St Andrew Day School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 126531 Inspection date 08/06/2011 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 2001. She lives with her husband and school age children in Challock. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding. 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 family has a pet dog and a rabbit

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Description of the childminding

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

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds a level 3 qualification in childcare 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 happy, relaxed and enjoy positive relationships with the childminder and her family. They are making good progress in their learning and development because the childminder is confident in her understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Her systems for monitoring children's progress are mostly effective and documentation reflects most of the good and excellent practice that the childminder demonstrates within her provision. Promotion of children's good health and her partnerships with parents and other providers are exemplary and key strengths of her service. The childminder has a good awareness of equalities and strives to make her provision inclusive. She has used self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement and demonstrates a high commitment to her self-development and to maintaining continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop systems for further monitoring children's progress, for example by improving information held in the observation folders to show the six areas of learning, children's starting points and their next steps  consider extending the record of risk assessment held for outings to include all regular outings. 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 is well organised and has policies and documentation used for the safe management of the provision readily available. She has a good knowledge of child protection issues, has attended relevant training and her safeguarding policy is shared with parents ensuring they understand her responsibilities. Children's safety and welfare are a top priority for the childminder. She carries out daily checks of the equipment and areas used by children to assess and eliminate risks. She maintains a record of her risk assessment of her home and for some outings but this does not cover all regular outings. This does not affect children's safety because of the effective precautions she takes. Children have access to a good range of toys and equipment, several of which reflect diversity and positive images. Resources are in good condition, well displayed and self selection is encouraged. The childminder strives to make the environment welcoming,

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the early years provision

conducive to learning and is working towards being as sustainable as possible through recycling and composting.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a strong commitment to working with other settings and professionals. She has established excellent links with the local school and the pre- school where all of the early years age group children attend. The children benefit greatly because she works in the group and their experience at her home enhances their care and development. Positive, well established partnerships are in place with parents and carers. The three-way sharing of information between all adults involved in the children's care ensures excellent continuity, the meeting of every child's needs and their smooth transition between settings. All parents are extremely happy with her service and when asked for feedback make highly positive comments. They particularly cite her flexibility and professionalism. She is proactive in gaining the views of parents and does this regularly through verbal and written communication. She pays attention to their suggestions and works

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the early years provision

together when areas are identified. Children also make their views known and have drawn posters identifying what they like doing whilst in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive approach to her personal development. She attends training to improve her knowledge and develop her childcare practice. She has developed an effective network of support with other childminders, which includes back up in case of emergency. The childminder is clear about her strengths and weaknesses; she has achievable aims and uses self-evaluation to decide on areas to improve. She has addressed previous recommendations helping to improve the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good knowledge of how young children learn through play activities and provides a wide range and mix of activities which cover all areas of learning. As a result, children enjoy their play and are progressing well in relation This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to their starting points. She plans many of the activities from children's own suggestions and ideas. For example, recently they were discussing pirates and she extended their interests by helping them look up information and make eye patches. Children enjoy good support and individual attention from the childminder. She treats each child with respect and encourages them to understand about differences and diversity. She has experience of caring for children with a range of differing needs and is confident about offering care to children with disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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and outcomes for children

When children first start parents discuss what their children can do and the childminder uses this and information from the pre-school's learning journeys, to establish children's capabilities and starting points. She continues to monitor their progress through observations and keeps parents informed both verbally and in writing through the contact books. Although the folders shared with the pre-school hold plenty of developmental information, her own documents do not clearly stand alone in showing the areas of learning, starting points and children's next steps to help her to monitor children's progress further. Children are developing good social skills and this is encouraged through visits to various groups and outings in the community. They make choices about where and what they play with and are involved in planning activities. Consequently children are engrossed in what they do and their behaviour is good.

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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 their speech and communication by listening well to their comments and ideas. There is a good supply of books and displays around the environment encourage children's word recognition. There are good opportunities to use number and counting during play. One child makes a tower with the wooden blocks and counts that there are nine before it falls down. Children gain an understanding of the wider world when they celebrate various festivals. They learn about the natural environment in the garden and on walks to the park and fields. On these outings the children also find out about their local community. The childminder only visits venues which are safe and suitable, she carries essential supplies and children learn about safely crossing roads. Children also learn about their own safety during the regular fire drills which

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and outcomes for children

they practice so they know how to get out in emergency.

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and outcomes for children

There are excellent opportunities for children to engage in physical activities. Walking to and from school each day helps children to understand that exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle. Meals and snacks are healthy because the childminder has an excellent understanding of nutrition. Drinks are freely available and children help themselves to their drink bottles. Mealtimes are social occasions with children eating together. Children enjoy going to the local farm shop to buy produce, like helping with cooking activities and have helped to grow vegetables in the garden. This helps them to understand which foods are healthy and where food comes from. They also help design menus and have an input into the food they eat. 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 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 1 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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