Childminder in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417328 Inspection date 15/06/2011 Inspector Sarah Rhodes

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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 2010. She lives with her mother and two adult brothers in the Northwich area of Cheshire. She sometimes works with one of her two assistants. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding. This includes the lounge, the playroom and the hall. There is a fully enclosed play area at the side of the house for outdoor play. The family have a cat and a hamster as pets.

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Description of the childminding

A maximum of six children under eight years may attend the setting. Of these, three children are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. She is currently minding three children in this age group on a part-time basis. She also offers care to children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder can collect children from the local school and goes to several toddler groups regularly. The childminder has a relevant level 3 National Vocational Qualification and a Foundation Degree.

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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 has used her experience and training to develop systems to support the provision of a quality service for the children which is home based and family orientated. She has implemented the Early Years Foundation Stage and records children's development in a broad way. She knows the individual children well and supports them to develop into confident, social children with busy and inquisitive minds. Self-evaluation of her service is being developed as a tool for future improvement and she has plans for the further development of the physical environment and equipment. A range of written documents have been produced which help the smooth running of the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 consolidate the observation recording to summarise children's progress towards the early learning goals in the six areas of learning, share this with parents and obtain their input to the records  develop the use of self-evaluation to drive and monitor continuous improvement  develop links with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers to ensure continuity of care and education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded because the childminder ensures that she has an appropriate knowledge of child protection procedures in-line with the latest government guidelines and contact details for child protection support agencies. This helps to ensure children are protected from harm or neglect. The safety of children is important to the childminder. She undertakes risk assessments for both the premises and outings. She has effectively identified risks and the actions needed to remedy theses or the safety precautions that need to be put in place. This is supported by a daily check list which is used to prepare the home before children arrive. Emergency evacuations have been practised with the children to enhance their ability to cope in an emergency and discussions take place to help children learn to manage risks themselves, for example, it is explained to children why wheeled toys should not be placed on shelves where they may roll off. All

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the early years provision

adult household members have been notified to Ofsted and a record is kept of visitors.

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the early years provision

The childminder has attended a number of courses and has a two full childcare qualifications, she is committed to attending further training to refresh her knowledge. She has made sure all required paperwork is in place and a wide range of policies have been drawn up which ensure her assistants are aware of the operating procedures. She has started a formal paper based self-evaluation and asked for feedback from both the parents of the children who attend and her assistants. This has allowed her to identify some areas she wishes to develop, for example, the range of multicultural toys or the access to the garden for very young children. The childminder is committed to developing the service she provides and using the Early Years Foundation Stage to support children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder places a strong emphasis on working in partnership with parents. She shares all written policies with parents which they sign to acknowledge they have read. This ensures that parents are clear about how the childminder operates right from the beginning of the placement and they can refer back to these policies whenever they need clarification. She encourages parents to provide information about many aspects of their child's life at the start of the placement and she is very receptive to parent's ideas about daytime routines or groups they wish their child to attend. Observation files for each child are shared with parents regularly. She has discussed with parents the need to liaise with others who provide Early Years Foundation Stage care to children attending her setting to ensure the activities she provides complement their provision, but has not currently made contact directly with these providers. The childminder understands the needs of

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the early years provision

the individual children she cares for and has organised her home to allow children to easily access a range of appropriate high quality equipment in labelled low storage units. She has given consideration to how she would meet the needs of children with additional needs or English as a second language. This ensures that no child is disadvantaged and all children have their needs met appropriately. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The provision for children's learning, development and welfare is good. The children benefit from a childminder who brings her previous experience in childcare and education to her new career in childminding. She is committed to providing a stimulating environment that blends the best of home care with activities that develop children's interests. She uses themes, for example, pirates or holidays, along with children's interests, such as in racing cars, to plan activity ideas that cover the Early Years Foundation Stage six areas of learning. She sees the Early Years Foundation Stage as a resource to support and inspire her planning of activities and a useful tool in broadly monitoring children's development. Children's progress is recorded through a collection of observations supported by photographs which are linked to the six areas of learning. However, this assessment system does not currently provide a way to easily monitor all children's

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and outcomes for children

progress towards all the aspects of the different Early Learning Goals for children of their age and obtain parents input into the assessments.

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and outcomes for children

The children benefit from a bright and colourful playroom where their craft work can be displayed with care and they can develop their independence accessing toys for themselves. Warm relationships are formed between children as they are helped by the childminder to be aware of others needs. This allows them to learn to help and support one another in their play and enjoy each others company. A constant stream of conversation and regular singing and story sessions means that even very young children are becoming confident communicators who are always willing to join in. Routine activities are used to extend children's learning, for example, counting the number of horses in the small world play equipment or developing a sense of time by talking about the daily routine or recalling recent holidays. Close links with the local community provide opportunities for children to meet up with larger groups of children and develop their social skills. The children

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and outcomes for children

have access to larger equipment in the local parks and indoor play centres, giving children opportunity to develop their balancing and climbing skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is also promoted through the provision of healthy homemade diets and plenty of fresh air playing in the garden. Clear procedures about hygiene both personal hygiene and hygiene of the home, allow children to enjoy a clean and healthy environment. The childminder manages the children's behaviour in a very positive way praising the children, using distraction and helping them learn to negotiate with one another. Children are making good progress in developing skills for the future and the move to school when the time comes. 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 3 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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