Childminder in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY362946 Inspection date 08/12/2010 Inspector Michele Villiers

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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 2007. She lives with her husband and son aged eight years in Northwich, Cheshire close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the childminder's house, except for the main bedroom, is used for childminding. There is an enclosed paved rear yard for outside play. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and there are currently eight children on the Early Years Register. She regularly works with an assistant. The childminder is also registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks to and from local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local adult and toddler groups on a regular basis.

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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 is very enthusiastic in her approach. She provides a welcoming and inclusive environment where children make good progress in their learning and development. They access a wide range of toys and resources and their progress is effectively monitored, with some systems in place to identify their initial levels of ability. All health and safety measures are in place and daily checks help to minimise any potential hazards. The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement and has started to use some forms for self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 build on the systems used for obtaining initial information about the children's abilities when they first start, through a regular two-way flow of information with parents  extend self evaluation by assessing what is provided against robust and challenging quality criteria and use as the basis of ongoing review.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and child protection issues. She has successfully met the actions from her last inspection in order to further oversee children's safety and now has comprehensive safeguarding policies, a complaints recording procedure, and written parental consent forms for medication. Regular risk assessments on the premises, equipment and prior to outings, help to protect children from possible harm. The home is secure and children are closely supervised, with regular checks on sleeping children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder continually endeavours to improve her skills and regularly attends training workshops to provide better outcomes for children, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement. She uses observation of the children and discussion with parents to evaluate her provision, and has started to document her

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the early years provision

findings in the Ofsted self-evaluation form, although this is in the early stages.

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the early years provision

The childminder values children as individuals and has a good understanding of their needs. A relaxed and welcoming environment is provided and children benefit from choosing their own resources which are attractively organised in the dedicated playroom. This enables them to engage in independent learning, promotes independence and helps them develop skills for the future. Parents are kept very well informed about the provision and their child's progress. Information is displayed on the parent notice board and they may access their child's progress report at any time. The childminder has also forged good links with other provisions that children attend in order to ensure good continuity of care.

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and outcomes for children

The children thoroughly enjoy their play. They excitedly help themselves to toys, join in activities and make positive contributions as they learn to share and cooperate. The childminder enthusiastically supports the children and participates in their play, using every opportunity as a learning experience. She provides a good balance of activities, taking into account the children's interests and incorporating these into her planning. She effectively monitors the children's progress through observation and records her findings with written captions and photographs of the children. The areas of learning are clearly identified, along with the children's next steps and future learning priorities. When children first start some information is obtained about their abilities from parents. However, this mainly concentrates on their feeding and toileting skills and is not linked to the individual areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

The children's independence is very much encouraged and they practise zipping and buttoning up their coats and hanging them on low level coat pegs. The childminder constantly talks to the children to promote their communication skills. This is further reinforced through singing songs and reading stories to children using good voice intonation and introducing new words. Children access an excellent range of books and enjoy visits to the library. Young children are starting to count and recognise different shapes and colours. They draw pictures of circles and squares, and during role play they calculate how many dolls fit into the bed, competently counting to five.

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and outcomes for children

The celebrations of different cultural festivals and resources reflecting positive images of race, gender and disability help children to become aware of the wider world in which they live. Beneficial use is made of both the indoor and outdoor environment to stimulate children's development. Outside they manoeuvre wheeled toys and indoors they handle small tools, such as brushes, rolling pins and dough cutters with confidence. Outings to the park enable children to enjoy the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 roundabout, swings and slide, and they feed the ducks and relish going in the hide to watch the different birds. Such opportunities help children to understand the needs of other living things. The children adopt healthy lifestyles and learn about personal hygiene. They know to wash their hands at appropriate times and have individual hand towels to minimise the risk of cross infection. Routines are followed

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and outcomes for children

for young children and they sleep in comfort in a travel cot or bed. The children enjoy a variety of home cooked meals using fresh ingredients and have free access to drinking water throughout the day to enable them to quench their thirst.

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and outcomes for children

Throughout play the childminder constantly reminds children about safety. They practise the fire evacuation procedure to ensure they understand what to do in the event of a fire. On outings the childminder takes photographs of the children on zebra crossings and uses the images as a point of discussion to reinforce the children's awareness of road safety. 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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