Childminder in Greenwich

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 510639 Inspection date 22/03/2011 Inspector Marcia Robinson

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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 is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The Childminder is registered for a maximum of five children under eight years of whom three maybe in the early years age group at any one time. There are currently three children on roll in the early years age group. The childminder lives with her husband and two grown up children in the London Borough of Greenwich, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding with suitable disability access and a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association(NCMA).

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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

Children are happy, settled and thriving, because they are cared for in a safe and secure environment, where children are valued. Overall, the childminder safeguards the children well and helps them feel comfortable whilst they attend the setting. She promotes children's welfare and learning successfully, helping children to make good progress, although a few aspects require minor improvements. Warm, positive and trusting relationships enable children to feel safe and secure. The childminder has a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement, because she seeks to improve her knowledge and understanding of children's early years through further training opportunities. Parents are not fully involved in the childminder's self-evaluation process as it is currently in its infancy.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board Procedures (LSCB)  improve systems to identify the settings strengths and weaknesses and to work with the parents to provide positive outcomes for all children  strenghten systems for observation and assessment by formally gathering information from parents about children's starting points, making sure next steps identified for children are clearly followed up and reviewed and involving parents as part of the ongoing observation and assessment process This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded overall. The childminder is clear about the signs and symptoms of abuse and knows what to do if she has concerns about a child. She implements secure policies and procedures and has all relevant information for reporting and recording any concerns. Although the childminder has an up-to-date copy of the local authority safeguarding and protecting children handbook, she has not attended any training courses relating to the matter to ensure she is fully confident about the procedures to follow. There is evidence of strong record keeping, such as policies and procedures and progress profiles that are very well organised and that further support good outcomes for children. All the necessary documentation required to safeguard children's welfare and safety, such as risk assessments and accident records are in place and confidentially maintained. Further safeguarding procedures are in place, as the childminder and

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the early years provision

other household members have had suitable checks completed. The home environment is warm and welcoming. Space is well organised for children to play and access a wide variety of good quality resources that support their learning and meet their needs. The childminder's service is accessible to all within the community and she is committed to ensuring all children feel included and valued. Time and commitment is taken to form strong partnerships with parents; this ensures the ongoing exchange of information about children through daily discussion and the use of written records. Parents are further updated through regular review meetings where the childminder is sharing plans and observations of their children's progress and achievements. However, they have not been encouraged to contribute their own observations of their children so that children's care and learning is a more shared process. Parents are provided with copies of

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the early years provision

the policies and procedures about the setting and are encouraged to share information about their children. For instance, the childminder asks parents what the children's starting points are when they first start at the setting. However, these are not recorded, so there are missed opportunities to further enhance the children's learning and development through this. The childminder understands the importance of working in partnership with others and is beginning to build effective relationships with other Early Years providers where children attend more than one setting. She has made a good start in developing procedures to monitor and evaluate her practice, through the use of the Ofsted self-evaluation form. However, it is not regularly reviewed and her procedures do not fully include parents and children's views in the self-evaluation process. Nonetheless, she has been pro-active since the last inspection to meet the recommendations made. For

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the early years provision

example, she has obtained the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance and has started to make good progress developing her understanding of the requirements. A procedure for making complaints, recording accidents and regular emergency evacuation practices are now in place. Alongside this she reviews her provision and keeps up-to- date by sharing ideas with other childminders and listening to feedback from her childminding support worker. This helps to demonstrate her willingness to make continuous improvements to the service she offers. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has attended training on the Early Years Foundation Stage and demonstrates a good understanding of the requirements. She implements it well ensuring she provides activities and experiences to effectively cover each of the areas of learning. Children are very happy, settled and relate well to the childminder, as she supports children's learning well by being actively involved in their play and asking them questions that make them think. Free play is incorporated into each day, where child-initiated play is encouraged and supported by the childminder. They behave well and are encouraged to have good manners. They are developing skills for the future as they become independent learners and discover how to share and take turns with support from the childminder. So as a result, children behave well and demonstrate high levels of confidence and self- esteem. The childminder continually interacts with the children, engaging them in

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and outcomes for children

conversation and promoting their language and communication skills well. For instance, children are using play dough and the childminder is talking to them about what they are making, introducing them to the names of the animals and objects. Young children often repeat these words, such as car, 'brum brum' as they pretend to ride it along the table. Children join in enthusiastically in counting and rhyming songs, cutting and sticking and imaginative play. For instance, children as young as two years old confidently count up to number 13 when walking up the stairs and the childminder sings familiar rhymes such as Twinkle, Twinle, Little Star as she gets the children ready for the school run. They have a growing understanding of the living world through a variety of well-planned activities, such as watering the plants and hunting for worms in the garden. A range of creative experiences promote children's self-expression and gives them opportunities to

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and outcomes for children

explore their senses. Examples of this are where they manipulate play dough and enjoy the experience of exploring paint to make hand prints. Children develop a sensitive awareness of diversity and an understanding of the needs of others. This is achieved through a range of activities and resources which promote a positive outlook of the wider world, including painting rabbits for Chinese New Year. The childminder knows children well and plans activities around their interests and capabilities. She makes regular observations of their achievements. She also identifies next steps for their development, but these are not always clearly followed up and reviewed in order to track progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children are welcomed into very clean and well-kept premises where they have ample space to play. They are safeguarded well as the childminder's home is secure at all times. This is supplemented with effective procedures for adults collecting children. They are kept safe on outings as toddlers wear back packs with reins attached and they learn road safety procedures, such as holding hands and waiting by the kerb before crossing the road. Children are able to rest and sleep according to their individual needs and have regular opportunities to take part in physical play activities, both indoors and outdoors. These include using equipment at the drop in groups, playing in the garden and accessing large climbing resources at the park. Children's well-being is enriched through accessing a healthy diet. Meals and snacks provided include freshly home cooked foods such as butternut This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

squash risotto or cucumber sticks and cheese for snack.They are learning about the importance of good personal hygiene and are becoming increasingly independent in their personal care. For instance, toddlers are able to put on their own shoes and need only a little help putting on their own coats. The childminder can respond appropriately if children have an accident, as she is equipped with a well stocked fist aid box and is trained to administer first aid. Children do not attend if they are sick, which enables the childminder to protect others from illness. All relevant documentation with regard to health, including specific dietary needs and consent forms, is in place and up-to-date. This positively safeguards children's well-being. 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 3 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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