Childminder in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 318804 Inspection date 19/01/2011 Inspector Julie Morrison

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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 1992. She lives with her husband in the Kingston Park area of Newcastle. She has a pet dog. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is a garden for outdoor play. The childminder cares for children on weekdays from 7am to 6pm, term time only.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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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

Children are cared for in a friendly and welcoming environment by the experienced childminder. Most of the required documentation is in place and sufficient information is gathered from parents at the start. This promotes an inclusive environment and helps to meet children's individual needs. The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Although effective systems for using observations to inform future planning are not fully established, the childminder engages enthusiastically with children to help to extend their learning. The childminder has addressed all of the recommendations raised at the previous inspection and has an adequate understanding of her areas for development. This helps to promote outcomes for children.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessment so that it covers all areas and includes information on who conducted it, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Documentation) 16/02/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop effective systems to observe, analyse and use the information found out about children to plan for the next steps in their learning  develop systems to ensure that identified next steps are used to inform future planning in order to meet children's individual learning needs. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are appropriately safeguarded at the setting. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and is clear about procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child. A record of risk assessment is in place for most areas of the home. However, these do not fully meet the requirements and do not cover all areas for example, the garden. The impact of this on children's safety however is minimal, as the childminder implements effective procedures to keep children safe inside and outside of the home, such as, close supervision and using wrist straps on outings. The childminder holds an up-to-date first aid certificate and has obtained consent from parents to obtain emergency medical treatment; this means that she could respond quickly and effectively if there was an accident.

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the early years provision

The childminder makes appropriate use of space and resources. Her home is clean and well kept and provides children with ample space to play. Children independently access from a suitable range of toys and resources, which are put out by the childminder and rotated regularly to maintain children's interest. Suitable procedures to work with parents have been established, and parents speak highly of the care and learning the childminder provides. They are invited for introductory visits at which the childminder discusses how she works and shares her policies and procedures with them. Sufficient information, such as, contact details and dietary requirements are obtained from parents in order to meet children's individual needs. The childminder speaks to parents on a daily basis, which helps to keep them informed about their child's care and the activities they have been involved in. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude towards

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the early years provision

supporting children with English as an additional language. She spends time repeating words and although they have not been attending her provision long, they are clearly secure and settled in her care. No children currently attend any other settings; however the childminder is positive about working with others providers to support the needs of children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has positively addressed the recommendations raised at the previous inspection. For example, she has an up-to-date record of children's attendance. This ensures continuous improvement. She has suitably completed the Ofsted self-evaluation form and discusses practice with other childminders. This helps to evaluate her practice and adequately identifies areas for improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled at the childminder's home as she provides a welcoming environment for them. She engages enthusiastically with them, appropriately supporting their learning and providing a fun atmosphere for them to play and learn. The childminder demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 has introduced individual books for the children which record some observations of the children's learning. However, many of these are not dated and they do not identify next steps in children's learning. This means that it is difficult to track children's progress and some activities are not based on children's individual next steps in learning to be sufficiently challenging. Nevertheless, the childminder supports their learning through the use of questioning and by providing a suitable

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and outcomes for children

range of activities which satisfactorily cover all areas of learning. This helps children to make appropriate progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children's communication, literacy and language skills are promoted as the childminder chats constantly to them, talking about what they are doing and encouraging them to identify colours or name objects she has drawn. She describes how they read lots of books and sing nursery rhymes, these further support children's communication skills. Children use numbers as part of their everyday play, for example, they count how many blocks they have built and talk about how 'big' it is. They are beginning to learn about the world around them as the childminder takes them on a variety of outings. For example, they visit the Centre for Life, where they hold centipedes and learn about spiders. Planned activities with other childminders provide children with opportunities to socialise with their peers as well as raising their awareness of different cultures. A suitable range of programmable toys, along with playing games on the childminder's

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and outcomes for children

computer, helps children to begin to develop their skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Appropriate strategies are in place for managing behaviour. This is combined with regular praise and encouragement to promote children's self-esteem. As a result, children behave very well in the childminder's home. Gentle reminders, such as not to run in the house, along with practising road safety, help children to begin to learn about keeping themselves safe. The childminder appropriately supports their good health, for example, she encourages them to wash hands after using the bathroom. This is combined with regular opportunities for physical exercise, such as, walks to the park and playing football. Children do not attend if they are sick, this helps to reduce the risk of cross-infection and further promotes children's good health. 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 3 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 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 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 3 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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