Childminder in Leicester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number EY304337 Inspection date 31 January 2006 Inspector Alison Edwards

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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 satisfactory. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This childminder registered in 2005. She lives in a 4-bedroomed town house near the centre of a city with her husband and 4 children aged 15, 14, 10 and 5 years of age. Minded children use the ground floor of the house for play, with access to a first floor bedroom and en-suite bathroom as needed. There is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of 5 children under 8 years at any single time. There are currently 3 part-time children on roll of whom 1 is under 8 years.

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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

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a clean and comfortable family home where suitable hygiene arrangements help maintain their health. The childminder is aware of, and implements, suitable routines to minimise risks of cross-infection, for example bagging soiled nappies for disposal and washing her hands after changing children. Easy access to ground floor cloakroom facilities enables older children to develop independence in simple self-care tasks such as hand washing before meals. The childminder takes account of younger children's usual sleep patterns when arranging her daily routines, so enabling children to rest according to their needs. Children often undertake simple activities helping them develop their dexterity, for example as a baby handles shapes for a shape-sorter or when older children use crayons and pencils to draw. Children sometimes have opportunities to use their large movement

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Helping children to be healthy

skills in the fresh air, such as when they play in the enclosed rear garden. Suitable arrangements are in place to share most information on children's individual care and health needs, so generally enabling parents and childminder to work together to meet these. However arrangements are not yet established to obtain specific written parental permission to administer medication or to authorise any necessary future emergency medical treatment, so potentially compromising children's welfare in such situations. Agreements with parents regarding provision of children's food enable children to have varied and generally balanced meals prepared by the childminder, or items provided by parents if preferred. Children are usually able to access drinks to help ensure they take sufficient fluids.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are settled and relaxed in a suitably maintained premises where use of the ground floor provides enough space for them to play and relax within the childminder's sight or hearing. This helps to ensure they are appropriately supervised. Additional access to a first floor bedroom and bathroom provides additional scope for babies to sleep undisturbed within the childminder's hearing. A fully fenced rear garden enables children to experience fresh air and physical activity, although exposed vertical bars on a partially dismantled slide pose a potential risk to their safety. Within the home children are able to safely use a fair selection of play materials such as drawing and cutting, board games and baby toys which are in clean condition and generally suited to the age range of children attending. A number of sensible precautions are in place to minimise identified hazards such as ensuring external

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

windows and doors are kept secured and that items such as kitchen knives and kettle are out of children's reach. However children's safety is not yet fully promoted as family medicines are currently stored in a kitchen drawer within children's reach, and first floor electrical sockets are occasionally exposed.

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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 The childminder recognises her responsibility to report any concerns regarding child abuse in accordance with local and national child protection guidance, so helping her safeguard children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. The childminder is calm and affectionate in her dealings with children, helping them feel their needs are recognised by showing awareness of their individual preferences. For example, she helps a baby settle down to sleep after recognising signs of tiredness and spends time talking and playing with children, so helping them develop confidence in their play and relationships. Daily routines are informally organised to take account of children's individual care needs, such as opportunities for school-aged children to relax, or undertake any homework tasks or out-of-school activities as agreed with parents. However, at present resources and activities are not consistently well-organised and presented to encourage children to purposefully build on their curiosity and extend their thinking, creative, physical and social skills. For example by encouraging them to independently access a wider range of

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

stimulating resources within the home, or making increased use of local facilities such as parks and libraries to extend their experiences outside the home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children are often contented and relaxed in the childminder's care where they start to show confidence in their interaction with the childminder and members of her family. From an early age they begin to learn how to share with others, for example as the childminder uses gesture, tone of voice and eye contact to encourage a baby to pass toys back and forth. Children are sometimes able to make some simple choices in their play, for example when the childminder enables older children to identify their preferred activity after they have finished any necessary homework. The childminder uses initial meetings and written agreements to establish shared expectations with parents about most business and care arrangements needed to underpin children's welfare. Children's individuality is recognised because the childminder takes account of information from parents about specific needs and

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Helping children make a positive contribution

preferences, for example with regard to culture and religion. They begin to learn to recognise and accept diversity as they use books and videos in different languages and reflecting different cultures and lifestyles. Informal daily discussion enables parents and childminder to share information relating to children's experiences and activities, so helping them work in partnership to support children's well-being. The childminder recognises the need to liaise with parents to establish how the care requirements for any child with identified special needs can be met.

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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 The organisation is satisfactory. Children usually settle readily in the comfortable environment where they begin to show confidence in their relationships and enjoyment in their activities. Maintenance of required registers and individual contact details helps contribute to the appropriate organisation of children's care. Most necessary systems, such as recording children's individual health and care needs, are in place to contribute to children's health and safety. Overall, children's needs are met.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints to report since registration. 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 satisfactory. 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): • seek written parental consent to request medical treatment in an emergency and improve arrangements to obtain written parental instruction for medication administration • improve safety by ensuring household medications are inaccessible, and that first floor electrical sockets and the partially dismantled slide in the garden do not pose a hazard to minded children • develop use of resources, activities and first hand experiences to encourage children to build on their natural curiosity, develop their thinking and social relationships, and extend their imagination and physical skills.

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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 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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