Childminder in Southwark

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY246416 Inspection date 11/10/2011 Inspector Christine Hodge

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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 September 2003. She lives in the Walworth area of Southwark with her mother, daughter and two school-age grandchildren, one who is under eight years. Children have access to the lounge, kitchen diner and toilet on the first floor. Children are taken on outings to local parks for outside play. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of two children under eight years at any one time. She is presently caring for one child in the early years age range who attends on a full-time basis.

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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 has generally sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which leads to children making satisfactory progress in their learning and development. However, her use of observations to plan activities and range of play resources are currently rather limited. She supports children's health and safety appropriately, but not all hygiene procedures are effective. Partnerships with parents are well established to ensure children's individual needs are fully met, and the childminder is ready to liaise with others supporting the children when the need arises. The childminder shows sufficient capacity to maintain the development of her provision as she introduces changes and identifies some areas for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase the range of play resources to further extend children's learning and include more opportunities for messy and creative play  update knowledge and understanding of current child protection and safeguarding issues  use the information gained from observations to inform future planning  encourage younger children to further develop their independent skills by providing opportunities to feed themselves  support food hygiene further by clearing work surfaces used for food preparation and eating so they can be easily cleaned. 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 the necessary procedures in place to keep children safe. These include risk assessments for her home and for outings, emergency evacuation procedures and appropriate checks on all family members. She is aware of her role and responsibility for recording existing injuries and reporting any concerns, and has a suitable safeguarding policy to refer to. She holds a valid first aid certificate and has all required records and documentation in place.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes inclusion and welcomes all children and families into her home. She provides children with a limited range of play sources, which include positive image toys and books to help them value difference and diversity. Toys are generally well organised, although play space in the lounge is restricted, due to the large amount of furniture and personal belongings in the room. The childminder works in partnership with parents to ensure children's individual needs are consistently met. Verbal information about children is shared daily with parents at drop off and collection time. Children do not currently attend other early years settings, but the childminder is positive about developing links and sharing information in the future, to ensure continuity in children's learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder has successfully implemented the recommendations set at her previous inspection. Following her inspection, she attended training courses on the Early Years Foundation Stage and safeguarding and, more recently, she has updated her first aid training. Although the childminder does not systematically evaluate her practice, through discussion she identifies that she would benefit from attending up to date safeguarding training and that she needs to increase her play resources.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, settled and feel safe, because they develop close relationships with the childminder and her family. The childminder knows the children well and supports them to make satisfactory progress in their learning and development through a varied range of indoor and outdoor activities and experiences. She completes simple observations on children as they play which are linked to the learning intentions. Although some next steps in children's learning are identified, the information is not clearly used to inform her planning. Photographs of activities allow parents to see visual examples of their children's play and progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children play confidently on their own, secure in the knowledge that the childminder is constantly on hand to join in their play and support them. Younger children are developing early language and listening skills, because the childminder spends a lot of time talking to them and encouraging their response. They are beginning to imitate lots of words as they sit and look at books and sing familiar songs with the childminder. Children have some opportunities to be creative and to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 use their imaginations, although messy activities, such as painting and playing with shaving foam and play-dough are limited. They have fun pretending to feed the dolls and making cups of tea for the childminder and drawing with water pens. Children enjoy using puzzles for problem solving and exploring with a fun toy that has buttons to press. For example, they laugh and clap their hands with delight as

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and outcomes for children

they place a number of balls into the top of a toy and then press the button to release them. The childminder uses the activity to encourage children to count, as they repeat the process for several minutes, helping to develop their concentration skills. They learn about the wider world on outings to parks, farms and groups where they learn to socialise with other children.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and welfare is underpinned by a number of written policies and procedures. Although the childminder's home is generally clean, the cluttered work surfaces in the kitchen and dining area attract dust and are therefore a potential health hazard. Children follow appropriate personal hygiene routines as they are encouraged to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating. Wet wipes are used for wiping the hands and faces of babies and younger children. Parents supply children's drinks and meals, which are appropriately stored and reheated by the childminder. Provision is made for children to sleep during the day, when required. As the childminder does not have a garden, she takes children out daily to the local park and playground for physical play so they benefit from exercise and fresh air. She uses this time to teach older children about road safety and stranger danger. Indoors, children learn to play safely as she reminds them

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and outcomes for children

that they will hurt their fingers if they play with the folding chair or put their hands in the top of the gumball machine.

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and outcomes for children

Children relate well to the childminder and enjoy lots of praise and encouragement, as they learn consistent boundaries and appropriate social and independence skills. However, at mealtimes, opportunities are missed to extend this further, as younger children are not encouraged to feed themselves. 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 3 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 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 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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