Childminder in Warwickshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY420514 Inspection date 12/07/2011 Inspector Jayne Rooke

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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 2011. She lives with her partner and child aged 19 months. The whole of the ground floor, and the bathroom on the first floor of the property, is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. The family has two cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. There are currently three children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five to eight years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. She specialises in the care of children from the Polish community. She is a member of the National Childminding Association. The childminder receives support from the local authority advisory service.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children feel happy and settled within the childminder's well-organised and welcoming home. They enjoy a varied range of stimulating play and learning experiences which present good levels of challenge in most areas. Observation and assessment information is used reasonably well to monitor each child's progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage programme.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Successful partnerships with parents exist, offering many opportunities for them to support their child's learning. The childminder is developing good links with other childcarers and professionals, ensuring children receive consistent and complementary care. The childminder takes time to consider what she does well and is beginning to identify areas for improvement within her practice. Most of the required records and policies are in place and are generally understood by the childminder.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment that includes all aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis, when it was carried out and any action taken following a review or incident 26/07/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 (Documentation)

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further?

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

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further?

 improve opportunities for children to play outside  clarify information about who holds parental responsibility and legal contact for each child  improve the use of observations and assessments to identify learning priorities for each child  improve the systems for the organisation of the setting by developing the use of self-evaluation to support ongoing improvements.

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the early years provision

Children are protected from harm and neglect because the childminder demonstrates adequate knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding process. However, she is less sure of the reasons for obtaining information about who holds parental responsibility for each child. This has minimal impact on children's safety overall because all of the necessary consents are in place. This ensures that children receive safe and individualised care. The childminder conducts thorough safety checks of her home and all areas used by children outdoors. However, she does not keep a written record of risk assessments relating to the premises and equipment stating the aspect to be checked, who carried it out and when, including any action taken following a review or incident. This is a breach of a welfare requirement. She shares useful information with parents about her policies and procedures to ensure children's safety and well-

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the early years provision

Children develop a positive sense of identity and adopt an active approach towards equality and diversity because the childminder values and respects their individuality. She treats children respectfully, encouraging them to express their thoughts and feelings in their home language, as well as encouraging their use of English. She provides a good range of books and activities which help children to learn about diverse cultures, traditions and lifestyles. This successfully promotes inclusion and supports anti-discriminatory practice.

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the early years provision

The childminder is beginning to review what works well and has some ideas to progress key areas for improvement. However, she has not yet fully developed an effective self-evaluation system. This minimises opportunities to take into account the views of the children and their parents to guide and inform her practice. She has completed all of the essential childcare and first aid training and is keen to progress further, through continuous professional development.

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the early years provision

Children are closely supervised at all times and receive good levels of support from the childminder. They have free access to a wide range of toys and equipment which helps them to make independent choices in their play. They enjoy indoor activities and outings to places of interest, but have limited opportunities to freely This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 access the garden. This potentially minimises opportunities for children to explore and investigate outdoors and to develop their physical skills.

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the early years provision

The childminder is beginning to develop useful partnerships with other childcare professionals to share good practice ideas. She is confident with procedures to ensure that children with identified needs receive appropriate support at an early stage. She understands the importance of sharing relevant information between other carers and settings, so that children receive complementary care and education. She builds strong bonds with each child's parent, keeping them well informed about their child's daily routine and activities. She creates opportunities to extend children's learning at home, offering guidance and support to parents about the types of activities, outings and events that will cover the early years foundation stage programme.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals because they are actively engaged in a well-balanced programme of activities which cover most areas of learning. For example, younger children thoroughly enjoy listening to music. They dance and wiggle their bodies in different ways in time to changing rhythms. They initiate peek-a-boo games, smiling proudly when adults join in their play. They show that they feel comfortable and happy in the company of others, developing close bonds with the childminder and her family. Children's home language is highly respected enabling them to confidently communicate their own needs. The childminder uses books and digital disc equipment to enhance children's speech, language and communication. She encourages children to learn words in English ready for when they transfer to schools and other settings. She is an active participant in children's play, encouraging them to talk about what they

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and outcomes for children

like and can do. Children vocalise their thoughts and feelings during their imaginative play, making sounds to represent a variety of animal noises and small world people talking.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy creative play. They handle natural materials such as dough and develop the early stages of writing as they use their fingers to make patterns in paint, sand and rice. Children persevere and concentrate intently, showing an avid interest in a variety of tasks and games. They learn how to solve simple problems as they fit shapes into a shape sorter and make comparisons between big and small objects. They develop design and making skills during block play and competently operate familiar technology equipment, such as, mobile phones.

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and outcomes for children

Children become confident and independent in their self-care routines. They sleep and rest according to their individual needs and benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. They indicate when they are hungry and tuck into healthy meals and snacks. They are offered a good balance of milk, juice and water to drink throughout the day. They learn how to take care of their personal hygiene needs through the daily routine, adopting healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy free movement around the childminder's home, but have limited opportunities for free This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 play and investigation outdoors.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is beginning to use observation and assessment systems to track and monitor each child's development and progress. She tailors activity plans to children's specific interests and stage of development, offering a wide range of activities to support children's learning. However, she has not yet fully identified 'next steps' provision for each child as they progress toward the early learning goals. This minimises opportunities to extend children's future learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well and respond positively to the childminder's kindly approach. They learn how to manage their developing movements safely, avoiding obstacles as they walk around the home. They are involved in regular fire safety practice, which helps them to learn how to leave the building quickly in the event of an emergency. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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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