Clare Louise Andrews

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique Reference Number EY310422 Inspection date 09 January 2006 Inspector Sheila May Price

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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?

The childminder was registered in 2005 and lives with her husband and 16 month old child in the Old Swan district of Liverpool. The childminder uses the ground floor, and the bathroom on the first floor, for childminding. There is a fully enclosed area for outdoor play. She is registered to care for a maximum of 4 children aged under 8 at any one time and currently has 3 children on roll, aged from under 12 months to 9 years. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and receives support from the local authority early years team.

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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 good. Children are happy, alert and responsive because the childminder follows well thought out routines, which give them plenty of time for both rest and activity according to their individual needs. She helps children understand when they are tired by talking about this as she settles them down for a sleep and puts on soothing music to help them relax. All children have regular exercise and use good resources which promote their physical development and a healthy life style. For example they take a walk or play outside daily. Older children visit the park to have room for running around and playing on the equipment. The childminder creates space for babies to crawl and provides equipment for them to hold on to when learning to stand up and walk. She praises their physical achievements, getting the children to clap in recognition of this, which encourages them to make further efforts.

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Helping children to be healthy

Thorough hygiene practices and food safety procedures are used to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of infection so children stay healthy. All surfaces toys and equipment are kept spotlessly clean and the childminder makes sure there is plenty of clean linen and towels for emergencies. Good methods are used to deal with accidents, sickness and giving medication to ensure that children are well looked after. Children enjoy their food and are encouraged to eat healthily through provision of a well balanced diet of nourishing meals and snacks. Babies eat freshly cooked vegetable casseroles and children have fruit every day for snacks. Good account is taken of children's individual dietary needs and those who are not adventurous are encouraged to gradually try new things. Babies really enjoy their food eagerly waving their spoons and eating up well. They regularly drink from their own cups.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy playing in a room set aside just for childminding which is organised well to make the best use of somewhat limited space. Equipment is clean, safe and suitable for the children attending, with an adequate range to support all aspects of their development and safely organised for ease of access. Children remain safe and well in the childminder's care. She takes appropriate steps to isolate hazards and has suitable procedures for preventing accidents so that children remain safe, both indoors and out. Small children are kept secure within the playroom and out of the kitchen. Safety gates are also placed well at the top and bottom of the stairs to keep these isolated. Children are always escorted to the toilet on the first floor so that they do not wander off into unregistered areas of the house. When out and about, older children are taught how to behave safely and to look out

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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 for the green man signal at the lights before crossing the road. The childminder ensures parents are aware of her duty to protect children and the procedures she must follow so that they are suitably safeguarded. She has some knowledge of signs and symptoms of abuse and knows how to seek advice should she have a concern about a child's welfare, but is not yet fully conversant with local procedures for making referrals and working together with other agencies.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children participate in a suitable balance of activities which are planned to promote their intellectual development. For example they visit the library for story time and regularly look at books together, they visit the shops and go to toddler groups to experience the wider world, they collect brightly coloured leaves in the autumn and experience the outdoors in all weathers. Children play with some resources which stimulate their imagination and creativity such as cars, dolls and animals, with which they can create their own worlds and there is some dressing up and role play equipment for them to act out experiences. They enjoy drawing and painting. The childminder gets to know children's likes and dislikes, but she does not always find out what children have been doing at nursery, school or at home, in order to compliment what they experience elsewhere. Babies learn to communicate well. They enjoy the warm interaction with the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

childminder; listening and responding happily as they share books and look at pictures. They have some experiences of different textures through hand and feet painting and mixing dough. They enjoy rhythms and sounds through playing with musical toys and listening to tapes. Some adult-led activities do not easily engage children's interest and there is an over reliance on using manufactured plastic toys. This offers children less scope for creative and explorative play than the provision of natural materials, wooden and metal domestic objects and a range of containers .

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Babies are clearly at ease with the childminder who gives them cuddles and emotional support, which develops their self-esteem and sense of belonging. They have choices in what they play with and eat, which enables them be involved in making decisions. When toys are tidied up they are encouraged to help so that they make a contribution. Children learn social skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Children learn to behave well because the childminder acts as a good role-model with her friendly and courteous manner. She shares her behaviour policy with parents and explains to older children about the consequences of their behaviour, so that they learn what is right and wrong. Children begin to learn to value each other's similarities and differences from the

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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 good example set by the childminder, who treats them with equal concern and has regard for their individual needs, interests and capabilities. However, there are few resources with positive images of gender, culture and disability to create a welcome for all, and the childminder has no specific knowledge about special needs and disabilities to draw on to carry out her equal opportunities policy for the benefit of all children. Children benefit from the childminder's professional approach to working with parents to ensure that they stay safe and healthy. She uses good written materials to complement daily informal contact in order to exchange information about children's welfare. There is useful information given to parents about her service in a special introductory folder and in notices on display. The daily diary gives parents an account

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. The childminder is experienced in childcare and has a nursery nursing qualification which she uses particularly well in aspects of care that promote children's emotional and physical development. She provides a suitable range of experiences to encourage children to communicate and express themselves creatively, but has yet to use the Birth to three matters framework to develop ideas to help children aged under three to fully explore and investigate their environment with all their senses. She has not completed sections of her childminding training which cover child protection and equal opportunities to help support her in the safeguarding and inclusion of all children. The childminder has a well organised approach to her childminding. She plans ahead and has routines which help children feel secure. She keeps her records-up-to date and well maintained, sharing her polices and records appropriately with parents for

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Organisation

children's safety and welfare. Although there are still some limitations in resources, she makes good use of facilities, both in her own home and in the community, to provide a variety of experiences for children. The childminder meets the needs of the range of children who attend.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since registration. The childminder is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other then those made to Ofsted.

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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

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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): • improve knowledge of local child protection procedures and the Sure Start guidance called 'What to do if you are worried a child is being abused' • use the Birth to three matters framework as a guide to further develop resources and ideas for children to explore their environment using all their senses and become competent learners • improve provision and use of resources reflecting positive images of gender and culture and knowledge of different types of special needs and disability to create a fully inclusive environment.

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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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