Childminder in St Helens

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY418723 Inspection date 25/08/2011 Inspector Frank Kelly

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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 and she lives in St Helens in Merseyside. The whole of the ground floor and a bathroom on the upper floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play and there is a pet rabbit.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time. Of these, three may be in the early years age range. There is currently one child on roll in the early years age range. The childminder is also registered to care for children aged eight to 11 years on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds Qualified Teacher Status in primary education and is a member of the National Childminding Association. She receives support from the Local Authority and takes the children out regularly to toddler groups, parks and other places of interest.

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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 childminders organisation of her home and resources is excellent. Consequently, the children are cared for in a highly effective environment, within which, their safety and learning is promoted to very good standard. The excellent systems for sharing information with parents, is ensuring that children's unique needs are clearly understood and met to extremely well. Documentation, policies and procedures are well written and address the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage to provide a secure framework for how the childminders service is managed. The childminder demonstrates an enthusiasm in her ability to make continuous improvement using her wealth of professional training to self-evaluate her provision. Her setting is still in the early stages but she confidently demonstrates changes made, to continually improve her service and promote the good outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 carry out regular evacuation drills and records details of when undertaken and any problems encountered and how they were resolved. Include within any fire records the checks of fire safety equipment such as the smoke detectors  develop further the activities that help children to know about their own This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 cultures and beliefs and those of other people. Consider how the suggestions within the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage, could be applied to build on the good practice already in place.

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded and their protection assured because the childminder applies effective procedures to keep children safe inside and outside of the home. The childminder has undertaken relevant training and demonstrates a very secure knowledge of the procedures to follow to help protect children from abuse. On a daily basis the children are well supervised and the home and equipment is continually being assessed by the childminder to minimise risks to the children.

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the early years provision

The children's health and well-being are seen as a high priority and the childminder maintains her home to an excellent standard of cleanliness implementing several policies to actively minimise the spread of infection. For example, she maintains a strict no outdoor shoe policy to protect young children who are crawling and playing on the floor. The maintenance of records for the administration of medication are extremely detailed and efficiently organised. Risk assessment is in place and a daily check list acts as an aide memoir. In particular her risk assessment of outings and visits to local places, such as, play groups present an accurate record of potential risks to be aware of. She has a well thought out evacuation procedure and she tests the smoke detectors in the home on a weekly basis. However, to date she has not practised the evacuation procedure and currently does not maintain records of the safety checks for the

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the early years provision

She has a superb range of equipment which is of a high quality, extremely attractively presented and organised so that children can make many independent choices. A collection of unusual boxes with lids, hide a range of hidden treasures, such as, groups of play figures, dinosaurs and scrabble letters. Safety has been considered to ensure small parts are not accessible to the younger children. The range of resources is continually being updated and is part of the childminders proactive approach to promoting an inclusive home. For example, she is keen to increase her range of resources, such as, those that provide children with information and knowledge about their own and other people's beliefs and cultures. This is one of several aspects of improvement for her provision that the childminder has identified, through her self-evaluation processes. That said, there is a very good range of resources already in place and the childminder is able to

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the early years provision

communicate the ways she supports older children to gain a wider awareness of their society and world. The childminder is also beginning to engage parents in her self-evaluation by providing questionnaires. From these she has taken immediate action for improvement. For example, introducing an improved version of the daily dairy, that provides opportunities for parents to contribute to the assessment and planning.

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the early years provision

Meeting children's individual needs is made a priority and engaging with parents is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 seen as essential for the planning how each child's unique needs are met. In particular, detailed information about children's routines and health needs is sought and effective action is taken to meet these. Daily discussions are undertaken and parents are invited to contact the childminder throughout the day should they wish to do so. Records are shared on a regular basis, in the format of a daily diary which includes information about the child's eating, rest patterns and play opportunities. A regular summary is provided regarding the range of activities the children have participated in. There is also a collection of intended activities demonstrating what the childminder plans to include to support children's future progress in all aspects of their development. The childminder demonstrates an

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the early years provision

understanding about the importance of creating a framework for partnership working with other settings, such as, schools but as yet has not put this into practice formally. She has a very good understanding of the steps to take regarding partnership working should any child have a special educational need and/or disability.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy extremely attentive interactions from their carer and respond positively to her warmth and caring nature. Consequently very young children demonstrate an extremely strong sense of security which results in them being confident and curious explorer's of their environment. For example, they babble and squeal with delight as they sit close to the childminder on the floor and experiment with the roof of the shape sorter house. They demonstrate their current understanding of how it works as they persevere to fit the lid and make several attempts to push the shapes through the holes. The enthusiastic encouragement and celebration of their achievement by their carer spurs them on to try further.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted through excellent hygiene procedures within the home. The home is immaculate and children learn about hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating or after having contact with the rabbit. They are offered healthy nutritional food and their routines for rest and exercise follow their own needs. The childminder takes the children out daily to enjoy fresh air. She has a good range of outdoor play equipment but recognises that her climbing apparatus is limited. To counter this, she ensures that the children visit a local playgroup so as to be able to develop their physical dexterity, balance and strength. Snacks include a range of fruit and the children are provided with regular drinks to keep refreshed and hydrated. The childminders polite and respectful manner is providing children with a positive role model. She is consistent in her approaches and actively encourages the children's social graces through her

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and outcomes for children

The childminder knows the children in her care very well. She is able to identify when they are tired or need personal care. The playroom provides a wealth of learning experiences that span the breadth of the six areas of learning. A record of the children's learning journey has been created and the childminder uses her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 observations and discussions with parents to help her plan and organise activities to help children's next steps for learning. Her assessments and prompts for the children's next steps are securely linked to the guidance documents of the Early Years Foundation Stage. During the children's free play, the childminder supports children's learning very well. She provides positional language to acknowledges their actions and make connections. For example, she talks to the children about putting the lid on and the shape in and under. Her activity planning ensures

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and outcomes for children

children are encouraged to explore, investigate and participate in early mark- making, through the provision of hand painting and yogurt.

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and outcomes for children

The children have access to a range of age appropriate toys that represent technology, such as, those that include knobs and buttons to push and turn. There are small world resources, construction materials and jigsaws. Puppets and a dolls house, lots of role-play equipment and a wide range of books that provide interactive and tactile experiences. The childminder reads and sings with the children on a regular basis and she is up-to-date with children's favourites such as the 'wriggly worm'. These activities, her very good planning and assessment systems and her interactive support are providing children with rich early experiences that successfully help to build skills and dispositions for future learning. 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 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 1 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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