Childminder in Bromley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY414843 Inspection date 19/05/2011 Inspector Elizabeth Mackey

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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 registered in 2010. She lives with her family in Orpington, Kent. The downstairs of the property and an upstairs bedroom are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden; this is in process of being reconstructed, so is currently not available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She also offers care to children aged eight to 11 years. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for two children, who are both in the early years age group. The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent and toddler group. The family have two German Shepard dogs and a cat. The childminder 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and secure in the care of the childminder due to the welcoming and homely atmosphere she provides. Children are contented, settled and happily become involved in all activities on offer. They achieve well in most aspects of their learning and their welfare requirements are effectively met. Partnerships with parents are a particular strength of the childminder; she ensures they are kept informed of all issues relating to their child's care and learning. The systems for self-evaluation are not yet sufficiently robust to ensure that gaps in the provision are identified which impacts on the capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 expand the assessments of children's progress, highlighting next steps for children to work towards in each of the six areas of learning and link these to practical play activities to help children reach their full potential  obtain information about children's, interests, abilities, likes and dislikes to ensure that every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs  develop the systems for self-evaluation  implement a system to verify the identity of any visitors, record their names, the purpose of the visit and details of arrival and departure times. 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 demonstrates a good understanding of procedures to safeguard children. She has attended child protection training and implemented written procedures to guide her practice in the event of a safeguarding concern. The childminder has completed risk assessments for the home and for individual outings to reduce the likelihood of accidents. Children are closely supervised and are helped to learn about safety issues through gentle guidance. The family dogs are friendly and do not have access to the areas where minded children play. All household members are appropriately vetted ensuring their suitability to be around children. Currently, there is no system in place to record details of any visitors to the home.

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the early years provision

The play area is sufficient, with children playing mainly in the lounge. The childminder takes suitable steps to maintain sustainability in her resources, which are deployed satisfactorily overall. Resources and activities promote equality and diversity; these include dressing up costumes, dolls and books. Activities about different festivals are provided to help children develop their knowledge of different faiths and cultures. They childminder organises the resources on the floor so that they are available and within children's reach.

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the early years provision

Good relationships are established with the children and parents, enabling some relevant information to be shared to assist the childminder in meeting individual needs. All regulatory details are obtained about the children and the childminder is keen to provide an inclusive setting; however, there is a lack of information about children interests and ability at the outset, which hinders this. The childminder maintains a daily diary; ensuring parents are well informed about their child's day and the activities they have enjoyed. The childminder values parents input to her service and has devised a questionnaire to ensure her service continues to meet both parents and children's needs. Parents comment they are 'very happy with the childminder and the work she carries out'. The childminder has developed links with other settings children attend, to ensure continuity in children's care and learning

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the early years provision

The childminder has begun to highlight strengths and areas for improvement; however, a method for self-evaluation is not yet in place.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time playing and interacting with the childminder. She effectively promotes their communication skills by engaging in conversation with them while they play. They pretend to talk on the phone and the childminder asks, 'who are you talking to, is it mummy?' Children develop their imagination as they pretend to drive a toy car; the childminder captures this in a photograph that she sends to the parent from her phone. Children explore early reading skills as they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 share books with the childminder. They select a book from a nice range of age appropriate books and sit on the childminder's lap for the story. The childminder encourages them to make the sounds of the animals in the book, which creates laughter. Children have good opportunities to develop their social skills, as they mix with other children on visits to other childminders and toddler groups. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder follows children's individual routines and interests. She provides a routine that allows time for children to play and relax in the home.

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and outcomes for children

The garden is currently under reconstruction and not available to the children. The childminder helps to promote a healthy lifestyle by taking the children on a daily outing. Outings are interesting and varied; these include trips to the park and toddler groups and places of interest further afield, for example, the aquarium and the London Transport Museum. The childminder provides healthy home cooked meals and snacks.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and make their needs known. Overall, children are making sound progress in their learning and development. They freely select from a satisfactory range of accessible resources and explore real life experiences with the childminder; for example, cooking and observing the life cycle of a butterfly. The childminder supports children's development. She observes children's interest and progress; however, the system to plan for their next steps is not yet fully defined.They show a strong sense of security in the childminder's company, forming a good relationship with her. They approach her readily for support and reassurance. Children move around the room freely and make their own decisions about what to do. They enjoy the activities such as musical instruments, simple technology toys or imaginative play with cups and saucers; this helps them to develop skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder fosters children's emotional development well. She talks to the children about their home life and recalls special times, for example, when they visited the zoo with their mum and dad. The childminder is confident in her knowledge of child development and promotes learning and development for all the children attending. From her observations, she provides activities that follow children's interests and she ensures a balance of activities for children who attend on an after school basis. However, the childminder has only recently started childminding and the assessment system is not fully in place and lacks effectiveness; it does not track children's progress against the early learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that the childminder cannot be certain that all aspects of children's learning are effectively covered. Despite this, children experience each of the six areas of learning regularly whilst in the

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and outcomes for children

childminder's care both inside and out. The childminder sets clear boundaries that children understand; for example, they know that they eat at the dining table. The childminder praises them appropriately and they respond well to her positive approach. Children progress well in learning about healthy living. They benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. They understand the basics of how to keep themselves healthy, for example, washing their hands prior to eating and enjoying healthy meals and snacks. 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 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 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: 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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