Childminder in Sutton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY420128 Inspection date 22/06/2011 Inspector Linda Close

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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 January 2011. She lives with her husband and family in a house located in a residential road close to Cheam Village and Sutton. The local authority is Sutton. The childminder has two children aged seven and nine years old. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. There are currently four children on roll, of whom two are in the early years age group, who all attend part-time. All areas of the home are suitable for childminding, although children are predominantly cared for on the ground floor in an open plan kitchen/diner/family room, a further living room and a ground floor cloakroom. There is an enclosed garden, accessed directly from the kitchen/dining room, for outdoor play. The childminder's home is within

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Description of the childminding

walking distance of local shops, schools, and parks.

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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 thoroughly enjoy the time they spend with the childminder. They are happy and safe in her care and they enjoy their activities and the wide range of outings that she plans for them. The childminder actively supports children in their learning and they are making good progress given their age and starting points. The childminder has established good working partnerships with parents. They share their knowledge of the children and this helps the childminder to meet the children's individual needs. The childminder evaluates her service to children informally but effectively in most respects. She is involved in an ongoing programme of training to further develop her knowledge and skills.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide children with a wider range of healthy, balanced, nutritious snacks and meals  update the record of risk assessments for outings to include every venue visited with minded children.

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the early years provision

The childminder is conscientious in her approach to safeguarding the children in her care. She has attended a further course about child abuse since her initial childminder training to find out more about child protection issues. She knows This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 what steps to take, and who to contact, if she is worried about the children. She makes her policy and procedure documents available to parents so that they understand her responsibilities. She checks her home and garden for safety before the children arrive and she keeps records of her risk assessments for indoors and outside. The childminder conducts and records risk assessments for some, but not all, outings and, although this is not a legal requirement, it is good practice to do so.

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the early years provision

Since beginning her childminding service in recent months the childminder has given due consideration to her work. She has identified some areas for development which have led her to attend relevant courses to secure ongoing improvement. Her studies have included an observation, assessment and planning course and her work and documents show that she has put her learning to good use. She plans continuing improvement through further evaluation, further training and by actively responding to recommendations made at inspection.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very large selection of good quality toys and resources for children of different ages and she stores them in tubs and labelled boxes where children can access them easily. She has a secure, well resourced outdoor play area for the children and they make good use of it for energetic play. The childminder makes exceptionally good use of places of interest to develop children's knowledge and understanding of the wider world.

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the early years provision

The childminder treats all children with equal affection and respect and she actively promotes their understanding of diversity. She plans and provides a good range of activities that are linked to various celebrations and cultural events including the recent Royal Wedding. Plans show that, in the coming months, children will enjoy activities at Halloween, Divali, Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day and Eid.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive approach to developing partnership working. She finds out about children's activities in school and she helps them with any aspects of their learning where they are in need of support. She acts as an effective bridge between school and home by passing on messages from teachers to parents. She shares her thoughts and observations about children's progress with their parents and they are pleased with the care that she provides for their children. She takes note of what parents tell her at the time of registration and she follows their instructions about food, sleep and daily routines for younger children. The childminder expresses her willingness to take advice and guidance from specialists and therapists if there is a need, although she has not been called upon to do this as yet

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and outcomes for children

The children show that they feel safe in the care of the childminder in their relaxed body language, their happy smiles and in the confident way they express their thoughts and needs. The children greet visitors politely and eagerly tell them their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 names and ages and which classes they are in at school. They choose activities and toys independently and they decide if they want to play in the garden or indoors. The children learn to behave in ways that are safe and sensible with gentle reminders from the childminder. They handle scissors correctly and walk when indoors to avoid accidents. Children learn about road safety on outings and when they are coming home from school.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides children with good opportunities for energetic play and children learn to wash their hands before eating. The childminder shows in discussion that she is generally well informed about healthy eating but she does not always put her knowledge into practice. Children enjoy their teatime meals but sometimes their food lacks a balance of fresh vegetables and salads. Children are offered an attractive selection of fresh fruit and they are encouraged to try different tastes, but the childminder often meets their preference for sweet pastries and ice cream.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder influences the children very well with her calm manner and her pleasant way of speaking. She reminds them to say please and thank you and they respond to her promptly. Children learn to think about the needs and feelings of others through discussion and they are cooperative, lively and well behaved.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder supports busy working parents well by helping the children to do their reading during the time they spend with her after school. She also finds out what they need to work on from their teachers and she supports their learning by talking about letters and sounds and about numbers and counting. Children show a keen interest in construction play using small interlocking blocks. They skilfully find shapes and sizes that fit together to make model cars and towers. They demonstrate their problem solving abilities as they play and they show good levels of concentration. The childminder provides electronic toys and battery operated toys which the children play with from time to time. Children are developing the skills that they need for their future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children use a very wide range of attractive and colourful art and craft materials in the activities provided by the childminder. They are involved in projects which include decorating wooden spoons with glue and sticky tape, pipe cleaners, sequins, tissue papers and lots of coloured felt tips and crayons. Each child produces a work of art according to his or her own ideas. Children have also made boats with sails which they will soon take to a stream to set them off on their maiden voyage. The children benefit from outings with the childminder which are a great source of fun for them and they discuss them at length and with a sense of anticipation. 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 3 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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