Warwick Academy

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 138887 Inspection date 01 December 2005 Inspector Susan Elizabeth Tovey

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Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Childminding

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder was registered in 1994. She live with her husband and two school age children in Hayes in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The whole house is used for childminding. There is no access to an outdoor area but children are regularly taken to the local park. The family have two cats. The childminder works in partnership with her sister who is also a registered childminder. The childminder is registered to care for 6 children under 8 years. There

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 are currently 4 children on roll who attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She runs a local carer and toddler group and is a member of the National Childminding Association and the local Childminding Network.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are happy in the warm, friendly, clean home. The childminder has good hygiene procedures in place that enable children to be cared for in an environment that reduces the risk of infection. Children are protected from unnecessary illness; they do not attend if they are contagious. Children enjoy a range of healthy meals and snacks, which they eat sitting comfortably at the table, and enjoy sociable meal times with each other. The childminder takes into account the wishes of parents and children's choices, so she can meet their individual dietary needs. Children's independence is promoted as they have the opportunity to select and prepare their own snacks. They are able to access drinks regularly throughout the day. Children enjoy a selection of activities which contributes to their good health. There are regular outdoor activities, for example, walks to the park and visits to indoor

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Helping children to be healthy

physical play facilities to develop their physical skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The childminder's home is friendly and welcoming for children. Children use all available space well; they access the toys and equipment with ease. There is a range of suitable and well maintained furniture readily available to meet the children's needs. The childminder gives high priority to checking the toys to ensure they remain safe for the children to use. Children are safe and secure on the premises as the childminder has taken thorough steps to ensure her home is safe. For example, safety gates are in place to prevent children having unsupervised access to the upstairs. The childminder gives high priority to making sure children will be safe in an emergency. She has devised a detailed plan. This helps to ensure that children are escorted to safety quickly. The children’s welfare is safeguarded because the childminder has a secure understanding of child protection issues and confidence to follow correct procedures

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

to protect children from harm or neglect.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The provision is outstanding. Children have enormous fun and they play enthusiastically with a excellent range of toys and resources, which fully promote their learning. The children make excellent progress because the childminder recognises the uniqueness of each child. Close and caring relationships increase children's sense of trust and help them develop a strong sense of self. Babies play with a wide range of appropriate toys and join in activities such as corn flour mixture with glitter. They play and explore their world at their own pace because the childminder has a secure understanding of how children learn and is beginning to make good use of the Birth to three matters framework. She gives them space to discover things for themselves but is always available to provide

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

help or support when they need her. Children grow in confidence and independence through being able to choose and plan what they want to do next and enjoy a wealth of themed activities that help them learn, question, explore and have lots of fun. Communication skills are extremely well supported through high quality adult-child interactions. All children are eager to learn, self assured in their play and confident to try new experiences. Children have numerous opportunities to practise their early writing skills when drawing, painting and writing lists. The children involve the childminder in their play and they receive an abundance of warm, individual attention, which enables them to successfully extend their learning and experiences. Children are very imaginative and inventive. They make sense of the world around them in stimulating indoor and outdoor situations and create exciting individual art work.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Older children enjoy an exciting range of topic activities, for example, fire safety week. Children use their computer skills to research safety on the internet and collect information from available books and leaflets. They have become very familiar with the procedures to follow in the event of a fire and ways to avoid starting one by not playing with matches or fireworks. Children's development and progress is imaginatively monitored through ongoing contribution of photographs, comments and examples of art work to a large book. Children contribute items to this book and enjoy frequent opportunities to reflect on their time with the childminder through discussion of the book's contents. Individual routines are documented to ensure children feel very comfortable and happy. Children benefit greatly from the childminder's infectious enthusiasm and motivation which encourages them to try many new experiences and practise skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are settled and confident because the childminder values and respects their individuality. Children are good at taking turns and sharing. They are very well behaved as the childminder provides consistent boundaries and offers a lot of praise and encouragement. Children enjoy close relationships with the childminder and they learn to respect and be caring and considerate towards each other. Children make themselves at home, they select toys independently and help themselves to drinks.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 A range of resources reflecting cultures, gender and disability enables children to gain a positive image and to learn about the world they live in. The childminder understands the importance of helping children to develop a strong identity and feel good about themselves, their family and others. She is a good role model and has a positive attitude towards inclusion. Children are happy and content because the childminder has a very good relationship with the parents. They work together to meet the child's individual care and developmental needs. Children's routines and activities are shared with parents daily.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children feel comfortable within the childminder's home environment. She organises the day to include a good variety of indoor and outdoor play activities. This helps to ensure the progress of children's individual development and learning. They receive lots of warm, individual attention to promote their emotional wellbeing. The childminder has in place well organised documentation, which includes policies and procedures which are used effectively and help to contribute to the safety and welfare of the children. These are stored securely and made available for inspection. However, not all the required paper work is maintained as children's full names are not recorded in the attendance register.

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Organisation

Children enjoy the time they spend with the childminder as she has a sound knowledge and understanding of caring for children and she meets their welfare and care needs effectively. Children receive continuity of care as their routines and achievements are shared between parents and the childminder. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children for whom she provides. The childminder is committed to increasing her child care knowledge by attending relevant training to ensure she provides appropriate care for children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to obtain a parent's signature for each accident recorded. The childminder has up dated the accident record to ensure that for each accident recorded a parent's signature is obtained. This will help to safeguard children's welfare.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure the children's full names are recorded in the daily attendance register.

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The quality and standards of the care

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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