Childminder in Essex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY340215 Inspection date 14/02/2011 Inspector Lindsay Hare

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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 registered in 2006. She lives with her husband, who is registered as an assistant and their two children aged seven and ten years in Stansted, Essex. The childminder uses the whole of the house for childminding and there is a secure garden for outside play. The childminder provides care all year round as well as before and after school.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. When working with an assistant, she is registered to care for a maximum of nine children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than five may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding nine children, of whom five are in the early years age range. She is also registered to care for children over five years to 11 years. The 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 family has two dogs. The childminder is accredited with the National Childminding Association.

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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 provides a very safe and welcoming environment for all the children, ensuring that they are all included and supported. Although children are making good progress in their learning and development, there are some minor weaknesses in the planning and assessment process. The partnerships she has with the parents are a key strength and positively contribute to ensuring the individual needs of all children are met. The childminder is clearly able to monitor and evaluate her practice and has already implemented some improvements. All the necessary documentation is in place, although a requirement has not been met.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain information from parents about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. 14/03/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve the observational assessment so that children's individual next steps are clearly identified and inform future planning

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the early years provision

There are excellent safeguarding procedures in place to protect children from harm and both the childminder and her assistant have attended safeguarding children training. The childminder is fully aware of ensuring that all adults living on the premises have been vetted and there are clear procedures to ensure that only authorised people collect the children. Comprehensive risk assessments are conducted of the premises, garden and any outings and these are regularly reviewed, enabling the children to play and learn in a safe and secure environment. The provision is inclusive and the childminder encourages children to learn about the wider world, celebrating various festivals and exploring the local community.

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the early years provision

The childminder's professional and friendly approach to maintaining positive partnerships with parents ensures that children's care is consistently promoted. For example, she gets to know the family well through her detailed settling in procedure, gathering lots of information about children s backgrounds, interests and needs. There are excellent systems in place to share information and keep parents informed about their children's care and progress, such as verbal exchanges, daily sheets and a website with additional general information for parents. Extremely positive comments are received from parents particularly in relation to the 'drop box', which allows them to see current photographs of what the children are doing each day. The childminder is also able to pass on advice to parents from the information sessions she attends. All parents are given a prospectus and informed of any changes to the policies and procedures, as they

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the early years provision

are reviewed regularly. This enables them to understand how the childminder implements these procedures into her daily practice. However, a requirement regarding obtaining information about who has parental responsibility has not been met. The childminder writes a detailed report of the children's progress and where they are in their learning which is given to the school that they are moving onto.

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the early years provision

The childminder is clearly able to verbally identify her strengths and areas for improvement. She has compiled questionnaires to gain feedback from parents and continually seeks to build on her childcare knowledge, by attending network meetings and various training. Improvements have been made, which develop the setting as a whole and improve outcomes for children. For example, the development of the website, creating a buggy park for parents who use the train to travel to work and the planning of activities to widen the scope of experiences offered and avoid repetition. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to help them make effective progress across all areas of learning and development through a balanced range of interesting and stimulating activities. The detailed planning ensures that activities cover each area of learning and are evaluated as a whole. The learning journeys contain evidence in the form of observations, photographs and examples of children's work which are used to assess where children are in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, children's learning is not always fully promoted because children's individual next steps are not clearly identified or fed into the planning. Children have full access to activities and resources in the playroom and are able to self- select from low level storage, encouraging them to make choices and explore. The childminder and her husband have collected various pictures and resources from their travels which are displayed around the room, providing positive images of

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and outcomes for children

diversity. Both speak fluent French and the childminder uses Makaton as an addition to supporting children's speech development.

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and outcomes for children

Children visit the toddler group and church group within the local community, enabling them to interact with their peers within a familiar environment. They are developing social skills as they practise taking turns and discuss sharing with each other. Good manners are encouraged and children are using child sized cutlery to eat their lunch. Children appear very comfortable within the environment, looking at the digital photo frame and recognising people, "that's me drawing an apple and there's me making biscuits". The childminder focuses on a letter every fortnight and children are encouraged to look at the sound and shape, how to position your tongue when saying the sound and to practise drawing it.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe and secure; they are aware of the routine and put their name cards up on the board as they arrive. Everyday opportunities are used to encourage children's learning, for example at snack time they count the pieces of fruit, recognise colours and talk about shape. A picture board enables children to try simple addition in a practical way, adding the number of buttons to the snowmen. The children often visit the woods and enjoy spending time in the garden, where they build dens, plant bulbs and water the plants. An area of decking outside has been partitioned off to enable non-mobile babies to access and move around the outside area safely. Children ride on toys, pedal on bikes and climb on the constructed frame. The older children estimate which children can use the frame at the same time, by weighing themselves and discovering different combinations, without exceeding the maximum limit. Children's speech is excellent

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and outcomes for children

and they are constantly talking about what they are doing, for example, they discussed and decided that they would need to wear wellies on their feet before going outside. Children sat and listened to a story, read by the childminder in French and then English and repeated key words from the story of the hungry caterpillar. They are encouraged to take turns as they excitedly pull props from the song sack and then join in with the relevant song and actions. Children learn how things work as they flick the switch on the torch and discover where the batteries go. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The assistant provides home cooked meals, using fresh, seasonal produce bought from the local greengrocers with the children and encouraging them to try other foods that they might not have at home. Careful explanations, repetition and simple phrases, such as using inside and outside voices promote children's

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and outcomes for children

understanding of behaving well. The childminder uses a paper mache model of a fire, when practising the evacuation plan which is placed in different locations to help children think and develop their awareness of keeping safe. 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 1 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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