Childminder, Out-of school day care in Leicestershire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 225134 Inspection date 09/03/2011 Inspector Linda Moore

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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 1989. She lives with her husband, one child aged 14 years and two adult children aged 19 and 23 years in Kegworth on the borders of Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Most of the ground floor is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden and secure driveway available for outside play. The building itself is an old property and has several steps into and off the rooms. The setting operates each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year round.

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Description of the childminding

This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding fifteen children, of whom six are on the early years register. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local childminder and other groups. She takes children to the library, toy library and the park.

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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

The childminder organises her setting extremely well to ensure activities and routines offer truly individualised care and learning opportunities for each child. Furniture, toys and resources create a learning environment that is extremely child-centred, accessible and stimulating. The childminder works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure each child's specific needs are met. She is currently developing her self-evaluation system to continue to facilitate and maintain improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further quality and improvement processes to monitor and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good knowledge of the requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage and meets them fully and consequently, children's health and safety is well promoted. She is aware of how to safeguard children and clearly understands her role in reporting any concerns. An annual risk assessment is undertaken that covers the premises and outings, and daily checks are carried out before children arrive. This means children can play, learn and explore in safety. She maintains a good system for keeping records and all documentation is clearly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 written and well presented. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are implemented and shared with parents.

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the early years provision

The childminder is extremely experienced and competent. She is highly effective in her organisation of space, time and resources and has successfully created a very welcoming and stimulating environment. The setting is totally child orientated and children benefit from an extensive range of resources which are pertinent to their individual needs, interests and play preferences. They are able to explore each area freely, both indoor and outdoor, to initiate their own ideas for play and independently select from the wide range of toys available. There are bright displays of children's artwork and posters of interest on walls. Consequently, children are stimulated and enjoy themselves.

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the early years provision

The childminder's practice is wholly inclusive so that all children feel valued and welcome. She has a very good understanding of children's individual needs and recognises each child's uniqueness. She is well organised and manages daily routines effectively, accommodating the needs of the many children attending. Each session is planned to provide fun and challenging activities which support and extend children's progress towards the early learning goals. Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice are actively promoted as children experience activities which enable them to learn and develop respect for themselves and others.

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the early years provision

The childminder has established good working relationships with parents to ensure children's routines and education are pertinent to their needs. When children start the childminder obtains information about each child's care needs and routine and this is recorded. Daily diary sheets are used to record information on how children spend each day and the care they receive. Parents are kept well-informed about their child's achievements and progress. The childminder has produced learning profiles for each child. These are scrapbooks that contain written observations and photographs to detail their progress. Any information supplied by parents about their child's development is also included. Information is shared with other settings that children attend and this ensures cohesion and consistency for every child and successfully promotes their learning, development and welfare. The childminder demonstrates a good capacity to improve. However, the system used to reflect and

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the early years provision

evaluate the practice is not yet fully developed.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a strong sense of security and belonging at the setting. They show high levels of confidence and self esteem and have formed excellent relationships with the childminder and other children. They benefit from an enabling learning environment where each child is supported and inspired to explore their surroundings. There is an excellent range of activities and resources on offer and children are given time to make decisions and come to their own conclusions. As a result, children feel valued and this positive sense of wellbeing gives children a secure foundation on which to play, explore and learn. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of how young children develop language skills, mathematical thinking and a creative imagination. Children show a keen interest in books and are motivated to learn to read from an early

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and outcomes for children

age. They enjoy sharing and looking through their favourite books together, talking excitedly about the pictures they see. The childminder has created a book library in her home and children are encouraged to loan a book to take home and share with their parents. They begin to experiment with writing as they use a range of mark- making equipment such as paper and pens, or enjoy chalking on the childminder's driveway. Here they make marks, lines and drawings and start to form recognisable letters. The childminder draws their name and they look at each letter together and name and copy them. Children learn about space and measure. They build tall towers with bricks and then compare and measure them to see which one is the tallest. They use a tape measure to measure different objects around the home. They experiment with quantities and measures as they fill and empty different containers during sand and water play. This helps develop their use of

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and outcomes for children

language as they begin to use terms such as 'full' and 'empty'.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn how to join construction pieces together to build and balance. For instance, using connect pieces to make a large digger. They confidently describe the purpose of their model and demonstrate how it works. The childminder listens carefully to their ideas and responds positively, asking good open-ended questions to encourage children to show what they know. Value is given to their construction models as these are displayed and this adds to their sense of pride and achievement. Children enjoy role-play with their peers. They particularly like to dress up as fire fighters and use bricks to make a water hose and slide down the door frame as the fireman's pole. Older children like to re-enact school and take it in turns to be the teacher. These activities help them to express themselves imaginatively.

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and outcomes for children

Children engage in a wide range of experiences that celebrate and value diversity. They learn about their community as they visit local groups such as the soup kitchen, where they talk with children and adults of various ages with different views, beliefs and backgrounds. They use excellent resources and activities to help them develop an understanding of disability issues, for instance trying to find their way around in darkness or talking about what it is like to use a walking stick. Children behave very well. They display good social skills and interact positively with each other. They show respect for the feelings of others as they listen, take turns and play cooperatively. They learn about danger and safe limits, such as keeping small pieces away from younger children and using large equipment properly. They understand road safety and practice fire drills, where they discuss what to do if there is an emergency. This helps children to keep themselves safe.

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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 1 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 1 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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