Childminder in DevonOfsted inspection, 9 Dec 2010

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY370801 Inspection date 09/12/2010 Inspector Julie Neal

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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 has been registered since 2008. She lives with her partner and two children in Cullumpton, Devon. Childminding predominantly takes place on the ground floor of the family home, which includes toilet facilities. Children have access to upstairs to rest. There is a fully enclosed rear garden suitable for children's use.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder works her partner, who is also a registered childminder. They are registered on the Early Years Register, and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. When working alone, the childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. When working with a co- childminder they are registered to care for a maximum of 10 children under eight years at any one time. There are currently 16 children in the early years age range being cared for at different times. The childminder is registered to provide overnight care for one child under eight years of age. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder ensures children's individual needs are met extremely well. Excellent relationships with parents, and others involved in the care of individual children, ensure she is very well informed regarding each child's requirements. This knowledge is used most effectively in planning to ensure all children make excellent progress towards the early learning and development goals, relative to their starting points. The childminder promotes an immensely inclusive environment where difference and diversity is respected and valued. The childminder's processes of self evaluation are excellent, focusing on consistently improving outcomes for children and developing action plans that identify how she, and her co-childminder, can achieve and sustain them.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 review documentation such as policies and procedures to ensure that these are consistent in reflecting the co-childminding arrangements This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has an extremely good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is demonstrated in the effectiveness with which she ensures children remain very well safeguarded and protected from harm while in her care. The childminder has enhanced her safeguarding knowledge through training, and is very confident regarding the appropriate action to take to protect children. She has, in conjunction with her co-childminder, reviewed the thorough safeguarding procedures to reflect changes to local child protection guidance, and ensured that parents have received copies of these. The childminder ensures any visitors to the setting are asked to provide appropriate identification, and their presence is recorded. The extremely effective co-childminding arrangements ensure that visitors are always supervised. Children are kept safe and secure at all times. Excellent risk assessments of all areas of the childminder?s home, both

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the early years provision

indoors and outside, ensure children enjoy a safe, well maintained, and hygienic play and learning environment. Daily health and safety routines take account of the ages and numbers of children present, and they are regularly revised and updated to continue to meet individual needs. The childminder is pro-active in ensuring that all resources and equipment are safe and suitable for children?s use, including, for example, having safety checks completed on car seats used by children, including those supplied by parents, to ensure these remain fit for purpose. All documentation that supports children?s welfare is in place, and overall, is extremely clear and well maintained. Agreements with parents regarding the care of their children are detailed and include all required information. Records of any accidents or incidents involving children are clear and well documented. Policies and procedures are clearly written and provide parents with good quality

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the early years provision

information about the regulatory framework, and how their children?s welfare, learning and development will be promoted. Documentation clearly reflects the co- childminding arrangements in place. For example, agreements relating to the care of children are between parents and both childminders. There are occasional minor errors in supporting policies and procedures where one, not both, childminders are referenced.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from an immensely inclusive environment where their individual needs are understood and supported very well. For example, children who have English as an additional language make excellent progress because the childminder prepares extremely well, to ensure she is able to communicate effectively with them. She and her co-childminder make extensive efforts to learn a broad vocabulary in children?s home languages, and they provide an imaginative range of dual language resources for children to use as they play. This results in children quickly feeling confident and secure in the setting, because they know the childminder understands their needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder?s self evaluations are excellent. She reflects extremely well on her own practice, and how her skills and expertise complement those of her co- childminder, in order to benefit children. This has resulted in the co-childminding arrangements being extremely well organised and successful in promoting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 excellent outcomes for children. The childminder encourages feedback from parents and from children, and makes good use of this in evaluating how she can make improvements. For example, the introduction of a newsletter was very well received by parents as an effective means of keeping them updated about day to day events, and this has become a regular item. Children identified that they would like to be involved, and now have their section in each newsletter where they include their own reports, drawings and photos of activities they have enjoyed.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops excellent relationships with parents, and others involved in supporting the care, learning and development of individual children. Parents are provided with extremely good quality information about the childminding provision. Both childminders further demonstrate their commitment to inclusion by ensuring that all information, including policies and procedures, is translated into parents? home languages, if this is preferred. Excellent settling in procedures enable parents to get to know both childminders in the setting, and to feel confident that their children?s needs will be met. The childminder has established extremely good processes of ensuring a consistent, two way flow of information with parents that enables her to continue to meet each child?s needs as they grow and develop. Some minded children also attend other settings where the Early Years Foundation Stage is provided, such as pre-schools and nurseries. The

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the early years provision

childminder has worked to establish effective systems of sharing information with other providers regarding children?s progress in learning, and overall, these have been extremely effective.

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and outcomes for children

Children?s welfare, learning and development is supported extremely well. Children are cared for in a clean and well maintained environment, where very good health and safety practice ensures they are protected from harm. Risk assessments and daily checks are rigorous and ensure children are safe and secure at all times. Children learn very well about keeping themselves safe because the childminder uses resources imaginatively to develop their understanding; for example, providing children with toy hedgehogs to re-enact the road safety messages shown on television, and learning to relate these to safely crossing the road when out together. Children learn the childminder?s emergency evacuation procedures and take part in frequent practices of these to develop their awareness of fire safety.

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and outcomes for children

Health promotion with children is extremely good. The childminder ensures children understand the importance of good hygiene practices, such as cleaning teeth and washing hands appropriately. Children learn about cross infection, for example, they understand that they must use the towels on their own pegs so as not to share ?germs?. Sickness policies and procedures, which are shared with parents, are very thorough. These are clear that parents will be expected to collect unwell children, in order to protect others from the risk of illness and infection. Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Parents who provide packed lunches generally support the childminder?s health eating policy by providing nutritious This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 food.

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and outcomes for children

Children make extremely good progress towards the early learning and development goals, relative to their individual starting points. This is because the childminder uses her observations of children most effectively in evaluating the progress they have made, and to identify the next steps in their learning and development. Children enjoy a very good range of activities that support learning in all areas. The balance between planned, adult led activities, and spontaneous, child initiated play, is extremely good. The childminder involves children in planning activities and supports their ideas extremely well. For example, children decide to put on a magic show. They research different tricks using books and the Internet, and identify the resources they need in order to practice. They organize their rehearsals over several days, and at the end of the week, put on a performance for the childminder, parents, and other children in the setting, taking

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and outcomes for children

great pride in their achievements. Children?s learning and development records are very well organised and provide an extremely good picture of their current stages of development, and how each child has progressed.

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and outcomes for children

Children are eager and enthusiastic learners who are keen to explore and investigate the extremely good variety of resources accessible to them. Very young children?s communication skills are developing extremely well because the childminder?s excellent interactions encourage them to express their thoughts and ideas. For example, while looking at books with the childminder, babies and very young children identify the animals in the story by pointing to them, repeating their names and identifying the sounds each animal makes. Children are extremely happy and confident. They demonstrate high levels of self esteem in their interactions with each other and with adults. Their behaviour is very good, they are polite and well mannered, and very young children demonstrate, through their play, that they are beginning to understand that their actions can have impact on others. For example, a child carefully settles a baby doll in a cot to sleep, and tells

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and outcomes for children

other children they need to play quietly as the baby is asleep. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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