Childminder in Sunderland

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY267049 Inspection date 17/01/2011 Inspector Lindsey Pollock

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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 2003. She lives in Sunderland with her adult son. The whole of the ground floor and the first floor bathroom of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of four children aged under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently three children on roll in this age group. She also provides care for older children. The childminder cares for children Monday to Friday, all year round. The childminder holds a current paediatric first aid certificate. The family have a dog.

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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 is an experienced and dedicated childcare practitioner. Children in her care are very happy and relaxed and are valued as individuals. They are making good progress in their learning and development and their welfare is well promoted. The childminder uses a variety of methods to effectively evaluate her service, including self-evaluation forms and verbal feedback from parents. She has a positive attitude to developing her provision. Consequently, the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the use of summative assessments so children's progress can be continually tracked and this information used to inform planning  work in partnership with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage to promote continuity in children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed effective policies and procedures and consistently follows these to ensure children are safeguarded. Thorough risk assessments are undertaken to enhance children's safety on the premises and on outings. Where hazards are identified, action is taken to minimise any risk, for example, preventing access to harmful substances and the fire. Checks have been completed on household members to ensure they are suitable to have regular contact with the children. The childminder is very well organised. She manages her time well; planning her day to ensure children benefit from her full attention and support while in her care. Her documentation is accurately kept, up-to-date and available for inspection. Clear procedures, records and parental consents are obtained, in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 relation to accidents and the administration of medication, further safeguarding

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the early years provision

The childminder gains information from the internet and training courses to support her in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This helps to promote the continuous improvement of her childminding practice and enables her to keep up-to-date with current childcare issues. Through reflecting and self- evaluating her practice, the childminder is beginning to analyse her strengths and identify areas for development. This helps her raise the quality of care and education. The recommendation raised at the last inspection has been suitably met as the childminder has now completed a paediatric first aid training course. Children are very much valued as individuals and the childminder treats each one with respect. She has a good understanding of their needs and ensures full information is obtained from parents to address these. Resources are plentiful, of good quality and are easily accessible to children; which helps to promote their

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the early years provision

independence. These include resources such as books and jigsaws which reflect our diverse society which are helping children to develop positive attitudes towards others.

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the early years provision

Positive working partnerships with parents are in place. The parent spoken to during the inspection speaks highly of the care provided to her child. The childminder shares details of her policies and procedures so parents are fully informed of the provision. Children have only recently started attending nursery. As yet, the childminder has not established systems to share information about their learning and development, to ensure progression and continuity of care and education.

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and outcomes for children

Children are secure and enjoy a warm relationship with the childminder, which promotes their emotional well-being. They are very comfortable in the home and approach the childminder and her son with confidence and affection. The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and is confident in providing activities to support this. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and engage in a range of activities to encourage their overall development. The childminder is beginning to record her observations of children's interests and achievements. However, she is not using the information from these observations to complete summative assessments to help track children's progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are becoming increasingly independent. Even the youngest children feed themselves and as they get older, they manage their personal needs and put on their shoes in preparation for nursery. They enjoy listening to a wide range of music, from children's songs to their favourite music based reality television singers. They enjoy books, choosing from the wide selection including favourites such as 'Funny Bones'. The childminder encourages and promotes this interest of books by taking the children to the local library where they join in with organised storytelling sessions and choose books to borrow. Indoors, children keep fit and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 exercise their bodies as they learn how to balance, stretch, touch their toes and dance to music. They love being outdoors. They experience all types of weather, such as the recent heavy snowfall when they enjoyed the company of the older

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and outcomes for children

children when their school was closed. They concentrate well as they cut out their bread buns from the dough mix. They show how well their fine motor skills are developing as they carefully glaze each bun using a pastry brush. They show good levels of self-esteem as they proudly show the inspector the photographs in their learning journals and admire their paintings and pictures. Mathematical awareness is well promoted through everyday activities, such as climbing the stairs and looking at numbers in the environment. Well chosen resources help children to learn how to match and sort and they have much fun finding the correct heads for the bodies on their puzzles.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder actively encourages good hygiene practices with the children. They learn about personal care routines as they brush their teeth and wash their hands at appropriate times of the day. The childminder provides snacks and meals that are well balanced and healthy, to aid children's growth and development. They learn about what foods are good for them as they help with the shopping and help to prepare vegetables for tea. Their understanding of how to keep themselves safe is developing well. They are familiar with the emergency evacuation procedures, which they practise regularly and they learn about road safety on outings. 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 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 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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