Balksbury Infant School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116063 Inspection date 27/04/2010 Inspector Carol Patricia Willett

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Type of setting Childminder to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 1999. She lives with her husband and four children, one of whom is high school age and three are adult children. They live in Hounslow in the London borough of Hounslow. Children have use of the ground floor of the house and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has no pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for six children under eight years; of these, three can be in the early years age group. She is currently minding one child in the early years age group. The childminder is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local parent and toddler group and takes children to the library. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and part of a quality assurance scheme. She also has a diploma in Childcare, Learning and Development.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a welcoming, child-friendly environment where children's welfare and learning needs are generally well met. Children are mostly safe and secure and confidently use the resources as they happily choose what to play with. The childminder has a good range of documentation in place, which includes a range of written policies and procedures, to underpin the practice and these are fully shared with parents. Effective partnerships with parents and others promote an inclusive practice to ensure children's needs are well known and met and they make good progress in relation to their learning and development. The childminder is committed to improving her knowledge and skills through the completion of further training and through monitoring visits from a development worker for a quality assurance scheme. This is used effectively to identify areas for future development and to continually improve the outcomes for children.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure cleaning materials are inaccessible to children  ensure a record is kept of when risk assessment reviews for outings have been completed.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded while in the childminder's care as checks on all adult members of the household are completed. The childminder completes written risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assessments for her home and for all outings to identify risks and positive action is mostly taken to minimise these. However, the childminder has not taken measures to ensure cleaning materials stored in a kitchen cupboard are inaccessible to the children. The childminder has a written child protection policy which outlines her responsibility and relevant phone numbers are accessible. The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has completed further training to obtain a level 3 childcare diploma and she has completed a childcare quality assurance scheme in order to enhance her knowledge and outcomes for children. Her practice is monitored through feedback from parents and monitoring

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the early years provision

visits by the childcare development worker. She has started to complete the Ofsted self-evaluation, though this is in the early stages, in order to effectively to identify strengths and areas for development. The issues raised at the last inspection have effectively been addressed.

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the early years provision

Children happily explore and freely select from a wide range of good quality, age- appropriate resources that are easily and safely accessible; regular access to the garden and local amenities, such as parks, ensures children's experiences are varied and provide daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise. The provision of resources and opportunities by the childminder help children to make good progress in all skill areas. The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity. Children's individual needs and interests are planned for and a range of resources, which are freely available, help children learn about the wider world.

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the early years provision

Children are safe and secure and learn how to keep themselves safe as they practise the fire drill and know where to go if the fire alarm sounds. The childminder is aware of the importance of establishing positive relationships with other settings that children attend. The childminder develops strong relationships with parents and they provide positive feedback through questionnaires. Daily discussions with them confirm they are happy with the care provided. Parents are included in their child's care and education through regular discussions about children's progress and future learning targets. The childminder has a range of policies, procedures and information on a notice board which keeps parents informed about the provision. All required documentation is maintained to ensure the needs of the children are met and to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

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and outcomes for children

Children make steady progress in their learning and development as the childminder knows the children and their families well. She plans effectively for their progress to the early learning goals based on their interests and her observations of them. Children have a balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences that interest them and help them progress across all areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. The childminder ensures she is aware of what the children are doing at nursery and takes this into account when making provision for the children. The childminder provides written development files for children which include samples of their work and her written observations. She takes photographs of the children which are kept on the computer and sends This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 them to parents so they can see their children learning and at play. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder maintains good relationships with the children and they are comfortable and settled in her care. They happily ask the childminder for support and other resources and they are motivated and take responsibility for choosing what they want to do. For example, they like to draw and colour, and play with a doll dressing game. They enjoy seeing photographs of themselves and their friends on the computer and excitedly remember when they visited the aquarium, parks and temple.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, relaxed and confident. The childminder interacts well with the children as she plays alongside them and encourages them to enjoy listening to stories as they sit together sharing books. The childminder happily accommodated parents requests and uses age-appropriate work-books with the children to develop their English language and numeracy skills. She uses mathematical language and encourages children to count. Children enjoy drawing as they sit safely at the table. They confidently use crayons and pencils as they colour in pictures and the childminder takes this opportunity to count and talk about shapes and colours with the children. Children demonstrate a sense of security as they happily play and engage with adults in the childminder's home. The freely select resources and take themselves to the toilet as they develop in independence. The childminder's home is clean and tidy as she demonstrates good hygiene

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and outcomes for children

procedures to prevent the spread of infection. Children behave well and play well happily on their own or with the childminder. Children respond positively to praise and encouragement and as a result display good levels of self-esteem. Experiences provided, resources available and interaction from the childminder help to ensure children develop appropriate skills for the future. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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