Medway Community College

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 118834 Inspection date 17/03/2011 Inspector Amanda Allen

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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 1992. She lives with her husband and three children aged 24, 21 and 18 years in Harold Wood in the London borough of Havering, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The childminder lives in a four bedroom house which is easily accessible. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family has pet tortoise and fish.

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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. She is currently minding two children the early years age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder collects children from the local school and attends several toddler groups on a regular basis. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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

The childminder has excellent knowledge of each child's individual needs and this ensures that all aspects of the children's welfare and learning are well promoted. Inclusive practice is paramount to the childminder and she responds flexibly to the needs of each child and their family. Children are making excellent progress, given their age, ability and their starting points. Regular evaluation with the parents, alongside the childminder, ensures that any priorities for future development are identified and acted upon, which results in a service that is responsive to the needs of the parents. The childminder uses self-evaluation to great effect to reflect on her practice and is committed to the ongoing improvement of the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 further developing reflective practice to maintain continuous capacity to improve. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Safeguarding children is paramount to the childminder. She has extremely comprehensive policies and procedures in place to protect the children from harm and neglect. The childminder has thorough knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and the procedure to follow against an allegation of abuse made towards the childminder or a member of her family. Full risk assessments are carried out on the home and for all trips. The childminder is fully aware of her responsibilities in ensuring the children are kept safe during an emergency. The childminder holds a current first aid certificate. This means that she can give appropriate treatment if there is an accident to a child in her care. All accidents are recorded and signed by parents on collection. Well thought out emergency evacuation procedures are in place which keep the children safe in an emergency and are carried out on a regular basis. A comprehensive fire evacuation plan is in

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the early years provision

place for all areas of the home. All adults in the home have completed Criminal Record Bureau checks. The childminder ensures children are protected from all adults who enter the premises and that they are not left alone with them. The childminder promotes an inclusive environment in which all children feel valued and included.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an exceptional knowledge and understanding of how to meet each child's individual needs. There is a wide range of attractive resources accessible to all children, including a significant range of sensory resources and many which reflect diversity. She tailors the activities she provides to the age of the children that are participating in them; this ensures they are able to learn from the activities. Children enjoy the freedom to choose from accessible toys and games and are well supported by the childminder as she joins in their play. They keep busy and happy, benefiting from the high quality interaction of the childminder encouraging an interest in different activities, such as matching the animal puzzles and making animal noises together. The childminder is driven to improve all areas of her practice through regular training and through consultation with the parents and children. The childminder has attended numerous courses to

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the early years provision

up date her knowledge and understanding of childcare practice. The childminder consults the parents via daily feedback to ensure they are happy with the service she provides to find out if they would like anything changed and she regularly gives them a self evaluation form so that they can give her a more comprehensive input on the service she provides. This enables her to ensure she is providing the best service she possibly can and meet the needs of all of her users. Partnerships with both parents and other settings are extremely strong and a key strength of the provision. Families are included in meaningful ways to ensure excellent support for children's needs particularly around special educational needs, culture and language.

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the early years provision

Through self-evaluation the childminder is continually reflecting on her practice and looking at ways to improve the service she provides. She is constantly looking at ways to develop current systems she has in place. She uses action plans to continually prioritise areas for improvement and is constantly looking at ways to develop current systems she has in place. The childminder has achieved This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 accreditation and has completed her quality Kitemark status. She regularly attends short training courses and looks at ways to incorporate ideas from this information into her daily practice. She encourages parents to share their views and make suggestions for improvements to her service.

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and outcomes for children

They children are extremely happy, settled and purposefully engaged because the childminder astutely matches the activities offered to their interests such as animal books and puzzles. They are extremely self assured, play effectively on their own and with others. The childminder enjoys playing with the children, she knows them very well and has close, caring relationships with them. The childminder encourages children to talk about what they are doing and introduce new vocabulary. For example, whilst playing with modelling dough, she talks about how they can roll and cut the dough and squeeze it together. Children then repeat the words in conversation with each other. Children are able to feel safe and very secure due to the vigilance of the childminder and her warm and nurturing nature. Children receive lots of cuddles and reassurance if and when they require it. This builds the children's self-esteem and their confidence. She plans her time well and

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and outcomes for children

has weekly plans in place which are fed by the interests of the children and takes ideas for the monthly themes from the children. The childminder plans a week at a time and uses the children's interests to plan activities for them. This keeps the planning flexible, fun and child-initiated.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well supported in the acquisition of useful skills in literacy and numeracy which help them develop a range of excellent skills for the future. For example, they talk about pictures in books, learn to recognise simple words, shapes and colours, and use numbers in different situations. The childminder plans extremely effectively for each child's individual needs. Children have clear and defined starting points, which the childminder works with the parents to obtain, and are making excellent progress from these. Observations are detailed and have the next steps clearly outlined for the childminder to successfully progress the children further with their development. The childminder uses these next steps to create individual learning plans for each child which she uses to feed into the weekly and monthly plans. The childminder uses a broad spectrum of evidence to assess the progress the children are making, for example, she uses written

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and outcomes for children

observations, photographic evidence as well as the children's art work. These assessments all link to the six areas of learning, consequently, the childminder is able to see what areas she needs to work on with the children. All activities that the children participate in are tailored for their specific age range and their abilities. As a result, children are making excellent progress in all areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

During activities the childminder supports the children exceptionally well. She is very aware of children's likes and dislikes and ensures that children are kept stimulated and interested in the things around them every day. Children enjoy purposeful and exciting outings within the time they spend in the childminder's care such as, to the local parks and farms. They also go on outings further a field This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and thoroughly enjoyed telling the unknown inspector about their trip to the zoo and the different noises the animals made and how noisy the elephants were. The children learn about road safety through projects and daily discussion such as the safest places to cross the road. Children have daily access to physical activities, through meaningful games, where the children learn about turn taking and working together, such as musical action games, as well as the more physical

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and outcomes for children

activities such as ride on toys and slides in the garden. All activities are linked to what the children are learning about.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a very calming nature about her which results in well behaved children who respond well to praise. The childminder ensures she is consistent in her approach to behaviour management and adapts it to the age and understanding of the children involved. Children are thoroughly protected from cross contamination and infection through extremely effective procedures in place. Children are taught about the importance of personal hygiene throughout their day at the childminder's. She also ensures the children have their hands washed before and after they eat, after using the bathroom and when coming in from playing in the garden. Older children are encouraged to take themselves to the toilet and wash their own hands. Children benefit from a healthy range of snacks each day, which are adapted to meet all individual dietary needs. Parents choose to provide meals for their children as they like to have a family meal together in the evenings.

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and outcomes for children

Fresh drinking water is available at all times and children have their own individual cups and beakers. 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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