Bentley Wood High School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 137178 Inspection date 01/06/2011 Inspector Jenny Kane

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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 has been registered since 2000. She lives with her husband and two school age children in West Wickham. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding with access to two upstairs bedrooms for sleeping. Children have access to a secure enclosed rear garden for outside play. Schools, pre-schools, toddler groups, shops and parks are within walking distance. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered on her own to care for a maximum of four children aged under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. The childminder regularly works with an assistant, who is her husband. When working together they may care for a total of eight children, of whom six may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding six children aged between one and seven years, two of

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Description of the childminding

whom are in the early years age group. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder attends the local childminder support group and 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are making good progress in their learning and development because the childminder has a clear knowledge of their individual backgrounds. Consequently they are happy, settled and enjoy close relationships with the childminder and her family. The safety of the children is high priority and required documentation is in place. The excellent partnerships with parents are a main strength of the childminder's service and the childminder has established links with other providers to ensure the children's continuity of care. She uses self-evaluation to identify areas in which she wants to progress and demonstrates a good commitment to making continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 encourage children further to develop their understanding that print carries meaning by creating an environment rich in print, for and reading and word recognition through providing visual signs and labelling of resources  develop further the observation and assessment system to show more clearly children's starting points and the next steps in their learning so as to monitor progress more effectively 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 has a good awareness of safeguarding procedures and she shares information with parents so they understand her responsibilities. All adults and assistants who come into contact with the children are suitably vetted. The safety and welfare of the children is a priority for the childminder. She maintains a safe and secure environment by carrying our daily checks of the equipment and all areas used by children. This helps to successfully eliminate risks in her home. She maintains a written record of her home risk assessment, as required, but has not fully considered the benefits of extending this to include the assessments she does for outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well organised, has all the relevant documentation to hand and has activities ready when children arrive. She strives to maintain a service which is inclusive to all families and has experience of caring for children with a range of differing needs, including children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder plans around children's individual preferences and suggestions and activities are mostly child-led. There is a good range of resources and equipment available suitable for the mix of children she cares for and many of these reflect diversity. These are accessible so that children can choose toys for themselves and make decisions about what they do and where they play.

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the early years provision

The childminder is fully committed to working in partnership with other providers and has established good links with the local school where several children attend. She also has regular contact with the local pre-school and toddler groups. She has developed an effective network of support with other childminders and attends the local childminder group. These meetings provide her with access to training and discussions about relevant issues and she finds this helpful in improving her knowledge and childcare practice. Her commitment to personal development is good; she has addressed previous recommendations, and has systems in place that works well to evaluate her childminding service.

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the early years provision

The childminder has established excellent relationships with all parents. Clear daily communication, both verbal and in writing, ensure parents are fully involved in all aspects of their children's care. Contact books, which hold clear information about daily activities and progress, are in use and these back up the verbal discussions. These go home with the child on a daily basis and parents often add their own observational notes, contributing to records of children's progress. The childminder is very keen to gather parent's views and opinions. This is achieved through regular feedback, the contact books and written references. The parents are extremely happy with the service and make this clear through their many very positive comments. The childminder uses the feedback from parents together with her own evaluation of her provision to identify strengths and areas for improvement. She demonstrates an accurate awareness of what she does well and

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the early years provision

aspects for improvement are well-targeted. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provides a variety of activities which cover all areas of learning. As a result, children are progressing well towards the early learning goals. When children first start parents share information about what their child can already do. The childminder uses this information as the basis for monitoring children's progress. However, the children's starting points are not recorded in writing, so the childminder is reliant upon her own recollection to ensure that she plans effectively to build upon children's individual abilities. Children enjoy good support from the childminder who knows them well, treats each with respect and successfully meets their individual needs. She carries out regular observations of children during play and records these in their individual folders. Although these hold useful information, photographs and samples of work the recording of children's next

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and outcomes for children

steps is limited. This affects the childminder's ability to fully monitor children's progress. However, these folders are regularly shared with parents ensuring they are knowledgeable about their children's progress and achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Children's skills for the future are developing well through the good encouragement of the childminder. She helps to develop children's speech and communication during play by listening well to their comments and ideas. The environment is bright and welcoming with a good supply of books. However, there are only a few visual signs and labels to encourage children's word recognition. There are a good amount of resources which help children's numeracy and counting. Spontaneous events are also used as opportunities to do this, for example, in the garden children count spiders and discuss their size. Their creative development is supported by the provision of dressing up and role play activities, plenty of art and craft opportunities, singing and action games.

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and outcomes for children

Children partake in a good range of activities which ensure they are physically active and those that ensure they adopt healthy lifestyles. They often walk to school helping children understand about fresh air and exercise. They also enjoy outings to local parks; nature walks and visits to toddler groups. These trips help children understand about their local environment and meet others in the community. On outings the childminder is well organised carrying emergency supplies and details of the children. She also ensures that she only takes children to safe and suitable venues. Children help plan outings and learn to keep safe by practising crossing roads carefully. They also regularly practise fire drills so they know how to get out of the house quickly in an emergency. Children understand the basic rules of the house and garden and demonstrate good cooperation during play. The childminder pays children a good amount of attention and is attentive to

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and outcomes for children

their needs and as a result they are fully occupied and their behaviour is good.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy playing in the garden where they move freely about exploring, riding trucks and throwing balls. The childminder encourages a love of nature by showing the children the new shoots on the tree and explaining how they grow. One child picks up a ball from the flowerbed and discovers there are snails stuck to it and has great fun trying to remove them. Later they watch how quickly the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 snails move. The childminder encourages the growing of vegetables and is working towards making her home sustainable. The childminder has high hygiene standards and children learn about good personal hygiene practices through using their own towels in the bathroom to prevent cross infection. They make healthy choices and develop healthy eating habits because the childminder has a good understanding of nutrition and healthy diet. She provides most of the meals and

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and outcomes for children

plans these in advance so parents are informed. Older children like to help with the preparation of food and drinks and planning menus. 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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