Childminder in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY410380 Inspection date 30/11/2010 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 lives in a semi-detached bungalow in the village of Middleton Cheney near Banbury. She shares her home with her partner and their daughter aged two years. The whole of the property is used for minding. There is an enclosed rear garden for outside play. The family have a dog and a cat. The home is within walking distance of Middleton Cheney Primary School, Chenderit Secondary School, Windmill Nursery and the local pre-school group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder registered in 2010 and is on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may provide care for five children under eight years of age, of these; no more than two may be in the early years age group at any one time. She currently has children on roll although there were no children present during the inspection.

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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 provides a warm and welcoming child-centred environment where all parents and children are valued and clear relationships established. Children are all treated as individuals and the childminder gains valuable information from parents regarding requirements and preferences to ensure their needs are inclusively met and individual routines followed. 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 through identifying areas of strengths or weaknesses and attending 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  use self-evaluation and quality improvement processes as the basis of ongoing internal review.

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the early years provision

The childminder has good understanding of her safeguarding responsibilities supported by useful guidance information and current contact details. All suitability checks are completed and the childminder has good knowledge of sharing required information with Ofsted regarding other adults in the house to ensure their suitability can be accessed as required. Space and resources are organised well and the childminder checks her home regularly to ensure hazards are kept to a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 minimum. For example, the house is secure and equipment is suitable and safe for the ages of children attending. Most written risk assessments are in place and records of the checks carried out and any actions taken are maintained. However, there are no records for the risks assessed with regard to outings or the childminder's pets.

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the early years provision

The childminder understands her responsibilities with regard to conditions of registration and how to meet the welfare requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Effective self-evaluation and monitoring systems are not yet established although the childminder shows a keen interest in developing her skills and knowledge further. She holds a recognised childcare qualification and is considering working towards completion of a higher level qualification. She hopes to use the knowledge and skills developed through her training 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. She has developed good relationships with other childminders and together they discuss practice issues and share ideas. She communicates well with others who share the care of the

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the early years provision

children. For example, information to ensure children's needs and preferences are met is discussed with another childminder and consistent methods developed.

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the early years provision

The childminder works well with parents by providing useful information about her services. This includes a good range of robust policies and procedures and informative displays of certificates, registration and insurance documents. Information is obtained from parents before care commences regarding children's health and welfare needs and daily news is shared effectively. All necessary records are maintained for hours of attendance, medication, accidents and existing injuries and all parental consents are in place.

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and outcomes for children

Although there were no children present during the inspection, the childminder provides evidence through discussion and photographs that children are confident and settled within her home. 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 no children currently attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language. However, the childminder demonstrates good knowledge of appropriate systems to adopt and would adapt activities and practice accordingly.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder explains that she 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. She enables children learn the importance of keeping safe by ensuring they sit carefully to the table to use appropriate tools. She encourages children to develop good awareness of their personal hygiene by washing their hands and taking care of their toileting needs. Space is organised effectively and provides children with opportunities for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 messy play, free and physical activities and relaxation or sleep. Parents mainly provide a packed lunch for their children, although the childminder provides healthy snacks such as raisins and fresh fruit and drinks are available throughout the day to ensure they are suitably hydrated. The childminder provides evening

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and outcomes for children

meals if requested she states that the children particularly like pasta and meatballs or shepherds pie with mixed vegetables.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder demonstrates an enthusiastic knowledge of the children in her care and fosters their individual needs accordingly. A clear system for recording individual progress across the six areas of learning and development is established. She recognises and records children's achievements through observations during play and provides stimulating and well-organised experiences to encourage further development. The childminder's flexible planning and evaluations show a good balance of adult-led and freely-chosen or child-initiated activities. Children are able to select favourite resources from low-level storage such as familiar stories, jigsaws and board games. The childminder explains how children enjoy one-to-one times with her playing with play dough, drawing pictures or making collages as well as group games with older children when they arrive after school. Children extend their own learning as they share ideas for what they would like to do. For

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and outcomes for children

example, they have made cup cakes and are looking forward to making sausage rolls later in the week and have chosen how they would like to decorate the playroom for Christmas. Outdoor opportunities are delivered through good use of the garden and the local park. Here, children can enjoy the fresh air whilst using a range of traditional equipment such as swings and slides or bats and balls. Additional experiences such as walks to the local shops or attending various groups, activity centres and music sessions provide children with developing awareness of their community and time to explore and investigate the world around them. 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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