Mackenzie, Pipa

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY424741 Inspection date 02/08/2011 Inspector Liz Calouri

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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 has been registered since 2011. She lives in Netherfield, East Sussex with her mother who is also a registered childminder and her step father and siblings aged 17, 15 and 10 years. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor and both the front and rear garden are fully enclosed and used for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. When working alone she may care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. She currently has one child in the early years age group on roll but also assists her mother in caring for all other minded children.

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Description of the childminding

The family have six dogs, a larger number of tortoises, two guinea pigs and a cat.

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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 play happily in the child-centred, safe and inclusive environment and are developing good social skills. They make satisfactory progress in all areas of their development, although systems to monitor their progress against the Early Years Foundation Stage are yet to be fully established. The childminder is committed to increasing her knowledge and understanding of current childcare practices, but does not generally evaluate her provision. The positive relationships maintained with parents and carers help children to settle easily. However, the childminder does not have a procedure in place to share information about children's learning and development in order to ensure consistency of care. The childminder is actively committed to ensuring continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 put arrangements in place to work in partnership with other early years providers in order to ensure continuity and coherence where children receive education and care in more than one setting  further encourage children to take part in freely expressive creative activities  undertake regular and ongoing evaluation of the service offered in order to identify strengths and address any areas of weakness. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Written policies outline the childminder's commitment to safeguarding children. She is confident in her ability to detect the potential signs and symptoms of abuse and fully understands her responsibility to report any concerns that she may have. Risk assessments are undertaken to identify any potential hazards in the childminder's home and safety gates are used to restrict children's access to the stairs and the kitchen. Smoke detectors are fitted throughout the house and there are fire blankets in the kitchen. The childminder and her mother involve the children in practice fire drills on a regular basis.

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the early years provision

Children's individual needs are recognised through sensitive observation of their play, including the choices they make and their interaction with others. The childminder has systems in place to record details of children's level of achievement but, having only recently started caring for children, is still gathering evidence in order to complete these. Therefore she has yet to identify next steps for children's learning and development but does offer them a range of activities which they enjoy. The childminder has not yet implemented any significant self- evaluation.

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the early years provision

Children have access to an extremely large selection of toys and resources which are well maintained, easily accessible and which reflect a broad range of interests and abilities. These include resources which promote positive images of people from throughout the community and wider world, including books with characters of different cultures and nationalities. Suitable arrangements are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to provide an environment where all children feel included. The childminder has given appropriate consideration to how she would meet the needs of children who speak English as an additional language, but has not yet been required to do so. Similarly, the childminder has yet to undertake any significant evaluation but is committed to continually improving her service by attending training and reading childcare publications to ensure that her knowledge of current practices remains up

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the friendly relationships maintained with their parents and carers. A good deal of information is shared verbally and parents and carers are also given a comprehensive range of written policies and procedures, ensuring that they are well informed about the routines and practices in place. As the systems for planning and assessment are still being developed the childminder has yet to include parents and carers in getting future goals for their child. The childminder is confident to work with other professionals such as health specialists in order to meet children's care needs but has yet to put in place arrangements to work with other early years practitioners should a child in her care attend more than one provision. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children's sense of security in the childminder's care is evident in their easy interaction and the confidence with which they explore and investigate the environment. They play happily with the other minded children and enjoy the family atmosphere in the childminder's home.

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and outcomes for children

Children make satisfactory progress in their learning and development. They enjoy a good amount of time to take part in freely chosen, child-initiated games which the childminder supports by providing encouragement and, where appropriate, additional resources. This supports them to become independent in their learning. Their communication and language skills are effectively promoted through lively conversations, songs, rhymes and looking at books. Similarly, they are progressing well in their problem solving and reasoning, as they practice counting, do puzzles or investigate the large selection of activity centres. Children develop their imagination through role play games and making music, however, less focus is placed on arts and crafts. Children use chalks outside on the walls and also use felt tips to colour in pictures but only rarely use paints or similarly messy materials to express themselves creatively.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing good social skills and are friendly and well behaved. The opportunities that they receive to make choices and decisions, along with practical skills such as using computers, helps to prepare them for the future and for their transitions into school. They are confident, well behaved and polite. They are learning how to behave in a socially responsible way, for example, learning to recycle by separating different items into different bins in the kitchen.

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and outcomes for children

Nutritious snacks are offered to children throughout the day, and those present for main meals enjoy home cooked food, planned to reflect their individual dietary requirements. The childminder works along side her co-minder to ensure that appropriate food hygiene procedures are followed and that children all wash their hands before sitting down to eat. A strong focus is also placed on promoting children's physical development with a range of challenging equipment, including a trampoline, climbing equipment and ride-on toys. 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 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 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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