Home Childcarer in Devon

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY409408 Inspection date 08/07/2011 Inspector Julie Neal

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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 2010. She lives with her four children in the village of Cowley in Devon, a short distance from the city of Exeter. Childcare mainly takes place on the ground floor of the childminder's home, with children having access to the upstairs bathroom. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The family have one dog, three cats and a hamster.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Registers. She may care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in the early years age group. Overnight care is not provided.

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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's individual needs are met extremely well. The childminder uses her excellent knowledge of each child to provide stimulating activities that challenge and extend them very well. As a result, children make extremely good progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning overall. The childminder's self-evaluation is immensely effective and result in well-focused action plans for the future that promote and sustain high quality outcomes for children. She demonstrates an excellent capacity to maintain improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 developing further the outdoor area to offer children more opportunities to learn about the natural world.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates an excellent knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and, as a result, arrangements for safeguarding children are extremely effective. The childminder has attended safeguarding training and, therefore, she is very confident in her knowledge of the local procedures to report any concerns she may have relating to children's welfare. Her written safeguarding procedures are clear and accessible, providing parents with high quality information about the actions the childminder is required to take in order to safeguard children in her care. Children are kept safe and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 secure because the childminder conducts excellent risk assessments, and these are supported by rigorous daily safety checks. An integral part of her risk assessments is teaching children to be aware of potential hazards and to take action to manage

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the early years provision

these. As a result, children's safety awareness is excellent. For example, very young children who use booster seats to sit at the table are keen to do up the safety straps themselves. They understand that they must listen to hear the 'clunk- click' of the strap fastening to be sure that they are securely in place. Documentation that supports children's welfare is very well maintained. The childminder has written policies and procedures that are shared with parents, attendance records show that ratios are maintained and children's individual records contain extremely good information about their individual needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides an immensely inclusive environment where individual children's needs are understood and met extremely well. This is because she develops excellent relationships with parents, and has highly effective and flexible systems of sharing information with them. As a result, each child's changing needs remain very well supported by the childminder as they grow and develop. Parents gain an excellent overview of the activities their children enjoy and the progress they are making towards the early learning goals. Children who speak English an additional language gain excellent support as they develop confidence in using English. This is because the childminder actively encourages children to learn from each other, for example, to compare the words for everyday objects and numbers in each other's languages. Some children attend other settings that deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage, and the childminder is proactive in ensuring that

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the early years provision

information relating to individual children's learning is shared. As a result, the childminder is well informed about children's achievements in other settings, and uses this knowledge extremely well in planning to enrich children's learning experiences.

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the early years provision

The childminder evaluates her practice extremely well, and her action plans for the future are very well focused on promoting outcomes for children. Parents' and children's views are actively sought and included in the self-evaluation process. For example, children's enjoyment of, and enthusiasm for, activities that encourage them to explore and investigate the natural world has influenced the childminder's plans to extend and develop the external learning environment. The childminder has reflected extremely well on how resources can be used to extend and support children's ongoing development in specific areas of learning, such as using props to bring stories to life.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare, learning and development is promoted extremely well. The childminder's excellent implementation of her health and safety procedures, which are shared with parents, ensure that children are protected from harm and from the risk of cross infection. Children develop an extremely good awareness of the importance of hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before meals and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 snacks. For example, just before snack time, very young children have immensely enjoyed a messy painting activity. They carefully inspect their hands on both sides and between the fingers when they wash, without prompting, to make sure they have removed all the paint. Each child has their own towel, they know which belongs to them and which belongs to their friends, and they understand that they should use their own. The childminder supports children's understanding of their

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and outcomes for children

own personal needs extremely well. For example, very young children who are still in nappies are congratulated when they demonstrate that they are developing an awareness of their own bodily functions. The childminder ensures that children enjoy a nutritious diet where they have very good opportunities to make healthy choices about what they eat. Parents provide packed lunches, which the childminder supplements with a good variety of fruit and healthy snacks such as cereals. The childminder ensures that parents understand that, while she is happy to respect their wishes in terms of all aspects of their children's care, she has a responsibility to promote children's understanding of healthy eating. As a result, parents ensure that they provide healthy and nutritious food for their children. The childminder provides children with an extremely good range of activities and resources that encourage them to use their muscles and to develop physical

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and outcomes for children

coordination and control. For example, children spontaneously use hobbyhorses and pretend they are donkeys as they gallop energetically around the room being cowboys. Children dig in the garden and plant their own vegetables, which they later enjoy cooking and eating. Regular outings to nearby parks enable children to use large-scale apparatus, such as climbing equipment. The childminder is currently developing the outdoor environment further in order that children experience a wider range of activities that help them learn about the natural world. The childminder is extremely skilled at promoting children's awareness of safety while they are having fun. For example, children learn to use tools safely in the garden and when helping to slice fruit at mealtimes. The childminder practises safety routines frequently with children and, as a result, they have an excellent understanding of issues, such as how to keep themselves safe in the event of a

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and outcomes for children

fire. For example, very young children can tell what they do if the smoke alarm sounds, saying 'hear the beep beep, hold hands, go in garden'.

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and outcomes for children

Children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals, relative to their starting points. This is because the childminder uses her extremely good observations most effectively to provide a wide range of activities and resources that are very well focused on promoting the individual development of each child. The childminder is confident in her understanding of how children learn through play. She encourages children to make their own choices about what they do, and she uses her skills extremely effectively to promote individual learning objectives through their chosen activities. The childminder's excellent interactions with children encourage them to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills in different contexts. For example, young children are keen to do some painting and before they start the childminder asks them to identify what equipment they will need to make their pictures. Children list the different coloured paints they want to

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and outcomes for children

use, and while setting these out, the childminder asks children to name which colours are still missing. The childminder encourages children to explore the different effects they can make with brushes and stampers, using very good open- ended questions, such as 'I wonder what would happen if'. Children quickly respond by experimenting enthusiastically to achieve vivid and unique patterns. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children's learning and development records are well maintained and provide extremely good evidence of children's progress in each area of learning. Simple yet very effective systems of recording 'What we did', 'What this shows', and 'What happens next?', enable the childminder to set well-focused objectives for individual children that are based on prior learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and eager learners who are keen to explore activities and resources. Their behaviour is extremely good, and young children share and take turns very well. For example, children become absorbed as they organise a road layout and select different cars to use, working well together, sharing the vehicles and taking turns to push them along the roads. Children are curious and inquisitive and keen to find out how things work. For example, children have a wonderful time using a magnetic figure to identify objects that it will stick to, and they enthusiastically show the childminder. The childminder encourages children to think about the different objects and what they are made of. They consider whether the items the magnet sticks to have anything in common, and identify that these are metal. The childminder extends the activity very well, asking children to think about other objects in her home that a magnet might stick to and

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and outcomes for children

testing their ideas. Children enjoy very good activities that raise their awareness of the wider world. For example, they have chosen a book to read with the childminder, this is an alphabet book where each letter relates to an aspect of life in India. Each page results in children asking lots of questions about what they see and comparing the pictures to aspects of their own lives. For instance, a picture of a henna tattoo encourages children to reflect on when a friend had one of these, and they trace the patterns with their fingers on the childminder's hands. 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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