Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133337 Inspection date 12/07/2011 Inspector Gillian Little

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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 1997. She lives in Abingdon, Oxfordshire with her husband, adult daughter and 11-year-old daughter. Another adult daughter is also a registered childminder and they work together. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding, together with a first floor bathroom and bedroom. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. Access to the provision includes steps into the front and back doors. The family has a dog. The childminder offers care on a daily basis, as well as before and after school, and during school holidays. She walks to the local school to take and collect children. When working on her own she is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. When working with her co-childminder she is registered to care for a maximum of eight children under eight at any one time, of whom no

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Description of the childminding

more than six may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding six children in the early years age range on both a full-time and part-time basis. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She supports children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder is a member of the TRIO Childminding Network and the National Childminding Association.

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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 towards the early learning goals in this safe and very welcoming setting. They develop particularly good social skills and have a close bond with the childminder who knows each child well. Excellent partnerships with parents, together with good partnerships with other early years settings which children attend, effectively promote consistency in care and learning. The childminder provides outdoor play on a daily basis which effectively promotes health, well-being and outdoor learning, although opportunities for this are time limited. She has been successful in maintaining high levels of practice since her last inspection and demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  consider developing the link between the indoor and outdoor environments so that children can move freely between them.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of safeguarding and child protection issues. She understands the procedures to follow should she have any concerns about the safety or welfare of a child in her care. She ensures that all household members have appropriate background checks and are therefore suitable to be around children. She follows effective safety procedures, such as keeping the family dogs away from children and ensuring that external gates and doors are securely locked. The childminder maintains regulatory documentation to a good standard and has a wide range of policies and procedures which she updates regularly and shares with parents. This successfully promotes the safe and efficient management of the setting.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity and has attended training to support children with additional needs. She monitors children's individual progress carefully, maintaining detailed observation notes and clearly identifying their next steps in learning which she effectively incorporates into planned activities. This helps to ensure that she supports all children in making good progress towards the early learning goals, including those who speak English as an additional language. In addition, she works closely with her co-childminder to share information to enable them to support each other's key children effectively.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops highly positive relationships with all parents. They are extremely complimentary about her care of their children, stating how supportive she is and that she has become part of their family. She keeps parents very well- informed about their children's learning and development through daily discussions, invitations to look at children's development profiles at any time and presenting parents with a book of children's artwork at the end of the year. She strives to involve parents in her setting by encouraging them to contribute their ideas and she provides them with a very wide range of information. The childminder is proactive in establishing partnerships with other early years settings which children attend. For example, she sends out questionnaires to other settings to ask for information about children's welfare and education during their time there. She then uses this information to support her own practice which effectively

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the early years provision

promotes continuity in children's care and learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder routinely reflects on her practice, which effectively helps her to build on areas of strength and to identify any areas for further development. Since her last inspection she has improved the way she monitors children's progress, has increased her range of resources and plans activities in more detail. She has successfully maintained high levels of practice which effectively leads to good outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children show an extremely strong sense of security in this setting. They are completely at ease with the childminder and show very high levels of confidence. They have a very positive approach to learning, engaging fully in the activities on offer and chat continuously to the childminder. The childminder is committed to promoting a positive image of the diversity of people within the community and encouraging children to value this difference. They engage in a wide range of activities helping them to learn about people who are different from themselves, such as celebrating different cultural events and festivals through appropriate cooking and artwork.

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and outcomes for children

Children keenly join in with activities which they are able to choose freely. They concentrate for sustained periods putting jigsaw puzzles together and try to do as much of this as they can on their own. With the childminder's support, they learn how to link sounds and letters and they talk about capital letters and upper and lower case letters. They enjoy an art activity making 'ice cream cones' to go in the beach shop which they have created under the stairs. This effectively provides a place for children to engage in imaginative play based on their own experiences. The childminder introduces new ideas for role-play regularly, such as providing a 'garden centre' or 'restaurant'. Children enjoy a wide range of other activities, for example making models from different materials, learning to use computer programmes and building with construction pieces.

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and outcomes for children

In the garden, children enthusiastically develop their physical skills and their interest in the world around them. For example, they become engrossed playing in the sand tray and learn that wet sand has different properties to dry sand. They plant potatoes and sunflowers from seed and are able to harvest their crops to take home, increasing their sense of pride on their own achievements. Children keenly ride on toy vehicles and pretend that they are attending emergencies. They are able to play outdoors on a daily basis although this is time limited, which has some restrictions for outdoor learning. Children also enjoy regular outings, such as trips to the local farm shop and to a local railway station to watch the trains, thereby increasing their understanding of the wider world.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop good awareness about a safe and healthy lifestyle in the childminder's care. They adopt good personal hygiene procedures with support from the childminder who helps them to understand the importance of this. For example, they remember to use tissues to blow their noses and she explains about why we put used tissues in the bin. They bring healthy packed lunches and snacks from home and these are stored appropriately by the childminder. The childminder works very well with parents to encourage a nutritious diet. For example, all parents provide two pieces of fruit each week for all the children to share for their snack times. This encourages all children to eat a wide range of fruit and try new ones. Children demonstrate a clear understanding of safety issues as they play. For example, they know that the toy oven is not hot but that real ovens are. They use This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

equipment safely and they remember safety procedures which the childminder teaches them, such as using the hand rail on the stairs.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, the children are cared for in a very welcoming home environment by a caring and enthusiastic childminder who uses imaginative play and activies to successfully support children's learning needs. 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 1 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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