Hartford Junior School

Inspection report for early years provision

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110696 Unique Reference Number 26 January 2006 Inspection date Carol Readman Inspector

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Integrated Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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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.

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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

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder has been registered since 1993. She lives with her husband and three school aged children in a small village on the outskirts of Andover. Minded children have access to the whole house with toilet facilities provided on the ground floor. There is also a large fully enclosed garden. Sleeping facilities are available on the first floor. The family own five sheepdogs housed in kennels outside and a family pet dog.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for no more than six children under eight years at any one time and is currently caring for six children.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is qualified in early years and is an accredited childminder caring for children in receipt of educational funding. She supports children with special educational needs.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

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.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children thrive at the setting because the childminder follows highly effective procedures and practices that help children develop a healthy lifestyle. There are robust routines to prevent infection and cross infection during nappy changing and food preparation. Children learn simple effective precautions to help stop the spread of illness such as wiping their noses and why this is important. They are independent in their personal hygiene due to the excellent adult support and guidance they receive learning to wash and dry their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Older children understand they need to wash their hands after using the toilet to remove germs. The home is thoroughly clean and excellent precautions are taken to ensure the animals at the setting do not pose a threat to children's health.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder and parents work together to ensure that children receive first-rate healthy, nutritious food. Parents provide main meals and the childminder provides snacks. Children enjoy tasty snacks such as raisins and apples, yogurts and rice cakes. The childminder is especially careful that children at the setting who have allergies enjoy a wide range of healthy foods that are suitable for them. Drinking water is available throughout the day to avoid children becoming thirsty. The childminder offers children whole milk with biscuits and rice cakes when they return from school to sustain them until their parents collect them. The childminder explains the benefits of wholesome food and shows dedication to ensuring that young children learn the fundamentals of healthy eating at an early age.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children requiring special health care receive excellent care and attention from a compassionate and knowledgeable childminder. She reminds children to use their special soap to prevent their skin developing a rash and checks on the condition of their skin, gently administering cream if needed. She manages children's asthma effectively and efficiently.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy opportunities to go for walks and visit the local play park as part of developing a healthy lifestyle. They have many opportunities to visit the nearby church, ponies and to go to nearby lakes where they can feed the ducks and play on large climbing frames. They play exciting and invigorating games in the garden on the trampoline and swings. This helps them regard energetic play as fun and is an excellent way of developing physical skills. Planned activities such as balancing on rows of bricks, skipping and bicycle riding help children who are experiencing difficulties in coordination develop vital coordination skills. The childminder skilfully balances energetic physical play with more restful story times especially when children return from a busy morning at preschool. Children have time to rest and sleep, as necessary, to prevent them becoming overtired.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are developing first-class habits using excellent hygiene routines, enjoying healthy, nutritious food and taking part in energetic activities. The childminder is dedicated to ensuring that children live a healthy lifestyle and have the knowledge they need to continue this into adulthood.

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Helping children to be healthy

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.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children can play in a safe and well-resourced environment where the childminder identifies hazards and takes steps to minimise them. Children have a clear space and can move about freely. They are able to access a wide range of toys that conform to safety standards and are appropriate for their ages. The childminder teaches the children about safe procedures. They learn to use the stairs safely. Children cannot leave the setting without the childminder's knowledge. However, the childminder does not lock the kitchen door and garden gate. This means that children are not protected from unwanted visitors.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safe on outings. They travel in appropriate car seats and the childminder ensures that children stay close to her on walks to the local parks. Small children travel in a buggy whilst older children hold on to the buggy and stay close to the childminder at all times. She teaches children about crossing the road safely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a clear understanding of child protection procedures and gives top priority to children’s welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children at the setting are extremely confident, settled and keen to welcome all to the setting. They enjoy a comprehensive range of purposeful and developmentally appropriate activities, both planned and spontaneous, that reflect their interests. For example, dressing up and playing fairies, building with duplo, constructing a wooden train track and playing in a home corner. They spend their time engrossed in stories read with the childminder and eagerly join in nursery and action rhymes. They have very high levels of achievement due to the skilful use of early years guidance, such as the curriculum guidance to the Foundation Stage and the Birth to three framework. Constant praise and encouragement from the childminder builds very high self-esteem. They play really well together and are excited at learning to master new skills such as making wind up toys work. They are very proud of their achievements and eager to share

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

them with others. They take control of their own play making decisions such as wanting to colour their rocket ship.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder provides a superb range of stimulating, fun activities to ensure the children really enjoy their days. Children take great pleasure in first hand experiences such as feeding ducks at a local lake and visiting nearby ponies. They play together extremely happily sharing their favourite toys and activities, such as caring for baby dolls, taking them for walks in buggies and doing their washing and ironing. The childminder makes use of these opportunities to skilfully foster social skills, encouraging others to join in. Carefully planned learning contributes significantly to children's development. As a result they have high levels of achievement. Acknowledgement and praise supports them in developing high levels of self-esteem and children blossom at the setting. Fun play activities provide an excellent way to introduce early maths skills. For example, counting candles on a play dough birthday cake. There are excellent

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

relationships between the childminder and the children. The childminder offers activities that are challenging such as learning balancing skills. Reassurance, encouragement and praise mean

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

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. children accept challenge and persevere until they succeed. Children relish their time at the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Highly effective use of birth to three matters helps the childminder identify and record the achievements of younger children. Dated pictures tracing their development provide a full picture of how the child is maturing. Skilful use of appropriate activities for very young children enhances their development. Children at the setting are highly independent and able to make choices about their play, agreeing to play together building train layouts or playing house and doing the ironing whilst sharing care of baby dolls.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. The childminder provides a very warm and secure learning environment exactly suited to the individual needs of the children. As a result, they are happy and becoming confident learners. Children make rapid progress because the childminder supports their individual and special needs completely. They learn to care for themselves and others, enjoying playing together and learning as they play. The childminder supports children's special needs extremely well. They acquire the skills they need through carefully planned activities as part of an overall learning programme. Excellent cooperation between the childminder and external agencies to follow prescribed programmes mean that children make exceptional progress in relationship to their starting points and capabilities. They increase their vocabulary and communication skills in fun play situations describing what is

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

happening in pictures. Excellent support and guidance ensures children succeed and reach their goals. They have great fun excitedly joining in singing rhymes together and playing with play dough. Children have excellent opportunities to develop there skills in all areas of learning. They visit local play parks and use the garden to improve their physical development and coordination skills. They are enthusiastic about music sessions learning to use instruments.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They learn about the natural world about them visiting ponies, going to the lake to visit the ducks and growing cress. The childminder reads to them and fosters a love of books and reading. Children speak confidently about what they are doing and talk about making a cake from play dough for their friend's birthday next week. They become actively engrossed in their play, concentrating hard on perfecting their achievements. They are very proud of the results. The constant praise and encouragement they receive raises their self-esteem and increases their desire to join in fully. As a result, they are becoming keen learners and making outstanding progress in their learning and have excellent levels of achievement given their capabilities and starting points. Children have daily opportunities to practice the use of mathematics and number concepts in everyday situations, counting groups of objects and using language such as bigger

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and smaller naturally in their play. Introducing simple fun tasks such as using an electronic mouse to answer questions in a book helps children enjoy acquiring skills and makes them eager to develop new ones. They become keen to explore other uses of an electronic mouse such as more complex games on the computer.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder is highly skilled in observing and recording children's progress. Photographs and written observations link to the stepping-stones and are a highly effective way of tracking children's progress. She uses these and records of the children's achievements to plan for future activities and experiences for the children. Children with identified special needs have their

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

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. individual programmes incorporated into their nursery education in highly successful ways. As a result, they develop rapidly in the areas identified as needing extra support and become competent learners keen to explore and show off newly acquired skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children at the setting are valued as individuals and the childminder ensures that they receive individual attention. For example, she makes sure that children have many exciting toys available so that she can spend time working to a special needs programmes as appropriate with the children. Children who need one-to-one support to enjoy books receive this when the other children are asleep. The childminder asks the children what they would like to do and involves all children in making decisions. This makes them feel valued and special. As a result, children are happy, settled and feel at home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children with special needs receive exceptional support. The childminder follows programmes set by outreach specialists to help children overcome their difficulties and as a result of this programme children are making excellent progress. Children with special health needs receive appropriate care from a kind and considerate childminder. All children receive excellent care that meets their individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are particularly well behaved. They are kind and considerate to other children and adults at the setting. Constant praise and encouragement from the childminder means that self-esteem is high and children enjoy each other's company. They play extremely well together building houses made of bricks and taking care of the baby dolls in the home corner.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn to value self and to have high self-esteem, they develop knowledge of what is right and wrong from a childminder who encourages all children to play together and be kind to each other. They learn about other cultures and societies in fun ways. For example, finding out they were born in the Chinese year of the dog or snake as part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs are fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Parents receive detailed information about the provision's nursery education and have excellent opportunities to discuss their children's progress on a daily basis. Parent's are very actively involved in the education of their children. Parents and childminder work in an exceedingly close partnership to see that children with special needs have those needs identified and addressed in highly effective ways. This contributes significantly to the children's well-being at the setting. Children benefit greatly from the involvement of their parents and close working with the childminder and external agencies to provide an exceptionally high level of quality education.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The setting is very well organised to care for children. The childminder ensures that she records all necessary details of children and their parents. All required documentation is in place. However, she has not updated her policies to reflect changes in legislation regarding complaints

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Organisation

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. procedures. The children are settled and at ease. They move around the setting confidently making decisions about their play. Children feel at home and play very well together enjoying the company of each other, the childminder and visitors to the setting. Highly effective planning based on observations used to correctly identify next steps in children's learning means that children are high achievers and make outstanding progress in their learning in relationship to their starting points and capabilities. Regular meetings with the childminder's network coordinator support the childminder in monitoring and evaluating her practice. This identifies areas for improvement and the childminder is rigorous in her efforts to continually raise the

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Organisation

already high quality service she offers. Children with identified special needs benefit from an extensive and highly effective learning programme tailored exactly to fit their needs.

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Organisation

The childminder is highly effective at promoting the welfare, care and learning of the children. She provides a detailed prospectus giving parents information about her provision and her policies and procedures. The childminder keeps parents well informed about her plans for nursery education and children's progress. Comprehensive, thorough planning monitors children's progress in all areas of their development. Regular discussions between parents, the childminder and specialists ensure that children with identified special needs receive excellent continuity of care. The provision meets the needs of the children for whom the childminder provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to update her records of attendance to show times of arrival and departure. She has updated her records to reflect this change. The children are now protected in the event that there is a need to check a historic record. Also in the event of an evacuation of the premises all the children would now be accounted for.

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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

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

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 AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND 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.

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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 that the provision is secure at all times • update information to parents to include new procedure for complaints.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the 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.

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