Abbott, Sharon Elizabeth

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417419 Inspection date 15/07/2011 Inspector Anne Schurek

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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

Childminder registered in 2010. She lives with her husband in Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire. The whole of the house is used for childminding purposes. There is a rear garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three maybe in the early years age range. There are currently two children attending within the early years age range. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to eight years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children who speak English as an additional language. She 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 childminder is committed to ensuring that children have high quality care promoting their individual care and learning needs exceptionally well. Children's learning is planned, promoted and monitored individually, and as a result they are making excellent progress. The childminder develops extremely strong relationships with parents and is developing working closely with others involved in supporting the care of children, enabling her to provide an inclusive environment where each child's needs are recognised and met. The childminder successfully evaluates her provision and puts plans in place for future 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?

 continuing to develop partnerships with other settings, who work with the Early Years Foundation Stage, that the children attend, to ensure progression and continuity of care.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded by the childminder who has highly robust systems in place to assure their safety and well-being. The childminder ensures that all members of her household are suitably checked, visitors are supervised at all times, identification is requested as appropriate and a visitors log is maintained. The childminder has a very good understanding of her child protection responsibilities and the procedures to follow in the event of any concerns to safeguard children. Policies, procedures and records are very-well organised and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 up-to-date to secure the safe and efficient management of her provision. Thorough risk assessments, rigorous hygiene practices and carefully monitored safety procedures maintain high standards of health and safety both within the house and on all outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises her practice extremely well. This enables her to dedicate her time to observing, supervising and interacting with the children. As a result, children benefit from a very positive environment with lots of activity, conversation and laughter. The children have an excellent balance of child-led and adult-led activities. They have excellent range of resources to use to support their learning, which are easily accessible, for them to choose from. They show high levels of independence from a young age and have a strong sense of belonging. They are developing good skills to them to become active and inquisitive learners. The childminder promotes inclusive practice very well. Registers are clear and well maintained, confirming ratios are met, and any accidents or incidents involving children are recorded appropriately and shared with parents. The childminder's comprehensive written policies and procedures support her practice, and these are

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the early years provision

There are very effective partnerships with parents to ensure that they are kept very well-informed of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the business arrangements. She has an exceptional knowledge of children's individual needs and those of their families. She takes the time to talk to parents about their children, sharing information both verbally and in writing. This is very effective in helping to promote excellent relationships with both children and their parents. The childminder ensures that activities offered suit children's individual abilities, interests and personalities and she readily shares her observations of their progress with parents. She ensures that parents receive such information according to their wishes, such as through discussion, daily diaries, photographs or more formal records of progress. The childminder uses her assessments and observations to support her planning and identify next steps in children's individual

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the early years provision

learning. Children are motivated and keen to learn. Parents are highly complimentary about the childminder's practice, commenting on the stimulating environment, wide variety of activities and the highly positive outcomes for their children. Parents have the opportunity to meet other parents through an organised garden party at the childminder's home.

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed and motivated in providing the children with a happy and calm environment where they play and learn in contentment. She continually strives for improvement, making use of comprehensive methods of self-evaluation to help her identify areas for improvement and updates her professional skills by attending training. For example, she has completed child protection, Level two food safety and hygiene and data protection.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare, learning and development are promoted extremely well. The childminder has excellent relationships with the children and gets down to their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 level as she enthusiastically supports their play and interacts with the children. For example, she encourages young children to water the vegetables they are growing in the garden, modelling the difficult names of vegetables such as 'cucumber' and 'pumpkins' which children imitate and receive praise for their efforts. She uses her excellent knowledge of each child to plan a wide range of exciting activities that captures each child's interest very well. This could be a big trip out to the local zoo or baking cakes.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder recognises young children have short concentration spans and supports them as they regularly move from activity to activity encouraging them from time-to-time to stop and tidy away toys so that they have plenty of room to play. The childminder plays alongside them, sharing toys and enjoying each other's company while designing a house from bricks. Children particularly enjoy cause and effect toys where they use their problem-solving skills and natural curiosity to work out how things work. A remote control train is popular and children show great enthusiasm and perseverance as they push buttons up and down moving the train backwards and forwards. Children have easy access to a wide range of toys, equipment and resources that are suitable for their ages. They have opportunities to visit the library and go swimming with the childminder. This allows them opportunities to socialise with other children and enriches the range of activities

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and outcomes for children

that are available to them. Photos evidence and evidence from children's records shows that they take part in an extensive range of activities and experiences that clearly support them to explore, experiment and discover. Children's creativity is promoted as they express themselves through art and craft activities, move to music and repeat situations familiar to themselves as they use role play resources.

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and outcomes for children

Children's mathematical development is very well promoted through number recognition games. Children learn about numbers and shapes through play and daily routines, such as sorting and matching shapes, singing number rhymes and counting everyday objects and toys, saying things like "I have two potatoes". Children enjoy stories and will select books themselves to look at. They handle the books carefully turning the pages with care. Children have access to a wide range of resources that provide positive images of diversity and they are taught that although everyone is different, all are equally as important. Children develop phonological awareness whilst listening to stories, singing rhymes, recognising their own names and mark making for different purposes. They have been involved in topic activities which include nature walks, bird watching, learning about different animals and growing vegetables. They acquire basic skills in

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and outcomes for children

operating electronic equipment such as a tablet computer to develop their understanding of how technology can help them in their everyday lives.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel very safe and secure within the childminder's care. They demonstrate this through warm and trusting relationships established with peers and the childminder, their confident exploration and independence. They learn about keeping safe through valuable practical activities and guidance, such as stranger danger, road safety, practise the fire drill procedure, and using equipment safely. Children are cared for within an extremely clean and hygienic environment in which they learn through personal hygiene practices. They are well-nourished and their health is consistently promoted because the childminder has a good understanding of healthy eating, producing a healthy eating policy to ensure that This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children are offered a wide variety of healthy and balanced meals and snacks. This area is further promoted because the childminder has a food, drink and hospitality

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and outcomes for children

certificate, enabling her to prepare, store and serve foods appropriately. Children's dietary requirements are discussed with parents and clearly recorded and respected.

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and outcomes for children

Children are highly valued and respected as individuals. Children are beginning to learn right from wrong through positive interaction from the childminder. They receive praise and encouragement as they engage in tasks which help build their self esteem. Children are learning to be polite to have good manners as they are encouraged to say, "please" and "thank you" to each other. The childminder has clear understanding of the importance of the use of positive age appropriate strategies to support children's behaviour. Her in-depth knowledge of each child ensures she is able to make effective use of distraction and re-direction to prevent a child becoming upset or frustrated and support them to develop skills for self- control. Children enjoy excellent access to the health benefits of outdoor play and physical activity. They move confidently and are well coordinated as they run, climb and jump. 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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