Childminder in East Sussex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY298242 Inspection date 02/02/2011 Inspector Liz Caluori

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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 has been registered since 2004 and lives in Stone Cross near Pevensey, with her husband and two children aged seven and five years. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor and there is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. There are currently six children under eight years attending, of whom four are in the early years age group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the East Sussex Childminding Quality Network, the Eastbourne Childminding Network and the National Childminding Association.

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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 well organised, child-centred and extremely inclusive environment. Excellent consideration is given to identifying and addressing their individual needs and, as a result, all children are making exceptional progress in all areas of their learning and development. The childminder demonstrates a complete commitment to ongoing self-evaluation in order to make improvements aimed at providing the best possible service to the children and their families. In addition, highly successful partnership working with parents, carers and other professionals supports the childminder to provide consistent and coordinated care.

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further?

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

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further?

 reviewing the organisation of risk assessment records to more fully reflect the excellent arrangements in place to accommodate children's very individual needs.

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the early years provision

Children are very well protected by a range of robust safety precautions that are outlined to parents and carers in clear and detailed policies. The childminder fully recognises and understands her responsibilities in relation to child protection and has recently updated her training in this area. She is confident in her ability to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 determine the potential signs and symptoms of abuse and has the contact details to make a referral if necessary. The childminder undertakes the required risk assessments of her home, activities and outings. She maintains clear records, although these do not routinely include details of the excellent consideration given to adapting to the changing needs of individual children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a great commitment to ongoing self-evaluation in order to address areas for improvement in her service, and regularly canvasses the views of parents, carers and children to support her in this aim. She also very regularly attends training courses in order to ensure that her knowledge of childcare and childminding practices is constantly updated. Children benefit from the very positive relationships in place between the childminder and their parents and carers. This helps them to settle easily. Parents and carers are provided with an impressive range of written policies and procedures which outline the childminder's aims and objectives, as well as a great deal of useful information relating to the care of children. The childminder also provides them with details of the procedure to be followed should they wish to make a complaint

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the early years provision

Excellent systems are in place to support the childminder to observe and monitor children's individual progress and to plan for their next steps. She maintains detailed records that enable her to share information easily with parents, carers and other early years providers, in order to ensure coordinated and consistent care. Parents and carers are very well informed about their child's progress and take an active part in setting future goals by contributing observations from home. The childminder also has highly effective arrangements in place to work in partnership with other early years professionals.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is extremely child centred. She takes pride in the impressive and inspiring range of toys and resources she provides, including many traditional items made of natural materials. These are all very well maintained and attractively presented, and very successfully engage children's interest. The garden has been designed to offer areas where children can play safely and independently, as well as providing more adventurous areas that they can investigate with a greater level of supervision.

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the early years provision

Children's individual personalities, preferences and developmental abilities are exceptionally well understood and respected, ensuring that the are relaxed and confident in the childminders care. They are also given extremely good support to learn about diversity through discussions and thoughtfully prepared activities. They have access to a broad range of resources that promote positive images of people from throughout the community and the wider world. The childminder has also identified a number of sources, such as toy libraries, from which she can obtain additional toys, either to promote a specific area of development or to accommodate a child's individual needs. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The children are wonderfully happy, settled and engaged in the childminder's home. They are becoming very independent in their learning as a result of the support and encouragement they receive to make choices and decisions. They select the resources they wish to investigate and are confident to try new things and make mistakes in a secure environment.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a superb mix of free play and adult initiated activities. The childminder skilfully plans activities that increase their knowledge and understanding and help them to develop practical life skills, for example, cooking. In addition, activities such as learning about guide dogs, celebrating Chinese New Year and taking part in fund raising events, support the children to learn about other people and to respect differences. This, along with their regular attendance at local groups, prepares children very well to interact confidently with the people who will later become their friends, neighbours and colleagues.

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and outcomes for children

Strong focus is placed on promoting children's emotional wellbeing. The childminder is extremely responsive to children's care needs and they respond very well to her warm, caring manner. Children demonstrate their sense of security by approaching the childminder readily for attention, a cuddle or just to share a smile. They are also taught a range of skills to help to keep themselves safe; for example they learn about road safety and all wear yellow high visibility jackets when out and about. The childminder promotes this to the children by referring to them as the 'yellow team'.

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and outcomes for children

Good support is offered to children to develop their communication, language and literacy. Children enjoy looking at books and listening to familiar stories. They are also developing their vocabulary with the excellent support of the childminder. Children are also given regular opportunities to practice their writing and pre- writing skills; for example, young children enjoy using their finger to draw on magnetic 'doodle boards'. Similar attention is given promoting children's problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. They learn to count, recognise written numerals and understand basic mathematical concepts such as addition and subtraction. They also enjoy activities such as construction, puzzles and shape sorters.

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and outcomes for children

Children are exceptionally well supported to learn about the importance of following healthy lifestyles. They play in a clean, hygienic environment and routinely wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet. The childminder has a clear healthy eating policy that is shared with parents and carers. She reinforces children's understanding of the importance of good nutrition through activities to consider different food groups and to plan balanced meals. Children have also previously enjoyed playing with an oversized set of play dentures in order to learn how to brush their teeth properly.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is completely successful in her aim to provide children with a homely, inspiring environment in which they can develop their potential and learn This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to take pride in their individuality. 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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