Childminder in Stockport

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY282355 Inspection date 01/04/2011 Inspector Christine Myerscough

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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 2004. She lives with her husband and two children aged four and seven years old. They live in a house in Stockport. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is available for childminding. Children also have access to a bathroom on the first floor. The childminder has a cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time. She currently has two children on roll aged from two to four years old. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She has links with a local school.

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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, safe and secure in the care of a warm and nurturing childminder. They feel included because the childminder values the uniqueness of each child and is in tune with their differing needs. Activities provided capture children's enthusiasm, which enables them to thoroughly enjoy their learning. Good relationships with parents and others involved in children's care and learning promote consistency and continuity in children's lives. Self-evaluation systems are developing very effectively and the childminder is fully committed towards the ongoing development of her practice. Areas for improvement centre on reviewing the arrangements for assessing children's learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 undertake assessments of children's learning on a more frequent basis to fully monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well organised and her childminding arrangements successfully promote children's welfare and learning. Children's safety is protected as adults living within the household have undergone appropriate vetting procedures through Ofsted to ensure their suitability. The childminder maintains a record of visitors and undertakes comprehensive risk assessments of her home and for outings. Robust procedures are in place for safeguarding children's welfare and well-being. The childminder is knowledgeable about the potential signs of abuse and the action to take, thus children are protected from harm. Record keeping is well maintained and an extensive range of policies and procedures underpins the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safe care and management of children. Space in the childminder's home is well organised to support children's growing independence. A welcome sign in different

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the early years provision

languages is on display to help promote an inclusive environment and enable all families to feel valued. Children have access to a wide range of good quality resources which successfully meet their developing needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment towards her ongoing professional development and the continual improvement of her practice. She is able to critically analyse her strengths and weaknesses, and clearly identify areas for further development through effectively self-evaluating her practice. Regular attendance on short training courses enables the childminder to successfully extend her knowledge and skills in working with children. To promote a good quality service and keep abreast of current issues in childcare, the childminder shares ideas with other childminders and is an active member of the Borough of Stockport Childminding Association. Recommendations raised at the last inspection have been successfully met. For example, toys and equipment are now well organised and are stored at child-height. This enables children to move around the childminder's home safely and have equal access to resources. Children gain great

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the early years provision

pleasure from independently choosing toys, which stimulate their curiosity.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely and flexibly with parents to ensure she builds successful working relationships. Parents describe the childminder as 'excellent' and are pleased with the progress their children are making. They receive a parent pack with information about the service and a weekly report about their children's well-being. This keeps them well informed. Parents actively contribute their own comments about their children's learning in children's individual files, which have evidence of their work, photographs and achievements. This ensures an effective two-way flow of communication between parents and the childminder. The childminder is proactive in establishing links and developing effective relationships with others involved in children's care and learning, such as, a local school. Weekly activity plans are shared, which enables the childminder to extend topics to further promote children's interests and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children play and learn in an atmosphere of fun and cooperation. They make good progress in their learning because the childminder plans a good range of stimulating activities, which appeal to children's individual interests. The childminder establishes a good rapport with children and is sensitive towards their individual needs. She devotes her attention to them and skilfully promotes their language and understanding through good quality interactions. Her patient, attentive and loving approach ensures children feel well cared for and as a result, they feel at ease. The childminder successfully records her observations of children's interests and achievements. She uses the information gained from her observations to effectively plan for the next stages in children's learning. However, assessments of children's learning are not carried frequently enough to fully monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children actively engage in play and are motivated to learn. They are eager to communicate and express their feelings and wishes. Boys concentrate well and spend time manoeuvring their cars along the roadway on a play mat. Racing games using trains ignites their passion for all things related to transport. A range of highly interesting objects in treasure baskets successfully promotes children's exploration and investigation skills. Children behave very well and happily play alongside others. They help one another to put on their coats and shoes and are learning good independence skills. Regular visits to the library promote an enjoyment of books. Children confidently practise their pre-writing skills as they make their marks and carefully draw around numbers. Mathematical awareness is well promoted. Children enjoy counting games and become aware of number

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and outcomes for children

patterns through singing songs. They learn about problem solving, size and shape as they carefully build with construction toys.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a good awareness of nature and change as they grow herbs and watch a potato plant grow. The childminder is committed to promoting equality and anti-discriminatory practice and has a good selection of resources, posters and photographs, which reflect positive images of diversity. Through taking part in activities linked to various festivals, children develop an awareness of similarities and differences in our diverse society. For example, during Diwali, children colour in pictures and watch video clips of the festival. Children take great interest in a good range of electronic and programmable toys. They have fun repeatedly pressing buttons and become curious about how things work. Children enjoy taking photographs with their camera and printing off their pictures. They develop a strong awareness of their local community through regular planned trips to places of interest, such as, nature parks, farms and toddler groups.

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and outcomes for children

Good emphasis is placed on promoting children's creativity. Children make good use of colour as they draw pictures and use a range of different materials to create a collage. Boys secretly smile with delight as they dress up in costumes of their favourite superhero. Children actively participate in baking activities and stir the mixture to make cakes. Trips to activity based centres and parks promote children's physical skills. Children gain in confidence as they learn to climb on challenging equipment and push themselves forward on wheeled vehicles.

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and outcomes for children

A good range of effective practices are in place to minimise the risk of cross- infection to children. Children follow well established hygiene routines and have coloured tabs on their hand towels so they are easily identifiable. Healthy snacks promote children's growth and development. Children enjoy a range of fresh fruit and keep well refreshed as fresh drinking water is readily accessible to them. The childminder actively supports children in helping them to understand how to keep themselves free from harm. Children gain a good awareness of road safety by practising crossing roads together. They remember not to talk to strangers in parks or stroke people's pets. Fire drills are undertaken on a monthly basis in the childminder's home to enable children to become very familiar with safe practices. 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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