Childminder in Luton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY236067 Inspection date 31/01/2011 Inspector Diane Ashplant

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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 2002. She lives with her husband and three children aged 16, 14 and nine in Luton, Bedfordshire. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and currently has 13 children on roll of whom five are in the early years age range. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children and attends a variety of other early years groups. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification. The family has one hamster.

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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 thrive in this welcoming, family home where their welfare, learning and development are well supported as the childminder has a very good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She gets to know the children very well and provides an inclusive service where children's individual needs are well met. She has very comprehensive systems in place to assess the effectiveness of her practice and demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement through training. Partnership with parents is excellent and the childminder has established very good links with others to support outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of the risk assessment to include assessments for each type of outing  review further the procedures for hand washing to more effectively reduce the risk of cross infection.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as the childminder has a very secure understanding of her role and responsibilities in protecting children from potential harm or abuse and how to pass on concerns appropriately. She has attended recent training to heighten her awareness in this area and has a clear and comprehensive policy which she shares with parents. The childminder maintains a safe and secure household where any hazards are carefully addressed to ensure children's safety and where she has all procedures in place regarding, for example, safe collection and transport of children. She uses an effective system of risk assessment which she updates and reviews, although this does not cover all the different types of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outings which take place which means that all hazards may not be clearly identified. The childminder knows that adults around children must be

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the early years provision

appropriately checked or fully supervised and ensures that Ofsted are informed of all adults resident in the household. The childminder has a good commitment to her own professional development and uses systems for self-evaluation very effectively to assess her own practice, drawing on the views of both parents and children.

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the early years provision

The childminder usefully deploys the space within her home to meet the needs of the children, for example, having a quiet sleep room in the dining room and an inviting playroom in the conservatory with easy access to the outdoor area. She has a wide selection of resources which children can choose freely from and these are added to by those from the local toy loan library. Children benefit from attending various groups where they have a range of stimulating play and learning experiences and also enjoy visits to other local amenities and places of interest. The childminder supports children's individual needs exceptionally well, working closely with parents and acquiring useful knowledge through training courses or the use of the internet. She engages with other professionals as appropriate to ensure children are helped to achieve their potential. The childminder has recently become part of the local Disabled Children's Access to Childcare scheme so that

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the early years provision

she can offer respite care to families in the area and has training and regular visits to ensure she can confidently care for children with additional needs.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents works extremely well and the childminder ensures she always has an 'open door' approach to partnership. Information is exchanged in many different ways such as regular discussion, the daily diary for younger ones and children's individual development profiles. Newsletters are also used to share useful information or keep parents up-to-date with interesting events. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning as children take items of their work home and parents are able to view the comprehensive development profile which shows children's progress through photos, observations and links to the areas of learning. There are excellent partnerships in place within the local community such as the local school and preschool where information is exchanged both verbally and through the development profile to ensure children receive the right support. As part of a flourishing network the childminder is able to keep herself fully aware of

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the early years provision

current practice and has good support and training to further enhance her own development and continuously improve outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare and overall development is very well supported in an environment where they are content and make warm relationships with the childminder. Children enjoy a range of healthy snacks and have free access to drinking water at all times and information is shared with parents about suitable contents for lunch boxes. The childminder is undertaking the Healthy Eating Award for Under 5s and works closely with parents to support any individual dietary needs. Children carry out regular routines to promote their health, such as, daily hand washing, hands over mouths when coughing and teeth cleaning. However, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 infection control is not fully supported for all attending, as although all children within the early years age range have their own towels, out of school children share towels. Children have lots of time in the fresh air as they walk to and from

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and outcomes for children

school or play in the park. They have easy access to the garden where they enjoy a range of activities in the warmer weather to promote their physical skills and coordination as well as having fun with the sand and water. Children are encouraged to learn to be responsible for their own and other's safety as they are regularly reminded about safe play and take part in fire drill practices. When they are out walking in the community they know about the green cross code and stranger danger. Children know the routine well and are learning how to behave through the clear and calm guidance of the childminder who provides lots of praise and encouragement to help develop their self-esteem. She also links with other practitioners and shares strategies, for example, a sticker chart to promote a consistent and planned approach to behaviour management. She effectively supports children's independent play choices and helps them develop social skills

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and outcomes for children

like tidying up, sharing toys and taking turns. Children are learning about the wider world through diverse resources and play activities around different cultural celebrations such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. Children benefit immensely from attendance at a wide variety of other early years settings and enjoy exciting trips to such places as museums and the Discovery Centre where they learn more about the history of the local area.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning and development is very well supported through experiencing many different play opportunities where the childminder naturally engages with them to help extend their interest and learning. There is a very good balance of children's choice and adult involvement. Children are able to choose from a range of accessible resources and also enjoy sitting with the childminder to share activities. The childminder knows what children like through discussions with the parents who also complete individual forms about their children's abilities at the start to aid their settling in. Through this and her own observations the childminder is able to use children's particular interests, such as a favourite pig character or cars and the train track to capture their imagination and extend their learning through questions and prompts. Children are beginning to develop a real love of books as they select their own or share one with the childminder. They are

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and outcomes for children

developing early language skills through everyday conversation and taking part in songs and nursery rhymes. They enjoy many different craft activities to develop their creativity and imagination both inside and out and have various opportunities to mark make, colour and design. The childminder expertly uses everyday routines to prompt discussion, to practice numbers and colours or to share snippets from home and family. Children are learning to problem solve and understand shapes as they try and fit together the pieces of the train track and then manoeuvre different vehicles along.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses her systems of observation and assessment very effectively to identify children's progress and plan for their next steps. She has excellent processes for monitoring the children through her observations, both spontaneous and more detailed, which are linked to their progress in the different areas of learning. All this evidence is systematically collected together and recorded in children's individual development profiles which are made available to parents so This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they can keep fully involved in their children's day and join with the childminder in celebrating their successes. 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 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 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 2 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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