Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Stockport

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY414752 Inspection date 13/01/2011 Inspector Susan Heap

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Type of setting Childcare on domestic premises 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 setting

Sarah's Little Angels was registered as childcare on domestic premises in 2010. It is situated in the Hazel Grove area of Stockport and is open each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm all year round. The manager lives on the premises with her husband and two children aged six years and one year. Children have access to the whole of the downstairs of the property and a secure back garden is available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered to care for a maximum of 10 children under eight years at any one time, all of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently 15 children on roll, 14 of whom are in the early years age range. This includes a number of two and three-year-old children who are in receipt of nursery education funding.

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Description of the setting

Provision for children over five years to eleven years is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The manager works with three assistants. The manager and one of her assistants have early years qualifications at Level 3 or above.

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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 setting provides early years provision that is consistently of an exceptionally high quality; children's care, safety and learning are paramount. There is an exemplary commitment to continuous improvement through the manager and her assistants continually reflecting on their daily practice. Areas identified for improvements are realistic and challenging. Children have excellent opportunities to enjoy a wide range of fun and interesting activities. As a result, all children make excellent progress in their learning and development and receive excellent support. Partnerships with parents and other professionals to promote progression and continuity for children are excellent.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve opportunities for children to explore and learn in a challenging outdoor environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety is paramount. As a result, rigorous risk assessments of the home and outings are completed and all safety features are fully in place. The manager and her assistants have a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding issues and all adults who work within the home are vetted. Induction procedures are robust and secure, which means that all staff have an exemplary understanding of health and safety issues. The manager demonstrates an excellent commitment to attending training to improve her knowledge and skills and to support staff development.

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the early years provision

The manager's energy, enthusiasm and clear vision for continual improvement and professional development ensure that all children benefit from a vibrant and dynamic setting. She continually reflects on her daily practice. Though self- evaluation and daily discussions with her assistants, she shows an exemplary commitment to improvement, such as developing the outdoor area to offer children more challenge and variety. She is an excellent role model and works exceptionally well in partnership with her assistants. This ensures all aspects of the setting run smoothly and efficiently. The setting engages very well with other settings that children may attend, to promote progression for children by complementing and extending their learning experiences.

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the early years provision

A highly collaborative environment is created between the setting and partnership with parents. Extremely detailed information is gathered during the settling-in process to ensure that all aspects of children's care, learning and development are fully known and understood. Parents are actively involved in children's learning; their observations and comments are used to aid and inform future planning for children's development. As a result, all children are valued as individuals and inclusion is reflected in daily practice. Parents' views are actively sought through an annual questionnaire, to enhance the provision and improve outcomes for children. Examples of parents written comments demonstrate how highly they value the professional care and excellent quality of activities offered to their children. They particularly enjoy the fact they are invited to join in planned activities with their children on days they would not normally attend, such as

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the early years provision

Rhyme Time. A recent success has been the Blog site. Parents are able to view photographs and videos of their child's day and add their own comments. Newsletters are also posted on the site to inform parents of key information, such as planned activities or updates on health issues.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to enjoy a wide range of activities which help to promote their health and well-being. These also develop their understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. For example, children develop good self-care skills as they clean their teeth after lunch. Children are well nourished, benefit from This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 an extremely healthy diet and eat at regular intervals. Healthy eating is effectively promoted as children grow French beans, lettuce, carrots, parsnips, or strawberries. They are actively involved in the food process by planting, caring for, harvesting and eating their produce. All children benefit greatly from daily opportunities for fresh air and physical activity to develop control and coordination of their bodies, either in the garden, visiting local groups or taking part in music

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and outcomes for children

and movement activities. Children are closely monitored as they sleep safely in their prams in the fresh air.

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and outcomes for children

The staff team are exceptionally creative and provide rich, varied and stimulating activities which are fun and interesting. For example, they convert a large dice by sticking different photographs of animals on each of the six sides, which link to the current theme of winter, such as polar bear. Each of the photographs is then placed in a different part of the garden. As the dice is thrown, children have to identify the photograph and then run to the corresponding one. This helps to develop children's problem solving, communication and physical skills. Similarly, they use innovative ways of developing children's mark making skills. For example, they make patterns in fake snow or with paint mixed with frozen ice sticks. Younger children explore cause and effect toys which develop their understanding of technology. For example, pushing buttons on a shape sorter.

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and outcomes for children

The exemplary organisation of the home and how the manager and her assistants deploy themselves, fully support children learning to move around the spaces safely and confidently. Planned activities and themes, such as People Who Help Us are used successfully to extend their learning. The premises is maintained to an extremely high standard and children have access to an excellent range of resources and toy equipment, which are of high quality.

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and outcomes for children

Children make excellent progress in their learning and development in relation to their capabilities and starting points. Observations and assessment records of children's achievements and interests are rigorous and used to inform planning for the next steps in their individual learning and development. These are of exceptional quality, pay meticulous attention to detail and clearly demonstrate the needs, interests and skills of each child. A superb range of developmentally appropriate experiences and activities are provided for the children; these are interesting, fun and cover all six areas of learning. As a result, children show high levels of curiosity, imagination and concentration.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit greatly from the well-developed, warm and trusting relationships they have formed with the manager and her assistants. They demonstrate a high level of confidence and security. For example, snuggling up on the settee and interacting with adults as they sit attentively watching a documentary about polar bears. Children's behaviour is excellent; they receive clear consistent messages due to the excellent role model of the staff team. They show great interest in musical instruments and receive lots of praise for their efforts as they successfully blow into a kazoo. Their individual care needs are met extremely well; they are fully supported in their play and activities by caring adults who sensitively interact with them at their level at all times. 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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