Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY347763 Inspection date 05/05/2011 Inspector Melanie Calway

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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 three children aged 19, 13 and six years in Wisbech, in Cambridgeshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder walks and drives to local schools and pre-schools to take and collect children and takes children on regular outings to a music group, childminding groups and play sessions.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding nine children, who attend on both full-time and part- time basis. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The family has a dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and belongs to a local childminding network. The childminder is working towards a level 3 Diploma in home-based childcare.

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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's individual needs are well met in this warm and inclusive environment. The childminder knows the children very well and uses observation of their achievements and learning styles to plan for them as individuals. The environment is bright, attractive and well organised to promote children's independence. The childminder has a good relationship with parents who exchange information about their children on a regular basis. She is committed to maintaining a high quality service and evaluates her practice in order to identify areas to develop and improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the partnership with parents by encouraging them to contribute to the assessment process, their own knowledge of children's starting points and ongoing achievements  develop effective ways of establishing a two-way flow of information with all providers when children attend other settings to ensure continuity and progression.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded from the risk of abuse or neglect because all members of the household have had the necessary clearances. The childminder This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 has a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and has a clear policy on what she should do if she were to have a concern about children's welfare. She attends regular training on safeguarding and has all the necessary information to be able to take appropriate action. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment. The childminder has risk assessed all areas of the property and makes daily checks to ensure that the premises are safe for children. She supervises all children well and is especially vigilant with younger children. All outings are risk assessed and there are good procedures in place to keep children safe when they are out and about. Children are protected from the risk of fire as a

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the early years provision

regular evacuation drill is carried out so that the childminder and the children know what to do in the event of a fire or emergency.

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the early years provision

Children access a wide range of resources which are well organised to promote their independence. The conservatory is well set out with a good range of toys, equipment and child-sized furniture, enabling children to select toys and activities themselves. Children move freely between the different rooms accessing further opportunities, such as, a play tent and tunnel. They also freely use the outside area and spend a good time outside where there is a range of climbing equipment, ride-on tractors and trailers, wooden blocks and a play house. Children are respected and valued as individuals and the environment is warm and welcoming with examples of children's work displayed and a train display with photographs of the children in the carriages to help them to feel part of the setting.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely with parents and is sensitive to their needs. She provides very useful information for them about the service and gathers important information about children's care routines and preferences when they start. Learning records are shared with the parents and they keep her informed about important events in their children's lives. However, systems are not fully developed to encourage parents to contribute their own knowledge of children's starting points and ongoing achievements across all areas of learning. The childminder is aware of the importance of working with other providers when children attend other settings to ensure effective continuity and progression. She has made successful links with some providers to provide an exchange of information about individual children's learning and development. However, her systems are not always fully effective in establishing a two-way flow of information with all

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the early years provision

providers. The childminder uses a range of methods to reflect on her practice including training courses, self-evaluation and membership of her local childminding network. This helps her to keep up to date and to continually improve the provision.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development because the childminder knows them well and makes sensitive observations of their play and learning to help them to progress. She plans flexibly using topics but these arise from children's interests, for example, children are interested in transport and so activities are arranged around this. She plans a variety of activities to cover all the areas of learning and uses her observations of individual children to plan activities This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to help them progress. Children are very confident in the childminder's care and communicate well with her, asking for support if they need it. She listens to them sensitively, asking open-ended questions to encourage their language and thinking skills. The environment is rich in print and numerals so that children are learning to recognise print of different kinds. They use pencils and pens to practise mark

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and outcomes for children

making and early writing and enjoy tracing the roads with their pencils as they look at real road maps. Children learn to count and calculate as they count the pieces of fruit at snack time and the childminder shows them how to share the pieces out. Children use the language of size and shape as they make patterns in play dough.

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and outcomes for children

Children use their imaginations as they engage in role play. The childminder joins in speaking on the telephone or asking them where they are going on their pretend journeys. They experience different media using play dough and paints. They learn about the world around them as they look a maps and talk about where they live and the different kinds of roads depicted on the map. The childminder talks to them about similarities and differences and introduces topics to help them learn about the wider world, for example, activities linked to Chinese New Year. Children become familiar with technology as they use a lap top or pretend to speak on mobile telephones.

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and outcomes for children

Children of different ages play very well together, working together as they load wooden bricks onto a trailer. The childminder helps them to negotiate and work things out. Their independence is promoted well as they move about freely and access resources for themselves. They are also encouraged to develop self-care skills, such as washing their hands or putting their tissue away in their pocket. They are encouraged to say 'please' and 'thank you' and are beginning to understand the needs of others. Children develop physical skills as they move about freely. Inside there is a play tent, small ball pool and a tunnel. Outside they play on larger climbing equipment or play with ride-on toys. There are large and small slides so that toddlers can also manage the steps and slide down on their own. Regular outings to play parks and music groups provide other forms of physical activity.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted well. They get plenty of fresh air and physical activity. The childminder has a level 2 Certificate in promoting physical activity for children under 5. She runss sessions for other childminders. They are provided with a balanced diet and enjoy a healthy snack of fresh fruit. They access their drinks freely and posters remind them about healthy eating messages and hand washing. Routine conversations also help them to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, for example, that eating healthy foods will give them energy. They are learning how to keep safe as they are given explanations about how to play safely. They learn about road safety when they are out and learn to behave appropriately when crossing busy roads. Children are forming very positive relationships with each other and with the childminder. Good behaviour is promoted by consistent house rules and role modelling. The childminder works

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and outcomes for children

closely with parents to address any behaviour issues. Children are learning skills for the future as they develop independence, form relationships and make good progress in all areas of learning. 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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