Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY414640 Inspection date 08/03/2011 Inspector Gill Little

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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 in Carterton with her husband and children aged eight and nine years. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding, together with a bathroom and one bedroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The family has a dog and a cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder offers care on a daily basis, before and after school, and during school holidays. She walks to the local school to take and collect children. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding five children in the early years age range on both a full-time and part-time basis. She is registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for children over five years. She currently has two children on roll in this age range. She supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the TRIO Childminding Network and the National Childminding Association. She holds a National Vocational Qualification (Level 3) in Children's Care, Learning and Development. She works in partnership with other early years settings, including local childminders and the local school.

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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 make good progress towards the early learning goals in this friendly and welcoming setting. The childminder effectively meets the needs of all children through recognising the uniqueness of each child and by establishing strong partnerships with parents and other settings which children attend. Procedures to keep children safe and to help them learn about safety are excellent. Self- evaluation procedures accurately identify the strengths of the setting and potential areas for further development, such as extending the range of resources and activities available. The childminder is highly motivated to further develop her practice and demonstrates a positive approach to continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend further the existing good range of activities and resources to create a highly stimulating learning environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a very good understanding of safeguarding children procedures having recently attended training in this area. She has a thorough awareness of possible symptoms of abuse and maintains a comprehensive and easily accessible safeguarding file containing all relevant guidance, policies and contact numbers. She ensures that all household members have appropriate background checks.

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the early years provision

The childminder carries out daily risk assessments to ensure a high level of safety within the setting and on outings, and she is very responsive to any new hazards, such as changes in the local environment when taking children to school. She supervises children effectively at all times. She has a wide range of comprehensive policies in place which she implements consistently and robustly, and she maintains regulatory documentation to a very high standard.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a good range of resources and activities both indoors and outside, and is planning to extend these further. She makes good use of local community facilities, such as the Children's Centre and library, to further enhance educational opportunities. She helps children to take care of their environment, for example, by growing vegetables in the garden.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity. She includes all children to ensure that they all feel welcome and are able to make good progress, including those on short-term emergency placements. She involves babies in the activities of older children by positioning them where they can see what is going on around them and providing them with related resources to explore. She effectively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for example, by learning sign language and attending additional training. She uses a good range of resources and activities reflecting diversity to help all children develop a positive attitude towards those who are different from themselves.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops positive relationships with parents. She gains useful information about children's preferences and interests at the start of their placement to enable her to meet their individual needs. She keeps parents well- informed about their children's time with her through regular discussions, daily diaries and learning and development journals. Parents state that their children are 'thriving' in the childminder's setting and that children often ask when they can go back to the childminder's to play.

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the early years provision

The childminder works well with other settings caring for minded children. For example, she gains useful information from a previous childminder to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also works closely with the local school so that she is able to effectively support such children's individual education plans.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively seeks feedback from parents regarding their views of her setting, and she involves children in planning the daily routine. She evaluates her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 practice accurately and has lots of ideas for further improvements, such as trialling different methods for observing children's progress and extending children's understanding of healthy eating. She has made some good improvements since her registration, such as the introduction of learning and development journals to track children's progress. She has also attended some useful training courses, such as Sight Awareness and Sensory Play.

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and outcomes for children

Young babies form secure attachments with the childminder, enjoying lots of cuddles and attention, and they enjoy the company of older children. They are able to gain increasing control of their muscles as the childminder provides opportunities to experience different positions, such as lying on a rug or sitting up with some support. They are able to enjoy a range of sensory experiences, such as playing with soft toys or exploring the feel of soil in the garden while older children plant potatoes. They are able to develop communication skills as the childminder interacts with them frequently, and uses songs and stories effectively to further enhance their development.

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and outcomes for children

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from the childminder's attention to their individual needs and interests. For example, a child's interest in the family's friendly pet dog leads to opportunities to develop physical skills by throwing a ball for the dog to retrieve. Children who attend the childminder's setting on emergency placements receive lots of kind and caring attention to enable them to feel secure. For example, with encouragement and support from the childminder, they engage in a variety of activities, such as building train tracks, exploring modelling dough and listening to stories. They are also able to follow their normal routines, such as having a long sleep in the morning.

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and outcomes for children

All children have opportunities to play outdoors on a daily basis and the childminder makes good use of the garden in all weathers, providing activities such as a playhouse, tents, slide and climbing equipment. They develop good hygiene procedures, such as washing their hands after using the toilet and they develop a good understanding of healthy eating by exploring different foods from around the world and frequently engaging in cooking and baking activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about staying safe as the childminder plans relevant topics alongside the local Children's Centre. This enables children to enjoy exciting visits from the fire, police and ambulance services, which include opportunities to 'shoot' cones with a fire extinguisher and to find out how a police car operates. The childminder very effectively extends such opportunities by planning additional activities, such as watching short film clips about safety on the computer and by playing board games based on safety issues. Children also have frequent opportunities to practise fire evacuation and the childminder very effectively praises their understanding by presenting them with a certificate each time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder makes frequent observations of children's progress and uses these together with 'tracker' forms and evaluations of topics to assess their progress

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and outcomes for children

towards the early learning goals. She uses this information effectively to plan individual children's next steps which she incorporates into daily, weekly and long- term planning. This ensures that all children are suitably challenged and that all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage are covered. 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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