Childminder in Worcestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number 204770 Inspection date 13 December 2005 Inspector Anne Georgina Phillips

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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 has been registered since 1997. She lives with her husband and their 2 children aged 9 and 12 years old. The family live in a house situated in a residential area of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. A vehicle is available to transport children to and from local schools, pre-schools, parks, play areas, activity groups and on outings. The whole of the ground floor including a playroom, a first floor bedroom and bathroom are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed rear garden which is normally available for outdoor play. The family have no pets. The childminder is registered to care for up to 6 children under 8 years at any one

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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 time. She is currently minding 7 children aged from 1 to 8 years each week who attend on a full or part-time basis. She belongs to the National Childminding Association. There are daily outings to places of interest, shops, the library, play areas, activity and toddler groups.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good range of activities that promote their physical, mental and emotional health. Although the garden is not in use at the time of this inspection because of recent work on the driveway, they have frequent opportunities to develop and improve their physical skills when playing actively inside and visiting local play areas. They become confident crawlers and toddlers. They competently manipulate jigsaws, play tools and building bricks. They carefully balance and catch small balls in a tray and screw nuts and bolts together well. Children are well nourished. They enjoy meals that meet their individual needs well. The childminder has a good understanding of food intolerances and hygiene so that children’s food is reheated and presented safely. Children readily access drinks when they are thirsty. They enjoy their food and learn to feed themselves with close support from the childminder but lack opportunities to eat sociably together.

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Helping children to be healthy

Good daily routines, close liaison with parents, and attention to the cleanliness of equipment ensures that children are well-protected from infection. Children are confident to express themselves and seek support if they need help or are upset. They are cuddled warmly and are able to rest in a travel cot or push chair when they are tired but they are lack access to a comfy area to relax informally.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a safe, secure environment that is welcoming and child-friendly. The available space is well-organised so that children play happily and move freely within the play-room, accessing toys and resources from the well-stocked and varied range in storage boxes along one wall. They use safe, clean toys and equipment that are bright, sturdy, and in good condition. Children play with interest because these are attractive and very well suited to their developmental needs. For example, they concentrate and persevere well when playing with the play tools, building blocks and jigsaws. Children’s safety is maintained by the continuous vigilance of the childminder who monitors and supervises their play carefully and using occurrences to develop children’s own awareness of thinking and acting safely. For example, children put on play hard hats and goggles when playing with the play tools and acting out how to

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

keep themselves safe. They learn to behave safely by tidying way toys and not climbing in the playroom.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are well-protected. The childminder has well thought out emergency procedures, holds a current first-aid certificate and has a good understanding of child protection procedures.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children enjoy a good range of play experiences that help them develop and achieve well. They are happy and settled. They have a warm, friendly and responsive relationship with the childminder who uses her experience of children’s development to provide interesting activities and experiences to promote their progress effectively. She gives them time and space to develop their play, for example, children concentrate carefully when sorting out the pieces and get every excited when they succeed in making a train by fitting them together. Children are confident and are keen to express themselves, clapping their hands with glee and telling the childminder and other children about their success. The childminder is encouraging and positively interacts with them giving them lots of opportunities to develop their speech and language by modelling individual words and sounds. Children enjoy songs and rhymes and repeat them spontaneously in

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

their play, for example, singing about Bob the Builder when playing with the tools. They value and choose to read books to themselves. They are developing independence in making choices about their play activities and what they want to do next.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are valued as individuals. Their routines are known and respected because the childminder communicates effectively with parents, making time to share information daily, and providing good quality written information about her childminding practice. The childminder has a positive attitude to the inclusion of all children and has updated her knowledge in this area. Children learn about the wider world through reflections of diversity in resources, images such as posters and flags of different countries, and daily outings. Children make excellent relationships with the childminder and one another so that they are confident, secure and make choices about their play. They behave very well in response to clear boundaries and warm praise and encouragement, for example, when helping to keep the playroom tidy and being considerate to each other.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Children make good progress because the childminder is a competent and very experienced child carer. This enables her to provide a very good range of activities

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 and a safe, well-organised, secure setting for the children of all ages in her care. She has been proactive in updating her knowledge by attending training courses to enhance children’s experiences and to develop her childminding practice. She organises her home and time effectively to create a warm, welcoming and friendly environment for children and parents so that children are emotionally secure, confident and expressive. They develop independence and make choices about their play. All the required documentation is in place and is mostly well kept. Parents give verbal instructions about the administration of medicines and sign to acknowledge that it has been given but do not always give their permission in writing beforehand. Procedures for ensuring children’s progress, safety and security are good but those

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Organisation

for communicating with Ofsted about requested changes and receiving a formal response before going ahead have not been effective. This did not adversely impact on the children in this instance. Overall the provision meets the needs of the children that attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

Since the last inspection, agreements with parents have been improved by the obtaining of their prior written permission for the seeking of emergency treatment for children if it is required.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There are no complaints to report. 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): • improve the opportunities for children to rest, relax and enjoy sociable snack

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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 and meal times • improve the procedures for communicating with Ofsted and obtaining parent's written permission before administering medication.

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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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