Childminder, Out-of school day care in Lewisham

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417586 Inspection date 18/04/2011 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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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 2010. She lives in a two bedroom flat in Peckham in the London borough of Lewisham. The whole of the childminder's second floor flat is used for childminding and can be accessed by communal stairs. There are parks and playgrounds locally for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age group. She is currently minding one child after school and sometimes during school holidays. The child is in the early years age group. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks/drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/toddler group. The childminder has a cat.

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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 cared for in a warm and friendly environment where they have access to a good range of activities based on the Early Years Foundation Stage. These promote their learning and development well and help children to make good progress overall in relation to their starting points. Effective partnerships with parents and some links with other professionals are established and mean children's individual needs are met generally well. The childminder is reflective in her practice and positive in her approach to improvement. However, the self- evaluation process is not yet sufficiently robust enough to fully identify priorities for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen ongoing observational assessments of each child's achievements and interests and use them to provide relevant and motivating learning experiences that meet children's individual needs  develop the use of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development that will continuously improve the quality of the provision for all children.

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the early years provision

Children's safety and welfare is promoted within the childminder's good practice. She has a good knowledge of the local safeguarding procedures and has a well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 organised system to refer to should she need to, including a well written policy and a range of supporting information. This backs up her knowledge of how she would progress a concern and includes relevant local telephone numbers where she can call for advice or to report a concern and a referral form should this be required. She shares this with parents to inform them of her duty of care to their children. The childminder implements an effective risk assessment procedure which covers all aspects of the home. It is carried out on a regular basis and ensures the environment is safe and secure for children to play in. There are full and thorough risk assessments carried out on each outing that the children go on. This means

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the early years provision

that they are kept safe and secure in the childminder's care at all times.

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the early years provision

Toys and resources are deployed effectively to maximise children's learning potential. Furniture, equipment and toys are of good quality and suitable for the ages of children to support their learning and development. They can make choices about what they play with from the good range of toys and resources available and can ask for further resources which they are aware of. Children enjoy a good balance of adult-directed activities which are based on their interest and help them to move forward in their learning. The childminder reflects on her practice to ensure that experiences for children are positive. She has begun to use the Ofsted self-evaluation form to assess her service but has not looked at all areas as yet. This means she is not fully identifying areas for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children. She is proactive in her own professional development putting strong importance on attending regular training

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the early years provision

to develop her own knowledge. This shows she has a good attitude to maintaining continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity is promoted well. Children learn about people's similarities and differences through a good range of resources which reflect diversity. The childminder promotes an inclusive setting, welcoming all children equally making sure that they can access all resources regardless of their gender or ability. Children take part in celebrations from their own and other cultures. Therefore, they begin to learn about the wider world. The partnership with parents is good. There is a wide range of policies and procedures shared with them to ensure they are fully aware of the service provided and the aims for their children. Information about the children's well-being is shared daily, both verbally and through the children's daily contact book where parents can write details about their child's individual needs and share their observations of their child. This means that parents have good opportunities to share their views and opinions with the

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the early years provision

childminder. The childminder makes good links with other professionals such as the child's class teacher. She uses information gained to complement children's learning and development. Children's individual needs are met through the effective partnerships.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care. They feel secure because of the warm and friendly relationships they have developed with her and show This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 confidence as they move around the home. Children begin to learn and develop through the childminder's good interaction with them. For instance, using open questions such as 'what', 'why' and 'where' makes children think about what they are doing and helps to extend their leaning experiences well. Therefore, children's learning and development are promoted effectively.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is aware of children's abilities and where they are in relation to their starting points. She records details of what children can do in consultation with parents when they first start and endeavours to update this at regular intervals so she has a clear idea of where children are at. She has started to make some observations of the children which she links to the areas of learning and identifies next steps in children's learning. However, this in not always the most appropriate area for the child's development at that time and does not take into consideration information gained from school. Therefore, future plans are not completely based on children's abilities. However, there is good interaction with the childminder who extends their learning opportunities through her well developed knowledge of their individual needs. This means that overall children are making good progress in relation to their capabilities.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a good sense of belonging in the childminder's setting. She talks to them about familiar things such as a recent trip they went on with their family. Therefore, children feel valued. Children begin to learn about words within an environment which is rich in print. For example, there are many pictures and poster displayed with words and letters such as an alphabet freeze linking the letter to an object, for instance 'A is for apple'; this means children begin to recognise familiar words. Children are inquisitive and ask lots of probing questions such as 'Why does the kettle make a noise?' The childminder answers these at a level the children can understand saying that it is because it is getting hotter. As a result children develop a good knowledge about the world around them.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy many activities which promote all the areas of learning. They thoroughly enjoy a cooking activity, making small cupcakes. This helps them to learn about how things change as they explore how cracking and mixing an egg into the dry ingredients makes it change texture, then watch with fascination as the mixture cooks and develops in the oven. They talk about how long it takes the cakes to cook. The child watches the clock and the minute hand go round counting down the time until they are ready. This means children begin to develop an understanding of time. Children benefit from a good range of play based activities which promotes their learning and development well.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a healthy diet. They are offered regular drinks throughout the day, helping them to recognise if they are thirsty. They take part in regular activities which keep them active. For example, they enjoy trips to the park, playing with a wide range of equipment which challenges their physical skills and ensures they get regular exercise. Children show they understand about their own personal hygiene as they wash their hands without prompting before they take part in a cooking activity. Therefore, they begin to learn to adopt healthy lifestyles.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe and secure as the childminder ensures her home is suitable for them to play in and takes good steps through risk assessment to minimise hazards. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children learn about being safe because the childminder ensures that they know how to react in an emergency as they take part in the fire drill regularly. Children behave well because the childminder keeps them busy with fun activities. She is calm in her explanations of what is expected from them and offers lots of praise and encouragement as they play, helping to develop confidence and self-esteem. Overall, children are happy and settled and enjoy their time with the childminder. 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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