Skinner Jayne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY275263 Inspection date 25/05/2011 Inspector Jan Moutter

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Old Town, Swindon. The property is within easy walking distance of schools, pre-schools and other amenities, including shops and parks. Most of the property is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register, the compulsory and the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, and is currently minding six children in the early years age range. She also cares for older children before school. All minded children attend on a part-time basis. The childminder's registration allows her to care for children overnight and for four children under five at one time on a Monday and Tuesday, this condition is until one of those named children attends school full-time. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools, and attends toddler groups on a regular basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends a local toddler group and she is a member of the National Childminding Association. She has a National Vocational Qualification Level 3 in Childminding Practice.

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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 make good progress as they take part in interesting and rewarding activities that cover all aspects of their learning and development. They are happy and settled and demonstrate a strong sense of security in the childminder's home. The childminder provides a flexible and fully inclusive service where each child is valued and their individual needs are known and met. Children's safety is afforded a very high priority and effective partnerships are in place with their parents and others involved in their care and education. Systems used by the childminder for self-evaluation reflects on some aspects of her practice, she has improved the recommendation from the previous inspection and works appropriately with her area support worker to consider further improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 monitor the garden activities to ensure that the outside play consistently covers all six areas of learning including communication, language and literacy  improve opportunities for parents to regularly contribute information to their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 child's records, about their children's progress at home and enable them to be involved in their children's learning and development

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded extremely well. The childminder demonstrates an experienced knowledge of procedures for identifying any child at risk of harm and liaising with the appropriate agencies. Risk assessment records are thorough and any potential risks to children are effectively identified and promptly minimised. The childminder is clear about notifying Ofsted of any changes or significant events and all adults in the household have been suitably vetted. She has a good range of polices which she reviews regularly and updates as necessary. These are shared with parents when the children begin their placement so that all involved with the care of the children are informed about the provision.

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the early years provision

The well-organised and welcoming environment, that the childminder provides, creates an atmosphere that is conducive to both learning and having fun. Children have space to play and rest. Resources are plentiful and a good selection is easily accessible to all children and this encourages them to make some independent choices about their play and learning.

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the early years provision

Children's individual needs are known and met because the childminder recognises the value of working in partnership with parents and others. Parents, when asked, were very positive, they said that they find the childminder very flexible and that their children are very happy with her care. The childminder has developed positive partnerships with parents. She ensures that she gains essential information about the children before they attend and exchanges information about their welfare and development, verbally, on a daily basis. The childminder provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for children and their families. Essential information such as the registration certificate is displayed at the entrance to the home. A notice board in the hall is kept up to date with information to be shared with all parents. However, she does not have a system that allows parents to contribute to their child's records with achievements from

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the early years provision

Partnerships with others are well developed and she regularly meets with other professionals to share examples of good practice. Regular discussions take place with others who care for children and she exchanges appropriate information to ensure consistency of care and to extend and support children's learning. The childminder also meets regularly with the co-ordinator from the local childminding network for support, as she is an accredited childminder. The childminder demonstrates a strong desire to improve the provision, attends regular training and she is keen to continue training in the future. She evaluates her service, has a sound awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of herself, has identified realistic priorities for improvement. Since her last inspection she built up her resources of diversity and the children have benefitted from her knowledge and planning activities to include festivals and small world people, who represent the

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the early years provision

wider world. The childminder has also reviewed all her policies and procedures, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 especially accident and incident recording, to ensure the children's welfare is fully maintained in her care.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. She uses this effectively to support children's development and as a result children are making good progress in their learning. The childminder conducts regular observations and assessments on the children and usefully shares this knowledge with parents, ensuring that they can see the fun and learning involved with children's development, while with the childminder. Some of these observations are recorded and stored in a folder and a picture of the children's continuous learning journey is developing. The childminder carefully considers the next steps to lead children forward and plans activities with these in mind. She is extremely flexible and has quite a few older children to care for at breakfast time and the morning school run. Reports from the parents are, that these walks to school are well organised and

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and outcomes for children

the children are all well behaved and the full-day children learn everyday skills from the older children.

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and outcomes for children

Children show that they are very settled in her care, moving with confidence around her home and approaching the childminder readily for cuddles and support. Children select toys of their choice from easily accessible storage and they enjoy naming the animals they find. One child totally engrossed in playing with the dolls, chatting away with blankets spread out and a doll placed on each one. 'And you'll sit next to her', the child says and then pours the dolls pretend apple juice and later washes the plate up and packs all the dolls away. The child settles the dolls into a basket and caringly covers them for sleep.

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and outcomes for children

They sing songs together, joining in with actions and the childminder's lively chatter and clear speech directed at the children, assists the children well in their understanding and use of language. There are warm interactions between the children and the childminder, and she shows appropriate care and concern for the children. The theme running this week of ''Wheels/wings and other things'', where evidence can be see around the playroom with paper airplanes and butterflies half- finished awaiting more work. The children are well behaved and generally respond quickly to the childminder's requests, such as turning the loud music down because it is difficult to hear what is being said, to each other. The childminder explains clearly what is expected throughout the day and gently diverts young children away from unwanted activities. They assist in tidying away the toys and are keen to participate in group activities. They sit together, using the play dough

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and outcomes for children

and show an interest in the world around them exploring new objects.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder ensures that children only have access to the parts of the house that are appropriate for their play; they learn to move freely and safely between the extended breakfast room and the garden, selecting what they would like to play with. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are beginning to learn appropriately about healthy lifestyles through routine procedures. One child announces 'I'll put me trousers on to keep me warm'. Then going to her bag from home, 'Oh, wrong leg', the child says while putting the trouser on herself. This demonstrates that the childminder encourages independent skills and is there to support when needed but stands back to allow the children to grow and develop at their own pace. The children sit together at the table to eat a range of nutritious meals and snacks provided by the childminder and she discusses children's developing needs and interest in food with parents.

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and outcomes for children

Drinks are readily available and young children are reminded to drink to prevent them getting thirsty. Children have daily access to fresh air and exercise. They play with a variety of toys in the small garden and go for walks around the locality and each day the children are taken to toddlers and other local groups, even swimming, after the school run. Although, the children get lots of fresh air, the childminder does not monitor the activities to ensure for example the garden activities and outside play consistently covers all six areas of learning including communication, language and literacy She does however, plan and give children opportunities to play with children their own age and to meet and socialise. The children learn about being safe by practicing fire evacuation drills and by crossing roads on these frequent outings. Children develop their knowledge of the wider world when they travel on buses to visit places of interest. Children's social skills

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and outcomes for children

and range of experiences are enhanced when they attend community groups. 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 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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