Childminder in Bolton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY271005 Inspection date 10/01/2011 Inspector Helene Terry

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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 has been registered since 2003. She lives with her husband and adult son in a property in Bolton, Lancashire. The whole of the ground floor of the home is used for the children. The rear garden is used for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. At present, she has four children on roll between the ages of two and nine years; most of whom attend for various sessions throughout the week. The childminder takes children to and from the local school and supports children with special educational needs. 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 regularly attends toddlers groups and is a member of the National Childminding Association. She receives support from the local authority.

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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 warm, caring and inclusive environment where the childminder is fully aware of children's individual interests and capabilities. She shows a very clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is skilled in delivering its requirements. This is evident from the very good progress children are making in their learning and development. The childminder has developed very good relationships with parents and other agencies involved in the care and well-being of children to ensure that they meet their full potential. Monitoring and self-evaluation processes used by the childminder are excellent and as a result, she maintains a high capacity to continually improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems for adding parents comments to children's development records.

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the early years provision

The childminder places a high priority in safeguarding children and fully understands her role and responsibilities to ensure children are well protected and remain safe while in her care. She has attended safeguarding training and she has a clear written policy outlining the steps to take in the event of any concerns. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Comprehensive risk assessments are rigorously maintained which reduces risk to children further. All of the mandatory documentation to support the safe management of her childminding practice is in place and is very well maintained. Children are further protected because all adults in the home have been vetted. The childminder works hard to provide an enabling and inclusive environment that enables parents and their children to feel very welcome. The learning environment is extremely well organised with easy access to resources that fully meet the needs

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the early years provision

of all children, including those with learning difficulties. The excellent range of play equipment is extremely well maintained and age appropriate and offers interesting variety. As well as toys and activities being accessible to children to promote independence and choice. The childminder also has a laminated folder that contains pictures of all her resources. This helps the children make further choices about what they want to play with.

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the early years provision

The childminder shows an extremely positive attitude towards equality and diversity and children are encouraged to participate in the full range of available activities. She also ensures that a full range of activities are accessible in the garden to help children who prefer to learn outdoors. Children are taught to respect other people and their way of life and have access to a very good range of resources to further develop their awareness and understanding of the wider world, including those with disabilities.

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the early years provision

A great strength of the setting is the commitment the childminder has in working in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure children meet their full potential. She has developed a successful means of communication to ensure everyone involved in a child's care is kept well informed about their progress and overall well-being. Parents have access to policies and procedures; information leaflets about the setting and children's development records, which enhances the two-way process in caring for children. She also has a notice board and gives parents regular newsletters about her provision and activities. Some parents have also stayed for lunch with their children, further developing the family atmosphere. Parents are very happy with the care their children receive, even to the extent that on two occasions parents have nominated her for the National Star Award.

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the early years provision

The childminder recognises the importance of evaluation and uses the Ofsted self- evaluation form to good effect. She has a clear action plan in place for her future development and training. She reflects on her practice continually by evaluating activities and parents' and children's views are sought verbally and through questionnaires. This helps her identify the strengths and areas for improvement of her childminding service. She continues to develop her service to a very high standard, for example, since the last inspection she has developed her outdoor play area; has attended an excellent range of training courses and has recently embarked on a Level 3 qualification in early years. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children flourish as a result of the childminder's skilful and competent ability to promote their learning and development, through a balance of both child-initiated and adult-led play. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has developed her systems to record children's progress very effectively. She makes regular and accurate observations of children and uses the information very accurately to identify their next steps in development. She has a clear system in place to track children's overall development across each area of learning and this is backed by other documentation to check that the provision of activities has matched the intended outcomes for children. As a result, she has a comprehensive knowledge of their progress and children make significant progress, given their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children's individual needs are well met and are extremely effective. Children are happy to make their own choices and can independently select from the very good range of resources available to them. They are at ease with the childminder and happily initiate play with her. She is sensitive to their needs and fully engages with them in their play, supporting them and encouraging them to try new things. Children make excellent progress in their communication and language skills as the childminder skilfully engages them in conversation, books and nursery rhymes. Children talk about what they are doing and their intentions as they play and experiment with activities. They are beginning to understand that print brings meaning as they recognise their names on flags.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to independently select resources to help them practise their mark making and writing skills, as they access a wide range of resources such as crayons, paints, chalks, scissors, glue and pencils. Toddlers delight in experimenting with the different colours as they paint stripes and dots. The childminder further supports their recognition of colours by encouraging them to identify the colours they have made through mixing the paints. The childminder listens carefully to the children and recognises the sounds and words they are beginning to use. Children make very good progress in their problem-solving and numeracy skills as the childminder supports the children to develop their understanding further. For example, she encourages children to count out the shapes they have cut out from their play dough and recognise the small and the big heart shapes. A great strength of the setting is the opportunities for children to

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and outcomes for children

gain knowledge and understanding of the world. Children delight in growing their own fruit and vegetables and preparing and eating the produce. They are currently growing coriander and beans and enjoy watering and observing the changes to the shoots. The childminder skilfully links children's books with the activities, such as Jack and the bean stalk and The enormous turnip. Children also learn about the lifecycles of frogs and butterflies as they watch chrysalis and tadpoles develop before releasing them into the wild. They have many resources to enable them to observe nature and look at how things work and happen, for example, they play with microscopes, magnifying glasses, and binoculars.

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely well behaved in the childminder's care as effective This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 behaviour management strategies are implemented. The childminder has realistic expectations in accordance with each child's age and stage of development and is a positive role model towards them.

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and outcomes for children

The children's health and well-being are very well promoted. They learn about the benefits of eating appetising home made meals and snacks and have regular drinks throughout the day. Young children are also developing an excellent understanding of hygiene practices through daily routines. Children also have their own tooth brush, hair brush and towels to prevent the spread of infection. Regular opportunities to enjoy plenty of fresh air and exercise are provided through daily walks, visits to parks and from the stimulating outdoor area. This contributes to their good health and helps them gain increasing control over their bodies. Young children are also developing a very good awareness of their personal safety. As part of an activity about what to put in a suitcase, children learn about the importance of sun cream, sun hats and sunglasses. Children also regularly take part in fire drills and they have visited the fire station. Through books and

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and outcomes for children

discussion they learn about the right to respect their own bodies and about the consequences of bullying. As a result, children are developing skills for the future extremely well. 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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