Easingwold School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 121664 Inspection date 05/10/2011 Inspector Amanda Tyson

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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 1992 and is on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, who is also registered as her assistant, and three adult children, in Hersham, Surrey. They have three cats, a small dog, guinea pigs and keep tropical fish. All areas of the house are used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time; of these, no more than three may be within the early years age range; of these, no more than one may be aged under one year at any one time. She is currently minding seven children under eight, of whom five are in the early years age group. One child aged over eight also attends.

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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's welfare is safeguarded well. They are happy and making very good progress in their learning and development. Although there is no impact on the outcomes for children, one aspect of a legal requirement has not been met. The childminder's strong partnership with parents supports children's learning and development exceptionally well, but this level of effectiveness has yet to be achieved with early years settings that the children attend. Priorities for improvement are consistently identified and targeted to good effect, although the childminder has yet to implement a systematic process of self-evaluation.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide parents with information explaining the procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 21/10/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 develop a system of self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development and how they will improve outcomes for children  work more closely with professionals from other agencies, such as This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 preschools, to support a shared approach to children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

All records and documentation required for the safe and efficient management of the setting are in place. Risk assessment is robust and effective. Hazards are identified, accidents are minimised and there are very good procedures in place to keep children safe on outings. The childminder's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues is secure and there are effective procedures in place for identifying and acting on concerns. Equality and diversity is very well promoted. This is particularly well demonstrated by the childminder's understanding of children's individual personalities and preferred learning styles and by her dedication to supporting bilingualism. Play and learning resources depict positive images of ethnicity, gender and disability. They are in plentiful supply, suitable for the age and stage of all children and accessibly stored to encourage independent play choices. Very good use is made of indoor and outdoor community facilities to

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the early years provision

provide children with varied learning experiences.

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the early years provision

The childminder ensures high levels of engagement with parents on matters relating to children's welfare, learning and development. A daily diary goes back and forth between them and they exchange detailed information at the end of each day. Parents hold the childminder in high regard. They appreciate her wise guidance on childcare and development issues, such as weaning children off dummies. Her home is described as 'lively, homely, caring, and exciting', and the learning journey records as a 'wonderful record of children's development'. Overall, parents are well informed about her policies and procedures, which are clearly explained in writing. However, while the childminder has a clear procedure in place for responding to a lost child situation, this is not, as is legally required, explained to parents. Procedures for working in partnership with other settings that children attend have not yet been fully established for existing children, although this has

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the early years provision

Since the last inspection, the childminder has had a porch built solely for childminding use. Children now have their own coat pegs and baskets to put their belongings in, which they love. She has developed a very good system for carrying out observational assessments and she uses the information well to inform and guide her planning. The childminder is proactive in implementing new ideas, which she gains from training courses, reading childcare publications and networking with other childminders. She is a naturally reflective practitioner, but has yet to formulate a clear process of self-evaluation, for example, to review her practice and to identify training needs. Nonetheless, in the words of parents: ''the childminder is very experienced and dedicated''. Capacity for ongoing improvement is good. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care. She spends a lot of time talking to parents, observing and listening to children. As a result, children's individual needs are very well understood and catered for within planning. Parent- child separation anxiety is minimised by a gradual leaving process. Young children who are learning English as an additional language are comforted by her use of words and phrases, such as "Bonjour tout le monde" (hello everyone), which, when they wake from a sleep and are brought downstairs to join the other children, makes them smile. The childminder encourages all the other children to greet them back in English. Children's social skills are further developed through visits to cafes, mixing with other children in the community and with older children in the home environment.

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and outcomes for children

The foundations for children to adopt healthy and safe lifestyle habits are being firmly laid. Children enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities and experiences. They visit play parks where they learn to recognise their own limitations and so make well-informed and safe decisions, for instance, when climbing. They enjoy nature walks and throwing themselves around in indoor soft play venues. Good use is made of the garden where they have access to all areas of learning, for example, role play and planting seeds and watching them grow. The daily menu of snacks and meals is carefully planned in line with parental wishes and to encourage children to develop a preference for nutritious options. Children are keen to taste parsnips, carrots, runner beans and strawberries which they grow themselves from seedlings. Road safety rules are reinforced when they are out and about, and fire safety through evacuation practice and exciting visits from the fire brigade.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is familiar with various cultural and religious beliefs and involves parents in planning for those which are important to them, for example, Eid and Easter. The childminder recognises that children develop at different rates, for example, that some progress rapidly in speech, while others are quicker in their physical development. Some young toddlers now name both primary and secondary colours, count reliably and use complex vocabulary in context. Younger children benefit from the presence of older children, who introduce them to the names of complex solid shapes, such as a pentangle, prism and cube, as they create buses, trains and dens with giant foam shapes.

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and outcomes for children

Activity planning identifies a monthly theme, such as 'skin types', and provides for children to access and progress in all areas of learning. For example, they observe skin texture differences between an elephant and a snake, pattern differences between a tiger and a zebra, and colour differences between themselves and others. Children experiment and explore, create and design using a wide range of resources which include sand and water, mixtures of various everyday substances, recyclables and creative media. They make marks using a wide range of high quality resources, have excellent access to books and enjoy singing and action rhymes. Learning is brought to life when children walk down life-sized Victorian streets where they observe what shops, cars, and people's dresses looked like. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children have very good access to technology resources and are becoming highly

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and outcomes for children

competent in using them, for instance, toddlers navigate the computer mouse around the screen. 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 3 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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