely. This helps to foster their decision making and independence skills. The childminder does not have any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities attending the setting. However, she has a positive attitude towards ensuring that all children are included and for working with parents, to meet individual needs. The childminder has a positive approach to equality and diversity, and provides a welcoming environment for all children and their families, providing resources and activities which help to promote children's awareness of a diverse society. The childminder is in the early stages of evaluating her provision, in order to further develop the quality of care and learning she provides. The childminder is a member of the local network and regularly attends

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the early years provision

training, to inform and enhance her practice. She has positively addressed the recommendation made at her last inspection and children now have access to a greater variety of natural materials.

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the early years provision

Children are able to settle according to their individual needs. Parents discuss children's needs with the childminder before they start, and they are well informed about the provision, the activities provided and routines, through daily conversation and written information. The childminder provides parents with regular information about their child's care and learning in their observation files. The childminder has started to build links with the local nursery, in order to promote continuity of care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and relate well to the childminder, as she joins in with their play. The childminder talks to the children constantly as they play together, and this encourages their growing vocabularies. She is skilled at asking them questions to help them think about what they are doing, which extends their learning. The clear routine for the day includes both adult-led and child-initiated play. Good behaviour is encouraged at all times.

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and outcomes for children

Individual files for each of the children have been developed. These include photographs and lively written observations. These are mostly linked to the areas of learning with the next steps in children's learning also being mostly highlighted. However, it is not always clear when these next steps have been achieved or incorporated into future planning. Children especially enjoy outings in the local environment to places, such as toddler groups and parks. They delight in making their own musical instruments to take on the musical picnic. They thoroughly enjoy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 being creative with paint and play dough. Children use their imagination as they play with the cars, taking them through the car wash or they make cakes, using made up ingredients. They develop their skills as they walk, run, climb and jump at the local play park or enjoy sit and ride toys in the garden. They have good

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and outcomes for children

opportunities to follow their interests, as they look at books or play with mobile telephones and toy cameras. Regular opportunities are provided for children to explore numbers, and to sort and match objects through fun activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children are welcomed into a safe home, where they have sufficient space to play. They experience suitable levels of supervision and appropriate safety equipment is in place to ensure hazards are reduced. Children are learning to keep themselves safe, for example, they know to wait by the gate as the childminder locks the door. Age-appropriate techniques, such as discussion and distraction, along with clear and consistent boundaries, are used to good effect to promote children's positive behaviour. The childminder and children talk about sharing toys and resources and the importance of helping to tidy up. Children do not attend if they are sick, which enables the childminder to protect others from illness. Children are beginning to understand simple health and hygiene practices, for example, they know they need to have their hands washed before they have snack. The childminder provides children with a healthy and balanced diet.

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and outcomes for children

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 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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