Childminder in DevonOfsted inspection, 14 Feb 2011

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 104630 Inspection date 14/02/2011 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 first registered in 1999, and lives with her husband and two school-aged children in an extended bungalow in Kingsbridge. The ground floor of the home is used for minding and children have access to an enclosed lawned and decked garden, with generally level access. There are shops, a leisure centre, a Surestart Children's centre, pre-schools, schools and other amenities nearby.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for up to six children under eight years, including up to three children in the early years age group. She is registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. She currently has 21 children on roll, including 9 in the early years age group. The childminder holds a level three qualification, and has completed a range of other training. She has previously worked in group daycare settings.

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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

The childminder has created a delightfully inviting and well resourced environment for the care of minded children. She is well organised, producing and maintaining a strong range of documentation which properly underpins her work, as well as maintaining a particularly proactive approach to the safeguarding of children's welfare. She works hard at getting to know her charges quickly, building warm relationships with children, and ensuring they access a pleasing range of activities across the week, both in her home, and through her regular use of a broad range of amenities in the local area. She also builds meaningful relationships with the families of minded children, so that good levels of continuity of care between home and her setting are enjoyed by the children. The childminder adopts an enthusiastic approach to her own ongoing professional development through her accessing of training and peer support on a regular basis; as a result, her capacity

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

to identify the next steps for each child's learning, and to evaluate her own practice, is increasing.

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further?

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

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further?

 identify the next steps in each child's learning more clearly and review regularly  extend self-evaluation practice to include a regular examination of adult input and its impact on children's learning 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 the children she cares for safe. Her approach to risk assessment is particularly thorough and rigorously documented; her plans for dealing with emergencies, such as a fire, are equally well thought through and recorded. The childminder also supports her charges as they develop a sense of how to keep themselves and others safe; for example, she encourages older children to think about her youngest charge as they pay with toys nearby. She ensures her knowledge of child protection procedures and practice remains up to date at all times, and her practice, both in terms of the recording of prior injuries to children, and the monitoring of visitors to her home, safeguards her charges very well. Again, her practice in this area is underpinned by high quality policy and procedure documentation, which is regularly reviewed and fully shared with parents.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a clear ambition to offer high quality care to her charges. This vision is underpinned by a proactive attitude to her own ongoing professional development. She attends regular training and peer support sessions, enjoying opportunities to share and learn good practice from her childminding colleagues. She also makes good use of the feedback from outside professionals charged with supporting childminding. She responds positively to the process of inspection, completing all recommendations that were made at her last visit. Her self- evaluation skills are growing, as she readily demonstrates a capacity to identify areas of strength and those requiring improvement. For example, she highlighted the need, shortly before inspection, to extend the content of her observation and assessment records for each child, and readily accepts this is an area for future development, having already begun to make progress through the more frequent

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the early years provision

use of photographs and other observational strategies. She keeps her documentation in good order, reviews all policies and procedures regularly, and employing effective systems for the monitoring all aspects of her regulatory- required paperwork.

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the early years provision

The childminder has worked hard to build secure ongoing relationships with the families of minded children. It is testament to her practice that a significant number of families have used her services over a number of years, and that many were willing to contribute to the inspection process by provide positive written feedback about the quality of her service. She provides plentiful written and verbal feedback, helping parents to understand the educational and regulatory framework she is required to implement in order that they understand fully the work she is doing to promote their child's development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. They play in a safe, spacious and inviting home environment that is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 particularly well organised so as to promote children's learning and development. Toys, books and other resources are pleasingly displayed and are very much accessible to children, allowing them to make independent choices throughout the day. The secure relationships in place between the children and their childminder mean that children readily gravitate to her for support with their learning and play, and are willing helpers in any task she sets, such as tidying up time. Story telling and the use of books are a regular feature of the programme, with the childminder showing awareness of those that individual children particularly enjoy and ensuring they are available. Children also participate in regular opportunities to make marks,

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and outcomes for children

draw and paint. The childminder also uses simple sign language with her very young charges to aid the development of their communication skills. Children are also developing a secure understanding of number, as they are encouraged to count during everyday activities such as cooking. They also access a range of puzzles and games that promote their problem solving skills, and shape recognition is included in the many craft activities in which they participate. Children learn about the diversity of society, as the childminder ensures they undertake regular outings to places of local interest, and access a range of resources that reflect the many cultures of the world. They learn about the natural world through books, small world resources and trips to the zoo and the aquarium. Craft activities are a very regular feature of the programme, and being well planned, they promote children's imaginations, and the development of other skills, such as the

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and outcomes for children

manipulation of tools and equipment, successfully. For example, they print with leaves, vegetables and their hands, and make greetings cards and gifts for special occasions, and cook. Delightful large scale garden equipment, and good quality indoor resources, such as tents and tunnels, allow children to practice their physical skills often and to good effect.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a secure working knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has, over time, developed a significant number of activity plans, which she rotates for children's interest and to suit their ages and stages of development. She makes frequent use of local amenities such as the swimming pool, local play park, mother and toddler groups and Children's Centre, thus ensuring that children access a variety of learning experiences across the week. She organises her time well, thus maximising children's opportunities to draw on her support as they play. She observes their progress daily, and can, at an informal level, readily identify the next steps in each child's learning, while recognising through self-evaluation and the inspection process that this could be taken further and formalised for the benefit of her charges. Similarly, she is growing in her capacity to evaluate her own ongoing practice with children, acknowledging that this too could be done in a

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and outcomes for children

more systematic way. Nevertheless, she is a skilled practitioner who is able to enter into children's play and consolidate their learning effectively.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has completed a range of training in order to underpin her practice with children who have Special Educational Needs and/or physical disabilities. For example, when working with a child who had a hearing impairment, she undertook British Sign Language training. She builds strong relationships with the families of all the children she works with, sharing good amounts of verbal and written detail with them, and this enables her to meet individual needs well. Her practice in this area is underpinned by a sensible equiality and inclusion policy. Similarly, the childminder has a clear approach to the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 maintenance of children's good health through a range of appropriately used documentation that includes thorough recording of accidents and medicine administration, and through her support of children enjoying good quality meals

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and outcomes for children

and snacks, working with parents to ensure lunch box contents are nutritious. 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 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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