Childminder in Surrey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY355450 Inspection date 14/04/2011 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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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 2007. She lives with her husband and two children in Woking, Surrey. The property is close to local shops, parks and schools. Childminding takes place on the ground floor of the home. Toilet facilities are on the ground floor, and children sleep upstairs as necessary. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a pet cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends local toddler groups with minded children. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of these may be in the Early Years age range, and of these no more than one may be aged under one year at any one time. She is currently minding four children in the Early years age group at various times. There is no provision for overnight care.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and enjoy themselves whilst in the childminder's care, demonstrating confidence and a sense of security. Everyone is treated fairly and in an equal way. Overall, children make satisfactory gains in their learning and development although there are weaknesses in systems for monitoring their achievements, planning for progression and working in partnership with parents. They have most of their welfare needs met but there are gaps in respect of some specific welfare legal requirements, which clearly impact on children's health and safety. The childminder's capacity for maintaining ongoing improvement is satisfactory.

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further?

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

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further?

 Make a record of risk assessments clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) . 30/04/2011

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further?

 Request written permission from parents for seeking emergency medical advice or treatment (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) . 30/04/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 update the record of risk assessment to include any assessments of risks for outings and trips  develop observation and assessment procedures to identify the next steps in children's learning and use to inform future planning  establish a regular two way flow of information with parents, with particular reference to children's learning and investigate ways of encouraging parents to contribute to the learning records maintained on their children  provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in their play and learning  complete a more comprehensive self-evaluation of the quality of the provision to identify areas for development and to plan for how these will be achieved, in particular with regard to providing children with a wider range of play materials.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of issues relating to safeguarding and of the procedures she should follow if she has any concerns about a child in her care. She supervises children carefully and takes positive steps to ensure her home and garden are safe and secure. However, she does not maintain a written record of risk assessment in accordance with regulatory requirements. Children remain safe when they go on outings as the childminder implements sensible precautions to ensure this, but again, there are no written records of any assessments of risks for outings and trips away from the home.

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the early years provision

On the day of the Inspection it was noted that the childminder was caring for more children than her conditions of registration allow. This is an offence unless the provider can give a reasonable explanation. On this occasion, the provider provided an such an explanation and Ofsted does not intend to take further action regarding this breach.

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the early years provision

The childminder displays a positive attitude to continuous improvement and has commenced a process of self-evaluation and reflection upon her existing practice. This is at an early stage of implementation and therefore not yet fully developed. As part of this process, she has started to consider some areas for further improvement; for example, in respect of the need to increase the range of opportunities children have to engage in messy play and thus, develop their creativity.

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the early years provision

Children are accommodated in a warm, welcoming and comfortable environment. The childminder organises space and time appropriately so that children have sufficient space to both move around and sit and play. They receive good levels of individual support from the childminder. She has a good range of play materials and toys that cater for all areas of learning. She gets out a selection of these each day, so that the play provision remains varied and interesting for all the children. She responds positively to children's requests for additional items. However, she This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 does not always ensure that older children can independently access books or other items such as puzzles, thereby limiting their opportunity for individual choice.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes equality and diversity in a satisfactory way. She respects the individuality of the children in her care and treats everyone with equal care and concern. She gathers information about children's family and cultural backgrounds, including details of their home languages. However, she does not fully exploit the potential this information offers to help children share in one another's similarities and differences. For instance, there are no dual language books. The childminder has extended the range of resources she offers that depict positive images of social diversity through the provision of 'small world' toys. She also offers children opportunities to take part in activities relating to different festivals and cultural traditions.

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the early years provision

Arrangements for sharing information with parents about the overall organisation of the childminding provision are mostly informal and achieved through shared discussions at the start of a child's placement. Childminder and parents chat daily and the childminder completes a child diary, which is sent home each week. This, together with texts and photographs, which the childminder sends home on a frequent basis, provides parents with a flavour of their children's day. However, none of the parents have yet viewed the learning records the childminder has begun to keep on their children. This misses an opportunity to ensure a cohesive approach to supporting the children's learning both at home and at the childminder's. The childminder is aware of the benefit of this practice and intends to introduce it in the future. Also, the childminder does not have written consent from parents to seek emergency medical advice or treatment, which is a specific

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the early years provision

legal requirement. This omission potentially comprises arrangements for ensuring children's health and safety. The childminder demonstrates awareness of the need to work in partnership with other settings children may attend.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and have lots of fun at the setting, as demonstrated by their beaming smiles and laughter. They enjoy close, caring relationships with the childminder who is kind and loving towards them. Older children approach her freely, referring to her by name, whilst babies snuggle in contentedly when they are picked up. Children are supported in learning acceptable ways to behave as they are encouraged to play alongside, and with one another. The childminder adopts a consistent approach to behaviour management, intervening as necessary to help younger children understand the need to share and take turns with favourite toys.

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and outcomes for children

Children are supported in making satisfactory progress in their learning and development, and in gaining skills to support future learning. They enjoy the time they spend with the childminder and remain involved in activities and an exploration of resources that arouse their interest. The childminder facilitates This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's play; she provides different play materials upon request and spends lots of time chatting to children which encourages their spoken language skills. She acknowledges the sounds and gestures made by babies, which helps them gain the confidence to communicate their needs. Older children enjoy imaginative play with the dolls and pushchairs in the garden, whilst talking happily to one another and they giggle delightedly as they dance to the music they play on a toy radio. They show off their developing repertoire of songs and nursery rhymes as they

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and outcomes for children

make suggestions to the childminder as to which songs they want to sing. Babies reach for toys that are placed within their grasp.

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and outcomes for children

Children have some opportunity for messy and malleable play, such as sticking and exploring playdough and they paint when they go to toddler group with the childminder. The childminder has identified the need to expand further opportunities for children to explore creativity through a wider range of art and craft activities at home and is planning to do this. Children go on outings to local parks and toddler groups and other places further afield. Thus, they begin to explore their community and develop their social skills when mixing with other children. The childminder observes children at play and has begun to keep formal records of their achievements and progress across each area of learning. This is at a very early stage of implementation and she is not yet using the information she gathers to identify the next steps in their learning and to inform her planning. Consequently, she cannot be sure children are making as much progress as

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and outcomes for children

possible. However, she does show understanding of the advantage of doing this to help her progress children further.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn how to keep themselves safe with the support of the childminder and the setting of clear boundaries. For instance, they learn about the need to hold hands when they are out walking and not to wander off. The childminder talks to them about road safety and is planning to introduce opportunities for children to practise evacuating the house to develop their understanding of what they need to do, should it be necessary to leave the premises in an emergency. Children show they feel safe and have a sense of belonging. They know where to find their shoes, when they decide to go and play and in the garden and are keen to do things for themselves, such as putting these on. The childminder respects their growing desire for independence and provides encouragement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are accommodated in a clean and caring environment. The childminder implements positive measures to promote good hygiene and minimise the potential for the spread of infection. Children wash their hands at appropriate times and each has their own towels. They eat health foods and are offered an element of choice, for example as to which fruit they would like to have for a snack. This approach helps to involve children in making decisions that affect them and teaches them first hand about making appropriate choices. Outside play is a daily feature of the children's day, which means they benefit from fresh air and daily exercise. The childminder encourages them to think about the effect of physical activity on their bodies by discussing whether they feel puffed-out and need to sit down and have a drink afterwards. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 Keep and implement a written statement of procedures to be followed for the protection of children, intended to safeguard the children being cared for from abuse or neglect (Arrangements for Safeguarding children) (also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register). 30/04/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 Make the written statement of safeguarding procedures available to parents (Providing information to parents) . 30/04/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 Make the written statement on safeguarding procedures available to parents (Providing information to parents). 30/04/2011

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