Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 308217 Inspection date 10/02/2011 Inspector Denise Sixsmith

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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 1994. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Aughton, Lancashire. The downstairs rooms including a toilet are used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on both parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes children to toddler groups, shops, parks and other places of interest. She is a member of the National Childminding Association, the local network and holds a National Vocational Qualification Level 3 in Early Years Childcare and Education.

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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 cared for in a welcoming, homely and inclusive environment where the uniqueness of each individual is valued. Their individual learning needs are catered for very successfully, ensuring they make good progress towards the early learning goals. The systems for self-evaluation and partnerships with other settings are in the early stages of development. Most required records are in place and are maintained to a good standard. The childminder has a positive commitment to improving her development and the quality of the service.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that the following is obtained from parents in advance of a child being admitted; information as to who has legal contact with the child, and who has parental responsibility for the child.(Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 08/03/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 build on the current system to further develop the two-way flow of information of children's learning and development with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage  improve the systems for the organisation of the setting by developing the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 self-evaluation and quality improvement process through assessing what the setting offers against robust and challenging quality criteria.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively, because the childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities towards protecting and safeguarding children from abuse and neglect. She has recently attended training to refresh and update her child protection knowledge. Children are further safeguarded as the childminder is aware of her responsibility to ensure that all adults in the household have been vetted and cleared through the appropriate processes. Both the indoors and outdoors of the home is safe and secure, and thorough risk assessments ensure that the premises, resources and outings promote children's safety. Most required records are in place and readily available for inspection. However, one aspect of information with regards to the children's details has not been requested from parents, which constitutes a breach of requirements. Clear, comprehensive written policies and procedures support the delivery of the service to enhance

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the early years provision

children's welfare. The childminder has attended first aid training to enable her to deal appropriately with minor accidents.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises her home well. Children have ample space on the ground floor enabling them to move freely and access a range of good quality developmentally appropriate toys and resources. This is enhanced well through a balance of indoor and outdoor activities. The childminder has a positive attitude and approach towards diversity and promotes good inclusive practice. Children access a variety of toys and resources that promote positive images of diversity and use these in everyday play. The childminder is very committed to attending training which she uses effectively to improve her service and outcomes for children. Although the childminder has undertaken some initial assessment of her service she has not fully developed the system to maximise the self-evaluation process. Systems for forming partnership with others providing education and care are at an early stage of development.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is good. They receive good information about the provision during the settling in process. Lovely individual photograph albums capture the children's family and favourite activities and provide a good starting point and a reference point for children while they are with the childminder. Information gained at the start of the placement is used well to record and ensure children's individual care needs are met. Parents' state through letters supplied for the inspector that they are extremely happy with the service that they receive. For example, they appreciate that their childminder is 'kind and generous and very easy to communicate with'. They are also pleased that their children are excited to go to the childminder who they feel is 'first class'. 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 how children learn and is very successful in helping them to develop valuable skills for the future. She develops close and trusting relationships with them, understanding fully that they will not learn successfully unless they feel safe and secure in their environment. Children are offered a good balance of both adult and child-led activities which enables them to learn in different ways. The childminder spends time observing the children at play and records the information to identify the next steps in their development. A valuable record of words and photographs is in place which demonstrates what children can do and is supported by a tracking system to ensure children experience all areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's physical development is encouraged by the childminder through activities within the home, garden and at play centres. For example, children develop their hand to eye coordination as they use tools to roll cut and shape home made play dough or use paint pens to create paintings of cockles. Some resources are available for developing communication and technological skills and the childminder support further learning by providing experiences for the children to self-scan the shopping in the supermarket. Children are encouraged to count and problem solve as they play and say how many sausages they have made with the play dough. They delight in engaging with the childminder, relishing her support and interaction with lots of laughter as they work together with the play dough.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well-behaved and thrive in an atmosphere where they are given time to explore and their contributions are valued. The childminder gives lots of praise and encouragement and therefore children are keen to please. They are developing their independence well and know that they need to wash their hands before lunch or use the 'hand cleaning jelly' to stop germs when they have used tissues to blow their noses. Children are assisted to begin to understand the wider world as the childminder provides regular outings in the community enabling them to mix with other childminders and children. This gives children opportunities to develop their social skills and engage in a wider range of activities with their friends. Children are learning the importance of keeping themselves safe through daily routines and activities. For example, they help to tidy away toys to keep the house safe and learn about road safety on outings.

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and outcomes for children

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 3 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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