Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 209060 Inspection date 15/03/2011 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 1991. She lives with her husband and adult daughter in Cranwell, Lincolnshire. Childminding mainly takes place on the ground floor of the home with one bedroom on the first floor used for children to sleep in and/or for overnight care. There is a fully enclosed garden suitable for outdoor play. Amenities such as a park, pre-school and shops are within walking distance. The family pets include a dog and rabbit.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the complusory and voluntary part of the Childcare Regsiter. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children, under eight years at any one time and all of these may be in the early years age group when she is working with an assistant. When she is working alone three children may be in the early years age group. There are currently a total of 15 children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group and minded at various times. She holds a relevant early years qualification.

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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

This is a warm and welcoming setting where children are fully included and their individual needs are met well. The setting is effectively organised and it is resourced with a wide range or toys and equipment. Children make good progress in their learning. The systems used to monitor this are mostly effective. Partnerships are established and, in most cases, make a positive contribution to meeting children's needs. The childminder reflects on her service and makes ongoing improvements. She has recently started to use a documented system for self-evaluation.

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further?

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

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further?

 use observation and assessment to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child  ensure that children's development and learning records are regularly shared with practitioners of other settings that children attend.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively as the childminder has strong knowledge of her duty to protect children and the procedures to follow. She has completed safeguarding training and has all required polices and procedures in place to ensure children's safety and wellbeing. She has completed detailed risk assessments of all aspects of her provision used by children including outings and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 trips and has effective safety measures in place to minimise risks to children. Regular checks are made of the environment to ensure the continued safety of children and supervision is vigilant. All adults who have regular contact with children are appropriately vetted to ensure their suitability.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures the environement is warm and welcoming to children. She works with an assistant and between them they organise the setting extremely well. All documentation that is required for the safe and efficient management of the setting is comprehensively maintained and shared with parents, so that they are fully informed. She identifies the strengths of her setting and areas for improvement through self-evaluation. Improvements are well targeted and promote equality of opportunity. Since the last inspection she has successfully met the recommendation that was raised and has improved the systems for gathering information from parents about their child's individual needs. She has introduced many more improvements that significantly enhance the outcomes for children. A great deal of focus has been placed on improving the environment and the way in which toys are stored. Children can now access these more easily as the toy room

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the early years provision

has been re-arranged and all craft materials are stored in transparent, labelled boxes so children can make informed choices. Many new resources have been obtained or made that promote children's learning and development and enable them to be more included in planning and organising their day. For example a visual display of the different types of toys has been made for very young children so they can show what they want if they can not yet communicate their wishes verbally. The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has taken full account of this when targeting improvements. She has prioritised these well, according to those that have the most significant impact on the children who attend. She demonstrates a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

The childminder operates an equal opportunities policy and welcomes all families to her setting. She has established positive relationships with parents and gathers good information about every child's individual needs. She ensures that parents are kept fully informed about their child's day and what they have been doing. She uses observations and assessment to support children with their learning and development, although she does not yet show clearly how children's identified next steps are being planned for. She speaks to practitioners of other settings that the children attend, but does not yet have a consistent system in place for ensuring children are effectively supported with the transition and continuity in their learning between the settings. In spite of this, the childminder knows the children very well and provides a rich learning environment with a broad range of activities that fully promotes their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and settled in this setting and are active participants in their learning. They make their own choices about what they wish to play with as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the resources are stored extremely well to enable this. This is a very secure and stable environment where children receive a great deal of attention and purposeful conversation. The childminder and her assistant have good knowledge about early years learning and development and provide children with varied and stimulating learning experiences, that are enjoyable and memorable. They have lots of outdoor play in the garden where they grow vegetables and play with sand and water. They have a large playhouse and many outdoor resources, such as a large inflatable castle with tunnels to crawl through. They are also taken out and about regularly into their local community to places of interest and to the park where

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and outcomes for children

Children experience the full range of learning in this setting and have well chosen resources for their age and stage of development, so that they progress and develop their skills. Children are eager to use the resources and are highly inquisitive and show great curiosity in their play. Two very young children become very excited when the childminder starts to set out the activity tent. They enjoy exploring this by putting balls in the pockets, looking in the mirrors and spinning the transparent disks which contain beads. They like using the ball pool in the soft play area of the room, which is a new addition since the last inspection. Children engage in many crafts and mark making experiences. They make rock monsters, which involves gathering stones of their choice from the garden, painting them and sticking feet and eyes on them. They have a messy play tray in which they use many different types of sensory media, such as play-snow and different types of

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and outcomes for children

sands. They have many containers of different things to feel such as pasta, rice and lentils and a sensory box into which a different object is placed each morning for them to touch and think about what it is. Children have a wide range of books, which they use well alone or with the childminder or her assistant. They enjoy dancing, singing and music and act out real life experiences through role play and dressing up.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a positive understanding of healthy lifestyles. The childminder operates a healthy eating policy and works closely with parents to ensure that children are well nourished through balanced food choices. Children increase their awareness of healthy foods as they engage in activities such as growing vegetables, choosing healthy snacks and helping to prepare these. They enjoy washing their hands and singing the hand-washing song as they do this. They learn well about safety as the childminder is a good role model. Children understand simple rules and are guided if they forget them or if they are very young. They behave very well and are polite, responsive and helpful. Very young children learn to share and to take turns and begin to help with things such as tidying away some of their toys. They learn about road safety and how to evacuate the premises in an emergency. Children show that they have a good understanding

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and outcomes for children

of safety when they are asked 'how can we make sure we get out quickly?' and 'what would we need if someone got hurt?'. A child's response to this was that they should use a stop watch to show how long it takes to get out and that they need to bring a first aid box. Children have a consistent routine every day which they are familiar with and this helps them to feel safe and secure as they know what to expect. This is a harmonious setting where children have positive experiences that foster their wellbeing and develop their skills for their future. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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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