Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 309130 Inspection date 13/09/2011 Inspector Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones

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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 2000. She lives with her husband and two children aged eight and 13 years. They live in a detached house on the outskirts of Burnley, within walking distance of the local park, shops and school. The childminder uses the lounge, dining area, hall, toilet and kitchen on the ground floor for childminding, and children use a bedroom on the first floor for sleeping.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding three children, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. She holds a level 3 early years qualification.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder visits the local pre-school and toddler groups on a regular basis. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and the Local Childminding Network.

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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 has an excellent knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, enabling her to provide the children with a wide range of interesting and stimulating experiences in which they actively participate. Children are exceptionally happy and are making very good progress in their development and learning as their individual learning needs are consistently met. All required documentation is of a high standard and children's welfare and well-being are of utmost priority, with the childminder being well trained and having an excellent understanding of safeguarding. Partnerships with parents are exceedingly strong and relationships with other agencies ensure that the childminder provides a service that is inclusive to all. The childminder very accurately reflects on the provision and through self-reflection is constantly seeking to improve her 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?

 developing further the system of providing written daily feedback for all children to ensure consistency across the provision.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare and well-being are effectively safeguarded because the childminder has excellent knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and has attended training to ensure that the children in her care are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safe. She records all accidents and incidents, including those that occur outside of her care. Comprehensive and robust risk assessments are in place for all areas used by the children within the setting and there is a fire evacuation process and diagram in place. The regular outings, visits and attendance at pre-school and toddler groups are also risk assessed.

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the early years provision

Written policies and procedures are exemplary. They are regularly reviewed and updated, and advice is sought from the National Childminding Association and the childminding networks to ensure that requirements are met and exceeded. The childminder recognises the importance of self-assessment for the continuous improvement of the provision and regularly evaluates all areas, including documentation, planning, assessment and resources, to support the children's learning and development. She records her findings within her self-evaluation form and reflects on her previous inspection reports to ensure that a good standard of provision is maintained. The recommendation at the previous inspection has been positively addressed.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and she uses this to effectively plan to meet the individual needs of the children. This is extremely effective because the childminder provides inspiring activities that meets the needs and interests of the children, all of whom are of different ages and stages of development. Resources are used innovatively because the childminder carefully plans for use of the extensive range of resources within the setting and those that are loaned from the toy library. For example, when the festival of Chinese New Year was celebrated, the childminder supplemented her own resources with artifacts and resources from the toy library, such as a dragon head, to ensure that the children were able to gain as much learning as possible from the topic. Children's behaviour is good because the childminder provides positive role modeling. As a consequence of this, the children

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents, carers and others are exceedingly strong, and this effectively promotes the sharing of information between the childminder and the parents. The childminder regularly requests and receives feedback from the parents, which she uses to evaluate the provision. She ensures that the parents are well informed about the children's learning and development. However, not all parents receive written daily feedback. The childminder regularly meets with the childminding group and attends sessions at pre-school, toddler groups and the local children's centre to support and enhance children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are eager to enter the setting and settle easily into the routines in this relaxed and comfortable environment. The children are extremely confident and self-assured. The childminder builds learning on children's initial starting points. She regularly observes the children and supports her observations with photographic evidence. This is then tracked against the early learning goals and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 next steps put into place. It is because of this very robust assessment tracking that a continuous cycle of planning and assessment for individual learning needs has been implemented. The highly innovative activities, events and further experiences are based upon the next steps in the children's learning and development. There are a wealth of resources and activities for the children to choose from, with the children initiating some of their own play and the childminder leading the activities

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and outcomes for children

at other times. The children have strong relationships with their peers and the childminder and they are supportive and caring towards each other. She is constantly asking the children questions and quickly responds when children begin to lose interest in their activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children's language and communication skills are becoming increasingly well developed. She constantly reinforces pronunciation of words, particularly with the younger children to support their language development. The children use books to look at pictures and retell stories and they actively contribute in the sharing of the books. They enjoy action songs and rhymes and actively engage with music and movement activities. They are learning to take turns in playing with the resources and willingly share with each other. They are also developing their social skills as they attend various pre-school and toddler groups. At the time of the last inspection, the conditions of registration meant that the children could not access the outdoor facilities. However, children take walks to the park and make use of the outdoor facilities at the various groups they attend. It is through these outings in the local environment to places, such as the park, that the children develop their

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and outcomes for children

knowledge and understanding of the world through exploring the local community and develop their physical skills on the large equipment, such as swings and slides.

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and outcomes for children

Health and hygiene are given high priority. The children are beginning to be independent in using toilet facilities and wash their hands without prompting, using their own towels to reduce the risk of cross-infection. The childminder observes hygiene procedures with those children who are not yet toilet trained by using protective clothing, with each child having their own changing mat and disposing of soiled nappies appropriately. Children wipe their hands with antibacterial wipes before snack and meal times and enjoy healthy, home-cooked foods. The children's placemats are copies of the Food Standards Agency 'eatwell plate', and children are able to identify the content of their lunch on these. 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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