Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY285250 Inspection date 29/09/2011 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 was registered in May 2004 to care for five children under eight at any one time, of whom two may be in the early years age range and is currently minding three children under five on a part-time basis. When working with another childminder she may care for eight children under eight, of whom five can be in the early years age range. She lives with her husband, her two adult children and her other two children aged three and 11 years in Accrington, Lancashire.

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Description of the childminding

The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house, with the exception of the bedroom, is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder has two dogs and she takes children to nursery, walks to the local park and community groups.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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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

Children are making good progress in their learning and development and are happy and content in the stimulating and caring environment that the childminder provides. The childminder has a good knowledge of the early learning goals which enables her to plan a range of activities to support the individual needs of the children in her care. Written policies and procedures are comprehensive and well maintained and the welfare and well-being of the children is of high priority. Partnerships with parents and carers are good and they are encouraged to exchange information with the childminder through daily diaries and discussion. The childminder effectively identifies her strengths and areas for development through self-reflection, feedback from parents and carers and the detailed self- assessment that has been undertaken.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the effective observation and assessment of the children to provide a comprehensive overview of progress through the early learning goals  include pictorial labels on resources in addition to written labels to support the children in the self-selection of resources. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are well protected and their safeguarding assured in the setting because the childminder has a Level 2 qualification in safeguarding and has a good understanding of safeguarding requirements. All adults in the household have undertaken vetting checks and visitors are never left unsupervised with the children. The childminder has a thorough understanding of the protocols that she should follow if she has any concerns regarding the children in her care. Risk assessments are comprehensive and are completed daily for the outdoor area and the rooms that the children use. A yearly risk assessment, that is thorough and identifies hazards and actions that need to be taken to ensure that the children remain safe whilst on and off the premises, is also completed. Detailed policies and procedures are shared with parents, who sign and date them to indicate that they understand and will comply with them, are in place. These are regularly updated

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the early years provision

The childminder has a rigorous self-assessment in place. She asks for and receives feedback from parents and carers either verbally or in the form of questionnaires and uses this when evaluating her provision. She has set herself a number of appropriate and achievable targets that when completed will have a positive impact. She has addressed recommendations from the previous inspection promptly, for example, risk assessments now include all aspects of the home and trips and visits outside of the home, providing the children with a safe and secure environment in which they can move around freely.

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the early years provision

Children are happy and content in the stimulating and caring environment that the childminder provides, this is because she has a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is able to plan to meet the individual needs of the children in her care. Children have high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem because the childminder values each child and has built strong relationships with them. She is strongly committed to continuing professional development and has a Level 3 Early Years qualification which she has gained since the last inspection. She also works closely with her informal childminder network to develop her knowledge and skills. Resources are accessible and readily available to the children. An awareness of diversity is developed through the exploration of extensive resources to promote and celebrate diversity.

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the early years provision

Parents are very complimentary about the strong relationships that they have with the childminder and the high levels of care and support that she provides for their children. Effective two-way communication has been established and daily feedback to parents includes a daily diary sheet plus verbal feedback. She also receives regular feedback from parents to support her in developing her provision. Parents are able to review their child's learning journal at any time and they provide information about their child's needs and preferences through the completion of an 'All About Me' booklet. The childminder has strong links to the local primary school and playgroups and is also part of an informal childminder network. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe and secure within the stimulating and welcoming environment that the childminder provides; consequently they are making good progress in their learning and development through the early learning goals. Effective policies and procedures ensure that the children feel and are kept safe. For example, they know which areas of the house they are able to access and which ones are out of bounds. They follow hygiene routines after visits to the bathroom and before and after snack-times. The childminder uses appropriate procedures when she is involved in nappy changing routines. Risk assessments ensure that areas are hazard free and children are able to move around freely between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Outdoors, the children have access to a range of resources including a large playhouse, a small climbing frame, ride-on toys, tricycles, sand, water and the dried bean and pea tray. They develop their physical skills well and

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and outcomes for children

supplement this with regular visits to playgroups and to the local park.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage which enables her to effectively plan a range of activities to support the individual needs of the children in her care. She finds out about the children's starting points as they join the setting and incorporates this into her planning. When developing activities, themes and projects, the childminder always takes into account the children's needs and preferences. She also uses information that she has gathered from the observation and assessments of children to further inform her planning. She regularly observes the children at play and includes photographs and next steps for learning in the observations. The children's learning journals also include examples of their work and development trackers to highlight their progress. However, the development trackers are not consistently dated to provide a sequenced timeline and overview of progress through the early

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and outcomes for children

learning goals. Planning for learning includes self-selection of resources by the children and some activities that are led by the childminder.

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and outcomes for children

Resources are plentiful, regularly checked for suitability and rotated due to the sheer volume available. They are stored at a height that is accessible to all children, however all of the boxes have written labels which the children cannot read. Children's language skills are developed through the sharing of books which they become very enthusiastic about, particularly the 'singing book' which makes noises when buttons on it are pressed. The childminder also skillfully develop language skills through the constant discussion that she has with the children. Activities, such as modeling clay with tools, promote concentration skills, fine motor skills and creativity. Children work with the modeling materials for long periods of time, making and counting balls on to a plate and discussing the process with each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well in the setting because the childminder sets clear boundaries and expectations. The children are sensitive to the needs of each other, they say sorry and hug each other when they have acted inappropriately. They treat the childminder's pet dog with care and respect. Consequently, their behaviour is good and they are learning good manners. The children play with African drums, make This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and eat oriental noodles, dress up in clothes from around the world and participate in celebrations and events such as birthdays, Eid, Chinese New Year and Easter. Small world resources and books further promote this and supports children in developing respect for themselves and others. The childminder prepares nutritious snacks and meals each day. Drinks are freely accessible to the children to ensure they remain hydrated. She knows the needs, preferences and food allergies of the

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and outcomes for children

children and ensures that their dietary needs are catered for. Children benefit from the free access to fresh air and exercise in the garden and they have quiet times and sleep times to help refresh them during the day. 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 2 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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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