St Teresa's Catholic Junior School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 104665 Inspection date 13/01/2011 Inspector Carol Cox

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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 with her husband and two school-aged children in a detached property, formerly the village stores, in the village of Shirwell, near Barnstaple. She was first registered in 1994 and moved to these premises in 2006. The whole of the childminder's home is registered for use by minded children. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register to care for no more than 6 children under 8 years at any one time, of these, not more than 3 may be in the early years age group at any one time. When the childminder is working with an assistant, they may care for no more than 9 children under 8 years; of these, not more than 6 may be in the early years age group, and of these, not more than 3 may be under 1 year at any one time. The childminder is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder currently cares for six children in the early

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Description of the childminding

years age group. The childminder collects children from a nearby school and arranges to collect children from a local work place to facilitate parents who work shifts. The family have a pet dog and fish.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder and her assistant provide wonderful care to promote each child's learning and development. They use their excellent knowledge of how children learn and their highly effective partnerships with parents to help children make very good progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder has reflected on her provision effectively and identified areas for future development to ensure continuing improvements. Since her last inspection she has made tremendous progress to implement the learning and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is truly committed to ongoing professional development to provide the best possible care for each and every child.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 record details of fire drills practised with children

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the early years provision

Children are very effectively safeguarded because the childminder ensures that her knowledge of child protection issues and Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures is current. She attends regular training and shares her concise and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 robust policy and procedure with parents. Only those adults authorised by parents are allowed to collect children, their names are carefully documented and parents inform the childminder who will collect their child. She understands the importance of checking all those who have unsupervised contact with children whilst in her care and has obtained a Criminal Records Bureau check for her adult son. Children's safety is further secured through the robust risk assessments made of all aspects of her provision. Although the childminder practises regular fire drills with children, records are not fully detailed. She is meticulous in planning for children's

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the early years provision

safety when on outings. For instance she has compiled a detailed outings file which includes all relevant information about the childminder, her assistant and each minded child. This is carried at all times and means that vital information is easily accessible to the emergency services.

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the early years provision

The childminder offers a vast range of toys and resources which children can safely and easily access. The selection of resources include many which are handmade, for example a beautiful poster showing faces of many different children including those of minded children, the childminder and her assistant. Children learn about their community and the exciting diversity of people through carefully planned outings. They regularly visit a café in the nearby town where they meet up with other childminders and their children to share lunch. They observe and discuss people they see around them and sometimes invite parents to join them in their lunch hour. Each child is valued as a special and unique person, their families and home life are always considered and their partnerships regarded as paramount. The childminder has a sensitive understanding of the changing needs of families and offers a flexible service. For example, she arranges to pick up children from a

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the early years provision

nearby workplace to help parents who work shifts. Parents complete regular questionnaires where they describe the fantastic service their children enjoy and the support available to families.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very efficient and shares her professional expertise with her assistant who is well qualified. They form an enthusiastic team committed to providing excellent care for children. They attend regular training and are continually reflective of their practice. Through thoughtful self-evaluation the childminder identifies areas for development. For example, both the childminder and her assistant hold paediatric first aid certificates which expire in May 2011, she has booked renewal courses for March to ensure there is no period when neither have appropriate first aid certificates. She has fully embraced the Early Years Foundation Stage and demonstrates excellent capacity for continuous improvement. The childminder and her assistant share a vision of providing superb learning opportunities within a 'sofa and cuddles' environment where every child is cherished and their potential effectively realised.

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and outcomes for children

Children make excellent progress in the childminder's expert care. With the support of her assistant they offer a fantastic range of activities and learning opportunities which cover all areas of learning. Both the childminder and her assistant have a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 deep and well informed knowledge of how children learn so they are able to respond immediately to extend learning in children's own play. Children are free to choose from the fabulous range of resources and the childminder and her assistant are highly skilled in promoting children's learning through spontaneous activities arising from children's own interests. For example, two children enjoy a story about a new baby; this prompts a discussion about bodies and requires further research. The assistant finds a simple anatomy book and together they discover how bodies work. The children then draw around their feet and use rulers to

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and outcomes for children

measure and see who has the biggest! One boy draws toes on his feet then 'writes' his name on his picture. He counts the inches on the ruler and announces his feet are six inches long. When he tries to measure another child's foot he inverts the ruler and says it is nine inches long, the childminder recognises this and explains it to him. Children quickly learn that marks have meanings and begin to recognise their own names, for example on the self registration board. The childminder helps children learn safe physical skills, for example a toddler has competently learned to go down the steps to the playroom by turning around and going on his belly. He busily moves from room to room and then tries to take the doll's buggy down the steps. The childminder helps him by explaining that she will hold the front while he tips the back wheels, 'Just like mummy does'. Children's speech and language development is stimulated and enhanced through challenging

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and outcomes for children

questioning to help children think and solve problems. They joyously make music with different instruments and happily sing along to familiar songs and rhymes. Children's achievements are observed and noted in their learning journals. These documents are beautifully illustrated with photographs and examples of their work and identify next steps in learning. Each child?s progress towards the early learning goals is carefully assessed and documented. Parents are invited to share these records and contribute their own observations and comments. With such knowledge and attention to detail, coupled with the adults' positive attitude and obvious joy in children's development it is evident that children learn so admirably.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very settled and show a strong sense of confidence and security in the childminder's care. Children learn about safety from an early age, for example a three year old puts toys away to make sure the toddler doesn't trip. They learn about hygiene through their everyday routines such as washing hands before lunch, they delight in explaining what might happen if 'Germs get into their tummies!' Children are very fond of the childminder and her assistant and enjoy excellent interactions which mean they are confident to seek support and comfort. They are extremely confident when meeting new people and show a good understanding of the daily routines. They respond very well to directions from adults and enjoy sharing their fun and games. Children are fully involved in the setting, for example offering suggestions about next activities and reminiscing about outings and trips that they have all enjoyed. Children enjoy nutritious snacks

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and outcomes for children

and drinks provided by the childminder who works closely with parents to identify any specific dietary needs .The childminder has stringent procedures in place when administering medication or treating minor injuries, therefore, children's health needs are very well addressed. Through the excellent care and stimulating surroundings children develop exceptionally good skills for the future, they are enthusiastic learners burning with curiosity and confident to seek support. These skills will help prepare them for future learning. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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