Salmon Teresa Mary

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 205073 Inspection date 08/03/2011 Inspector ISP Inspection

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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 1982. She lives with her husband in a house in Kidderminster. The children use the conservatory as a playroom where they spend most of their time. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools.

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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, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently eight children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children over five years. This provision is registered on the Early Years register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is an active member of the West Midlands National Childminding Association and the local childminding group.

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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 happy and settled in the setting and enjoy a wide range of activities and opportunities that enable them to make excellent progress in their learning and development. The childminder is motivated and committed, continuously evaluating her practice and developing her own knowledge and understanding to enable her to continuously improve opportunities for the children in her care. She works closely with parents, carers and staff of other early years settings to provide continuity of care and ensure that children's individual needs are very well met.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the systems for providing policies and procedures for parents.

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the early years provision

Good-quality, robust policies and procedures ensure that children are very well safeguarded. The childminder completes regular training and has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities with regards to safeguarding children's welfare. Detailed risk assessments of the home, garden and outings have been carried out. Children are well supervised at all times and the childminder continuously checks her home and the toys and equipment that children use to ensure that they remain safe and any risks to children are minimised. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder is committed to her own self-development and regularly attends training courses and workshops to support her understanding of children's learning and development. She is an active member of the National childminding Association and the local childminding group, striving to improve standards of

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the early years provision

childminding both locally and regionally. She has actively sought funding to enable her to increase her resources for outdoor play, computers and equipment for children to learn about other cultures.

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed good relationships with parents and carers. Discussions at each end of the child's day ensures that relevant information can be shared, providing continuity of care to children. The childminder has also formed close links with the local schools and pre-schools ensuring childrens smooth transition between settings. The childminder has developed a range of written policies and procedures to support children's care. Improvements to the systems for sharing these with parents would ensure that all parents have a clear understanding of the childminder's expectations and up-to-date relevant information about the care provided. The childminder promotes equality of opportunity and works closely with parents and carers to enable childrens' individual cultures to be valued and celebrated.

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and outcomes for children

Children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals and in all areas of their development as the childminder has an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are actively encouraged to choose their own toys and resources from a wide selection that support their individual stages of learning and development. They enjoy a high quality mix of adult-led and child- initiated play. Excellent opportunities for learning about the world around them provide the foundations for their future learning in science, history and geography. They use Artic and desert themed toys in a tough tray filled with ice or sand and discuss different habitats and environments, the animals and plant life that live there and how people adapt to the weather and climate. Regular visits to the local forest and arboretum provide opportunities to observe nature and changes through the seasons, as well as seeing animals and wildlife. Older children are able to

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and outcomes for children

recognise letters and numbers in books and enjoy sharing stories and songs with the childminder. They develop early writing skills through drawing and art activities.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is very skilled at supporting children's social and emotional development. They are very happy in the setting and loving, caring relationships with both the childminder and their peers are evident. The childminder spends a great deal of time involved in the children's play and openly discusses their feelings, worries and concerns, providing support and encouragement. She respects their ideas and opinions and encourages them to think for themselves and solve problems through their play. She knows the children intimately, sensitively observing their play and drawing on these observations to assess children's level of development. This enables her to then plan for their next steps in learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are given clear and consistent boundaries so that they develop an understanding of acceptable behaviour and through their play learn to share, take

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and outcomes for children

turns and be kind and thoughtful towards each other. She provides a high level of individual support but also helps them to understand that there are times when they need to be patient and wait for her attention, for instance if she is attending to another child's welfare needs. Children are polite and considerate and highly confident in engaging with visitors to the setting, sharing their experiences.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles as they spend time playing outside and regularly walk to and from the local school. They visit parks, soft play areas and the local forest and arboretum where they can climb, run around and develop their physical skills. Healthy eating is actively encouraged with the childminder providing nutritious snacks and encouraging parents to provide healthy options in packed lunches. They become independent in their personal needs as they know to wash their hands after using the toilet and playing outside and before mealtimes. Children learn to keep themselves safe as they regularly practice the fire evacuation procedure and learn to keep safe as they cross the road and play in outdoor environments. The very close relationship between the childminder and children creates an environment where children feel extremely safe and are able to share their worries and concerns.

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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 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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