Childminder in Bexley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY395846 Inspection date 13/07/2011 Inspector Marcia Robinson

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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 2009. She lives with her husband, three adult children and 15 year old child in North Thamesmead, in the London Borough of Bexley. Several bus routes are close by and Thamesmead mainline train station is a short walk away. Children have access to a designated playroom and an additional room for play. There is also a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The facilities used by the children are located over one level on the ground floor. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. When working alone or with an assistant, the childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight, of which no more than three may be in the early years age range. Currently she is caring for two children in the early years age group. The childminder supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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

The needs of all children in the Early Years Foundation stage are met effectively as the childminder supports children's learning well and provides a wide range of activities that promotes all areas of learning. There are satisfactory systems in place to promote children's understanding of diversity, although working in partnership with others is a key strength at this setting in promoting inclusion. Children's welfare is generally promoted well as the childminder successfully implements a broad range of policies and procedures. However, the record of risk assessment is not yet in place. The childminder shows a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement as she has recently started to make use of self- evaluation in order to identify strengths and areas for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further systems to ensure that next steps are consistently identified and used to inform future planning. Also, extending the opportunities for parents to contribute to their child's ongoing learning and development  plan and provide more opportunities for children to learn about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people including resources that reflect positive images of disability. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is effectively safeguarded overall. The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities with regard to safeguarding issues, and the steps to take should she have concerns about a child. Adults including the assistant are suitable to work with children and demonstrate a high level of commitment to promoting their safety. The childminder has attended recent safeguarding training and has well written safeguarding policies and procedures in place so that children are well protected. Most of the required documentation that promotes children's health, safety and well-being is in place. Fire safety precautions include smoke detectors, fire blanket and the childminder having thought through safe evacuation of the premises in an emergency. This is supported by the childminder who carries out a thorough risk assessment of her home and removes any hazards to allow children to play in a safe environment.

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the early years provision

Measures are implemented well, for example, a safety gate is fitted across the door way of the playroom and window locks are in place to ensure children are safe. However, the risk assessment is not recorded in writing which is a breach of a specific legal requirement.

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the early years provision

The childminder makes good use of resources to create a welcoming, child- centred environment. She organises her home well so that there is plenty of space for children to play and they can easily access a wide range of resources that support their play and learning. The childminder has fully evaluated her childcare provision, thus reflecting well on her practice. For instance, she is aware of her strengths and weaknesses and drives improvement through accessing further training opportunities, enabling her to seek and share ideas and advice regarding best practice, ensuring continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

The systems in place for children to learn about and understand aspects of diversity and inclusion are generally effective. For instance, there are attractive displays in the room related to children's home languages and children can access a suitable range of resources and play materials that reflect some aspects of diversity. However, the availability of resources reflecting disability is more limited. In addition, the childminder does not plan or provide activities aimed at extending children's experiences of cultures and customs other than a few Christian festivals. This limits children's learning about their own cultures and those of others. The childminder works closely with parents and ensures she has relevant information about children's backgrounds and needs. This allows her to take positive steps to include all children and ensure that they can all reach their full potential. The childminder is fully aware of other professional organisations involved within the

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the early years provision

Early Years Foundation Stage. She works in effective partnership with physiotherapists and other specialist workers to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included and supported in the setting. Much discussion takes place between the childminder and parents and carers each day regarding children's developmental progress. However, opportunities to plan together for the next steps in children's learning and involve This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents in their children?s learning are not fully effective.

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and outcomes for children

Children are content and settled in the childminder's home and their welfare is generally well promoted. The home environment is extremely well maintained and appropriate for children's play. All safety precautions are in place so children are able to move freely and confidently around the home. They participate in regular emergency evacuation practices and discuss road safety with the childminder when outdoors, helping children understand how to keep themselves safe from harm. Children adopt simple good hygiene routines because the childminder supports younger children to wash their hands prior to meals. Although the childminder does not provide meals, she demonstrates the importance of healthy eating and food handling regulations through previously attending food hygiene training and providing a range of healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit. Drinks are offered at regular intervals and younger children can reach their beakers at any time so they

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and outcomes for children

remain hydrated. Children have daily access to the garden and take part in regular visits to local parks as part of a healthy lifestyle, having fun running around or developing their skills on the climbing frame.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and secure. They feel at home in this warm and welcoming environment and show increasing confidence as they make choices from a broad range of easily accessible, good quality resources. They behave well and enjoy lots of positive attention and praise for their achievements. Their enjoyment is increased as they benefit from the good support from the childminder and her assistant. Children are treated with respect and their individual needs successfully met. The childminder takes responsibility for carrying out regular observations of children during play and records these in their individual folders. Although these hold useful information the childminder has not fully developed the process of identifying and planning for children's next steps. Children's individual folders are regularly shared with parents and carers and so this does not affect the childminder's ability to fully monitor children's progress. Consequently, children are

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and outcomes for children

making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. They take part in a wide variety of activities and experiences that promote their development in line with the early learning goals. These are based on their interests and needs and include regular trips to the library and leisure centre, which also extends their social skills and understanding of the wider community. Other examples are at the childminder's home where they help themselves to toys and play materials. They have access to a very good range of books and enjoy being read and listened to by the childminder. For instance, young children show excitement when the childminder repeats their sounds and talks to them as they play. This promotes their communication and language skills. Children enjoy drawing using colouring pencils and crayons, developing their mark-making skills. The childminder uses mathematical language and encourages children to count as they play and

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and outcomes for children

counting cars for instance, on their trips in the local community. Children have fun playing and show delight as they press buttons on a selection of programmable This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 toys, and explore these to find out why things happen and how things work. Experiences provided, resources available and interaction from the childminder, also helps to ensure children develop appropriate skills 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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