Childminder in Devon

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY415390 Inspection date 08/03/2011 Inspector Leoarna Mathias

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 2010. She lives with her partner and two children in Avonwick, Devon. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for four children under eight years of age, of whom two maybe in the early years age range. The childminder currently has six children on roll; three of whom are in the early years age group. The whole house is used when minding and there is a secure patio garden. The family has a dog, a cat, a hamster and tropical fish. The childminder holds a relevant level three qualification.

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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

The childminder has quickly developed excellent strategies for ensuring that the children in her care receive exceptional support for their welfare, learning and development. She builds very secure relationships with the children she cares for and their families, so that children enjoy high levels of continuity of care between home and the setting. The childminder has created a very well-resourced environment as well as ensuring children access a range of interesting activities outside the home. She is very well organised, producing and maintaining a comprehensive range of documentation which properly underpins her work. The childminder is enthusiastic about her own ongoing professional development, accessing training very regularly and seeking out ways to share good practice with her childminding colleagues. Furthermore, she uses her self-evaluation skills effectively overall, and demonstrates a strong capacity to reflect on both the

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

progress of her charges and herself, in order to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 exploring further ways in which to record self-evaluation to show the impact of changes on the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an extremely secure understanding of how to keep children safe. She employs a robust risk assessment procedure and uses a range of highly effective strategies for keeping her charges safe when on trips and outings, which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 include helping the children to develop their own understanding of staying safe, such as holding hands and being aware of others. The childminder practices fire drills with minded children regularly, which are then fully recorded and evaluated. She ensures that her knowledge of child protection procedures and practice remains up to date at all times, and her practice both in terms of recording prior injuries to children, and recording visitors to her home, safeguards her charges very well. All aspects of maintaining children safety and welfare are underpinned by high quality documentation which is reviewed regularly and shared with

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very clear vision for the future of her provision and of the benefits of the types of care she offers. This vision is underpinned by excellent documentation and a commitment to maintaining coherent, relevant policies. She has a strong sense of professionalism, and is thus very committed to her own ongoing career development, sharing of best practice through attendance at relevant training and meeting with her peers. She also possesses clear reflective skills that enable her to maintain a cycle of continuous improvement, and the sophistication with which she records this process is growing; however, these systems do not include a variety of ways to monitor her processes to show whether changes have been beneficial.

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the early years provision

The childminder has built consistently strong relationships with the families of minded children and as a result, many of them take time to contribute positive feedback to the inspector at the time of inspection. During the settling in period she works hard to learn all she can about each child, as well as sharing a great deal about her own practice through her comprehensive policy documentation. This helps her to establish children's starting points, know their backgrounds exceptionally well and ultimately to meet their individual needs effectively. An excellent inclusion policy is implemented, with the childminder acting as a positive role model to children, actively challenging stereotypes, for example. Going forward, there is a very good exchange of information through daily discussion and regular sharing of written records. The childminder uses her substantial experience of working to meet the individual needs of children in group day care settings very

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the early years provision

effectively. She is particularly well equipped to work in partnership with outside agencies and professionals to support children, and she is also building good relationships with other providers that her charges attend so as to further ensure a good flow of information through well-established channels of communication.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making very good progress towards the early learning goals in all six areas of learning. They play in a pleasingly inviting home environment that is organised so as to fully promote their learning and development highly effectively in all areas. Toys, books and resources are readily accessible to children, and the childminder is skilled in enabling children across the early years age group make the most of each activity at a level appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children make excellent use of books and stories throughout the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 day, and show familiarity with a large range of songs, action songs and nursery rhymes. They also enjoy frequent opportunities to make marks in a variety of contexts, including on a large scale using lining paper and chalks in the outdoor environment. The childminder builds on the substantial training she has received to

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and outcomes for children

augment her understanding of how children's communication skills develop, using language purposefully with her charges throughout the day. The childminder ensures that children use number in every day contexts as well as giving them access to many puzzles and games that encourage them to problem solve; as a result, even very young children display a sense of achievement as they progress with making puzzle pieces fit correctly. The childminder encourages children to delight in the outdoor environment, giving them daily opportunities to participate in nature walks, as well as regular trips to other places of local interest, and real world experiences, such as the library and supermarket. Children use good quality toys and equipment to construct and make, as well as accessing plentiful dressing up and other resources that help children develop an appreciation of diversity in our society.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of how children learn and develop. She provides children with a delightful range of experiences across the week, making good use of local amenities such as nature areas and other open spaces, alongside ensuring that the range of activities she offers within her home ignite children's interests fully. Children also access a very pleasing range of resources and toys throughout the day. As a result, children are curious, confident and engaged as they play, with the support of a practitioner who seizes opportunities to extend and consolidate children's learning and progress. She is skilled at getting to know children quickly and at working with parents to ensure a valuable exchange of useful progress information both through discussion and documentation. Thus the is more than able through discussion to reflect upon her strengths and on any areas where she

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and outcomes for children

plans to bring about further improvement, while at the same time acknowledging that she can now do more to refine her recording of her self-evaluation process and the implementation of such changes.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder adopts a proactive and positive approach to inclusion and the meeting of individual needs. She has adopted a coherent policy in this area and has undertaken a substantial range of training to underpin her work with her charges. Her day to day practice reflects her commitment to equality of opportunity, and resources are selected to give children as wide a range of experiences as possible. Her strong, secure and warm relationship with the children she cares for enables children to give of their best while attending, and as such, rare incidences of challenging behaviour are dealt with sensitively. 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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