Childminder in Warwickshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY267628 Inspection date 17/12/2010 Inspector Lucy Showell

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged 15 and 8 years. They live in a house on the Dovehouse estate in Wellesbourne. There is a primary school, pre-school and toddler group within walking distance. The whole of the premises is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for six children at any one time. There is currently one child attending who is within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder also offers care to children aged from five years to eight years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has procedures to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and who speak English as an additional language. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools.

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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 cared for in a warm and welcoming homely environment. The childminder respects and values the individuality of each child in her care and works hard to establish good relationships with parents. All children's needs are inclusively met and individual routines followed with regard to the requirements and preferences discussed with parents. Children make good progress in their learning as they enjoy a variety of well-organised and stimulating activities. The childminder demonstrates good capacity for continuous improvement. She identifies areas of strengths or weaknesses as demonstrated in her submitted Ofsted self-evaluation form and attends additional training courses to develop knowledge and skills further.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the risk assessment to ensure that it covers anything with which a child may come into contact, to ensure children's safety and well-being.

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the early years provision

The children are well protected by the childminder who has effective safeguarding procedures, including relevant contact details and guidance documents. She has a clear understanding of the signs of possible abuse. She maintains information, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 such as a good range of robust policies and procedures, and informative displays of certificates, registration and insurance documents are easily seen. She has a clear knowledge of her responsibilities with regard to conditions of registration and how to meet the welfare requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage. All necessary records are maintained for hours of attendance, medication, accidents and existing injuries and all parental consents are in place. Suitability checks are completed and the childminder shares required information with Ofsted regarding other adults in the house.

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the early years provision

Space and resources are organised well and the childminder checks her home regularly to ensure hazards are kept to a minimum. For example, the house is secure and equipment is suitable and safe for the ages of children attending. Some clear risk assessments are in place and most records of the checks carried out and any actions taken are effectively maintained. However, there are no written records of the assessed risks associated with some of the outings undertaken.

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the early years provision

Effective self-evaluation and monitoring systems are used and the childminder shows a keen interest in developing her skills and knowledge further. She hopes to use the knowledge and skills developed through the additional training attended and discussions with others to continually improve the quality of the provision for the children that she cares for. She regularly reviews her documentation and checks the quality and suitability of resources to ensure sustainability of her provision. The childminder is fully aware of her responsibility to communicate effectively with other professionals providing care for children at other settings. She demonstrates this through her existing relationship with the teaching staff at the school where older children currently attend and intends to use a communication book with parental agreements. She works well with parents by providing useful information about her services, obtains valuable information from

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the early years provision

parents before care commences regarding children's health and welfare needs and daily news is shared effectively. Parents are invited to offer their opinions of the childminding services on a regular basis. Some recent comments showing their appreciation include 'you are so much more than a childminder to us, we love you dearly' and 'you have been such a big influence in my child's life and a great one at that!'

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and settled in this warm and welcoming environment. Their sense of belonging is promoted as they are encouraged to self select from the range of toys available which are age appropriate and promote positive images of diversity. There are currently no children attending with either English as an additional language or special educational needs and/or disabilities, however the childminder has an good knowledge regarding supporting children and would adapt activities accordingly. The childminder adopts a calm approach to the children encouraging good behaviour through gentle reminders during play and opportunities to share and take turns with favourite resources.

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and outcomes for children

Space is organised effectively and provides children with opportunities for messy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 play, free play and physical activities and relaxation or sleep. Children enjoy meals and snacks which are provided by their parents and served by the childminder when required and freely access individual drinks through the day to ensure they are suitably hydrated. Children learn the importance of keeping safe whilst on outings through shared understanding of road safety and stranger danger. They show good awareness of their personal hygiene as they wash their hands thoroughly and take care of their own toileting needs.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder demonstrates a sound knowledge of the children in her care and fosters their individual needs appropriately. An effective system for recording individual progress is in place. Clear and detailed observations, both planned and spontaneous, are used which link to the specific areas of learning and development. The evaluations carried out identify children's next steps for learning. As a result, the childminder provides stimulating and well-organised experiences to encourage further development. She liaises effectively with parents, gaining initial information about their child's abilities and interests, and continues to build on this through sharing lovely examples of their work and photographs of various fun activities at the setting and on outings.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder interacts well with the children asking age-appropriate questions and responding positively to their actions. There is a good balance of adult-led and freely-chosen or child-initiated activities. At the setting children select favourite resources from the low-level storage in the playroom or from equipment that the childminder has set out for them. They enjoy listening to stories together, turning the pages and using the props from the story sacks to make the story come alive. A good range of games, puzzles and construction bricks develop their understanding of shape, size and colour. Counting and sorting skills are developed as children collect leaves and compare them to work out which trees they have fallen from. Children use their imaginations as they dress up in various costumes or select hats to wear and serve imaginary food at a picnic in the playroom. Experiences such as meeting up with other childminders and their children, walks

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and outcomes for children

to the local shops and playing in the park provide children with developing awareness of their community and time to explore and investigate the world around them. In addition to this they learn about caring for living things as they help the childminder to care for animals at a local farm and donkey sanctuary. 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 develop an action plan to demonstrate how a qualification at a minimum of Level 2 in an area of work relevant to childcare, or training in the core skills as set out in the document common core of skills and knowledge for the children s workforce will be achieved (Qualifications and training). 07/01/2011

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