Childminder in West Sussex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 155427 Inspection date 24/05/2011 Inspector Michele Beasley

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 2001. She lives with her husband and their two older school aged children in a house in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, within walking distance of local schools, parks and shops. The whole of the ground floor area of the property is used for childminding. She works with her daughter who is a co- childminder. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family has a range of small domestic animals.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to provide care for six children when working alone and a maximum of six children when working jointly with her daughter who is also a registered childminder. She may provide overnight care for one child under eight years. Currently, the childminder has nine children on roll in the early years age group. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is qualified and is a member of a childminding network. She works as a support childminder, is accredited and 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This childminder's practice is exemplary; she puts children at the very heart of all she does and her joy of working with them shines through. She is exceptionally calm and patient with children, who are motivated by her sensitive approach. The childminder is highly competent in assessing children's individual stages of development and she offers sensitive support to enable all children to achieve and experience the sense of a job well done. As a result, all children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder continually evaluates her provision and is committed to improving the outcomes for children through continuous professional development.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 recording details of fire evacuation procedures in a fire log book of any problems encountered and how they were resolved.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded exceptionally well because the childminder has an extremely secure knowledge of how to recognise, record and report any This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 concerns. She is extremely well informed with current legislation and guidance to ensure children are safe and protected. The childminder is exceptionally well organised; she has a dedicated a play room for the minded children and has very effectively organised the toys and resources at the children's height. She provides children with an extensive range of wooden and natural sensory resources across the areas of learning which are accessible at all times.

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the early years provision

Records are maintained to a high standard and the childminder's comprehensive range of policies and procedures underpin her highly effective practice. The childminder is accredited and is committed to continuous improvement; she continually evaluates her provision and is proactive in seeking ways to improve the outcomes for children. She demonstrates a clear understanding of inclusive practice. The childminder is highly skilful in promoting equality and diversity through very effective use of resources, reference books and internet media for children to research about different cultures and countries. She encourages children to be fully involved in all aspects of their play and learning; she values their ideas and treats each child with great respect. As a result, children are extremely well motivated and they have high levels of self-esteem.

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the early years provision

Children gain significantly from the excellent partnerships between the parents and the childminder. There is an exceptionally good shared knowledge and understanding about the children's individual needs, backgrounds and families which ensures the children's welfare and learning needs are very well met. The childminder very regularly shares the information she records about the children's learning and development with the parents and parents are able to take this information home each day in a daily diary. Parents also have extensive opportunities to share their views about their child's individual welfare, learning and development both verbally and through written information which the childminder feeds into the children's individual records. The childminder has established very strong links with other early years providers and health professionals to ensure a collaborative approach to children's welfare, learning and

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and outcomes for children

Through excellent organisation of the educational programme, children make significant progress in their learning and have consistent levels of achievement in relation to their starting points and capabilities. The childminder has embraced the Early Years Foundation Stage. She keeps meticulous records on each child and uses her comprehensive observations to assess children's individual stages of development and to successfully plan their next steps in learning. The childminder plans an extensive range of activities which take full account of children's individual interests and as a result, they are enthused and challenged by the range of learning experiences provided.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder very effectively supports and enhances children's learning; she provides sensitive support to children so that they each experience a sense of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 achievement and is highly skilled in ensuring each child is treated with equal concern. The childminder understands that children need plenty of physical exercise. They delight in the outside activities and exclaim with delight as they hunt for plastic animals in soil, scoop coloured rice in and out of different sized containers, identify minibeasts by using corresponding pictures of them and look for insects in bug houses located around the garden. Children have fantastic opportunities to learn about nature and life cycles such as incubating eggs into baton chicks, recording their story by talking pictures and recording the events on a talking photo album. They touch and observe a real bird's nest, watch and

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and outcomes for children

observe the life cycle of a butterfly. They play with a vast array of wooden toys and equipment. A sensory area with different textured wallpaper and lights including small toys that change colours in the dark make this a welcoming snug space for children to relax and look at sensory books.

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and outcomes for children

Children at this setting experience a vast number of outings to a range of local attractions. They particularly enjoy regular visits to a local farm, where they handle the animals. The childminder encourages children to look at the baby animals such as lambs and to talk about how they have grown and changed between visits. The childminder fully understands that some young children are less interested in pencil and paper activities. As a result, she uses innovative ways to stimulate their interest. For example, they relish mark-making when making straight and wiggly lines in sand.

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and outcomes for children

Children greatly benefit from attending a provision where the childminder attends ongoing training. She is inspired by new ideas and continually re-evaluates the provision and resources. Through self-evaluation, the childminder has now identified that she would like to further explore natural heuristic play; to assist her research she has sourced information on the subject as is attending a training workshop on the subject.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very effectively safeguarded within the home because the childminder carries out comprehensive risk assessments to assure children's safety. She talks to the children about how to keep themselves safe, such as being careful going down the small steps outside. The childminder uses comprehensive check lists to ensure that every aspect of safety is covered in the home, garden and on outings. However, the childminder has overlooked that fire drills need to be recorded in a fire log book. Children learn about keeping healthy through daily routines; they understand why they must wash their hands and independently fetch tissues when they are needed. Children learn to care for living things by growing strawberries, tomatoes and sunflowers. Children have water and organic milk at meal times and eat foods made from fresh organic produce. Overall, children are exceptionally relaxed and happy at this setting and this means that they are ready to learn

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and outcomes for children

through play and fun. 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 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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