Childminder in Manchester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY414619 Inspection date 03/05/2011 Inspector Anne Drinkwater

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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 the Wythenshawe area of Manchester with her husband and four children aged two to 19 years. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding with bathroom facilities on the first floor. There is a secure rear paved area for outside play. The family have a dog and two cats.

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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, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in this age group on a part-time basis. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. In total, there are three children on roll. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

She is a qualified and very experienced nursery nurse and is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 relaxed and homely environment. Inclusion is well promoted by the childminder, who responds to and meets the individual needs of children. They are making good progress in their development and enjoy suitable activities, which helps them develop skills for the future. However, systems to evaluate her practice are in their infancy and as such are not well enough developed to help identify all of the strengths of her practice or areas for future improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve further the arrangements for planning and gaining information from parents to incorporate children's initial starting points and next steps to assist in providing challenging learning and development experiences to all children  improve the risk assessment for outings so that they more clearly identify aspects of the environment that children come in contact with in order to minimise any hazards and ensure the safety of children  develop further the systems for on going self-evaluation to ensure strengths and areas for improvement are clearly identified and consider ways to seek parents and children's views in order for them to contribute to the setting's self-evaluation. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder is an experienced nursery nurse and has a clear understanding of her role in protecting children from harm and demonstrates an understanding of the indicators of abuse and procedures for dealing with any concerns. She has a written child protection policy, which parents and carers are made aware of, ensuring that they are clear about her responsibility to protect their children from harm and the procedures for dealing with any concerns. In addition, the safeguarding of children is well managed as children are fully supervised in their play, there are safety procedures protecting children from hazards and effective written risk assessments for the premises. However, the risk assessments for all outings do not cover all potential hazards.

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the early years provision

Children have access to a variety of good quality resources and materials to support their play, learning and development, independently accessing resources. For example, children select from the range of age-appropriate toys in labelled storage boxes within the main play area. Observation and recording procedures evident in individual portfolios show how the childminder provides activities from which children are able to learn and develop. Her weekly planning enables her to ensure a variety of activities are on offer covering all areas of learning. However, the next steps in their development are not routinely included in her planning and children's initial starting points in their development are not gained when children first attend to enable the childminder to know what they can already do.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops effective relationships with the parents through a good two-way flow of information about the needs and interests of the children. All of the required policies, procedures and records are professional, well written and maintained and used to inform parents of, for example, any accidents, incidents, or the administration of medication. Other appropriate documentation and records are in place to support the care of children and daily diaries record their routines. In a recent questionnaire sent out by the childminder, parents say the children are cared for in an excellent environment and cannot think of any changes they would wish for her to make. Children have continual access to a variety of resources and materials, which support their understanding of diversity. These include books and play figures and the celebration of festivals and discussion about others around the world. The childminder is qualified in early years and has many years experience.

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the early years provision

She shows commitment to her continued professional development by attending short courses and training.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a sound understanding of the six areas of learning and provides the children with a range of activities and opportunities based on their interests. She is aware of each child's needs and provides them with activities matched to their interests and abilities. She records the progress they make in their portfolios using photographs, written observations and samples of their work. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are happy and settled, they are reassured when uncertain and this helps them to feel safe and secure. The childminder interacts and responds well to the children, getting down to their level to engage them in their play. Children respond positively when the childminder makes resources available for them to play with and enjoy tactile play as they roll and cut the play dough, drive the diggers through the sandpit or just get messy when finger painting or planting their fruit

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and outcomes for children

and vegetables. Children are becoming confident and are developing self-help skills as they select resources for play. They are confident and enthusiastic, developing good language and communication skills as they talk to the childminder about past, present and future events. They understand how books work, as they independently access books form the wide and varied range available

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and outcomes for children

The home is organised to enable young children to move about freely and safely. The outdoors is freely accessible to them to enable them to play and learn in both environments. Children move around confidently and negotiate pathways around obstacles as they play. The childminder encourages children's independence by offering children some choices about the activities that interest them most. They explore a range of technological and other push-button resources and enjoy construction, especially with the diggers. Gluing, sticking and holding pens and crayons enable them to create marks and pictures. Good use is made of the places of local interest for children to develop wider learning experiences, for example, as they visit parks and play centres. They enjoy the natural world as they observe the many different birds and animals they see in the parks, garden or at the zoo. Children are beginning to develop an understanding of mathematics, as they use a

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and outcomes for children

variety of resources and activities to count, problem solve, match, sort and identify shapes. Children describe what they are doing to the childminder and respond to the praise that she gives them. The childminder uses her skills effectively to support children's early learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and wellbeing is very well supported. They enjoy physical exercise and outdoor play on a regular basis, walking to and from the local school each day. They make sure they wash their hands and dry them before a healthy snack of water and fresh fruit. The childminder supports children's social skills in sharing and turn taking. She has clear and appropriate boundaries in place and this helps children to learn right from wrong. Children receive lots of ongoing, positive praise from the childminder for their achievements. 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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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