Childminder in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY408179 Inspection date 14/01/2011 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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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 2010. She lives with her husband, 17-month-old child and her parents in Taplow near Maidenhead in South Buckinghamshire. The home is close to local schools, parks, library and other community facilities. Childminding mostly takes place on the ground floor of the home, with toilet facilities provided in this area. Children sleep downstairs or upstairs as requested. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder's mother works as her co-childminder.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight, when working on her own, of whom not more than two may be in the early years age range. When working with her co-childminder she is registered to care for a maximum of 11 children under eight, of whom not more than five may be in the early years age range. There are currently 10 children on roll, of whom six are in the early years age range. Days and times of children's attendance vary.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder undertakes school runs as required and regularly takes children to local toddler groups and parks.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This newly registered childminder is gaining in experience and developing her knowledge, understanding and implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides a warm, welcoming and homely environment where children are settled, enjoy themselves and are valued as individuals. However, there are currently weaknesses in respect of some areas of children's learning and development and in arrangements for working in partnership with parents and other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Suitable precautions to promote children's safety are mostly in place. The childminder's capacity for maintaining ongoing improvement is satisfactory.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure appropriate fire control equipment, (for example, a fire blanket), is in place. (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 31/01/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop systems for tracking children's development in each area of learning to ensure their progress towards the early learning goals is effectively monitored and use the information gathered to plan for the next steps in their learning  review the risk assessment in respect of the garden pond and update further the record of risk assessment to include any assessment of risk for each and every outing  gather information about children's starting points and develop a regular two- way flow of information with parents and other providers, such as nurseries, to ensure a shared approach to supporting children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded and protected because the childminder has systems in place for identifying and responding to concerns about children's welfare. Most areas of risk are minimised appropriately overall. However, there is no fire blanket, which is a specific legal requirement and arrangements for ensuring the safety of the garden pond are not currently fully effective. This is something that is receiving attention and children do remain under constant adult supervision when they play outside. The childminder completes a record of risk assessment for the home, garden and some outings although this has not yet been expanded to take account of all trips children go on. Other records relating to childminding activities are maintained appropriately.

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the early years provision

Children are accommodated in a warm, welcoming family home where they can move freely around those areas used for minding and sit and play in comfort. They help themselves to a range of age-appropriate play materials. These are organised to encourage independent choice and decision-making. Children are cared for by two childminders who work together as a team and who complement one another well. This arrangement of shared care allows for a degree of flexibility and means that all children receive appropriate levels of support. For instance, it is possible for some children to be taken out whilst others are sleeping. The childminder's use of self-evaluation as a means of monitoring the quality of the provision and identifying and planning for continuous improvement is not yet sufficiently well developed. However, she is reflective and demonstrates a keen desire to build further upon her existing practice. For example, she has enrolled on some relevant

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the early years provision

training courses and is seeking the support of another more experienced childminder.

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the early years provision

Each child is valued as an individual and the childminder makes a point of treating everyone, both minded children and her own child, fairly and with equal concern and respect. She adapts activities as necessary, thus enabling children to participate at their own level. Children have access to some resources that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 promote positive images of social diversity, which helps them learn about the wider world in which we live. The childminder has approached parents for information about the different festivals and celebrations they enjoy at home with their children so that these can also be introduced within the childminding setting.

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the early years provision

Parents are very pleased with the care their children receive and with the overall service provided as expressed in written testimonials provided for the purposes of the inspection. For instance, they comment on 'the friendly and welcoming feeling in the house, the way the childminders take a personal interest in each and every child' and they note that their children 'have fun and are happy and enjoy their time'. Parents are mostly informed about the organisation of the childminding service informally. There is a daily exchange of information which is complemented by a written diary. However, arrangements for working in partnership with parents in respect of children's learning are not yet fully developed. Furthermore, the childminder has not yet devised systems to promote partnership working with other providers, such as nurseries, who also deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage to children in her care, to fully ensure the integration of care, education and

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is kind and caring towards children, which aids the development of trusting relationships. Children behave well overall and they gain understanding of the importance of polite, co-operative behaviour, for example, through the intervention of sensitive support to encourage turn-taking and sharing, where necessary. Children benefit from praise and encouragement which allows them to feel proud of themselves and promotes their developing self-esteem. They enjoy seeing their artwork displayed within the home and are keen to show this off to others.

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and outcomes for children

Children are presented with a variety of experiences and activities, inside and outside the home. These enable them to make satisfactory progress overall in their learning and development and gain necessary skills for the future. Children have the confidence to help themselves to toys that attract their attention and they investigate these with interest. For instance, they enjoy playing with the trains and cars and spend time sending these down the ramp on the toy garage. They watch intently as the toys whizz down from top to bottom. Young children show understanding of cause and effect as they press buttons on different toys to make them light up or play music. This allows them to investigate technology at a basic level. They develop their communication and numeracy skills as they engage in conversation with the childminder and they take part in cookery activities where they help to measure out the ingredients. Completing puzzles encourages children

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and outcomes for children

to solve problems. Children regularly undertake art and craft activities, which allow them to explore creativity.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder and co-childminder are developing their knowledge and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understanding of the learning and development requirements and their role in supporting children's learning. They respond to children's particular interests. For example, they have recently taken them for a train ride because some show lots of interest in the toy trains. This adds to the different experiences they receive and allows them to explore their local community. The childminders have also gathered information about other events that take place locally and they try to include a variety of these throughout the week, such as attending story time at the library and going to different toddler groups. Thus, all children benefit from different outings, which add variety to their day and enable them to mix with other children outside of the childminding setting. The childminder and co-childminder have

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and outcomes for children

started to undertake informal observations on the children. However, they have not yet developed any system to track their progress towards the early learning goals and to plan effectively for the next steps in their learning. Consequently they cannot be sure that children are always effectively challenged.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from the effective measures that are put in place to ensure they stay healthy. They enjoy daily exercise and fresh air and have opportunities to rest in accordance with their individual needs and parents' wishes. The childminders have a flexible approach with regard to the provision of food. They provide snacks and meals for children as requested and are currently working with parents and children to promote a healthier diet and encourage a wider consumption of food items. The family home is clean and well-maintained and outdoor shoes are not worn in areas where children are playing on the floor. Children are supported in following good personal hygiene routines and it is clear, from the response of children, that washing their hands at appropriate times is a normal part of their day.

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and outcomes for children

Children show that they feel safe and secure in the company of the childminder and co-minder through their willingness to approach them freely and by expressing their needs. Older children learn about safety issues as the childminder talks to them about the need to keep particular items out of the reach of younger children. They have begun to participate in fire drills, which builds upon discussions about fire safety and they learn about 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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