Childminder in Manchester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY278423 Inspection date 10/02/2011 Inspector Lindsay Dobson

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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 December 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged 14 and 16 years in the Crumpsall area of North Manchester. All areas of the property are used for childminding purposes and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family have got a pet dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of six children under eight years. There are currently 11 children on roll of whom six are in the early years age range. Children are taken to and collected from the local schools.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She has completed an National Vocational Qualification to level 3 in Children's Care, Learning and Development and is an accredited member of the local childminding network.

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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

The childminder provides an extremely welcoming environment for all children and places significant emphasis on recognising the individuality of each child. Her excellent range of equipment offers children rich and varied play opportunities which positively enhance their learning and development. The childminder completes meticulous risk assessments on the home, garden and outings to ensure the children's safety and security at all times. Partnerships with parents and other carers are excellent and actively contribute to providing continuity in the children's care and development. The childminder uses robust systems to evaluate the effectiveness of her provision. She shows an outstanding commitment to ongoing improvement and training to benefit the children in her care and to support her own professional development.

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further?

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

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further?

 developing further the systems used to record observations of children to ensure a more systematic approach.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a robust understanding of her role in safeguarding the children's welfare. She updates her knowledge of child protection issues regularly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and her comprehensive safeguarding policy fully supports her practice. The childminder shares detailed information regarding her responsibilities with the parents and has an excellent range of supporting documentation should a concern arise. The children are exceptionally well cared for in a warm, secure and safe environment. The childminder has instigated many safety precautions within the home to help keep children safe. She continually monitors the environment to ensure that any potential risks to children are identified and minimised.

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the early years provision

The childminder skilfully organises her space and resources to maximise each child's learning potential. The children are secure in a well-structured day that follows their individual routines. Children learn about diversity and equality by informative and educational activities arranged by this knowledgeable childminder. The children enjoy learning about different festivals and celebrations from around the world. Diversity is further supported through a good range of resources which are freely accessible in everyday play. This allows the children to develop their understanding and respect for themselves, their own backgrounds and those of others.

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the early years provision

Well established and purposeful relationships with parents ensures children's care and learning needs are fully promoted. Children and parents are welcomed into the childminder's home. They are provided with very good quality information about the setting, which includes a detailed policy file and the childminders qualifications and training certificates. Parents are encouraged to visit the premises with their children. They see the activities their children can engage in and organise individual and flexible arrangements with regards to settling visits. Highly effective daily verbal communication ensures children's needs are fully met. From me to you books are also used to share information about younger children. Parents comment, they are very happy with the care provided by the childminder, she is honest, trustworthy and has a natural ability to nurture children and develop their learning. There are established relationships with other providers and the

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the early years provision

childminder communicates well with them; they work very closely together for the benefit of the children, so there can be continuity in their learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder is working hard to develop a secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and this is reflected in her outstanding practice. Professional development takes high priority and ongoing training effectively consolidates the childminder's knowledge and enables her to provide high quality care. The systems the childminder uses to self-evaluate her practice are very effective and support her ability to promote continuous improvement. The views of parents and children are sought by the childminder and she actively implements any changes and acts upon their ideas. The childminder has a wonderfully bright and stimulating designated play room for the children. She has an excellent range of resources which are stored at the children's level and in labelled storage units. 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 thoroughly enjoy, and engage extremely well in, an excellent variety of fun and interesting activities, both indoors and outdoors, which reflect their interests. The children have plenty of space to play and choose toys and activities independently. This significantly enhances their confidence and self-motivation. All children are making excellent developmental progress as they take part in the varied range of high-quality activities during their time with the childminder. Children participate very well in creative activities and make confident decisions about how their picture should look. Young children use their fine motor skills exceptionally well when holding the pens to draw on the badges they are making. They engage well in all mark-making activities and share the resources amicably. The childminder is highly skilled in encouraging early language development by extending the children's vocabulary. Children have access to a fantastic range of

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and outcomes for children

books which they can freely access. They select books for the childminder to read to them, they select their favourite book. Children happily and excitedly join in with this favourite story and love to make the snoring noises along with the childminder.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy blowing bubbles, they understand they need to hold the stick and gently blow. Children laugh and wave as the bubbles fly out of the circle. The childminder introduces counting to the activity as she encourages the children to count the number of bubbles they can see. The childminder furthers the children's interest in the bubbles by suggesting a bubble painting activity. They blow the bubbly paint with the straws and then print the liquid onto pieces of paper, excitedly putting their pictures to dry. Children have excellent opportunities to develop their large physical skills, as they visit groups such as Little Superstars where they take part in obstacle courses. They go to the parks to use the large equipment and play each day in the childminder's well resourced garden.

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and outcomes for children

Systems for gathering key information from parents are particularly effective. They establish what children know and can do; their likes and dislikes, daily routines and things important to them at home. The childminder uses this information to form the basis of her planning for their development from the onset of care. She closely monitors the children's progress and her knowledge of individual children is outstanding enabling her to effectively promote and track their development. Each child's learning journey clearly shows observations and assessments of them which are linked to the areas of learning and identify next steps. However, the childminder does not always follow a systematic approach to recording information and systems are still under development. A very good use of photographs supports the observations and the childminder also provides each child with their own photograph album. This gives a unique record of the child's time with the

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and outcomes for children

The children learn to keep themselves safe when away from the setting and in the local community. For example, children develop a good understanding of road safety and stranger danger. At home, they receive consistent clear explanations about keeping themselves safe and healthy. The childminder reminds them to be This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 careful when they are waving their arms about to catch the bubbles, saying they might hurt their friends. She provides very healthy, nutritious meals and menus are displayed for the parents. Children develop a very good understanding of personal hygiene from a young age as the childminder follows practical and consistent routines for hand washing. The childminder is consistent in her approach to behaviour management. She is very positive and calm with the children, encouraging good manners and offering lots of praise. The childminder effectively

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and outcomes for children

uses rewards such as stickers on charts to promote positive behaviour and children learn to be kind to each other, share and take turns. 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 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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