Morgan-Hardy, Isadora

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417758 Inspection date 10/05/2011 Inspector Yvonne Campbell

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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 with her two children aged two and five years in St Pauls, Bristol, close to St Pauls Learning Centre The whole of the premises except the basement is used for childminding, and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder has three cats. Minded children may have supervised contact with the pets

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. She works with an assistant and when doing so, may care for no more than 10 children under eight years; of these, not more than five may be in the early years age group. She also offers care to children aged five years to 11 years. 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

There are currently seven children on roll. Of these, three are in the early years age group and of these, two are in full time education. The childminder works during term times only. She occasionally provides short periods of holiday care for children who are on roll. The childminder attends several toddler groups, including one held at a local children's centre. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and has support from a childminding support worker.

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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 happy and engaged in purposeful and stimulating play at the childminder's home. She provides a variety of interesting activities to help them make progress towards the early learning goals. The organisation of play resources is a key strength of the setting. Children have access to comfortable spacious areas where they fully explore the toys they choose to use. Children are kept safe and secure in the home and also during outings around the community. The childminder has evaluated her practice using a format provided by her support worker and shows good capacity to maintain continuous improvement. The childminder has established partnerships with parents and other providers of early years education.

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further?

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

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further?

 analyse the observations of play in children' s learning records and use this information to plan for the next steps in their learning and development This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve further the procedures for promoting children' s good health and ensure that animals visiting the premises are safe to be in the proximity of children and do not pose a health risk.

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the early years provision

The childminder has all the required documents in place to ensure that children's welfare is safeguarded and promoted. She also has a clear understanding of the procedures and knows the action to take if she has concerns about a child. The childminder and her assistant have completed Criminal Record Bureau checks and other vetting procedures necessary for childminder registration. Close and trusting relationships are fostered between the childminder and children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has carried out thorough risk assessments in all areas of the home and daily checks are carried out to ensure children do not have access to hazardous material that may harm them. The childminder's pets are safe to be in close proximity to minded children as they have regular medication to prevent common animal ailments, such as fleas and worms. However, on occasion cats from the neighbourhood are able to enter the premises through the cat flap. This may impact on children's well being as there is no evidence that these animals are in good health and on occasion, they leave a strong odour to mark their territory.

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the early years provision

Since registration, the childminder has evaluated her practice and made several changes to meet the needs of children. For example, a reception room is now organised as a colourful and appealing playroom. Toys are stored at child height in clearly labelled units with pictures of the contents so younger children know what they contain and can self select their favourite items. The childminder has also considered how outdoor toys are stored and made changes to ensure they remain clean and ready for children to use at all times. She is working towards attending Makaton training and also plans to use a picture exchange system for more effective communication with children who have limited language skills due to delayed development. The childminder is also booked to attend a training course on food hygiene.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is located in a vibrant and multicultural community. Children come from different cultural backgrounds. The childminder ensures they have learning experiences to further promote their understanding of equality and diversity. Children have access to a range of resources with positive images of difference. These include dolls, books, puppets and traditional ethnic dress for imaginary play.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely with parents and complies with their wishes and instructions for their children's care. Information is obtained from for each child's learning records to accurately reflect their starting points. The childminder has also established links with the reception class teacher and offers older early years children activities to complement and support the learning they have in school. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The good use of space and the thoughtful organisation of play resources excites and stimulates children who, from a young age, demonstrate a very good disposition to learning. Children are confident and outgoing and show signs of being happy and secure in the environment. They move around freely between the playroom and living areas to choose toys. They are beginning to show preference for favourite toys and some show emerging and repeated play patterns. For example, one child shows an interest in sorting disc type objects by colour. She also enjoys slotting larger disks into a piggy-bank toy and plays methodically until the task is completed. Younger children communicate their feeling to others through facial gestures, smiles and sounds of pleasure. They have close interaction with the childminder who is enthusiastic about their play as she talks to children and provides some comments for their actions. Children show an interest in books

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and outcomes for children

and select these independent of adult input. They hold books correctly and concentrate turning the pages and looking at the pictures.

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and outcomes for children

Older children show developing awareness of the needs of the community. They are learning about the benefits of recycling used material. The childminder provides opportunities for them to sort clean waste material before taking these to the centralised collection bins at a community centre. Children's individual interests present other learning opportunities. For example, some have expressed an interest in learning about the city council and how the community votes to choose people who help to make decisions. The childminder supported their interest by taking them on a visit to a polling station on a recent election day.

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and outcomes for children

Children have many opportunities for outdoor play and learning experiences. There are frequent walks to the city farm to see the animals in their habitat. Children also enjoy going to a local authority adventure playground where they play on safe, but physically challenging equipment, which increases their confidence and their ability to manage and negotiate acceptable levels of risks. The childminder has implemented systems to observe children's play and to assess their development. Children's individual learning records have clear photographic evidence of them engaging in play with comments of what they did. However, whilst there is clear information about children's starting points, observations of children's progress are not linked to the learning areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage, to help effectively plan the next steps in children's individual learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is promoted in a number of ways. As well as regular physical exercise, children are learning to make healthy choices about the food they eat. The childminder provides fresh fruit for snacks and drinking water is provided. The childminder discusses children's dietary needs with parents and work together in establishing healthy eating habits for children. For example, children do not have to finish all their meals but they are encouraged to eat all the vegetables. Yoghurt and fresh fruit is provided for dessert. Children are learning about how food grows. The childminder is supporting a learning topic from the reception class teacher by providing children with a small patch in the garden to grow strawberries. Children behave well. They are purposefully occupied and able to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 take full advantage of play and learning opportunities. They are also learning to be

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and outcomes for children

responsible members of the community and know they must not drop litter. 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 3 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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