Marlborough Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 142561 Inspection date 11/07/2011 Inspector Marie Thompson

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Type of setting Childcare on domestic premises 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 setting

The childminder was registered in 2000. She works in partnership with her husband, who is also a registered childminder, in a farmhouse in a small village near Wellington. The ground floor of the house is used for childminding and includes a playroom, a sitting room, a dining room, study, kitchen and toilet/shower room. The farmyard, fields and a garden are used regularly for outside play. The family own three cats and a dog, as well as donkeys and ducks, to which the children have supervised access.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The childminder may provide care for a maximum of six children at any one time when working alone, and a maximum of 18 children when working with her husband and more than one assistant. There are currently 39 children on roll.

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Description of the setting

The childminder employs a maximum of six assistants, three of whom hold an early years qualification. The childminder holds a level 3 early years qualification and is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 excellent knowledge of each child's individual needs ensures that the childminder promotes all aspects of the children's welfare and learning with great success. The partnership with parents is a key strength and this helps to contribute significantly, so that the needs of all of the children are being met. Children are making excellent progress, given their age, ability and their starting points. The childminder and her assistants are enthusiastic and wholly committed to providing the highest level of provision to support children's care and learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhancing the programme for children's literacy by expanding opportunities for children to understand that print carries meaning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder and her assistants have an excellent understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children, and do so effectively. Excellent measures are employed to ensure children's safety at all times. The childminder is conscious of the need to ensure that the environment in which children play is safe, and visually checks these areas daily. She maintains a written record of risk assessments. Excellent policies and procedures reflect her knowledge of the requirements and her commitment to promoting children's welfare. The childminder creates a wonderful environment where children can play and relax according to their needs. As a result, children feel extremely safe and secure and are ready to learn. There are beautiful displays of children's artwork, photographs of activities and informative posters. This makes the home inviting and gives the children much to look at and discuss. The promotion of equality and diversity is an integral part of

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the early years provision

the daily programme. Many activities support children's knowledge of the wider world. For example, children created their own passports, which took them to a different country every week. They pretended to go through customs to stamp their passports. They learnt about the country, the people, local foods, customs and traditions. This included making Japanese wish trees and lanterns and Egyptian pyramids. The childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of inclusive practice and the best way to nurture children's individuality to meet their welfare and learning needs. Warm, secure relationships with the childminder and her assistants, together with a range of exciting and stimulating activities, help children to develop their potential through play, and ensure that each child has all their care, learning and development needs fully met. As a result this personifies the ethos of the provision to provide a 'home from

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the early years provision

The childminder establishes excellent partnerships with parents based on mutual respect sharing valuable information with parents about what the children have enjoyed and achieved. Parents are extremely pleased with the service provided and letters from parents are exceptionally complimentary detailing how they value the childminder's passion and dedication to her work. The childminder systematically evaluates and reviews her provision and the self-evaluation process is evolving very well. She has superb links with other Early Years Foundation Stage provisions that children attend. Working closely with these provisions helps ensure smooth transitions to the next setting and provide continuity in children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children make superb progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder and her assistants excel in offering activities and learning experiences based on the principles of respect and responsibility through exploration and discovery. There is a superb mix of child-led and adult-initiated activities that greatly This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 enhances the learning of the children. From the outset, there is excellent assessment and monitoring of children's development and progression in relation to their starting points. This results in well targeted and focused planning of activities. The childminder keeps assessments updated, providing a useful record of children's progress. She uses these to highlight future challenges for children based on their individual interests, so learning experiences are relevant to them. Children are confident, articulate and self-assured. They behave very well because

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and outcomes for children

praise and encouragement are frequent. This promotes children's self-esteem and a positive and enthusiastic attitude to learning. Children are valued as unique individuals and the childminder's passion for promoting the outcomes for all children is at the heart of her practice. These positive early experiences allow children to flourish and to form sound subsequent relationships.

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and outcomes for children

The provision is located on a farm and this provides the foundation for a fantastic range of exciting learning experiences for all children. For example, children have raised seven ducklings from eight eggs, turning the eggs twice a day in the incubator until they hatched. They then learnt how to feed them and watched them grow and took them for their first swim. During pirate week children dressed as pirates, made cutlasses and treasure maps to go on an adventure to find the treasure. The children chose to learn about fairies which led to fairy week. They dressed as fairies and made wands and flower fairies. The flower fairies were placed all around the farm with arrows on and the children had to follow the arrows to find their picnic which included their home made fairy cakes. The children's communication, language and literacy skills are developing very well. They chat away, sing spontaneously and are very confident in their surroundings,

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and outcomes for children

demonstrating that they feel safe and have a good sense of belonging. The children had a super time learning about the zoo. They cut out large zoo animals and painted them. The adults then placed the animals all over the farm and the children had to find the giraffe in the stable, an elephant in a hedge and a snake hanging from a tree. All these activities encourage imagination and help children learn in a safe environment.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a wealth of learning opportunities, which are fun and help them to develop many skills for the future, for example, dressing up, playing shops and having tea parties. Cooking activities introduce children to a range of useful mathematical processes. Children's creativity is fostered in many different ways. For example, painting, drawing and textured play. They also learn many aspects of farming life and learn to enjoy and appreciate the animals on the farm. They have found animals to bring to the farm when they searched for frogspawn in the stream. They collected the spawn and put it into a tub, watching the frogs form and grow. Once they were all hopping about, the children put them back in the stream. Children have access to numerous books which are used for stories or to support their projects. They learn to phonetically sound words and there are some labels on the children's displays. However, whilst the childminder makes good use

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and outcomes for children

of print here, the use of labelling and large print is not so evident consistently throughout the provision so children are not fully extended in learning that print carries meaning. Exceptional regard is attached to children's welfare in general. They enjoy healthy well balanced snacks and meals made from home grown or locally bought produce. The children help to pick, prepare and cook some of the food they consume, for example apples and blackberries for pies and crumbles. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children have daily opportunities to be outside in the fresh air. They relish playing hide and seek around the flower beds, going on long walks across the fields and taking part in running races and parachute games in the wide open spaces. 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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