University of Worcester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133911 Inspection date 20/09/2011 Inspector Jan Leo

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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 registered in 1992. She lives with her husband and two of her three grown up children, in a residential area of Bicester. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder walks to a local school to take and collect children and she attends children's groups, parks and a swimming pool to vary the day.

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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. She may accept up to six children under the age of eight years at any one time, of who, three may be in the early years age group. The childminder currently cares for eight children in total, including three in the early years age group and four who are eight years of age or over. All attend on a part time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the TRIO Oxford Quality Childminding Network and she holds a level 3 childcare qualification.

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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 childminder's use of resources is inspired and extremely successful in promoting equality and diversity. All children receive a high level of support to help them make good progress and develop the skills they need for the future. They know what to expect and behave very well, benefitting from strong links between all of their carers to consolidate their development. All aspects of health and safety are strong, with safe practice being firmly embedded in everyday activities. The childminder works hard to stay up to date and welcomes input from parents, children and other childcare professionals to help maintain continuous development. She has a very secure understanding of how children learn and provides a successful and very effective programme for the majority of the time.

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further?

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

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further?

 consistently give a reason for doing things to help reinforce understanding of consequences and make learning aims clear. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has an extremely clear understanding of safeguarding issues and her responsibility to protect children from harm. Her risk assessments are robust to help create a child friendly environment and the level of supervision is consistently high. The childminder introduces specific safety themes to help children's understand danger both on and off site and she reinforces safe practice diligently to instil good habits from an early age.

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the early years provision

The childminder treats children as part of the family, celebrating their individuality and building close bonds to help them feel very welcome and safe in her care. She seizes opportunities to develop understanding of diversity by, for example organising a trip to the mobility aid shop to answer children's questions and feed their curiosity following a relative's accident. She sources resources that meet children's specific needs, for example, buying a doll with spectacles, when a child was required to wear them. As a result, the children feel very welcome and have high self-esteem.

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the early years provision

The childminder is dedicated to providing a reliably strong service and continues to attend relevant training to develop her own skills further. She takes a self reflective approach to development and welcomes ideas from both the children and their parents to help lead improvements. Parents value the service highly, benefitting from regular verbal feedback about the day, opportunities to develop more formal two-way dialogue using communication books, and routinely receiving policy updates to keep them informed about current practice. Most of the information is clear and detailed, but the learning and development records are not used to full advantage. The childminder is pro-active in developing links with children's other carers to develop a consistent approach to children's care and learning needs. She passes information on to keep all parties up to date, texting parents, for example, about the morning at pre-school to ease their anxiety over the transition. All

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the early years provision

policies and practices are well thought through to support this professional and effective service and consequently, the children are well served by the provision.

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and outcomes for children

The children arrive happily and are very relaxed in the childminder's care. They choose what to do and confidently express their opinions, interacting clearly from an early age. The childminder also talks fluently throughout the day, questioning children about what they do to test their thinking and reasoning, reminding them of good practice to reinforce health and safety, and explaining what they don't understand to help them learn. Most explanations are clear and appropriate for the age of the children attending but sometimes the childminder omits a reason for doing things, to develop children's understanding of consequences. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The children choose what to do from a selection of toys at low level, that challenge and inspire play. They lead the day but the childminder is skilled in extending ideas to link learning and developing understanding in a relevant context. For example,

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and outcomes for children

the children make warning signs to place around the house, learning that red is for danger and beginning to recognise warning signs from their local area. Some play at tea parties and carefully place brightly coloured imitation cakes on a two tier cake stand, finding the correct shape for them to fit into and counting how many more cakes they needed to fill the plate. The childminder includes colour and number work, as they play, to help develop the skills, children need for the future. The children extend their safety theme to include road safety, outings and good practice around the house, developing their understanding of the world and how things link in modern life. For example, they understand that hands get sore if not dried thoroughly after washing and they know to hold onto the pushchair strap, when out walking to stay close without getting their feet under the wheels. The children learn to recognise their own needs and are encouraged to take some

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and outcomes for children

responsibility for their personal care from an early age. They benefit from outings to children's groups to extend their social circle and learning opportunities and they have fresh air and exercise each day to help promote a healthy lifestyle. Some use puzzles and fishing games to practice their physical skills and gain control over their movements, carefully using the magnetic rod to move the pieces back into their correct place after having ''fished'' them all out. The children know how to rotate pieces to get them to fit; they talk about shapes and colours, comment on their favourite creatures and remain engrossed for lengthy periods.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder prepares, long, medium and short term plans to help cover all areas of learning and make sure she is well prepared before the children arrive. She records children's progress and informs parents of children's participation but the learning aims are not always clear to help parents continue learning at home. All children work at their own pace and receive the level of support they need to join in and succeed. As a result, they are confident, well occupied and happy in the childminder's care. They get on well together, know what is expected of them and their behaviour is very good. 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 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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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