Exall, Christina Joyce

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417274 Inspection date 18/05/2011 Inspector Stacey Sangster

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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 2010 and lives in a detached house in a rural village in Kent.

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Description of the childminding

She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and may care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight years of whom only three may be in the early years age range and only one may be under the age of 1 year.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder makes the whole of her home available for minded children and offers overnight care to a maximum of three children.

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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 in the Early Years Foundation Stage are well cared for and their needs effectively met. Systems to support the childminder in her provision are emerging and are proving effective in supporting the education and wellbeing of the children in her care. Documentation is being established which supports the assessment of children's progress. The childminder demonstrates a commitment to constantly improving her practice and as a result the capacity to continually improve is strong.

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further?

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

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further?

 Extend the partnership with parents and others by sharing, on a more regular basis, observations of what children can do and ideas for supporting children's future development  Extend the assessment arrangements to include some benchmarking of children's progress to enable to prompt identification of any gaps in children's skills and learning and enable support to be offered to narrow these.

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the early years provision

Safeguarding arrangements are well understood and arrangements in place support the protection of children. No un-vetted person is permitted to have unsupervised contact with minded children and the childminder has arranged, with the agreement of parents, for Criminal Record Bureau checked cover to be available in the event of a serious emergency. Risk assessments take account of the ages of children being cared for and ensure that the premises are checked daily for hazards which are then removed or minimised. The childminder This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 demonstrates a good awareness that such risks are continuously evolving, as the children grow in size and skills. Partnerships with parents are developing well. The arrangements for the two way sharing of care related information was established quickly and is now firmly embedded in the routine. The childminder is exploring

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the early years provision

ways to gather and share the information relating to education as successfully. The childminder is aware that she is required to develop partnerships with other settings where the child attends more than one Early Years Foundation Stage provision, so that continuity of care and education is achieved. Currently one minded child attends a second setting, but contact with the other provider has not yet been established. The childminder gathers all of the basic and necessary information about children's individual needs prior to them being cared for. She celebrates each child's uniqueness and gathers additional information over the first few months to ensure that she has a clear picture of how to meet children's specific and constantly changing care and educational needs. Children are given good opportunities to see positive images of themselves, their families and the wider community in the range of resources which include positive images of

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the early years provision

diversity. Children's developmental progress is being monitored, although the childminder has not yet identified an effective system of benchmarking their progress against the EYFS. As a result the arrangements for the prompt identification of emerging gaps in children's skills are not yet secure. The childminder's knowledge of child development is sufficient to ensure that any developmental issues are identified. When this occurs appropriate steps are taken to support or resolve these. Resources are well maintained, are of good quality and are suitable for the ages of the children who can access them. They are used effectively to support children's development in all six areas of learning. The childminder has systems in place to reflect on her practice and has an accurate understanding of what is being done well and which areas of her provision need extending. She reflects on her practices, and systems for recording regularly and

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the early years provision

makes changes to build on her strengths and minimise weaker areas. Her priorities for improvement are appropriate and ensure the continual development of her service focuses on the areas which have the greatest impact on the children.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is given high regard by this childminder. She has a range of policies and procedures which safeguard the children's health, education and general wellbeing. Parents are informed of her role and responsibilities in relation to her registration and the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and support her in this, for example by not bringing their children for childcare if they have an infectious illness. Children show through their actions that they feel safe in the care of this childminder. They approach her without hesitation and are happy and relaxed in her care. They receive gentle reminders and guidance about how to use equipment safely and younger children are well supervised and supported to develop an awareness of safe behaviour. The childminder spends time guiding one child to climb on and off a ride on toy with care, so that she quickly develops the confidence to attempt this safely and successfully with a minimum need for

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and outcomes for children

assistance. Minded children develop an understanding and acceptance of hygiene This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 routines which support their health, such as hand washing before eating and after nappy changes and toileting. All children enjoy active and energetic play in the fresh air, accessing the wide range of toys and equipment in the childminder's garden and on walks locally. The children enjoy healthy food and are encouraged to access drinking water frequently to ensure that they remain hydrated. Older children are encouraged to develop a positive attitude towards healthy foods and through discussion develop an increasing awareness of which foods have a positive impact on their health and which need to be eaten in moderation. Children make good progress in their learning and the childminder maximises their engagement in learning, by offering toys and equipment often purchased specifically because a

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and outcomes for children

child is motivated by a particularly character or type of activity. Systems to effectively assess children's progress are emerging and some records are beginning to be kept. The exchange of information around education is taking place although is limited in the amount of information requested in this area of parents and other Early Years Foundation Stage providers. Children's behaviour when in the care of the childminder is very positive. They respond well to her calm and simple instructions and she successfully indicates which actions are desirable and which are not using facial expressions and tone of voice. This works particularly well with the younger age range, who happily come away from areas when told to and cheerfully move onto other things. Children appear very happy and settled in this childminders care. They giggle and smile often and show excitement and interest at the activities, books and games offered to them. They

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and outcomes for children

are developing confidence and independence through the support that they receive. They make good progress in their communication skills and are becoming inquisitive and self motivated learners. Skills that will support their future learning are progressing well. 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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