Childminder in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 221208 Inspection date 25/05/2011 Inspector Melanie Eastwell

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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 1995. She lives with her husband, two adult daughters and her son aged 12 years in Duston, Northampton close to shops, schools, parks and public transport links. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house, with the exception of the study, is used for childminding. The family have a dog, two cats and three rabbits.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of whom may be in the early years age range, and she is currently minding three children in this age group. She also provides care to children aged over five years to ten years and is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes children to and collects them from the local school and attends toddler groups regularly.

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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

The childminder knows all the children in her care very well and she provides inclusive surroundings where their individual needs are met. She is successful in promoting their welfare and learning. Children are safe and secure and they enjoy the childminder's attentive and enthusiastic involvement with them. The partnerships with parents and the local school and nursery are a key strength and these are significant in making sure children enjoy a smooth transition between both settings and their home. This means that children make good progress, given their age, ability and starting points. The childminder has implemented systems to evaluate her provision. She identifies her many areas of strength and also her priorities for future development, resulting in her provision being responsive to the needs of the children who attend.

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further?

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

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further?

 include the name of the person who carries out the risk assessment in the document.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a friendly and welcoming setting in which the children demonstrate that they feel safe and relaxed. She has an organised approach to her childminding and she ensures that safeguarding is given high priority. All the adults in the household have the required clearances in place, she has attended a training This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 course in child protection and she is fully aware of the importance of following the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines in the event of any concerns. Detailed written risk assessments are in place that cover all aspects of her home and each type of outing the children are involved in. These documents are reviewed annually. However, the documents do not currently include the name of the person who carried out the review. Children are safe because the childminder maintains close supervision at all times and she discusses with them how to

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the early years provision

manage their own safety. For example, she talks to them about road safety, always gives a reason why certain behaviour may not be safe and gives gentle reminders to think of others. She informally involves them in the risk assessment process through discussions about safety during activities. Children are able to make choices and decisions about their play. The childminder provides an excellent range of very well-maintained and entirely appropriate resources for the children present. They are confident to rummage around in the boxes and crates to find the items they want.

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the early years provision

The childminder works extremely hard to build highly effective working partnerships with the children's parents and other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents are kept fully informed about their child's progress and daily routine through detailed feedback. The childminder also keeps in touch with updates and photos via email to reassure parents. She seeks information about the children's achievements at home and uses this information to help her with the planning of activities for individual children. Parents have access to a variety of information about the childminder's provision through displays of posters and a notice board. The childminder has a long-standing relationship with the local school and nursery. She has effective systems in place with the class teachers and children's parents for the sharing of information about their progress at nursery and in their Foundation Year, as well as information

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the early years provision

about the current topics and themes the children are involved in. This information is used very efficiently by the childminder to ensure a consistent approach for the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has recently introduced systems to evaluate and reflect on her provision. She said she found the process helpful in looking back on what she has changed and added to her setting, as well as helping her focus on her future development. She demonstrates a good capacity for continuous improvement. For example, she has taken positive action on the recommendations made at the last inspection, has updated her child protection training and has identified a number of areas she wishes to continue to develop. The childminder has sought the views of the parents, children and the staff at the local nursery and school, who all report highly complimentary comments about her commitment and professionalism as well as the good range of interesting activities and about the safe environment she provides for the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe in the childminder's home. They are confident to move around between the play materials and to help This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 themselves from the low-level boxes and crates. They ask the childminder for items they want and initiate conversation with her. Younger children seek comfort and reassurance as they need it. Babies settle readily to sleep and are regularly checked. Children are learning about how to keep themselves safe. For example, the childminder talks to them about the clear boundaries when they are out walking to school or visiting the park. They willingly help to tidy away when they have finished playing and they respond to the childminder's gentle reminders to think about the babies' safety such as moving around carefully with the walkers and ride-on toys. Older children carry cards with the childminder's contact details

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and outcomes for children

when they are on outings and they are encouraged through discussion to be involved in assessing the risks involved in activities for themselves. Children take part in regular evacuation drills and are reminded of the procedure through a poster displayed in the hallway.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has high standards of hygiene in her home and follows good procedures for preparing food and when changing nappies. Older children are able to be independent in the bathroom where a poster is displayed showing the reasons for maintaining good personal hygiene. Children sit together to eat and enjoy healthy and varied, freshly prepared meals and snacks provided by the childminder. She asks them what they would like to eat, giving them appropriate choices and involving them in planning the weekly menu. Each child is treated as an individual and with great respect. The childminder knows them all very well and she is skilled in anticipating their needs, such as changes to activities, meal and rest times. She understands their unique personalities and ensures that she manages them effectively. Children enjoy becoming involved in well-researched activities that are linked to festivals and events around the world. They have been

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and outcomes for children

involved in making a calendar of celebrations throughout the year that is displayed in the kitchen. For example, children have recently enjoyed activities relating to the Royal Wedding.

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and outcomes for children

The children thoroughly enjoy the childminder's positive and enthusiastic interaction in their chosen activities. She gives them lots of praise and encouragement as well as reassurance and support to be confident and to try new activities. Children benefit from the childminder's creative and thoughtful planning of activities that cover all the areas of learning, and she makes sure all the children present can be involved. For example, they enjoy baking activities. Babies and toddlers are encouraged to explore the dry ingredients and the utensils with their hands while older children are supported to think about the weighing and measuring, looking at the numbers on the scales and the measuring jug and to think about how the ingredients change when they are mixed together and cooked in the oven.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder introduces the children to a range of information and communication technology equipment. Babies and older children enjoy using interactive toys that make music and light up when buttons are pressed. They also thoroughly enjoy using a small tablet computer. Older children are able to scroll through the pages to find their chosen activity and they touch the screen to work on fun activities with letters and numbers. Babies also enjoy having carefully supervised access to this piece of equipment. The older children and the childminder find an activity that shows pictures of animals, the baby touches the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 screen on their chosen animal and are rewarded with the animal noise. The children jump and giggle when the crocodile growls and hisses and laugh when the dog barks and the pig grunts. Children clearly benefit from this activity and the

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and outcomes for children

involvement from the childminder because she supports them to be confident and introduces new vocabulary to them.

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and outcomes for children

Each child's progress is clearly evident in their individual files that contain lots of observations. These are stored under the relevant areas of learning. The childminder identifies their next steps from these observations, alongside using the Practice Guidance document to help her plan activities to help them achieve. She records when children have reached the next step and the system demonstrates each child's progression in their learning and development. These records are regularly shared with the child's parents and their input is included in the future planning. Children in this setting show a clear bond with the childminder, who is passionate about her work and is committed to giving each child in her care a safe and inclusive experience to which they respond positively. 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 2 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 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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