Childminder in Tower Hamlets

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY314198 Inspection date 08/12/2010 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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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 2006. She lives in Wapping, in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of three children at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age group. The childminder is currently minding three children part time, all of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder is registered on the early years register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/toddler group. The childminder has some fish and 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

Children's welfare is promoted well within the childminders practice. They take part in a broad range of activities which are based on the Early Years Foundation Stage and help them move forward in their learning and development generally well. Excellent relationships between the childminder and parents ensure that children's individual needs are fully met. The childminder is mostly proactive in her approach towards maintaining continuous improvement and is actively developing the self- evaluation process to help her to identify areas for development which will benefit the children most.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen the use of ongoing observational assessment, including next steps in children's learning to inform planning for each child's continuing development

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the early years provision

Children's safety and welfare is promoted well because of the effective procedures in place. The risk assessment covers all aspects of the childminder's home both inside and out. It is carried out on a regular basis and includes a thorough assessment of all the outings the childminder takes children on. This means that children safety is promoted to a high level. All adults in the home have been appropriately vetted and the childminder holds a current first aid certificate, therefore she knows how to act appropriately in an emergency. The childminder This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 has a good knowledge of current child protection procedures. She backs this up with a well written policy including the local telephone numbers to call for advice or to report a concern. She shares the policy with parents to ensure they are fully aware of her duty of care to their children. The childminder strives to update her

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the early years provision

knowledge and understanding of child protection wherever possible to improve her practice by attending training on a regular basis. This means children are safeguarded well in the childminder's care.

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the early years provision

The childminder deploys resources effectively to maximise children's learning potential. They are able to move freely around the home accessing different resources which support their stage of development well. Toys are in good condition, bright, inviting and entice children to play. The childminder arranges toys for the children so they can make choices about what they play with and makes sure she is available to support and guide children whilst they play. This means their learning and development are extended effectively. The childminder promotes equality and diversity well. Regular attendance at local toddler group and trips within their local community mean children begin to understand and respect people's similarities and differences. There is a good range of resources which reflect diversity such as, dual language books, dolls reflecting children's own nationality and dressing up costumes from different countries. Children take part in

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the early years provision

celebrations from other cultures such as, making money bags to celebrate Chinese New Year and tasting foods from around the world. The childminder promotes an inclusive setting, welcoming all children equally enabling them to make progress in their learning and development whilst in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder is effectively developing her use of self-evaluation and reflective practice to identify the areas for improvement within her setting which benefit the children most. She has a clear vision for her service and the development of the children. She is proactive in her own professional development putting high importance on attending regular training to develop her own knowledge. There are effective systems in place to share information where a child attends another setting. A contact book is used three ways between the childminder the setting and the parents to ensure all information about the child, their development and achievements can be shared. This means children's learning, development and welfare and promoted successfully.

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the early years provision

The partnership with parents is outstanding. There are highly inclusive systems of communication to ensure that there are consistent and productive partnerships with parents, resulting in strong levels of engagement with the setting. For example, there is a wide range of policies, procedures and useful information relating to local childcare support and procedures shared with them. This means that they are fully aware of the service provided and the aims for their children. The childminder uses a questionnaire to seek parents opinions and suggestions for the improvement of her service. She receives extremely positive feedback from them saying they feel fully involved in their children's learning and development and are very happy with the care their children receive. An effective two-way flow of communication is established verbally and through the daily diary where the childminder shares aspects of children's health, well-being and children

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the early years provision

achievements with parents. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that the children's individual needs are met.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well settled and thrive in the childminder's care. They learn and develop at a very good pace because the childminder plans and provides a wide range of activities based on their skills and interests. The childminder skilfully asks open questions which support and extend children's thinking and help them make connections in learning. For example, there is lots of conversation in their play, the childminder ask 'what is this' and 'where does that go' as they role play cooking making children think about what they are doing. The childminder demonstrates to the children how to fit things together, they try and succeeds in putting the pieces of the kitchen together for instance fixing the food mixer into place. They are praised for their efforts which mean they build confidence to try more challenging things in their play. Children's learning is promoted through the childminder's good interaction.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy many activities which promote all the areas of learning. They learn to socialise with children of their own age as they attend different groups throughout the week. Children gain a wider view of the world around them through trips to the local places of interest such as the Tower of London, learning about the local history of the area means children learn to value what is around them. They act out familiar situations through role play pretending to make toast and cups of tea. This helps children begin to make sense of the world around them. The home is rich in signs, symbols, words and numbers because the childminder displays posters and labels toys and resources. She displays lots of photographs of the children taking part in many varied activities. This means that children begin to show a sense of themselves as a member of different communities. Children begin to explore numbers as they count whilst they play and

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and outcomes for children

make up prices for the produce available playing shops. They learn simple problem solving as they play with inset puzzles, working out how to fit the pieces into the correct shapes by turning the piece until it fits. Children benefit from a good range of play based activities which promotes their learning and development well.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is fully aware of the children's abilities and what stage of development they are at. A good system is in place to record starting points in consultation with the parents; therefore she has a good base to move children forward from. The childminder has started to develop an observational assessment of children's progress and development using a daily diary of what children have done and some examples, of their achievements. She is indicating which areas of learning the activities cover. However, she is not consistently identifying any next steps in their learning and development; therefore any planning is not fully supporting the most relevant areas of children's development. However, because there is good input from the childminder, children are moving forward well relation to their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 show a very good understanding of healthy eating because the childminder involves them completely in making healthy choices at snack and meal times. They are taken shopping for fruit and vegetables included in their meals, the childminder displays photographs of the trips with the children holding the produce next to the kitchen table so they can make the connections when they eat. They learn how to cook them and then learn why the foods are good for them through discussion at meal times. Children have very good opportunities to engage in a wide range of physical activities when out. They walk everywhere with the childminder, use challenging equipment when they attend groups and go to the park frequently. This means that children physical skills are develop extremely well.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to learn about safety because the childminder talks to them about dangers in their play. For example, they talk about the hot pots in the role play kitchen. The children show they understand as one child is seen to blow a cup of pretend tea before drinking it. This means children are beginning to recognise dangers and keeping themselves safe. Children behave well because they are engaged in activities which interest them and help them to learn. Any behaviour issues are dealt with sensitively by the childminder, at the children's level and in a calm manner. She is a good role model and teaches children to be polite saying please and thank you. The childminder praises children constantly and offers encouragement where she sees they are trying hard. This means that they become confident learners with good self-esteem. 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 1 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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