Childminder in North Tyneside

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY368805 Inspection date 15/02/2011 Inspector Lindsey Pollock

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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 February 2008. She lives in Whitley Bay with her husband and her son aged three years old. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom and the bathroom on the first floor are used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children aged under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently five children on roll in this age group who attend at various times. She also provides care for older children. The childminder cares for children Monday to Friday, all year round.

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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

Children are extremely happy, confident and settled in the care of the childminder. She is obviously dedicated to her job and the children she cares for. All children are treated as individuals and their differences recognised and valued. Exemplary partnerships with parents help to ensure children's needs are fully met and they speak very highly of the care their children receive. The childminder has an excellent understanding of child development. This enables her to plan and organise systems to ensure every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience. She is highly committed to the development of her provision. Consequently, the capacity to maintain continuous improvement is outstanding.

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further?

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

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further?

 monitoring the provision to maintain the already high standards.

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the early years provision

Excellent maintenance and organisation of records, written policies and procedures contributes to the safe and efficient management of the provision. Documentation, such as, consent from parents, registers, accident and medication records are accurate and shared with parents, promoting accountability. Regular and thorough risk assessments ensure children are safe in the setting and when out and about. This enables children to explore and play within safe boundaries at all times. Checks have been completed on all household members, to ensure they are suitable to be in regular contact with children. Details of visitors to the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder's home when childcare is provided are recorded. The childminder completes courses, such as, child protection training and fire safety for child carers to help keep children safe. The childminder is very confident of her role in relation

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the early years provision

to child protection and fully recognises that children's welfare is paramount. Consequently, children are extremely well-safeguarded.

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the early years provision

The childminder is dedicated, enthusiastic and very keen to continually enhance her provision which is already of high quality. She has completed a Level 3 childcare qualification and attends training courses and workshops. She also shares good practice with other enthusiastic childminders in order to develop her provision further. The childminder has an excellent understanding of self- evaluation as she highlights areas for continuous improvement, as well as, her strengths. Parents are fully involved in the evaluation process. The feedback they give through regular discussions and questionnaires is used to review and improve her childminding practice. Equality and diversity is promoted exceptionally well. The childminder has an excellent range of information and resources, which she embeds into her everyday practice. All children are valued as individuals. As a result, no child is disadvantaged and all children are treated with equal concern.

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the early years provision

Birthdays and achievements are celebrated and children's work and photographs are proudly displayed. Furniture, equipment and resources are of high quality and are used exceptionally well to promote outcomes for children. A rich, stimulating environment is provided whilst there still being a warm, homely atmosphere.

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the early years provision

The childminder works extremely hard to ensure parents are informed about their children's care and developmental progress. Daily contact books work successfully with both the childminder and parents making contributions. Observations and assessments, photographs of children taking part in activities and details of planned activities are also shared to ensure continuity of learning between home and the setting. Parents speak very highly of the childminding service, including comments, such as, 'the childminder always goes the extra mile with my children to ensure they have productive, secure and happy days in her care' and 'the service the childminder offers is second to none'. The childminder supports children's transition to nurseries by sharing and discussing their progress records and care in detail with the staff. She is very well-informed of the nursery activity planning so she can complement this when children are in her care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making exceptionally good progress in their learning and development. The childminder has an excellent understanding of child development of how to promote children's learning. She uses this and the Early Years Foundation Stage documents extremely well to support her in her work. She completes observations and summative assessments in children's learning journals. These are supported this with photographs and samples of their work. This information helps her to effectively plan for the next steps in children's learning. Parents are fully involved in this process and contribute significantly to future planning. Children relate very well to the childminder. They approach her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 confidently and with much affection which is reciprocated. They are highly involved in activities, which are both child-led and adult-initiated. As a result, they have lots

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and outcomes for children

of fun, enjoy challenge and make choices.

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely well-behaved. They have very good manners remembering to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They are kind to each other and are learning about the importance of sharing. They love music and movement sessions pretending to be 'snakes' and 'trees' moving in time to the music. Their fine motor skills are developing extremely well. Children successfully fit small jigsaw pieces together, use pens and pencils to draw recognisable figures and thread buttons and cotton reels onto strings. The childminder promotes their interest and understanding in number through fun activities. They enjoy finding 'hearts' that the childminder has hidden around the home and count to see who has the most. They successfully play sorting and matching games trying to be first to collect all of the items on their shopping list and fill their 'trolley'. They love being outdoors. They experience all types of weather, such as, the recent heavy snowfall when they enjoyed making

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and outcomes for children

snowmen and playing on the sledge. They are becoming very familiar with their local community as they go on walks and visit the beach. An excellent range of outings to places, such as, the Discovery Museum where they enjoy using the water play area, extends and supports children's learning further. Children access a wide range of resources and participate in many activities to raises their awareness and appreciation of diversity. They celebrate occasions, such as, Chinese New Year when they make rabbit masks and eat Chinese food and make shamrocks for St Patrick's day.

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and outcomes for children

Children show an excellent awareness of how to be safe and of health and hygiene. They love 'Beep Beep Day' when they engage in role play to raise their awareness of road safety. This learning is reinforced by activities indoors including 'spot the danger' tasks. They participate in emergency evacuation practices so they know what to do should an incident occur. The childminder uses the 'Dirty Bertie' booklet from the National Health Service website to raise children's understanding of good hygiene practice. As they get older they understand why they need to wash their hands and use individual tissues to wipe their nose. High standards of hygiene are maintained throughout the home and toys and equipment are cleaned thoroughly to reduce the risk of cross-infection. Menus are planned around the food standard agencies 'Eatwell Plate' to ensure a balanced diet. Children enjoy meals, such as, chicken casserole and risotto with butternut squash and lots of

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and outcomes for children

fresh fruit. 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 1 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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