Childminder in Kent

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY418955 Inspection date 22/09/2011 Inspector Marcia Robinson

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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 2010. She lives with her husband and three adult children in the Shooters Hill area of the London Borough of Greenwich. Local amenities and public transport systems are within walking distance. The whole of the ground floor areas, except the garden is used for childminding purposes. There is also access to a bedroom and bathroom facilities on the first floor. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for six children under eight years old; three of whom may be in the early years age group. When working with her husband as her assistant, they may care for a maximum of six children in the early years age group, of these, no more than two may be under one year at any one time. The childminder currently has three children on roll; two of who are in the early years age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to under eight

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Description of the childminding

years. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. She receives support and training from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder offers a friendly welcome to all children and their parents. The suitable range of activities provided, including visits to places of interest, ensures there are sufficient opportunities for children to make steady progress. Most of the required documentation is in place and kept to a good standard, but not all requirements relating to risk assessments are met. Inclusive practice is satisfactory, as the childminder has a suitable range of play materials which support diversity, although the systems in place to promote all areas of this are less well developed. Systems for planning activities and observing and assessing children's achievements are being developed. Partnerships with parents and others are positive in most aspects, although not fully developed with regard to involving parents in children's ongoing learning and development. Systems to monitor and evaluate practice are in their infancy, therefore the capacity to improve is

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 carry out a risk assessment for each type of outing and review it before embarking on each specific outing or trip (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 12/10/2011

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessment so that it 12/10/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 includes information on who conducted it, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation)

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further opportunities for children to learn about diversity and inclusion through the range of planned activities and the resources that reflect positive images of disability  strengthen observation and assessment to consider recording information from parents about children's developmental starting points, making sure next steps are being clearly identified and used in leading future planning. Also, develop further opportunities for parents to be involved in children's learning and development.  develop the use of self-evaluation to help identify areas for improvement to support the continuous development of the service provided.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is appropriately safeguarded overall. Adults living and working on the premises have undergone suitability checks and a record of visitors to the premises is kept. The childminder has recently completed a child protection course so she knows what to do if she is worried about a child. This is supported by a clear written safeguarding children policy. The childminder supervises children well 0children. Most of the documentation that promotes children's health, safety and well-being is in place. However, the record of risk assessment does not include all the required details, and not all types of outings have been risk assessed. These are breaches of requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises her home so that there is plenty of space for children to play and they can easily access a sufficient range of resources that support their play and learning. The environment is welcoming and resources are suitable and age appropriate to the children attending. Most resources available reflect positive images of society and there are opportunities for children to learn about their own cultures and religions through some activities and books. However, children have fewer opportunities to widen their knowledge and participate in activities where they learn more about their own and other people's religions, cultures, backgrounds or disability in order to further promote their understanding of diversity and inclusion. The childminder has made some attempts to evaluate her childminding service; however this is still in its very early stages. As a result, not all weaknesses have been identified. The childminder shows some commitment to her

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the early years provision

personal and professional development. For example, she has completed all required training at registration and is interested in accessing further training in order to further develop the outcomes for children. She is striving towards improvement and has already formed links with her childminding development worker and other childminders to keep up to date and share ideas. However, she does not yet have clear systems for monitoring and evaluating the provision to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ensure that all areas for improvement are identified and addressed at an early stage.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely with parents to meet each child's individual needs and to respect their home backgrounds. She works with parents to complete a child record form on all of the children in her care. There are missed opportunities to further enhance the children's development when they first start, as their developmental starting points are not fully recorded. There is a regular exchange of information between the childminder and parents, providing them with satisfactory information about the child's welfare and the activities enjoyed. New parents receive a helpful handbook that gives them details of the childcare provision and a useful outline of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All parents have regular access to their child's learning records, although the childminder has not fully developed the opportunities for parents to be involved in their child's learning and development. The childminder is, however, aware of the requirement

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the early years provision

to work in partnership with others in order to ensure continuity and coherence in relation to both care and education. Currently, there are children that attend another setting, including a child in the early years age group and partnerships have been firmly established.

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and outcomes for children

The welfare needs of children are supported well by this warm and caring childminder; who has only recently begun caring for minded children. She is using observations to get to know the needs and interests of the children and is considering ways to use these observations in her planning and assessments. The children demonstrate that they are settled and enjoy their time in the childminding home. They laugh and smile with enjoyment as they move freely around the learning environment that captures their individual interests. Children show the childminder affection and often ask her to join in with their games and activities. Their independence is increasing steadily. Most of them pour their own drinks and they all scrape food waste into the bin as part of their daily routine. Children are developing an awareness of how to keep themselves safe because of the road and fire safety discussions that take place with the childminder, as well as regular fire

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and outcomes for children

drill practices. Some children use their initiative and take responsibility for keeping the environment safe. For example, helping to keep the floor clear by tidying away the toys. The home is clean and good hygiene routines are in place to minimise the spread of infection. For example, children do not attend if they are suffering from an infectious illness and they are actively encouraged to cover their mouth with their hand when they cough. Children's well-being is further promoted, as they are making positive choices from the wide range of foods offered that encourages them to try new tastes. They are actively encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles, learning about the importance of healthy eating and exercise through visual aids, discussion and positive re-enforcement. Children engage in a wide range of physical activities, both indoors and out. They are developing their physical skills, having fun using bean bags to throw and catch indoors as well as

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and outcomes for children

planned regular visits to local parks, where they use a range of climbing apparatus This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 as part of a healthy lifestyle.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in a satisfactory variety of activities and experiences that support them in making steady progress in all six areas of learning. They are provided with a suitable range of adult and child-led activities. The childminder is competent at supporting children's learning. She spends time listening, playing and talking to children as part of their play and everyday routines. Children demonstrate that they feel secure. They approach the childminder without hesitation and help themselves to toys and resources. They demonstrate increasing levels of confidence and self-esteem. They show pride in their achievements and this is supported by the childminder who displays photographs of them engaged in activities. Children's behaviour is good; they play cooperatively together and listen and interact well with each other and the childminder. They count and solve simple problems during everyday routines, and persevere until

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and outcomes for children

they find the correct tools when playing imaginative games. Children enjoy learning about similarities and differences as they use their creativity to design their own flags that relate to their countries of origin. Children show an interest in learning as they ask the childminder questions about how things work. They are becoming increasingly confident at using the computer during regular visits to the local library. Children have access to a basic range of information and communication technology (ICT) resources in the home, although there are plans to improve this to further enhance children's 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 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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 3

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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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