Childminder in Bexley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY252524 Inspection date 05/10/2011 Inspector Sandra Jeffrey

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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 March 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged six and 13 years, in a house in Welling in the borough of Bexley. The whole of downstairs is used for childminding. Children play and sleep in the large through-lounge and dining room and have access to the downstairs toilet. There is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family have a small pet dog and two tortoises. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years of age, three of whom may be in the early years age group. There is currently one child in the early years age range on roll, who was present during the inspection visit. The childminder also cares for older children. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 provides a relaxed and welcome environment and meets children's welfare and learning needs well. Children enjoy their time with the childminder and engage in a good variety of stimulating play opportunities. As a result, they are making good progress in their learning and development overall. The childminder recognises each child's individuality and promotes inclusive practice successfully. The childminder has established good working partnerships with children's parents and has good links with providers at other settings the children attend. The childminder organises the setting effectively in the main, reflects on her practice and demonstrates good commitment to developing the service she provides.

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further?

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

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further?

 request written parental permission, at the time of the child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 19/10/2011

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further?

 carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing. This assessment must take account of the nature of the outing and be reviewed before embarking on each specific outing. (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 19/10/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 extend systems for making assessments of children's progress, so that observations are used more effectively to plan future learning experiences.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities with regard to safeguarding issues and the steps to take if she has concerns about a child in her care. A written safeguarding policy is in place and the childminder has the required guidance to hand; which means she would be able to deal with any concerns without delay. Consequently, children's well-being is effectively promoted.

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the early years provision

The childminder minimises potential hazards in the home and when on trips and outings, by conducting regular risk assessments. However, reviews of risk assessments are not always conducted before embarking on each specific outing, which inhibits the childminder's ability to effectively evaluate these assessments.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is clean and well organised, enabling the children to independently access the range of good quality toys and resources. The childminder regularly checks toys and equipment to make sure that they are safe and suitable for use, thereby promoting the children's well-being. Fire safety precautions are comprehensive and include regular emergency evacuation drills, ensuring that children are familiar with the procedure. The childminder has an up to date first aid certificate and most of the required medical information and consents in place to promote the safety of the children. She does not, however, have parent's written consent to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. This does not fully support the children's well-being.

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the early years provision

The childminder establishes good relationships with parents. They have access to relevant information about the setting, including written policies and procedures. They are kept fully up to date with their child's progress through effective daily communication. The childminder also gathers information from other providers who have contact with the children, in order to enable her to fully support the children's development and progress. The childminder meets children's individual needs well, making sure that each child is treated with equal concern. Children have access to a meaningful range of activities and resources, including a range of books and puzzles that promote a positive view of the wider world and increase children's understanding of diversity and differences.

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the early years provision

The childminder evaluates her service and reflects on areas for improvement. She is committed to continual development of her knowledge and skills within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and as such has recently successfully achieved a level 3 qualification in Child Care, Learning and Development. This enables her to increasingly meet the needs of the children in her care with greater confidence and skill. 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. They play in a safe and secure environment, because the childminder is vigilant about supervising them closely at all times. Older children also learn to keep themselves safe with excellent support from the childminder. She teaches them road safety and the importance of not running off if they see their friends, and of the need to stop at the kerbside during the daily half mile walk to school. Effective precautions are also in place to keep younger children safe; including safety gates and harnesses.

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and outcomes for children

Good hygiene practices are in place, promoting the children's health and welfare. These include good hand washing practice; with the use of liquid soap and paper towels, to help prevent the spread of infection. Children are supported in their development of a healthy lifestyle, in close partnership with parents to ensure the food meets their health and religious requirements. They are active and benefit from daily exercise, when, for example, playing on the trampoline in the well maintained garden, in addition to the daily school run.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers a variety of age-appropriate resources and activities, which ensure children's developmental needs are met to a good standard. Children are able to independently select the toys and resources which are organised at low level and are interesting to the children. For example, they enjoy playing with the cars and garage and respond positively when the childminder plays ball with them. Young children's exploration and problem solving skills are very well supported with a good selection of toys and activities that encourage them to practise their skills, such as posting different shapes into shape sorters and completing simple jigsaw puzzles.

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and outcomes for children

Younger children's speech and language is developing well, through the childminder's constant communication and repetition of words, to extend their vocabulary. Children have access to several interactive toys, including ones that aid letter and number recognition, which also helps them become confident users of information and communication technology at a young age. Children have access to various writing implements to practise their mark-making skills, including pencils, pens and paint. They enjoy a good selection of books, which aid their understanding of the written word, as do the labels on the toy baskets in the lounge.

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and outcomes for children

Children have good opportunities to learn about the world around them and extend their social skills, as they take part in daily trips to local facilities, including toddler groups, farms and the woods. Children also enjoy good opportunities to take part in art and craft activities and dressing up, which helps develop their creative skills and confidence. The childminder tracks children's progress and makes regular observations of their achievements. She then uses her assessments to plan experiences for future learning, but has yet to develop this system fully in order to ensure that activities continue to build on children's existing knowledge and skills. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Young children are very settled and show that they feel safe and secure in the childminder's care, when they snuggle up close to the childminder for a bottle before nap time for example. The childminder manages children's behaviour

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and outcomes for children

appropriately. She has a written policy in place which is shared with parents and written house rules that older children are encouraged to respect. This helps children build important personal, social and moral development skills to help them establish and maintain positive relationships in 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 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 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 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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