Childminder in Merton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 403853 Inspection date 08/03/2011 Inspector Helen Penticost

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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 2001. She lives with her husband and two children aged 10 and 16 years in Morden, the London borough of Merton. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding, apart from the converted loft bedroom. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for six children at any one time, and is currently minding three children under eight years on a part time basis. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She takes children to various parks and toddler groups.

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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 cared for in an extremely safe, cosy and stimulating home environment. The childminder values children's thoughts, contributions and creations, and this ensures children's confidence and self-esteem is highly promoted. She fully recognises the uniqueness of each child in her care to ensure that she meets their individual needs and actively promotes their welfare. Overall, partnerships with other providers are good. The childminder has exceptional arrangements in place for working in partnership with parents, using their knowledge to help her care for and support their children. She uses self-evaluation effectively to identify areas of potential improvements for her provision, which continually develops positive outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the existing links with other Early Years settings the children attend to more effectively share the children's learning and progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of her role in safeguarding children. All the required records are maintained accurately and policies and procedures are in writing. Parents are given their own copies and sign up to them. Thorough written risk assessments that fully reflect the setting are in place and updated regularly; therefore, potential hazards are minimised and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children are kept safe at all times. Fire safety equipment is in place and the children practice fire evacuation with the childminder, which develops their awareness of keeping themselves safe. The childminder is vigilant in maintaining a current first aid certificate as required, which ensures that children are cared for appropriately in the event of an accidental injury. As an enthusiastic and well qualified provider, the childminder has continued to work hard and her plans for

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the early years provision

her future are well targeted; she recognises the importance of effective self- evaluation to ensure that the high standard of care is continuous.

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the early years provision

The home is exceptionally well organised with children mainly having access to ground floor rooms, where they easily access an extensive range of high quality resources and boxes of toys, which are all stored at low level to help them to gain confidence in making independent choices. The childminder is keen to develop children's understanding of sustainability, which is achieved, for example, through re-using materials for junk modelling. There is exceptionally good provision for children to find out about aspects of their own cultures and those of other people. The childminder plans activities to build on the festivals from different cultural traditions that children celebrate by, for example, providing relevant foods for children to try. This helps children begin to understand and respect diversity.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a system in place for communicating with other providers of Early Years education, and the childminder is fully aware of the need to fully secure these lines of communication to ensure that children's ongoing learning and development needs are met. High emphasis is placed on partnership with parents and they receive an abundance of information about the setting and have daily verbal and written feedback from the childminder. Their views on the setting are sought and they comment very positively that she 'provides wonderful care' and that the childminder is 'very flexible and accommodating of our needs'. Parents are offered very good quality information about the setting which includes well-written policies and procedures. They sign to state that they have read and will abide by the childminders policies.

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and outcomes for children

Children thrive in a child-centred environment where their individual care, welfare, learning and development needs are expertly highlighted and met. Children readily make independent choices about their own play experiences as they select their own toys, and thoroughly enjoy the positive support from the childminder in their play. For example, they play with the train set, putting all of the play people on the carriages and they look at the lorries and discuss their sizes.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They learn about acceptable behaviour through discussions and encouragement where they are constantly praised for their achievements. Children demonstrate their knowledge problem solving as they discover how the properties of magnets and work out how to operate clothes pegs. They have countless opportunities to be creative, for example, as they manipulate This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 modelling dough, mix colours from paints and bake cakes. They thoroughly enjoy outdoor play where they bounce on the trampoline, ride on cars and dig in the sand pit. Skills for the future develop as children learn about technology. They use electronic equipment such as the laptop where they play age appropriate games.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder's detailed discussions with parents when children first attend mean she has an excellent understanding of each child's starting points. She records what children do and achieve through written observations and photographs, which are shared with parents regularly. Observations are extremely thorough and individual next steps in children's learning are clearly documented, to ensure that they are continually making exceptional progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a wide range of highly nutritious home cooked snacks and meals which meets their individual dietary requirements. She provides daily opportunities for children to be physically active in the fresh air, either within the home or on outings within the local community. The childminder encourages excellent hygiene practices such as hand washing where they use liquid soap and paper towels, which helps to prevent cross-contamination effectively. 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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