Childminder in Sefton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 310741 Inspection date 22/03/2011 Inspector Lynn Naylor

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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 1992. She lives with her husband and three adult children in Formby, Merseyside. She sometimes works with an assistant. Most of the ground floor of the childminder's house and a bedroom on the first floor are used for childminding. The rear garden is available for outdoor play. The childminder walks or drives to toddler groups and is able to take children to and collect them from local schools. The family has no pets.

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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 may be in the early years age range. There are currently four children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder also offers care to two children aged over five years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's unique needs are effectively met and they make good progress in their learning and development. Children are cared for in a home that is organised to be inclusive, accessible and safe. There is good communication between the childminder and parents and effective links with the other settings that children attend. The childminder regularly evaluates her service and demonstrates a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 make greater use of the information provided not only by observations and assessments but also by parents and other settings to strengthen the planning.

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the early years provision

Children are safe and well-protected in the setting because the childminder follows effective child protection policies and procedures. She has a good knowledge of the possible indicators of abuse or neglect and how to liaise with appropriate agencies. She clearly understands child protection issues and procedures having recently refreshed her safeguarding training. Children are able to move freely and safely around the house because the childminder takes effective action to minimise risks in the home, garden and on outings. Records, such as, accident and medication records linked to keeping children safe are well-maintained. All adults This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 who live in the house have undergone appropriate clearance procedures, which help to maintain children's safety. The childminder and most of her family, who are also able to work as assistants, hold valid first aid certificates. Therefore, there is

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the early years provision

always someone able to respond effectively to any accidents. Documentation is well organised, readily available for inspection and stored securely to protect confidentiality.

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the early years provision

Since the last inspection, the childminder has made good progress to develop her service. She increased her knowledge of the learning and development requirements and her skills in observation, assessment and planning by attending numerous workshops relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Increased use is made of space in the home to provide a wide range of suitably challenging activities and experiences. Good quality resources are varied, readily available and used well to support children's learning and development. Some resources promote positive attitudes to differences in culture and respect for diversity. The childminder actively seeks and takes on board views from parents and children through verbal exchanges and increasing use of questionnaires. This helps to ensure her service meets the needs of those children who attend.

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the early years provision

The partnerships between the childminder, parents and providers of other settings that children attend are developing well. Parents receive clear information about the childminding practice, through regular exchanges of information and informative policies and procedures. The childminder knows children's starting points and individual needs really well because an exemplary 'All about me' book is completed with their parents. Parents frequently take home their child's learning story journal and add detailed information about their child's learning and development at home. The childminder exchanges information about children's learning and development, of which some is very detailed, with providers of other settings that children attend. This information is clearly recorded in the children's files and enables continuity of care for each child.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health, physical and dietary needs are well-met in agreement with their parents. They eat healthy lunches, such as, ham sandwiches, tomato and cucumber and nutritious home cooked evening meals made by the childminder. Children acquire a good understanding of healthy eating. They use their senses to look closely at, touch and taste different fruit or vegetables. Indoors and outdoors, children maintain a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise. They learn to control their bodies in a wide variety of ways. For example, they crawl through the tunnel and develop climbing skills on equipment at the park. They develop good coordination as they play ball games on the sand dunes. Their bodies benefit from vigorous exercise in the fresh air. They play in the garden or go for walks in the nature reserve. This makes exercise fun and increases their awareness of nature as they look for squirrels.

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and outcomes for children

Children talk knowledgeably about the role of people who keep us safe. Their awareness is raised through interesting outings, such as, to the aerodrome to see This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the police helicopter and the fire station to see the engines. Children follow safety rules and regularly practise evacuations of the home. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in this home. They behave well and confidently move around the home. They choose what they would like to play with from a range of books, toys and craft materials set out by the childminder. Children look at high quality books featuring different faiths and traditions and laminated photographic quality pictures of a range of buildings, such as, a Christian Church, Muslim Mosque and Hindu Temple. Children learn about their own culture and those of others through planned activities. For example, at Chinese New Year, children

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and outcomes for children

tasted a range of Chinese foods and used chopsticks.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in all areas of their learning and development. The childminder generally sets individual targets for children's learning based on her comprehensive knowledge of their interests and assessments of their abilities. Useful monitoring ensures that what she provides covers each area of learning for each child. However, maximum use is not yet made of all the detailed information to plan next steps for children's learning. This is because the information from various sources is not securely linked to provide a full picture of each child's progress.

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and outcomes for children

She extends children's learning as they play. For example, she reads stories and provides a verbal commentary on what they are doing, which extends their language and communication skills. She extends children's physical skills, for example, by encouraging them to stand on one leg like the flamingo in the story. Young children demonstrate an awareness of number and size as they count the toy animals as they play and compare the different sizes of the toy giraffes. They demonstrate an awareness of technology as they scan the items in the toy shop and place the money in the till. Children develop learning and social skills that equip them exceptionally well for the future. 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 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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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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