Childminder in Devon

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY347069 Inspection date 18/01/2011 Inspector Leoarna Mathias

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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 two school age children in a three-bedroomed home, in a residential area of Kingsbridge. There is a secure rear garden for children's play and level access to the house from the front door. The family have a cat, rabbits, guinea pigs and fish. There are shops, schools, a library, play groups, a leisure centre and park within walking distance.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on both the Early Years register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for up to six children, three of whom may be in the early years age group, and currently has nine children on roll, including seven in the early years age group. The childminder holds an NVQ at level 3, and has completed a range of other training, having previously worked in group settings for the care of children. She is a member of the Devon Childminding Association and the National Childminding Association, as well as an informal local network of childminders.

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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

Children thrive in a warm, inviting home that is organised to prioritise the care of minded children. They settle quickly in the care of a childminder who is skilled at entering into children's worlds, and who works hard to build secure relationships with her charges. Children also enjoy a broad range of activities both at home and during regular outings, as well as being able to genuinely contribute to the planning of activities. The childminder has a proactive attitude to her ongoing professional development, undertaking regular training opportunities and using a process of self evaluation to continuously reflect upon the quality of care she provides. As a result, she has made good progress since her last inspection, acknowledging that now only minor amendments to her process of assessing children's progress are necessary. The childminder is well organised and keeps her documentation in generally good order. She works closely with parents to ensure a

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

good flow of information between home and her setting, further promoting children's sense of security and the continuity of care between parents and the childminder.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase the rigour with which risk assessments of outings are recorded  develop further the process by which the next steps in each child's learning are planned for and reviewed. 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 well developed understanding of her child protection responsibilities, having recently updated her training in this area and revised her policy, which is fully shared with parents. Her risk assessments of her home are thorough, and her plans for dealing with emergencies, such as a fire, are clearly laid down, with fire drills practiced regularly and equipment checked on a routine basis. She recognises that her system for risk assessing outings occasionally lacks rigour. Nevertheless, she supervises the children closely, and has organised her home, both indoors and out, in a safe manner so as maximise children's access to safe play space that suits their needs. She also helps her charges to understand how to keep themselves safe, by, for example, teaching them the green cross code so that the walk to school is properly managed for the safety and enjoyment of all.

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the early years provision

The childminder is quickly growing in her capacity to reflect upon her own practice. She makes regular use of a formal system of ongoing self-evaluation, through which she demonstrates a clear ability to identify both the strengths and areas for improvement in her practice. Critically, she is then able to take action to remedy any identified weaknesses, thus creating a cycle of continuous improvement. For example, in recent evaluations she identified a need to increase the range of outdoor equipment available to children at her home, and to update her safeguarding training. With both these identified courses of action now completed, she has improved the learning environment for children and increased her knowledge and skills. Beyond such reflective practice, the childminder can express a positive vision for the type of care she is offering to young children, and adopts a proactive attitude towards seeking out training opportunities, as well as meeting

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the early years provision

regularly with her childminding colleagues from the local area to share best practice ideas. She is well organised, keeping her documentation and resources in particularly good order. She has a clear commitment to equality of opportunity, monitoring children's participation in activities to ensure equal access and maintaining a sensible policy in this area, which is shared with parents.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to working with outside professionals when children in her care need additional support, as well as making the most of opportunities to develop her own practice through regular meetings with representatives from agencies who are tasked with supporting the childminding profession. Similarly, she works hard to build strong relationships with the families of minded children. For example, she completes detailed daily diaries to share with children and their parents, as well as making both her policies, procedures and ongoing professional development portfolio readily accessible to them. Parents are consistently positive in the feedback they offer her. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. They are enthusiastic and involved in their play, and have genuine opportunities to help plan activities. For example, they ask to modify a planned craft activity making bees into one making fish, and during free play sessions, are supported and resourced so as to be able to follow their own interests. Much of their art work is pleasingly displayed, thus promoting the self esteem of the children. Their developing language skills are able supported, as the childminder engages them in conversation during play, using singing and rhyming activities throughout the day, and prioritises children's use of books. As a result, children have growing vocabularies and are familiar with a number of songs and stories. Children have good opportunities to practice using number in a variety of ways, and are becoming familiar with the concepts of shape, size and colour through

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and outcomes for children

meaningful planned activities, such as looking for cars of one particular colour on the walk to school, or using circular tissue shapes to make a variety of animal pictures. Children regularly attend local settings with the childminder, such as mother and toddler groups and childminder network meetings. Through these outings children enjoy the company of a broader range of children and access a wider range of resources and activities. They also go on regular visits to places of local interest, such as the beach or the zoo, and as such, their sense of the world around them is growing. They access a range of resources, including books, small world toys and posters that promote their understanding of diversity within our society. Creative activities are a strong feature of the programme, with children having regular opportunities to cook, to explore texture and media through painting gluing and sticking, and listen to music. Imaginative play is also a popular

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and outcomes for children

past time, with children role playing, for example, the 'supermarket', the 'swimming baths' and 'going to bed', making good use of resources and the childminder's involvement as they go.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder builds strong, secure relationships with her charges. She carries out detailed daily observations of their play, and as such, quickly constructs a picture of their abilities and preferences. She is skilled at entering into their worlds during play, thoughtfully extending their interest through the use of appropriate new vocabulary and making good suggestions as to what might happen next. She uses straightforward systems for planning activities that promote children understanding in all areas of learning, recording participation so as to ensure all have access. She has developed her understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to make pertinent observations of what children are achieving. Recent revisions of this same system are allowing her to indicate the next steps in each child's learning journey, while she acknowledges that more could now be done to review whether activities designed to promote these next steps do in fact

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and outcomes for children

extend children's understanding further. Nevertheless, she makes good use of resources and space to create an exciting learning environment in which toys and equipment are readily accessible to all. The childminder has completed additional training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and through her close working with families, works hard to become familiar with children's individual routines and needs. Beyond this, children are cared for in an This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 environment where boundaries are consistently laid out, positive praise is readily given, and children are thus willing to give of their best during their time in attendance.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder ensures that children's good health is promoted through a range of measures. Working in partnership with parents/carers, she encourages them to ensure that the contents of lunch boxes are nutritious. She consistently supports children to develop hygienic toileting routines. Children enjoy plentiful access to outside play and exercise throughout the week, both in her own home and garden, and through visits to the local play park and walks to school. 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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