Home Childcarer in Essex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY356378 Inspection date 13/12/2010 Inspector Moira Oliver

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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 2007 and lives with her family in Clacton. The whole of the downstairs of the childminder's home is used for childminding and they access the toilet upstairs. A secure enclosed garden is used for outdoor play activities and the family has three cats as pets. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time. She is currently minding 15 children, 13 of whom are in the early years age range.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder works closely with two assistants, however, she takes overall responsibility for the childminding practice. When working together, they may care for a maximum of 10 children aged under eight years.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder also offers care to older children and is registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She collects children from the local school and attends a toddler group, parks, indoor play areas and the library regularly. She is a member of an approved childminding network and currently receives early education funding for three- and four-year-olds.

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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

Children thrive in the high quality setting and progress exceptionally well through the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are happy, confident and strong trusting relationships have developed between the childminder, her assistants and the children. Partnership with parents is a key strength and they are fully involved in their child's learning and development in the setting. Children's welfare is generally well promoted and they are very safe and secure. The childminder is committed to her work and encourages reflective practice, providing a very strong basis for her capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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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 hygiene procedures to limit the spread of infection with regards to nappy changing routines.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent understanding of her roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children from abuse and neglect. Her practice is supported with clear, robust policies and procedures that are carried out consistently and shared with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents. Training is up-dated to ensure she is informed of new legislation and this is cascaded to her assistants to ensure consistency. Thorough risk assessments are carried out on all areas of her home and garden and for each outing they take, ensuring children are cared for in a safe and secure environment at all times. Children receive lots of individual attention as all adults work closely with the children, supervising them at all times.

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the early years provision

The childminder is qualified and has a wealth of experience in childcare which she brings to her role as a childminder. She is dedicated to her work and monitors and evaluates her provision closely, identifying strengths and areas for development. She has a clear vision and strives to improve her practice further. For example, she has plans to develop the outdoor area further by providing additional cover and a larger paved area. This will provide wider choice and opportunities for children to take their learning outdoors in all weathers. Other childcare professionals are involved in the monitoring of the provision as she works through the accreditation process. Questionnaires are given to all parents to invite their views and comments and parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They are delighted with the progress their children make and feel involved in their child's learning within the setting. For example, they speak daily to the adults

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the early years provision

about what their children have been doing. In addition, they have more formal opportunities to discuss their child's progress during termly planned meetings where they look through their child's developmental folder and discuss the next steps in their learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises the days to provide the children with a balance of adult- led and child-initiated activities both indoors and out. They confidently access a wide range of toys and equipment from low-level storage as they choose their activities. Children enjoy taking part in the adult focused activities as these are planned around individual children's interests. Resources are used effectively to promote equality and diversity. For example, children dress-up in a range of costumes, they cook and prepare a variety of different foods. They use good quality books to promote discussions about similarity and difference and all learn some simple signs to help communication. The childminder is qualified in special educational needs and has lots of ideas about how to support children with additional needs. For example, she has a variety of visual aids, such as, pictures and photographs, to enable children to choose their activities.

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the early years provision

The childminder works very closely with both her assistants to ensure they provide a consistent approach. They observe, assess and plan together, bringing their own interests and ideas to add to the children's experiences. All the adults know the children exceptionally well and plan for them using their observations and assessments and prioritising next steps in each child's learning and development. Each child has their own record of development which is set out with photographs and observations and becomes a valuable record to share with the children and the parents. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have fun in the stimulating environment. They play exceptionally well together, enjoying each others company and have built close friendships. They interact well with the childminder and her assistants, involving them in their play and it is obvious that they are very fond of each other. Children have lots of opportunities to make choices, for example, whether they play indoors or out and what they put on their biscuit to decorate it. They confidently select toys to extend the activities, for example, they select the toy Santa to add to the snowmen in their skittles game.

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and outcomes for children

Children's language is developing as they chat to the adults and each other. They are inquisitive, asking questions as they learn about the world they live in. Babies babble to communicate and make themselves understood when they want something, such as their snack. The adults chat back to them, smiling and encouraging them. The childminder is creative in the way she encourages children to develop a love of books and writing. For example, they make their own instruction manuals on how to make an igloo from plastic milk bottles. They use pictures and the adults write the instructions for the children to follow. Children make up their own stories which are also written up and made into books to share with others. They learn about sequencing with the story books as they talk about the beginning, the middle and the end. They use numbers as they count their fingers for their ages and some older children recognise the numbers on the

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and outcomes for children

displays on the walls. They learn about simple calculations as they count down the turns they have had in a game and work out how many turns they have left.

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and outcomes for children

Children have many opportunities to explore nature and the seasons as they visit the park and the beach. They help to collect sand, sea-weed, stones, shells and other items drifted in on the beach and use them to make a collage. They are creative and use a variety of painting and printing techniques; their work is valued and displayed on the walls or in books to share with their parents. They enjoy role- play and play at cooking, as well as hairdressers. Children also express themselves through music as they sing together, learning a selection of Christmas songs and dance to music.

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and outcomes for children

Children are gaining an understanding of healthy living as they take part in physical activities such as, kicking a football to knock down the skittles and having a snow-ball fight with soft woollen balls. They have daily exercise in the fresh air and have opportunities to develop their physical skills as they climb, balance, run, jump and peddle in the garden and in the children's play areas. They are becoming skilled at picking up small items, such as, raisins, cherries, and blackcurrants and squeezing icing out of tubes as they decorate biscuits for snack. They eat a variety of foods for snack, trying out new textures and learning about foods that are good for their bodies. Babies and very young children are contented and settle well as their physical, dietary and individual needs are met exceptionally well. They sleep, eat and play according to their home routines and their unique needs each day.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about good personal hygiene through daily hand washing routines, however, nappy changing routines are not always robust. For example, they are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sometimes carried out on a bath mat or towel which cannot be wiped down between each nappy change, potentially spreading infection.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn how to keep themselves safe in the childminders home. For example, they make up simple house rules which are displayed to remind them. They learn about road safety and take part in monthly fire-drills and can describe the procedure. Children behave well; they know their boundaries and what is expected of them. They play games to support them to take turns and share and help each other tidy up the toys to make room for another game. The childminder and her assistants are consistent in their approach to the children; they value the children and treat them with respect. They are calm and relaxed and have very effective strategies to support the children to manage their own behaviour. 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 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 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 2 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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