Marston Middle School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 123264 Inspection date 16/11/2010 Inspector Gyatri Rupal

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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 1992. She lives with her husband in a house close to the centre of St Albans. It is within walking distance of shops, schools and parks. The whole of the ground floor of the premises is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed rear garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family has a dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom not more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently two children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 10 years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder is generally effective in meeting the needs of children in the early years age group. She is developing her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are provided with a variety of play resources to help them make sound progress in their play and learning. The positive partnerships with parents contribute to the children's welfare and learning, but relationships with other early years service providers are not yet established. Although the childminder has not yet completed her own self-evaluation formally, she is aware of her strengths and weaknesses.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure that information is obtained from parents about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child in order to safeguard the children's welfare (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 16/11/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 establish links with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure progression and continuity of children's care and learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve further knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and use this to further develop systems for planning, and observing and assessing children  make systematic observations and assessments of each child's achievement, interests and learning style and use these to identify the next step in their learning  use self-evaluation as the basis of the ongoing internal review to further promote continual improvement in the services provided.

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the early years provision

The childminder is developing her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has most of the policies and procedures in place, which she implements to promote the children's welfare and safety. Children are safeguarded because the childminder understands her duty to protect children in her care and understands the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. All of the adults who have access to the children have undergone suitability checks. Daily risk assessments of the premises are conducted to minimise any hazards to the children. Whilst the childminder supervises children effectively on outings, all records relating to accidents which take place, meet the requirements including parents' permission to seek emergency medical treatment or advice. However, information of who has legal parental responsibility of the child, is not obtained from parents, which is a breach of specific legal requirements.

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the early years provision

The childminder builds trusting relationships with parents and when children first attend, the childminder obtains information about the child's daily routine, preferences and some aspects of development. The parents are kept informed through discussions about the child's daily activities. The childminder values the parents role and encourages them to share what they know about the child so that she is able to meet children's individual needs appropriately. However, the childminder has not yet established links with the other settings who offer early years provision, which potentially impacts upon the children's continuity of care and learning. The childminder organises a variety of play resources within easy reach of children, enabling all children to make choices freely and safely.

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the early years provision

The childminder plans a daily routine to ensure children have a balance of adult- led activities and free play. She organises a variety of play opportunities to develop children's learning. However, activities are not effectively evaluated to plan the next step of the children's learning. Although the childminder has not developed a system for regular self-evaluation, she is willing to improve her practice through training. The childminder has implemented the recommendations made at the last inspection and this has improved the outcome for children's safety. For example, the childminder attended safeguarding training to gain knowledge of child protection issues and has also updated her first aid knowledge. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children make choices about the resources they would like to play with and this helps them direct their own learning. The childminder puts the emphasis on free play, so that children are able to use their learning resources imaginatively and follow their play interests and preferences. Children build trusting and warm relationships with the childminder, which builds upon their sense of security. The childminder has started to take photographs of the activities children enjoy doing and keeps a record of these. However, she is yet to evaluate and use this information to help her plan the next step for children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with experiences to develop their creative skills. They enjoy manipulating dough, sticking activities and dressing up in clothes for imaginative play. The childminder spends time interacting with children at their level to help their learning. For example, children enjoy dressing up as a spider and the childminder questions children on how many legs the spider has. Children enjoy singing nursery rhymes and join in when they sit down for their lunch together. Young children develop their understanding and knowledge of the world as they talk about different animals when selecting their favourite animal pictures to stick on their card. Young children are happy and content in exploring their own environment. They acquire basic skills in operating a good range of programmable toys to develop their understanding of how technology can help them in their everyday lives. Children count numbers and learn about colours and shapes within

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a healthy lifestyle as they eat healthy home-cooked meals and fresh fruits. They have frequent opportunities to develop their physical development as they use a variety of resources and enjoy playing games in the garden. Children learn to understand about good health and hygiene practices through their daily routines. For example, children are taught about personal hygiene and toileting through discussion and a poster is displayed in the cloakroom to remind them to wash their hands, which contributes to reducing the spread of infections. Children's awareness of keeping themselves safe is developed appropriately through discussions about road safety and fire evacuation procedures. All of the children are well behaved, as the childminder uses a positive and consistent approach to managing behaviour which takes into account children's levels of understanding and maturity. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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