Harris, Ashley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 161926 Inspection date 07/10/2010 Inspector Mary Daniel

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 has been registered since 2001. She lives with her husband and their two children aged 10 and eight years in a semi-detached house situated in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. Children have use of a kitchen, conservatory area, a living/dining room and bathroom downstairs. There are three bedrooms upstairs used for children to sleep. There is an enclosed garden at the back of the house.

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Description of the childminding

Ofsted have registered the childminder on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of six children aged under eight years, of whom three maybe in the early years age group at any one time. There are currently eight children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group. At times the childminder also works with an assistant and can then care for a maximum of ten children, of whom no more than six may be in the early years age group. Overnight care is not included within the registration. The childminder has completed a National Vocational Qualification in childcare at level three and is also accredited with the local authority network, from whom she receives support.

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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

Children are welcomed into the home and are happy and content with the childminder who gets to know their individual needs well and this effectively helps her in settling them easily into her care. Children benefit from the range of exciting play experiences provided, which help to support their learning and developmental needs well. Partnerships with parents and others are not used as effectively as possible to support children?s development. Evaluation systems are implemented and these support the childminder in her aims of making ongoing improvements to the provision offered to promote outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the planning and assessment systems to ensure children are challenged appropriately to help them progress more quickly  develop further the systems of working in partnership with parents and other settings children attend to promote the ongoing sharing of information on all aspects of children's learning and development, for example, their individual developmental starting points, to ensure a consistent delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is promoted well through the childminder's sound knowledge of safeguarding issues. The childminder has attended safeguarding training and maintains relevant written information to support her in the management of any concerns arising. The childminder implements appropriate procedures to check that adults working in her practice are cleared as being suitable to be with children. Policies reflecting her practice are shared with parents to ensure they are aware of procedures in place to support their child's well being. Children's individuality is recognized and all children are encouraged to participate within each activity at their level of ability. For example, older children squeeze and push the dough through a shape maker or roll it out to make some worms, while younger ones push and prod the dough with their fingers and make patterns with different tools. This helps all children develop their small muscle skills and

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the early years provision

exploration of colour, texture, size and shape and also promotes inclusion. Children benefit from the friendly relationships the childminder forms with their parents. Daily liaison is maintained, which helps to keep parents well informed of their child's activities. Time is spent with parents on helping children to settle in and information is shared on their individual routines. This helps to promote continuity in children's care, although information shared with parents on their child's developmental starting points is limited.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively evaluates her practice through monitoring systems that help her to identify areas for improvement. For instance, the organisation and range of toys and resources available to children has been improved and she plans to attend further childcare training. Space is organised effectively to allow children to move around easily and good use is made of local resources, such as the library, where children enjoy visiting to choose some of their favourite stories. The childminder deploys her assistant suitably. Improvements have been made since the last inspection as recommendations set, relating to children's safety and required documentation to share with parents, have now been addressed. Relevant safety prevention is in place to help minimise accidents, for example stair gates are used to prevent children's unsupervised access to the kitchen, a fireguard is secured in the living room and smoke alarms are checked regularly. Risk

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the early years provision

assessments are implemented for the home and outings undertaken with the children; consideration is being given to ensure these reflect how any issues arising are addressed and also cover all areas of safety within each venue visited. Some liaison is maintained with other settings children attend, but is not yet fully established to ensure information is consistently shared to promote continuity in all aspects of their care, learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children become absorbed in their play. For example, they connect a toy train track together and then find a variety of small world people to extend their game. This encourages their imaginary play and also helps to develop their awareness of shape and space as they fit the pieces of track into place. Children start to show an interest in texture and colour as they make their model spiders with pipe cleaner legs and small, brightly coloured pom pom decorations. They explore colour in their painting activities as they use their fingers to make marks or use the paint pens to decorate a ghost picture. As they begin to recognize more shapes and marks they are encouraged to look at those within their environment, for example the road signs they see on their walks. This also encourages children's awareness of their community and helps them in keeping safe. Children make some paper pots and fill these with compost to plant their watercress seeds. They

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and outcomes for children

sometimes visit a local country park centre where they see how milk is churned into butter and they visit the rabbits and guinea pigs in their enclosures. They go on autumn walks and collect some leaves and conkers and talk about how prickly the shells are. This promotes children's knowledge and understanding of their world. Children often visit local toddler groups or children's centre activities, where they join their friends to play and take part in a variety of meaningful play experiences. This effectively helps them to develop their social and communication skills and they learn to share and take turns with others in their play. Observations of children's play are completed and help to show children's developmental stages. The childminder is developing her assessment systems to ensure there is evidence of children's achievements. Children's next steps of development are identified but these do not always result in sufficient challenge for individual children; for

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and outcomes for children

example, more capable children are not encouraged to help in preparing their snacks.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about using the pedestrian crossing and not talking to strangers on their regular walks and outings. Older children wear high visibility jackets and younger ones are strapped securely in the pushchair. Children know not to go too near to the edge of the water when they go to feed the ducks. As a result, they start to become aware of some dangers and begin to learn how to keep themselves safe from harm. Children follow suitable hygiene routines and know to wash their hands before eating or after going to the toilet and use paper towels to dry their hands. Activity tables are wiped after use and disposable gloves are used when changing nappies. Children often go on outings to a nearby play park, soft play centre or local woods where they can run and play freely while building up their large muscle skills. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and fruit is offered regularly. Consequently, procedures are followed which help to prevent the

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and outcomes for children

spread of infection and keep children fit and well. Suitable behaviour boundaries are maintained and they learn to use good manners, for example in asking to get down from the table at lunchtime. Children behave well and are encouraged to be kind to others. As a result, they play happily together and develop good self- esteem through the frequent praise given by the childminder and her assistant. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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 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 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 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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