Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY267266 Inspection date 24/03/2011 Inspector Denise Smith

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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 2003. She lives with her husband, and two children aged nine and 12 years in a village near to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. All of the downstairs of the house and one bedroom upstairs is registered for childminding. Children have access to a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time, of these no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in this age group, who attend on a full- and part-time basis. Additionally, she cares for five children in the older age group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to the local school and attends local groups. She is a member of the local childminding network and the National Childminding Association. The family have two cats and a guinea pig as pets.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in an extremely welcoming and inclusive setting where they enjoy a variety of stimulating play activities. The childminder has many strengths, in particular, her practical organisation and positive interaction with children contribute significantly to them making exceptional progress towards the early learning goals. She implements excellent procedures regarding the welfare of children and works in partnership with parents to promote outcomes for children and cater for children's differing needs. Partnerships with other providers of the early years foundation stage are strong and contribute to children's overall development. She maintains the capacity to improve outcomes continually for children through reflecting on and evaluating her practice.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 further develop the existing systems for partnership working in order that these provisions of care and learning continue to complement each other.

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the early years provision

Children are fully protected because the childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues and knows what to do if she has any This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 concerns relating to child protection. She holds an appropriate first-aid qualification and has booked on her refresher course early to ensure this remains up-to-date. She ensures that all adults living on the premises are vetted and the good security of the premises promotes children's well-being. The childminder carries out rigorous and regular risk assessments of the setting and for any outings which underpins the care provided. She also checks daily to ensure the premises are always safe for children. All of the required records needed for the safe and effective management of the setting are well-maintained and very well organised.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides children with space to play which is very well organised and well resourced. This means that children can make choices in their play, make decisions and direct their own learning whilst being supported and challenged as appropriate. For example, children are based in a dedicated play room but are able to move around freely and use other areas as they choose. Children snuggle up on a comfy sofa to play with the dolls or choose to sit at the table to complete a craft activity. An excellent range of resources are on offer to children and the childminder ensures resources sustain children's interest. The childminder spends her time with the children, helping them to feel valued and included and enhancing their enjoyment of the play activities. She maximises opportunities to talk with children and introduce relevant activities about differences in society, thereby increasing their awareness of diversity.

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the early years provision

The childminder constantly reflects on her practice and uses a wide range of methods to gather information from both the parents and the children. This is used to develop her practice in accordance with the current needs of those being cared for. The childminder is committed to keeping up-to-date with current practice and is currently near completion of her Level 4 qualification in Childcare. She liaises closely with parents and uses a variety of methods to gather relevant information from them to ensure children's care and learning needs are known. This means that she can tailor the children's day purposefully to meet their individual needs. Parents express their satisfaction with the care offered to their children. For example, they state, 'She has proved that she is not only a flexible and professional childminder, but is also well loved by the children'. The childminder has strong systems in place to ensure that she works in partnership with other

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the early years provision

providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage so that these services complement each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for by a very knowledgeable and caring childminder who has the ability to make learning fun. Her thorough knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework ensures that she is able to assess children's progress, identify meaningful next steps of learning and implement highly effective plans for the children's learning. As a result, they make exceptional progress towards the early learning goals. The children's learning journals are vibrant and enable the childminder and parents to track the progress children are making. Children's interest is sustained as the childminder is skilled at introducing new activities as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's attention is attracted to something new. For example, a one year old asks to do painting. This activity developed into a wide learning experience for the child as she mixed the red and white paints to make 'pink', painted her hands

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and outcomes for children

carefully with a brush and then gleefully printed these onto paper. An older child decided to join in but elected to use rollers to make tracks on his paper. This demonstrates the childminder's ability to make activities developmentally appropriate for each individual child.

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and outcomes for children

Children have easy access to a wide range of books, for stories and for reference. They make marks throughout their play and develop their pre-writing skills which underpins their future learning and education. The childminder is adept at using different situations to engage children in conversation and encourage their thinking. As a result, children acquire and develop skills in all areas of learning. For example, a child proudly announces 'Look, I can do it now' while peeling a banana. The childminder encouraged him to cut this up 'if you cut these in two you will have four pieces each' they counted the pieces together the child commenting 'look, if we cut this in two', repeating what the childminder had said. Children learn about other mathematical concepts such as weight and measure during their play, for example as they bake cakes and build with the bricks.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy many outings in the local area which helps to develop their understanding of who they are and where they fit into the local community. They also visit places further away which helps them to find out about the natural environment and satisfies their natural curiosity. Children use technology toys throughout their play so they begin to understand their place in the world around them. For example, a child systematically works through the buttons on an electronic toy until the correct animal noise is found. The child smiles and says, 'That is the one' and presses the button again and again. These early experiences serve to underpin the children's learning and so prepare them for their future journey into more formal education.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder prioritises children's well-being and makes sure that they keep safe and healthy in her care. Children develop a real sense of belonging and enjoy the company of the childminder. Their self-esteem is boosted through much praise for their efforts and achievements. Children learn excellent manners throughout their play and learn about keeping themselves safe and healthy. They are encouraged to develop their hygiene practices and are provided with paper hand towels to help prevent cross-infection. Parents generally provide the children's lunch with the childminder supplementing this with healthy snacks and easy access to water to prevent dehydration. Children exercise daily in the fresh air and as they walk to and from school, play in the garden or visit parks and areas of interest in the local community. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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