Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY412647 Inspection date 03/02/2011 Inspector Ferroza Saiyed

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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 2010. She lives with her husband in Walton-le- Dale, near Preston. The local area offers a Children's Centre, library, parks and various groups. Facilities for children within the family bungalow comprise of the lounge, kitchen conservatory and playroom. There is an outdoor play area to the rear of the house.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register, the compulsory part of the Childcare Register and the voluntary Childcare Register. Registration is for a total of six children when working alone. The childminder has her husband as her assistant. When working with an assistant she may care for no more than six children in the early years age range. She currently has ten children on roll in this age group. The childminder cares for children on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm all year round.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is accredited to local network and is qualified to National Vocational Qualification Level 3 in Childcare Learning and Development. Advice, support and training are gained from the local authority.

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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 are very well cared for by the experienced and dedicated childminder. She demonstrates a genuine commitment to supporting the individual needs of all children in her care. Her home is totally dedicated to childcare, providing an inclusive and child-orientated environment where children have very good opportunities to progress in their learning and development. Partnerships with parents is strong and their opinions are sought and valued. Her systems for self- evaluation and reflective practice are extremely effective. As a result, her capacity for continuous improvement ensures that plans for the future are well targeted, resulting in a service that is responsive and promote better outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems for observations to the expectations of the early learning goals and using identified learning priorities to inform future planning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded in the care of the childminder as she is fully clear and confident in understanding her safeguarding responsibilities. Further training is sought to take training to a higher level and detailed procedures are held and shared with parents. Documentation is of an extremely high standard, organised and superbly implemented in practice. Children's safety at the setting is given utmost priority. Stringent risk assessments minimise hazards to children, both on and off the premises and the environment is warm, welcoming and hygienically maintained to an extremely high standard. Children's safety is promoted well on outings as the childminder implements effective procedures, such as, carrying contact details for children and a first aid kit, along with constant supervision of the children. The childminder and her assistant hold an up-to-date first aid certificate and have requested consent from parents to obtain emergency medical

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the early years provision

treatment. Consequently, children are very well protected. The childminder demonstrates an extremely positive attitude towards developing her provision. She has made excellent use of the Ofsted self-evaluation form and has a extremely good understanding of areas she wishes to develop. This helps to promote outcomes for children and promotes an environment of continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an abundance of toys and activities for inside and outside play. She clearly considers how to make best use of space in order to achieve the maximum benefit for children. For example, creating areas such as role play, construction messy play to meet the needs of a wide age range of children. Toys are stored on low-level shelving or in boxes. This enables children to make confident choices about their learning and play. The children benefit from dedicated playrooms in the child-orientated home where colourful examples of their work, along with posters and photographs, help to promote their sense of belonging and self-esteem.

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the early years provision

The childminder has implemented very effective procedures to gather feedback from parents and children about the service she provides, and this is used to continue to develop her practice. Parents speak very highly of the care and learning she provides and children report that they, 'love coming here because there is so much to do'. Parents are kept well-informed about her setting as they receive copies of all policies and procedures and home link letters. The childminder also ensures that parents are kept fully up-to-date about their child's learning through daily diaries for younger children, verbal feedback, and access to their child's developmental file.

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the early years provision

The childminder is warm and very caring and children respond to this nurturing positively. They are happy in their play and laugh and smile a lot. Although the childminder does not currently work with children with additional needs, she fully understands the importance of working with parents and other professionals. Policy statements show an inclusive, anti-discriminatory approach to the childminder's practice. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. A good balance of child-led and adult-initiated experiences ensures that activities are appropriate for children's ages and stages of development and cover all areas of learning. The childminder knows the children well and uses this to plan activities based upon their interests and needs. Ongoing observation is the main form of assessment and the childminder has developed a system for assessing the children. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development. Individual files have been developed for each of the children. These include photographs and assessment of the children's learning. However, these do not always match the observations to the expectations of the learning priorities to inform future planning. Children have lots of fun and enjoyment, they are confident and most of all they are happy. They are well supported in their learning

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and outcomes for children

and development, as the childminder knows them very well. She skilfully promotes children's well-being and promotes children's active involvement in their own learning. The space is planned so that it has accessible, interesting and stimulating resources available for all children. This enables them to access resources freely, encouraging independence, choice and decision making. The childminder interacts with the children constantly. She stimulates their curiosity and uses open questions well, to encourage their developing language skills as they play together. For example, she asks children to reflect 'can you remember what we do when we cross the road? Children respond by going through the procedure for road safety. This positively contributes to children developing a sense of danger and how to keep themselves safe.

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and outcomes for children

Good use is made of spontaneous learning opportunities. For example, in the treasure basket there is a tea strainer; children ask 'what's this?' The assistant explains to them about using it to strain tea, and he demonstrates this by making a cup of tea using the tea strainer. Everyday activities and the play environment are fully used to support learning. Early mathematical number skills are introduced through everyday activities, for example, counting the number of cake cases and measuring the ingredients when baking. This all helps promote children learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a variety of outdoor activities each week and this increases their confidence and develops social skills as they visit local groups to socialise with other children. They learn the importance of fresh air and exercise being good for their health and well-being. Children enjoy playing in the garden, as try and dig for treasure, and with a selection of sit and ride cars, sand and the slide. They have good opportunities to climb and balance when visiting the park and the activity centre. She has a very good understanding of the importance of providing a healthy diet and this is supported by exciting and fun activities. For example, children shop for fruit and enjoy snacks and meals from around the world. A wide range of resources, including books, small world people and dressing-up clothes, helps children to learn about different cultures and diversity. On the day of the inspection visit they celebrate Chinese New Year, and have noodles and spring rolls

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and outcomes for children

for lunch. Children confidently use information and communication technology to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 support their learning; for instance, they use a variety of programmable toys, interactive books and toy laptops. This helps to develop their skills for the future. They have a growing understanding of the natural world as they go on nature walks and visit the zoo.

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and outcomes for children

The children are beginning to learn to keep themselves safe as they practise regular fire drills and practise road safety. Consistent daily routines, such as hand washing and brushing teeth are used to good effect to ensure that even the youngest children are beginning to develop habits conducive to their good health. Children are well supported by the childminder who has clear house rules in place to help children to begin to learn right from wrong. This is combined with lots of praise and encouragement. Consequently, children's self-esteem is promoted well and they are happy and settled with the childminder. Children show respect for one another as their social skills develop, enhancing their positive disposition to learning. The childminder is a very good role model, having a quiet manner and listening to children well, showing positive regard for them as individuals. 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 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 1 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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