Childminder in WorcestershireOfsted inspection, 8 Feb 2011

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 204916 Inspection date 08/02/2011 Inspector Lucy Showell

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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 1982. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Redditch, Worcestershire. The whole ground floor of the childminder s house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. Children are also taken on outings including regular attendances at the local carer and toddler groups. The childminder is registered to care for six children at any one time. There are currently four children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. However, there were no children present at the time of the inspection. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary childcare register. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools.

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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 provides a warm and welcoming child-centred environment where all parents and children are valued and clear relationships established. Children are all treated as individuals and the childminder gains valuable information from parents regarding requirements and preferences to ensure their needs are inclusively met and individual routines followed. Children make good progress in their learning as they enjoy a variety of well-organised and stimulating activities. The childminder demonstrates good capacity for continuous improvement through identifying areas of strengths or weaknesses and attending additional training courses to develop knowledge and skills further.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to the provision, regarding who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 01/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 review the risk assessment to ensure that it covers anything with which a child may come into contact to ensure children's safety and well being  develop observations further to consistently make links to the 'Development matters' prompts to plan the next steps in a child's developmental progress. 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 effectively safeguarded because the childminder has good understanding of her safeguarding responsibilities. This is supported by useful guidance information and current contact details are available. All suitability checks are completed and the childminder has good knowledge of sharing required information with Ofsted regarding other adults in the house to ensure their suitability can be accessed as required. Space and resources are organised well and the childminder checks her home regularly to ensure hazards are kept to a minimum. For example, the house is secure and equipment is suitable and safe for the ages of children attending. Most written risk assessments are in place and records of the checks carried out and any actions taken are maintained. However, there are no records for the risks assessed with regard to outings or the groups attended.

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the early years provision

The childminder understands her responsibilities with regard to conditions of registration and how to meet the welfare requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Effective self-evaluation and monitoring systems are established and the childminder shows a keen interest in developing her skills and knowledge further. She has attended various training events relating to health, safety and children's learning. She hopes to use the knowledge and skills developed from these opportunities to continually improve the quality of the provision for the children that she cares for. She regularly reviews her documentation and checks the quality and suitability of resources to ensure sustainability of her provision. She has developed good relationships with other childminders and together they discuss practice issues and share ideas. The childminder does not currently care for children who attend other early years provision. However, she recognises the

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the early years provision

importance of partnership working, should the need arise.

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the early years provision

The childminder works well with parents by providing useful information about her services. This includes a good range of robust policies and procedures and informative displays of certificates, registration and insurance documents. Information is obtained from parents before care commences regarding children's health and welfare needs and daily news is shared effectively. All necessary records are maintained for hours of attendance, medication, accidents and existing injuries and all parental consents are in place. The childminder has not updated her contract and information forms to include information about legal contact and parental responsibility for the children. Parents have been invited to share their opinions of the childminder for the inspection. Some of these comments, showing their appreciation, include: 'I was extremely lucky to find a childminder who takes such a professional approach to her work', 'she has a lovely manner and I would

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the early years provision

not hesitate to recommend her' and 'the childminder presents an unbridled devotion toward all the children and instils good family values and maintains an appropriate level of discipline'. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Although there were no children present during the inspection, the childminder provides evidence through discussion and photographs that children are confident and settled within her home. Their sense of belonging is promoted as they are encouraged to self-select from the range of toys available which are age- appropriate and promote positive images of diversity. There are no children currently attending with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language. However, the childminder demonstrates good knowledge of appropriate systems to follow and would adapt activities and practice accordingly. The childminder explains that she adopts a calm approach to the children encouraging good behaviour through gentle reminders during play and opportunities to share and take turns with favourite resources. She enables children to learn the importance of keeping safe by ensuring they are aware of

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and outcomes for children

road safety when out and about. She encourages older children to develop good personal hygiene practises by washing their hands well and taking care of their toileting needs. Space is organised effectively and provides children with opportunities for messy play, physical activities and relaxation or sleep. Parents mainly provide a packed lunch for their children, although the childminder provides healthy snacks such as toast and fresh fruit and drinks are available throughout the day to ensure they are suitably hydrated.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder demonstrates an enthusiastic knowledge of the children in her care and fosters their individual needs accordingly. She recognises and records children's achievements through observations during play and provides stimulating and well-organised experiences to encourage further development. However, the records of children's progress are not related to the areas of learning or used to identify next steps for learning. The childminder's flexible planning shows a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Children are able to select favourite resources in the conservatory such as familiar stories, jigsaws and board games. The childminder explains how children enjoy one-to-one times with her playing with play dough, drawing pictures or making collages as well as group games with older children when they arrive after school. Children extend their own learning as they share ideas for what they would like to do. For example, they use

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and outcomes for children

the laptop to adapt their own photographs whilst reminiscing about experiences and requesting to revisit these. Outdoor opportunities are delivered through good use of the garden and the local amenities. Here, children can enjoy the fresh air whilst using a range of traditional equipment such as the climbing frame and play house. Additional experiences such as walks to the local shops or attending various groups and activity centres provide children with developing awareness of their community and time to socialise, explore and investigate the world around them. 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 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 develop an action plan to demonstrate how a qualification at a minimum of Level 2 in an area of work relevant to childcare, or training in the core skills as set out in the document common core of skills and knowledge for the children s workforce will be achieved. (Qualifications and training) 01/03/2011

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