Childminder in Hampshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417471 Inspection date 31/03/2011 Inspector Louise Bonney

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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 first registered in 2010. She lives with her two sons in Fleet, Hampshire, close to schools, preschools, local transport and other amenities. The childminder uses most areas of the house for childminding. There is a secure garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has two children on roll in the Early Years age group, who attend after they have been to pre-school or school, and during the school holidays. She also minds one child in the older age group. She is registered to provide care for six children under eight years, of whom no more than three may be within the Early Years age range, and of these no more than one may be under one year of age at any one time. The childminder provides care from Monday to Friday, all year round. She is registered to provide overnight care for no more than one child. She takes and collects children from the local Infant and Junior schools and from local pre-schools. The childminder takes children on outings to local toddler groups, the library and to parks. The childminder has an Early Years qualification at Level 3.

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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 has quickly established a well-organised provision that promotes children's learning and development along with their welfare in an effective manner. She establishes good partnerships with parents and othercare provisions, which helps her provide a fully inclusive environment that supports children's individual needs, religious beliefs and varying cultures. She implements her clearly documented policies and procedures, and maintains records for most risk assessments, which protects the children and supports their health and safety. She evaluates her provision effectively and shows a good capacity for maintaining continual development as she drives forward improvements that benefit the children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop a systematic and routine approach to observational assessment of children's development towards the early learning goals and use to plan their next steps in learning  update the record of risk assessment to include risk assessments for all outings and trips. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed and implemented a comprehensive range of policies and procedures that support children's welfare. These are shared and agreed with parents. She thoroughly risk assesses the children's activities and their indoor environment and addresses identified hazards. However, she does not always record any risk assessments carried out in preparation for outings and this inhibits her ability to review and develop such assessments effectively. She shows good understanding of safeguarding issues, the procedures to follow and where to seek support, enabling her to effectrively safeguard children from harm. She requests written consent from parents where appropriate (i.e. for outings, use of the trampoline, the provision of emergency medical treatment and administration of medication). She records all accidents, and existing injuries children arrive with, and shares the record with parents. She ensures all adults living in the household

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the early years provision

are appropriately vetted and never leaves the children unsupervised. This safeguards the children well.

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the early years provision

The childminder shows great drive and ambition. She has quickly established support networks with other childminders and continually reflects on her own provision. She has developed well-organised and informative documentation about her provision which she shares with parents. She attends training seminars and visits other childminders to see how they organise their settings. She acts upon advice she receives from more experienced childminders. She now welcomes parents more directly into areasof the home that the children use so the parentscan see their children at play as they arrive. She provides a wide range of resources which are set up attractively to stimulate children's play, both inside and outside. Resources and toys are of good quality and include recycled materials. Following training in sensory development, she has introduced resources such as a length of shimmering material and large trays for messier materials, such as paint,

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the early years provision

to further extend an already good range of exploratory activities. She identifies areas for further development which include recording children's development and providing additional large resources for the outdoor area to promote mark-making activities and problem solving. This reflects a strong capacity to maintain continual improvement and to effectively resource her provision.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes equality and diversity well. She seeks information from parents about individual children's home backgrounds and their developmental starting points. The childminder provides activities that reflect children's individual abilities and interests. She introduces cookery activities and books that reflect and value their different cultures and traditional cuisine. She liaises with parents about children's specific dietary needs to ensure any religious requirements, preferences and allergies are taken into account. Children have various resources to play with that reflect diversity, and the childminder organises activities exploring aspects of festivals and traditions both familiar and unfamiliar to th children, promoting their awareness of similarities and differences. within their community.

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the early years provision

The childminder has positive relationships with parents. She is very flexible when organising time to meet and discuss with busy parents to ensure they are kept This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fully informed. Feedback received from parents is very positive and they know their children are well cared for and look forward to coming to the childminder's house. The childminder and most parents spend time at handover discussing children's interests and development, which helps them build on children's new experiences and understanding together. The childminder encourages children to take books home from the library or her own books, to complement any school provision, which further involves parents in the children's learning. The childminder is liaising with staff at the other provisions the children attend, such as school teachers and pre-school key workers, which will support educational and pastoral continuity.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder demonstrates clear understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare, learning and development requirements. She observes the children as they play, and identifies their interests and general abilities. Children have access to a wide variety of activities and resources that they are very interested in and stimulated by. The childminder extends their interests and activities well by asking them questions, introducing new ideas, books and resources at apppropriate times. This helps them make good progress in their learning and development. The childminder does not yet clearly identify children's 'next steps', but is in the process of setting up written observation records to more rigorously monitor their progress and so address any gaps in her provision.

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and outcomes for children

Children quickly settle on arrival. They find games that they have been playing on previous afternoons where they left them, ready for them to continue playing with. They make independent choices from the excellent range of resources accessibly displayed and clearly labelled. This allows children to freely initiate their own play and learning. Children problem-solve and develop manual dexterity as they make models, selecting from a large box full of connecting construction bricks. They explore lentils and rice, and play with various recycled containers and tubes as they pour the materials through funnels. They watch how materials change as they mix them togethers and watch as cakes bake, then decorate them to take home and share with their families. They sit on comfortable rugs and cushions as they look at various factual and story books, some of which they have selected during a previous visit to the library. Children show a love of stories as they recall their

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and outcomes for children

favourites in detail or ask to listen to a particular story tape. They learn about technology as they use a tape recorder, microphone, electronic till during role play, or an electric mixer during supervised baking activities. Children develop a sense of belonging and of being valued as the childminder includes books and activities that reflect the children's own cultural backgrounds, and she provides their favourite foods at meal times. They have free access to the garden much of the time, where they mark-make using chalks, develop physical skills as they kick balls or dig in the sandpit. The childminder boosts children's self-esteem as she praises their efforts or when they offer toys to another child. She uses a display of posters showing children's expressions to help them learn to talk about their feelings and emotions. Children respond well to her verbal requests and come quickly to the table for their

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and outcomes for children

meal. They reflect positive attitudes as she consistently and sensitively guides the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children and they respond to her expectations of behaviour.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about safety throughout their activities. They go on outings to the local Forest Centre, where they learn how to manage acceptable risks as they play on large apparatus. They know to walk on the inside of the pavement as they return from school and how to take care near the hot oven as they participate in supervised cooking activities. Children develop healthy lifestyles. They walk home from school each day and frequently play energetically outside in the fresh air. Children show healthy appetites as the childminder presents them with their favourite foods and gradually extends their tastes by providing freshly prepared and nutritious meals and snacks. Children show independence as they look after their personal care. The childminder encourages them to dress themselves and they know when they need to wash their hands. Each child has their own towel on which to dry their hands, to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination.

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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 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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