Childminder in Bromley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY288744 Inspection date 04/07/2011 Inspector Claire Douglas

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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 2004. She lives with her partner and children aged three and six years in a residential area of Locksbottom, Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley. The setting is close to shops, parks, schools and local transport links. The whole of the property is used for childminding purposes, including a purpose built ground floor play room. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family have one pet cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder also works closely alongside another childminder and/or an assistant. When working alone she is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. When working with another childminder or an assistant, she is registered to care for a maximum of ten children under eight years; of these, not more than five may be in the early years age group and, of these, not more than two may be under one year at any one time. She is currently minding four children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the childcare register.

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Description of the childminding

Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder has formed links with other Early years settings such as the local toddler and pre-school groups. Children attend local music groups, the childminder's allotment, parks and other places of interest on a regular basis. The childminder is a member of the National and Bromley Childminding Associations.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder is dedicated to promoting all aspects of children's welfare and development, her warm, professional and organised approach ensures children are extremely safe and well cared for. Excellent systems, which encourage two way communications with parents, ensure that the childminder is able to be fully inclusive in her practice, providing the care and support the children need. She has a comprehensive knowledge of all the children, treating them as individuals and helping them to feel nurtured. Overall the childminder encourages children to develop to their full potential and, as a result, they are very happy and achieve well. Capacity for continuous improvement is strong as the childminder reflects on her practice and identifies any areas for development or training. The childminder regularly evaluates the service she provides and takes steps to ensure that she is responsive to the needs of the children she cares for and their families.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 develop the range of opportunities and resources both inside and out to further encourage an understanding of the purpose of numbers, displaying numerals in purposeful contexts and using numbers as labels for counting.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a complete understanding of her responsibilities towards the children in her care and effectively safeguards their welfare. She knows what steps to take if she has concerns about a child and has completed child protection training. Her safeguarding policy demonstrates a secure knowledge and understanding and shows a systematic approach, which helps reassure parents. All visitors to the home are supervised and all adults living on the premises have had suitability checks. She keeps all of the required records that promote children's health, safety and well-being. Comprehensive risk assessments ensure that children are safe in the home and when out and about. The purpose built play room provides a child orientated environment, which is organised to maximise opportunities for children, surrounding them with good quality resources and play materials that support their play and learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder is dedicated to working closely with parents to ensure she has a thorough understanding of each child's backgrounds and needs, so that equality and diversity is successfully promoted. Parents are warmly welcomed into the home and kept well informed through daily discussions, written daily logs and feedback, as well as having access to a range of comprehensive policies and procedures. Parents comments show they are extremely happy with the service provided, for example, ''My partner and I are extremely happy with the excellent standard of care she has given our son. The activities he experiences are varied and interesting, offering my child many opportunities to learn and grow. The environment she creates for the children in her care is very positive and focuses on acceptance and good social skills. Our son has thrived under her supervision. The childminder has also helped me with advice, and we have worked together with

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the early years provision

any discipline issues to make my son a happy and contented child,'' along with, ''Environment provided is excellent, all children appear to treat each other with respect, and the care provided by the childminder is consistent for the children she minds and her own children. Calm and stable setting, which at times has been a great benefit, I also like that the children spend a lot of time outdoors and are encouraged to be active, as opposed to being idle indoors. I am very happy with the care provided for my children, the results of which are evidenced by their happiness and behaviour at home, as well as at the childminder's.''

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the early years provision

The childminder builds effective partnerships with other professionals where This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 appropriate, for instance, when attending other settings such as a sensory unit and toddler group, and links are formed with support services such as speech therapists and health visitors, giving access to advice if required. The childminder is committed to improving and continues to update her knowledge and understanding of childcare. For example, the childminder has recently completed NVQ level three, and she regularly attends relevant workshops and identifies areas of further training she wishes to pursue with the local authority. The childminder explores a variety of processes to monitor and evaluate her service, including using the Ofsted self-evaluation form and composing detailed questionnaires to seek the views of children, parents, grandparents and other agencies. Previous actions

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the early years provision

taken to improve the service have lead to improved outcomes for children; for instance, now that she is working alongside her co-minder, the children have greater opportunities to further their personal social and emotional development, as well as their confidence around others.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy, settled and at home in the childminder's care. They show a strong sense of belonging as they independently select toys and resources from the well organised shelving system, and move happily and freely around the dedicated play room at their leisure. They learn to keep themselves safe as they join in with the road safety rules when crossing roads and when they remind one another that they 'must keep their shoes on in the garden, as it is dangerous'. Clear fire safety precautions are in place and children learn about evacuation procedures through practices, books and discussion, to ensure they can act quickly in an emergency. Children develop skills for the future when the childminder encourages them to take off their coats and hang them up on the pegs, and to take turns and share the resources with their peers. Children adopt good hygiene routines, as they know the reasons for washing their hands when they come in

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and outcomes for children

from outside and before eating, and they are gently reminded to cover their mouths when they cough. Children clearly benefit from a well planned diet that meets their nutritional needs, promoting home grown or organic fruits and vegetables with each meal. Children's awareness of healthy eating is promoted through actively taking part in planting, watering and picking a wonderful range of vegetables at the childminders allotment and then preparing a meal with them, along with having discussions around the dining table and using posters and fun cooking activities. Children routinely enjoy fresh air and learn about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle as they take part in exercise whilst in the garden, climbing up the ladder for the slide, bowling the ball to knock down the skittles, or pedalling a bike, and when walking through the local park on the way to and from school.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in an extensive variety of activities and experiences that support their learning and development, both at the childminder's home, the co-minder's home, and at the range of local toddler groups and places of interest they attend; for example, the singing session at the library and the local park, which provides a wonderful environment for exploration which the children enjoy regularly. They make excellent relationships with the childminder and respond enthusiastically to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 her extremely warm and caring approach. Activities are very well matched to children's interests and abilities as the childminder makes detailed observations of children's achievements. She identifies their next steps, informs parents regularly of these, then plans future learning experiences, and ensures activities consistently build on children's existing knowledge and skills. Children are extremely keen to

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and outcomes for children

communicate, and younger children and those with English as an additional language benefit from the childminder's patience and encouragement as they learn new words and start to join in conversations. A love of books and early reading skills are developed through an excellent range, which they can help themselves to at the childminders or when regularly visiting the library. The childminder encourages the children to learn about words and letters through effective labelling of displays and storage areas throughout the environment, however, number use in this format is limited. Programmable toys and the use of a laptop for researching themes and topics, and assisting with homework, helps to encourage an understanding of technology, as well as reinforcing the children's learning. As a consequence, children are developing rapidly and acquiring the skills necessary for their future learning and development. They find out about the world around them

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and outcomes for children

when the childminder introduces environmental issues such as recycling and they are involved in composting to help them become aware of their carbon footprints. The childminder makes the most of diversity to help children understand the society they live in. They positively discuss differences, play with a rich selection of resources from around the world, celebrate a range of festivals, and use books and maps well to learn about other countries and ways of life. Children's behaviour is extremely positive, encouraged by praise and good role modelling. Children are very well occupied and stimulated throughout the day, and they thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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