Childminder in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY411438 Inspection date 19/01/2011 Inspector Jan Leo

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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 registered in 2010. She lives with her husband and two children, aged one and six years, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The childminder uses the whole of the ground floor of the house for childminding with sleeping facilities upstairs. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder makes use of local facilities such as parks, the library and toddler groups to extend the learning and development opportunities for children.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of four children under the age of eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. The childminder currently cares for a total of four children, three of whom are in the early years age range. All attend on a part time basis.

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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

The childminder strives to provide a stimulating programme and is building improving relationships to help children feel safe in her care. Most aspects of health and safety are effective but the demands of young children are sometimes difficult to meet resulting in signs of distress when some young children have to wait to join an activity. All of the required documentation is in place and the standard of care is generally high. However, there are some inconsistencies in procedures and practice. The childminder is dedicated to continuing her own development in order to raise standards and she is beginning to use a self- evaluation process to identify areas for improvement. Strong bonds are already established between the childminder and children's other carers to consolidate children's learning and development and help provide them with the skills they need for the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 vary the order of doing things to respond sensitively to children's need for being acknowledged first sometimes  improve the consistency of procedures and practice to help children understand the consequence of their actions and fully support the learning and development programme. 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 a secure understanding of the child protection procedure and is keen to develop her knowledge to become more familiar with the referral process. She understands her responsibility to safeguard children from harm and supervises them closely at all times both on and off site. The childminder is building secure relationships with children to help them feel safe and has agreed to increase attendance at times to help speed the settling in process. Risk assessments are effective in helping preserve children's well-being and the children learn about a healthy lifestyle to develop good habits for later life. For example, they learn about food that are good for them during role play and benefit from fresh air on a daily basis.

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the early years provision

The childminder deploys resources very well and she makes good use of her interaction skills to include children in conversations so that they can make sense of what they see. All are included at their own level but the childminder generally settles the older children first to keep them well occupied, while younger, immobile children wait for help to join in. This sometimes causes distress and children protest at feeling left out, all-be-it for very short periods.

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the early years provision

Parents and carers benefit from regular feedback about the children's day and they have access to policies and their children's records to help learn more about the service and what the children do. Daily communication books encourage a two way exchange of information and, as a result, the partnership with parents and pre- school staff is strong. This helps adults plan a balanced programme for children using consistent strategies to aid achievement.

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the early years provision

The childminder is dedicated to providing an effective and professional service. She is pro-active in seeking out training to continue her own development and linking with other childcare professionals to share good practice and help lead improvements. She is beginning to establish her own self-evaluation process and has identified some areas to work on in order to raise standards.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy a wide range of activities to help them develop new interests and skills. The childminder sits on the floor for much of the day, playing with the children to show them how to do things and encouraging participation. For example, she helps the children make shakers to use during music time, and she shows them how to bang a drum to make noise in time with the background music.

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and outcomes for children

The level of interaction is generally good, with children receiving clear explanations and a reason for doing things. However, at times the childminder finds it difficult to maintain this standard and the reasons are not specified. This limits the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 opportunity for children to reinforce what they know and develop understanding about the consequence of their actions.

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and outcomes for children

Resources are easily available to help inspire play and the childminder rotates toys boxes to vary the activities and help children develop new interests. The children have opportunities to use an extensive range of toys and equipment within both adult led and child initiated activities. The children are free to explore resources and use them for their own purpose and they learn to operate technical toys from an early age.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder breaks the day into sections to include active, sedate, noisy and quiet activities. The children enjoy snuggling up close for a story to develop a love of books and understanding that words have meaning. They take turns to race cars around the track of a spinning game, sharing the role of starting the spinner to developing an understanding of fairness. The childminder talks to the children about the colour of the race cars and uses numbers in conversation to develop early counting skills. All learning is through play and the childminder links it fairly well to bring in other areas of learning when relevant.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder observes what children do and refers to reference guidance in order to plan appropriate next steps for each child. She is becoming more secure in her understanding of the Early Years Framework and how to deliver an effective programme for the children who attend. She shares basic planning with parents to help them understand the value of the activities but she currently has no system in place to ensure each area of learning is covered equally.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder remains calm and attentive throughout the day and her enthusiastic approach to play helps the children to become enthusiastic learners. 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 3 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 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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