Childminder in Stockport

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 307042 Inspection date 21/03/2011 Inspector Jan Linsdell

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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 1997. She lives with her husband and three children; one adult and two children aged 16 and nine years. The family live in Heaton Moor, Stockport, close to schools, parks and shops. The property is accessed by a number of steps. The whole of the ground floor and upstairs bathroom is used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. The childminder supports children with special educational needs.

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Description of the childminding

This childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under the age of eight years at any one time. She is currently minding 12 children, seven of whom are school age and attend before and after school. Five children are within the early years age group and attend on a full or part-time 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children take part in a suitable range of activities to help them make satisfactory progress in their learning. The childminder promotes inclusive practice and works sufficiently well with parents, carers and other providers to ensure children's needs are met. Most of the records to promote children's safety and welfare are available and suitably maintained. Systems for self-evaluation are in the early stages. Recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed, which demonstrates a capacity for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risk for outings and trips  use observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child  encourage a culture of reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a suitable understanding of the arrangements for keeping children safe from harm. She informs parents of her responsibility for protecting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children and she updates her knowledge of safeguarding by attending training. The environment is secure and the childminder provides appropriate supervision to ensure children's safety. Adequate risk assessments for the premises and outings are in place to minimise hazards to children, but risk assessments for outings are not included in the record of risk assessment. All other documentation to promote children's safety and welfare is available and appropriately maintained.

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the early years provision

The childminder is in breach of her conditions of registration because she is caring for more children than her registration allows. This is an offence unless the childminder gives a reasonable excuse. On this occasion the childminder did so and Ofsted does not intend to take further action. The childminder ensures all children are included. Suitable partnerships are in place with parents and other providers, such as nursery staff to ensure children with special educational needs receive appropriate support. The playroom is welcoming and child-friendly, with a variety of equipment organised in low-level boxes so that children can make independent choices. The childminder has some ideas for developing the outside area to improve outdoor experiences for the children.

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the early years provision

Parents express positive comments about the childminder and her care of the children. She keeps them informed about the children's progress by exchanging information and by sharing their books. The childminder attends a variety of training to keep herself up-to-date with childcare practise. However, she is not using systems to evaluate the quality of her provision to identify targets and bring about improvements for the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are content in the childminder's care. They take part in a suitable range of activities to promote their learning. The childminder's caring and patient approach helps children to feel safe and enables positive relationships to develop. Children's books include photographs and some observations of their development and skills. A general plan of activities shows how children learn about colours, numbers and letters. However, observations and assessments are not fully utilised to identify children's next steps and plan activities to meet their individual learning needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children adopt healthy lifestyles. They walk to and from school each day and babies develop their physical skills as they manoeuvre themselves around the furniture. Suitable hygiene procedures are in place to prevent the spread of infection and children are familiar with hand washing routines. Children's favourite meals, such as sausage or pasta are incorporated into the weekly menu. The childminder talks to children about safety issues and organises play so that babies are protected from toys with small parts. As a result, children play safely with the toys and learn how to keep themselves safe.

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and outcomes for children

Children concentrate for long periods of time as they sit at the table to build models with bricks. They use their imagination to create a telescope and look at the different planets in the solar system hanging from the ceiling, correctly pointing out which one is Earth. They also enjoy looking at a large map on the wall This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and talking about different postcards and where they have travelled from. This positively promotes their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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and outcomes for children

Children begin to develop their future skills as they play cooperatively together and use electronic toys and resources, such as the laptop. They behave well and learn to share and be kind to each other. They enjoy the childminder's sense of humour; giggling when she offers them snail soup for lunch. Children request to play with the letter boards and enjoy searching for the first letter of their name. They have access to books to encourage their reading skills and the childminder promotes communication by initiating conversations. Children begin to recognise the colour of different objects and some children show impressive skills as they count up to 10 in Spanish. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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