Childminder in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 208303 Inspection date 05/09/2011 Inspector Sally Smith

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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 2000. She lives with her husband and children aged three, nine and 11 years in Telford. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, along with the bathroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. There are currently two children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, both of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

She is a member of the National Childminding Association and holds a recognised early years qualification. She is a member of an approved childminding network and currently receives early education funding for three- and four-year-olds.

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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 provides exceptionally high quality care for children, and as a result they flourish in a happy, comfortable environment. Partnerships with parents are excellent, contributing significantly to children's individual needs being met. The partnerships with other professionals involved in the care and education of the children are successful, which promotes consistency of care very effectively. The childminder has made significant improvements since her last inspection in her relentless pursuit of excellence. Rigorous self-evaluation procedures demonstrate an ongoing commitment to further enhance practice.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 increase children's awareness of different cultures by providing books that show a range of languages.

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the early years provision

The childminder prioritises safeguarding and is fully conversant with the signs and symptoms of abuse. She is very secure in her knowledge of procedures to follow should she have any concerns. Children's safety is paramount and the childminder is highly effective in identifying hazards and minimising risks, which are recorded in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 detailed and thorough risk assessments. Excellent systems are in place to ensure children are safe on outings; a risk assessment is obtained from the venue and the childminder carries out her own checks of the intended venue prior to the visit. She provides an excellent balance of safety and measured risk to children, encouraging their understanding of safety. The childminder is meticulous in her organisation and has a professional approach in all that she does, implementing robust policies and procedures to successfully promote children's health, safety

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the early years provision

The home is extremely well organised, providing children with opportunities to self- select resources and make choices about their play. The childminder makes excellent use of her time and her resources. Detailed planning is in place and focuses on various themes, although this is flexible to accommodate children's needs and interests as they vary. Children have a wealth of resources to choose from, which are in excellent condition. These are clearly labelled and readily accessible for children to choose. These, along with the well-organised space, maximise play and learning opportunities for all children. The childminder is thorough in her consideration of children's backgrounds and individual needs; this is reflected in the choice of resources available, ensuring they reflect children's cultures, language and lifestyles. For example, when caring for children who speak English as an additional language, she has purchased pictorial dictionaries to help

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the early years provision

with word recognition and translation. However, she recognises that she has a limited range of resources to promote children's awareness of differences in language. The childminder is fully committed to meeting all children's needs, resulting in children feeling valued and developing high levels of self-esteem. While the childminder is not currently caring for any children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, she understands the importance of working closely with outside professionals to support children's welfare and development. The childminder has very good partnerships with other early years settings to meet the needs of children. Effective transitional arrangements are also in place to ensure that children are prepared well for change.

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the early years provision

Excellent partnerships with parents and carers are integral in ensuring that children are fully supported and their individual needs are met. Parents are made to feel valued and welcomed. They receive comprehensive written information on enrolment and throughout their child's time at the setting. Along with discussions, daily diaries and children's learning journals, the childminder uses a variety of media to keep in touch, such as phone calls, emails and texts. She emails the forthcoming weekly activities and themes each Sunday evening. Children's work and photograph albums are displayed, portraying the wealth of activities that children experience and making the childminder's home feel extremely warm and welcoming. The childminder seeks to involve parents in her ongoing evaluations, and regular questionnaires are used to establish their suggestions. She includes children in this process, asking for their suggestions for activities.

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the early years provision

The childminder's practice is exemplary and she is highly dedicated and committed to regularly updating her childcare knowledge. Since the last inspection she has acquired a qualification in early years and childcare. She has also undertaken training in order to provide early education funded places. As a result, she provides a service that is continually evolving to improve outcomes for children. Previous This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed and the childminder has clear systems for self-evaluation. The childminder regularly evaluates and reflects on her practice and is keen to enhance the service she provides. She has recently obtained funding to make significant improvements to the outdoor play area, taking account of the children's needs, interests and preferences. She demonstrates an excellent capacity to improve.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making outstanding progress in their learning and development. The childminder's robust knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage enables her to introduce all areas of learning in routine and spontaneous play. This ensures that children's learning is balanced and comprehensive. Regular observations and assessments are carried out to help her identify progress and plan appropriate and challenging next steps. She has a very good awareness of individual needs and stages of development, and provides activities and resources that support this. She demonstrates real determination and dedication to ensuring that observations and assessments of children's learning and development are carried out to a very high standard. Parents are regularly provided with excellent information about their child's progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder works closely with parents at the beginning of their placement so she

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and outcomes for children

can gain an accurate picture of the children's starting points. This enables her to cater for specific interests and abilities and help her to plan stimulating and inspiring activities for each child. Learning journals record children's progress and parents regularly contribute to these. As a result, parents are actively involved and informed of their children's progress.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder's high quality interaction in children's activities helps them make significant progress in their overall development. She is alert to the opportunities afforded for language development through children's play across all areas of learning. Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas with minimal interruption from the childminder. However, she knows when to join in their play, extend their discussions through open questioning and enrich their vocabulary. This extends their learning and motivates children to ask further questions and seek answers.

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and outcomes for children

Children clearly demonstrate a thorough understanding of the routines of the setting and are competent in organising their own activities. The childminder is highly responsive to their ideas or requests. For example, children decide they want to play a board game but recognise that they are unable to reach it on the shelf. They ask the childminder to help and one child says 'would you like a chair to stand on?'. They make up additional rules for the game, deciding that they will introduce the use of a dice, although the game does not require this. The childminder takes their lead and children take turns, counting the numbers on the dice. They squeal excitedly when they recognise that the items on their cards match those in their shopping trolley. 'Look it's a fish' says one child and then recognises a picture of a magazine on her next turn. She peers closely at the card and observes it is a dog and says 'the magazine is all about dogs'.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children go on regular outings and love to look at the numerous photographs to record their trips. Children correctly recall the owls, goats and fox they see after their visit to a farm. One child is observed wearing a hat and says 'that's to keep the sun away and I wear sun cream too so that I don't get burnt'. Children explore different textures on a barefoot walk and describe how these feel. One child says 'I like to walks on grass best because it's soft'. Excellent use is made of the outdoor environment; children develop their physical skills as they balance on beams, use stilts and complete various obstacle courses. They love windy days where they can swish streamers around, play with kites and blow bubbles. Music and dance is a real feature and children access a wide range of musical instruments from around the world. They listen to the tempos and speeds of different types of music while

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and outcomes for children

dancing rhythmically with streamers, scarves and pom-poms. This helps children's understanding about the importance of exercise in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

Children implement good hygiene practices and enjoy growing and preparing their own food. They bake cakes, weighing and measuring the ingredients and pouring the mixture into the prepared cases and tins, therefore learning about volume and capacity. Activities, games and role play help to further promote children's understanding of healthy eating. Children behave well in the setting and respond to the clear boundaries within the childminder's home. They are exceptionally well behaved, polite and thoughtful. They are encouraged to resolve minor squabbles independently and work out their own solutions. When necessary, the childminder listens to each child carefully and gently puts forward suggestions, for example, using the egg timer to resolve issues, such as sharing. Furthermore, her successful use of positive reinforcement helps them to develop a positive self-image. Consequently, children are calm, settled and well behaved as their needs and

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and outcomes for children

Children are competent in their use of the computer. They are beginning to recognise letters in the password, allowing them access. They use the mouse and keyboard to interact with age-appropriate programmes, for example, they skilfully manoeuvre the mouse to locate stars hiding behind trees. This helps to develop their hand/eye coordination. When out and about they take photographs and are now learning to download these onto the computer. A wealth of additional resources help to promote their awareness of information and communication technology, helping them to develop 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 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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