Childminder in Windsor and Maidenhead

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY346435 Inspection date 04/07/2011 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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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 registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and their three children aged nearly six, eight and 10 in Old Windsor in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The home is within easy travelling distance of local shops, nurseries, schools and parks. All areas of the home are used for childminding. It is accessed by one step from street level. Bathroom facilities are provided on both floors of the home. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play, access to which is via a small step from the kitchen.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is permitted to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom not more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently caring for four children in the early years age range and four older children. Days and times of children's attendance vary.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder undertakes school and nursery runs as necessary and takes children to play parks, childminding groups, soft-play centres, the local sure start centre and other places of interest.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Quality Improvement Accredited Network.

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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

Children flourish in the care of this highly committed childminder. They have their welfare and learning and development needs met extremely well because she values the uniqueness of each child and strives to ensure they feel safe and secure. She creates an accessible, stimulating learning environment where children learn through play and fulfil their potential. The childminder works closely with parents in all major respects. Careful monitoring and evaluation of existing practice, coupled with a keen belief that there is always room for improvement results in a setting where the capacity for sustained development is particularly strong.

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further?

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

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further?

 considering ways to encourage all parents to contribute to their child's This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development record, in order to strengthen further shared links for supporting children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children's safety and well-being is a paramount priority for this childminder. She undertakes comprehensive risk assessments that have regard for everything a child may come into contact with and reviews these, both at very regular intervals and as circumstances change. For example, the childminder has recently begun to care for some younger children and took the decision that it would be sensible to re-site the trampoline to create a greater area of grass for younger children to play on and to eliminate any possible hazards relating to them being in the vicinity of the trampoline when it is being used by older children. She ensures she has photographs on her mobile phone of each of the children in her care prior to taking them on any outing, as a precautionary measure to assist in the very unlikely event of a child becoming lost. The childminder has an extremely secure awareness of issues relating to child protection and has recently updated her

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the early years provision

knowledge of this by attending relevant training. Parents are fully informed of her responsibility and relevant referral details are readily to hand. The childminder has given consideration to the fact that in an emergency, it may be necessary for her emergency back-up person to contact parents on her behalf. To this end, she has placed relevant contact details for children in a sealed envelope and has stored this in a location at her home, which is known to the back-up person. Measures such as these demonstrate the childminder's ongoing commitment to ensuring children's safety.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home and garden offer a very stimulating learning environment that is child-centred. There is a lot of attention to fine detail, such as making labels for the garden play-house to denote what it is being used for. Children are able to move around freely and can help themselves to a broad range of play materials. These are rotated regularly to ensure the play provision remains fresh and appealing. The childminder has, since her last inspection, continued to develop her knowledge and enhance her practice. In addition to attending a number of different workshops, she has achieved a Level 3 qualification in Children's Care, Learning and Development. She has also recently become a member of the local authority's Quality Improvement accredited network. The childminder constantly reflects on different aspects of her provision to identify ways of improvement. For instance, she has worked extremely hard to devise a system of observation,

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the early years provision

assessment and planning that allows her to easily track children's progress and plan for the next steps in their learning. Self-evaluation takes account of the views of parents and children. The childminder now issues questionnaires and has found these a useful tool to help her take a broader view of her practice and implement changes that will benefit children and allow them to make further progress in their learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder establishes very effective partnerships with parents overall, both in terms of ensuring they are fully aware of the organisation of her service and that she is fully aware of children's individual needs, The childminder recognises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 that different ways of communication suit different families and she is flexible in the way she provides this; for example, using a daily diary in some instances and communicating by email in others, to supplement informal exchanges of information, Parents view their children's development records at regular intervals and some contribute formally to these. The childminder has not, however, considered ways of encouraging everyone to do this. The necessity of working in partnership with any other settings children may attend is fully recognised by the childminder. She is proactive in approaching other settings and building links with

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the early years provision

them to promote a shared approach to children's care, learning and any extended support.

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the early years provision

Each child is valued for their uniqueness and everyone is treated with equal care and consideration. Children learn about diversity through an exploration of different resources that reflect positive images and participation in a broad range of relevant activities. The childminder introduces interesting ways to help children learn about one another. For instance, there is a map of the world displayed at child-height, which has been annotated to show any links children or their families have to other countries. This may be because they have a family member who lives in another part of the world or because children have visited a particular country. This places value on children's individual backgrounds and experiences and enables these to be shared with everyone.

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and outcomes for children

Children display a very strong sense of security and belonging. They see photographs of themselves and their creative work, and have a special place to leave their belongings. Children behave well and are supported by a childminder who acts as a very good role-model. She has a lovely calm and gentle manner and models positive language and good manners. Praise is consistently given, ensuring children develop confidence and self-esteem.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning is fun. There is a strong emphasis on child-initiated learning but the childminder also plans activities based around broad themes which the children take off in a direction that interests them. For instance, within the current theme of the environment, the focus has been about water, which has led to a curiosity about boats, pirates and the idea of searching for treasure. Children enjoy hiding 'treasure' in the sand tray and digging it up using small spoons. Ready prepared scrolls have been made to encourage children to create treasure maps whilst the provision of different coloured sands enables children to explore colour mixing in an innovative way. Children's play and learning is skilfully extended by the childminder as a result of the quality of her interaction and the way she effortlessly responds to children's changing interests and is able to build on these. She is extremely well prepared. Thus, when children indicate they want to make boats,

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and outcomes for children

she is able to provide them with large cardboard boxes, which they spend a long time decorating. A request for bubbles leads to the provision of a broad range of different sized bubble wands and bubble mixture in different containers. These allow children to explore freely and determine which wand fits best in which This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 container. Children relish being in the outdoor playhouse which has been set up as a 'movers and shakers' music room. They enjoy investigating the different musical instruments provided and are keen for the childminder to join in with their play. Children are eager to know the names of the different instruments and they are supported in learning how to play these. The childminder engages in conversation with children, she encourages them to express themselves and waits patiently whilst they search for the words to do this. The childminder has devised a very

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and outcomes for children

effective system of observation, assessment and planning. This allows her to carefully monitor each child's achievements and identify and plan for the individual next steps in their learning, to ensure they make as much progress as possible towards the early learning goals. Each child has a development record and a beautifully presented 'all about me scrapbook, comprising of photographs, examples of their creative work and the childminder's comments. It is evident that a huge amount of care and effort is put into these. These special books are kept in a low level cupboard in the kitchen so that children can independently help themselves to them. These books are also in place for children who no longer fall within the remit of the Early Years Foundation Stage, thus ensuring that nobody feels excluded and demonstrating an inclusive approach.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about good personal hygiene practices as an integral part of their daily routine. They are involved in growing produce and they are introduced to 'something new' each week, whereby the childminder encourages them to try different fruits and vegetables they may be unfamiliar with. Such activities as these help them to learn about and promote a positive attitude to healthy eating. When chopping up strawberries for their snack, children notice that one is still green and show understanding that this means it is not ripe and therefore it will not taste nice. The childminder chooses to walk with children whenever possible and ensures children are able to play outside every day. Play equipment in the garden offers challenge and plenty of scope for skill progression. Sharing books about the human body enhances children's knowledge about staying healthy.

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and outcomes for children

Children's safety is promoted extremely effectively. Even young children demonstrate secure awareness of the boundaries that the childminder has put in place as they explain that the front door cannot be opened unless the childminder is with them and as they automatically stop at the end of the drive when they are going out for a walk. Children are supervised carefully but are still allowed to take some risks within safe parameters because the childminder recognises the importance of this as part of helping children learn how to keep themselves safe. Children demonstrate they are making links in their understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For instance, one child draws a picture and explains that they need to have sun lotion on because of the sunshine. 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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