Lane, Carolyne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY250496 Inspection date 07/02/2011 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 was registered in 2003, and lives in a three bedroom house in a residential area of Torquay. There are shops, schools, pre-schools, Sure start centres and other public amenities nearby. She devotes the ground floor of her house to minding, and has generally level access, with two steps accessing the rear of the house, where there is a secure garden for outside play. The childminder has a lodger who has been subject to appropriate vetting procedures.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for up to six children, including up to three children on the Early Years Register. She is registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has six children on roll, including four in the early years age group. The childminder holds a level three qualification, and has attend a range of other training. She has previously worked in group daycare settings and been a foster carer.

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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 childminder works extremely hard to give the children in her care excellent support for their welfare, learning and development. Children are given skilled support to pursue their own interests, while being guided by a practitioner who has a particularly well developed understanding of how to promote children's progress. She builds very secure relationships with both the children she cares for, and their families, so that children enjoy high levels of continuity of care between home and the setting. She also maximises opportunities to work with other childcare providers and professional agencies, both as a means to support minded children and to contribute to her own ongoing professional development, to which she is clearly committed. She is very well organised, keeping her delightful range of resources easily accessible to children, and managing her time successfully so as to ensure children enjoy a varied and interesting range of activities across the

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

week, both in her home and at a variety of locations across the local area.

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further?

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

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further?

 refining documentation available to parents so as to ensure that it reflects current procedure and practice. 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 very secure understanding of how to keep her charges safe. She undertakes a thorough risk assessment procedure on a regular basis, and employs a range of innovative strategies for keeping children safe when on outings and away from the home. As a result, children are also learning how to keep themselves safe, for example, by knowing why they wear high visibility jackets when playing in the park, or how to manipulate everyday items, such as a spectacles case, so as not to cause harm. The childminder has a comprehensive plan for dealing with emergencies and carries out regular fire drills which are recorded and evaluated. The childminder has completed extensive child protection training and is very familiar with the procedures to be followed should concerns arise, as reflected in her comprehensive and regularly updated policy for this area.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a particularly strong vision for the care she offers to young children. This vision is underpinned by a real commitment to her own ongoing professional development, through accessing regular training, peer and professional support, and through completion of a recognised quality assurance programme. She brings a strong sense of professionalism to her work, and is very much able to identify her own strengths and any areas for improvement, and then, critically, to take action to remedy any perceived weaknesses. For example, she highlighted through self evaluation a need to improve her outside space, and within a short amount of time had improved access and resources in this area to the benefit of her young charges. She acknowledges that her documentation for parents would benefit from being rationalised in order to be more coherent, but in all other respects her approach to the organisation of her provision and the

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the early years provision

management of documentation is exemplary. The provider confirms she is meeting the requirements of the Childcare Register.

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the early years provision

The childminder has worked hard to build close, effective relationships with the families of minded children. There is an excellent daily exchange of information, both written and verbal, and parents report being very much supported by the childminder through difficult times. A significant number of parents take time to contribute to the inspection process through the sharing of complimentary written comments, noting in particular how they have benefitted from her expertise in order to enrich the quality of their children's learning experiences once home. The childminder shows a similar level of commitment to forming partnerships with her peers and outside professionals in order to augment the quality of her work and bring further benefits to minded children. For example, she has devised a system for sharing information about one child with the pre-school he attends, so that he enjoys high levels of continuity of care between the two settings.

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the early years provision

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 very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. They play in a safe and inviting home environment that is organised so as to fully promote their learning and development. Toys, books and resources are pleasingly displayed and readily accessible in order that children can make independent choices throughout the day. Children's art and craft work is regularly displayed, promoting their self esteem and forming a focus for discussion with the children about their recent achievements. Children are cared for in a print rich environment make delightful independent use of books and enjoy story times that are made interesting through the use of props, such as representations of the characters. The childminder has undertaken a range of training to augment her understanding of children's language development, and makes use of simple signing to aid very young children in their self-expression. Opportunities to use

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and outcomes for children

numbers are regular and meaningful, and children are developing a good understanding of shape and comparison, as they choose the shape of paper to make pictures on, and play group games where they practice counting and identifying numerals. Children have very regular opportunities to learn about the world around them, as the childminder plans regular trips to places of local interest, such as the zoo, nature parks and the airport. They also are developing a genuine sense of the diversity of the community in which they live, for example, by making Chinese dragon puppets to celebrate Chinese New Year. The development of children's creativity and imagination is very well promoted. They enjoy opportunities to make and do, and are actively involved in the planning of such activities, and are also invited to explore colour, shape and texture in a variety of interesting ways, such as feeling gloop, investigating shredded paper, cooking, and

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and outcomes for children

using transparent coloured shapes on a light box. Children's physical skills are also given very good opportunities to develop, as they make the most of trips to local soft play centres, use large equipment in the park and play in the well organised rear garden of the property. Their manipulative skills progress as they use drawing and painting resources, and are supported to meet new challenges, such as threading beads onto string.

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and outcomes for children

They childminder has an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn and develop. She plans and provides a delightful range of activities across the week, making good use of local resources, such as outside spaces and weekly groups, as well as ensuring that the range of resources on offer within her home ignites children's interests fully. As a result, children move confidently between activities, self-selecting with independence, all with the support of a practitioner who seizes opportunities to extend and consolidate children's learning whenever they arise. She puts considerable effort into ensuring that she gets to know the capabilities and preferences of her charges quickly, and uses this vital information to plan and provide activities and resources that match children's interests and skills. Her particular interest in schemas, a theory of understanding children's play, brings a useful extra dimension to her knowledge of

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and outcomes for children

the children she cares for. Her observations of children's play are regular, detailed and recorded in such a way as to enhance her ability to identify the next steps in each child's learning. Beyond this very secure practice, the childminder is also able This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to reflect critically on her direct working with the children, readily identifying strategies for further improving her practice and putting these suggestions into place.

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and outcomes for children

At her last inspection the childminder was asked to improve her knowledge of supporting children with Special Educational Needs and/or physical disabilities. Since then she has undertaken a range of further training, which she implements directly with the children she cares for to good effect. Through close working with children's families and a range of outside agencies and professionals, the childminder has developed successful strategies for meeting the individual needs of the children she cares for to a very high degree. She upholds a strong commitment to inclusion and equality, emphasising her approach through a coherent policy and good discussions with parents and carers. Her strong, secure and warm relationships with the children she cares for enables children to give their best while attending, and as such, incidences of challenging behaviour are very rare, and when they do arise, are dealt with sensitively.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is well promoted throughout their attendance. They enjoy nutritious snacks, and through close working with families, lunchbox contents are healthy and pleasingly presented. Children are quickly learning to manage their own hygiene, as hand washing after toileting and before meals is effectively supported. Documentation systems that support the maintenance of children's medical health are in good order and treated with appropriate confidentiality. 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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