Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 503924 Inspection date 07/09/2011 Inspector Shirley Monks-Meagher

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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 2001. She lives in the Moston area of Manchester with her husband and two adult children. Her husband acts as her assistant. The family has a pet dog. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding purposes and includes bathroom facilities. There is a secure rear garden for outside play.

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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 year's age range. She is currently minding five children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. In total there are nine children on roll. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder has a level 3 Childcare qualification.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes and collects children from the local school and visits local toddler groups regularly.

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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

Highly effective procedures and practice underpins the safety, welfare and well- being of the children who are thriving in this child centred environment. The excellent partnerships with parents and others involved in the children's lives creates consistency, continuity and the good levels of support to enable each child to work towards maximising their potential. The childminder's strong ethos of valuing and respecting children and their families is the catalyst of the warm, welcoming environment that is accepting of everyone. Self-evaluation is collaborative and thus, effective in bringing about continual improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the analysis of monitoring systems to measure inclusiveness of the provision and ensure no individual or groups of children are disadvantaged

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the early years provision

The childminder gives the utmost priority to promoting children's safety and welfare. Her very secure understanding of child protection issues and safeguarding procedures ensures the protection of children's welfare and well-being. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Comprehensive risk assessment effectively helps to eliminate hazards to children whilst promoting their understanding of how to independently manage risk. Record keeping linked to accidents, incidents, pre-existing injuries and medication are very well maintained and the childminder is trained to effectively administer first aid in the event of injuries children may sustain whilst in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder is enthusiastic, ambitious and passionate about her work. She has an extremely high regard for children's well-being and her own professional knowledge and development, which she supports effectively through regular training and networking with other early years professionals. Her capacity to sustain continuous improvement is strong, she systematically reflects on her service and practice, adjusting and evaluating to improve outcomes for children. Her self-evaluations are reliable, she seeks the opinions of the children and listens to any comments from parents and other professionals, seeking their opinions both informally and formally through questionnaires. This ensures all who use her setting benefit. Recommendations from the last inspection have been robustly addressed improving the safety of her setting and resulting in children's health, safety and well-being being better protected.

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the early years provision

High importance is placed on meeting children's individual needs. She provides an environment where each individual child can work towards his or her full potential because she assesses their achievements and carefully monitors their progress. Her strong commitment to working in partnership with parents, carers and other professionals is a major strength of her practice and underpins the success of her service. Parents are provided with comprehensive information about her provision and frequent reports on their children's progress. Sensible policies about gradual admission and settling-in periods form a strong basis for a two-way flow of information that has the child's best interests at its heart. Parents are encouraged to participate in their child's learning journey records and assist their children to participate in theme weeks. For example, by providing resources so that they can be involved in their child's learning. Strong links with the local playgroup ensures

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the early years provision

children's care and learning is complemented effectively in the childminder's home and facilitates a smooth transition into full-time education.

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and outcomes for children

Children are cared for in a rich, supportive environment which is well organised and conducive to children's learning. Children have a strong sense of belonging, they clearly enjoy and relish their time at the setting, positively thriving on the interaction and attention. They actively participate in a wealth of opportunities to learn about themselves, each other and the wider world.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has developed an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and devised highly comprehensive and meticulous procedures in relation to observation, assessment and planning. These work exceedingly well for her and securely demonstrate the very rapid progress the children are making in their learning and development. The childminder's in-depth knowledge of each child's skills, abilities and interests actively contributes to the purposeful range of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 stimulating and interesting activities and experiences she tailors to support, reinforce and develop their individual knowledge, understanding and abilities. Children are thoroughly engaged and participate very happily in meaningful play. The children also benefit from a wide range of activities out of the home and this significantly enhances and widens their experiences. For example, they visit the

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and outcomes for children

farm, parks and museums, local toddler groups and childminder drop-in sessions.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder effectively meets children's learning needs through the excellent support she provides. They benefit from her undivided attention and she shares very warm, close relationships with them. Consequently, the children feel at ease and are secure and confident. This positive sense of well-being gives the children a secure foundation on which to play, explore and develop. They develop good language skills and are able to convey their needs using their language well as a means of sharing their thoughts, experiences and feelings. They explore with hand counting, matching, making patterns and problem solving and use this growing understanding to support their play. For example, when joining tracks together to make a layout for the trains and sequencing and grouping coloured pegs. They explore the properties of a wide range of media and are beginning to understand how their actions can make them change during simple activities, such as, baking,

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and outcomes for children

planting and nurturing sun flowers and pressing and pulling levers and switches on interactive toys. Babies pull themselves up on sturdy activity centres, squeal with delight and test out new words, such as, 'star' as they begin to understand that the lights flash in response to their actions. The children enjoy lots of imaginative play. They are able to re-enact their own experiences to help them develop their understanding of the world in which they live. They enjoy being doctors and nurses and using the stethoscope to listen to heartbeats and act out simple scenes with the garage and cars. Children handle resources and equipment, such as, scissors competently and safely. Children of all ages play harmoniously together, developing a good understanding of turn taking and sharing resources. They benefit from the consistent and effective age-appropriate strategies used by the childminder to manage behaviour. The children are developing skills and attitudes

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and outcomes for children

which will serve them well in their future learning.

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and outcomes for children

The children are developing a positive attitude towards healthy life styles. They choose to play outdoors in the fresh air every day, which contributes to their good health. The wide variety of outdoor resources, activities and opportunities available meets their developmental needs very, well enabling them to develop and refine their physical movements, co-ordination and balance, whilst learning to enjoy healthy exercise. Appetising, nutritious meals, fresh water to drink, healthy snacks and activities are helping them acquire good eating habits. The children respond well to routines, such as, sitting at the table and socialising during meal times to improve their health and well-being. The childminder follows stringent hygiene procedures during nappy changing effectively protecting very young children from the risk of infection. 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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