Childminder in Surrey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY292959 Inspection date 12/10/2011 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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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 registered in 2004. She lives with her husband and three children aged 15, 13 and 10 in Camberley in Surrey. The property is close to local schools, shops, parks and other community amenities. Minded children have access to the whole of the ground floor of the property. Bathroom and sleep facilities are provided in this area. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family has a dog and two cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time, of whom not more than three may in the early years age group. There are currently four children in the early years age group on roll. Days and times of children's attendance vary. The childminder takes children to local childminding and toddler groups, the library, parks and other places of interest. She holds a level 3 childcare qualification.

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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 thrive in a healthy, positive and enabling setting. They receive lots of support and encouragement to help them progress in their learning and development. Overall, they have all aspects of their welfare met well. The childminder fosters successful relationships with parents to ensure she is aware of children's individual needs. The childminder demonstrates a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 carry out regular evacuation drills and record in a fire log book details of any problems encountered and how they were resolved  improve the use of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify priorities for development that will improve outcomes for children. 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 implements effective measures overall to safeguard children. She has a secure understanding of child protection issues and procedures and the action she must take if she has any concerns about a child. Records of risk assessment for the home, garden and outings supports children's safety inside and outside the home. Appropriate fire safety precautions are in place. However, the childminder has not practised her fire evacuation procedure with the children currently in her care. She has not checked that her intended plan works in practice when several young children are present at the same time.

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the early years provision

The childminder offers a warm and welcoming home, with those areas used for childminding planned with the needs of children in mind. They have ample space to move around, and display lots of confidence in their surroundings and in the company of their carer. Children explore a very good range of age-appropriate play materials that reflect all areas of learning. Effective organisation of these resources helps them make independent decisions about what they do. This supports their development as active and independent learners.

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the early years provision

The childminder has many years' experience caring for children and has attended a lot of training in the past. She identifies her aims as 'providing a home-from-home environment where children are loved and can play and learn' and building strong relationships with parents. The childminder regularly meets up with another childminder to share good practice and also seeks the views of parents on an ongoing basis. However, overall, she does not yet systematically evaluate her provision to identify priorities for development in order to improve outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder acknowledges the uniqueness of each child in her care and treats everyone with equal respect. Play materials reflect positive images of different aspects of diversity. This helps children begin to learn about similarities and differences, and they are introduced to a variety of festivals and celebrations throughout the year. There is a display of a world map in the playroom with postcards and mementos of children's trips to different countries. This is a good way of sharing their individual experiences with others and enabling them to learn a little about the wider world.

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the early years provision

Children currently in the childminder's care do not attend other early years' settings. This has occurred in the past though, and the childminder worked closely with other providers to ensure a shared approach to supporting their care and early education. She understands the benefits this brings to children in terms of ensuring the integration of care, education and any extended support. The childminder ensures parents are well informed about her service. They chat daily and are also provided with a well-written diary, which offers a window into their children's day and enables them to feel included. The childminder often sends them photographs of any special moments that occur. This means that parents can share in them almost instantaneously. Parents are very appreciative of the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder and the service she offers. This is clearlyly demonstrated by their

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the early years provision

comments in written testimonials provided for the inspection. Typical comments include, 'I have always been thrilled with the childminder's service; she is flexible and highly competent', 'children are made part of the family' and 'I have nothing negative to comment - the childminder's caring and encouraging personality works for us.'

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy and settled. They enjoy a good relationship with the childminder and look to her for reassurance when they feel wary; for example, in the presence of a visitor whom they do not know. They receive lots of praise, both in word and gesture. As a result, children's self-esteem grows, and they feel good about themselves. They benefit from good opportunities to experience different environments and mix with other people. The childminder makes use of community amenities, such as the library, local parks, sports centre and different childminding and toddler groups.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides children with a wide range of activities and experiences. This helps them make good progress towards the early learning goals and gain skills to support their future learning. Children develop their problem-solving skills as they complete puzzles. The childminder offers puzzles of different levels of difficulty, allowing everyone to join in at their own level. Children's exploration of a box of musical instruments led on to the childminder suggesting that she put on a nursery rhyme DVD. Everyone joined in enthusiastically and had fun. The childminder sang and children investigated the different sounds they could make as they banged and shook their chosen instruments. They rocked from side to side and babies gurgled happily. Children's spoken language skills develop well because the childminder chats to them. She asks questions that encourage them to express themselves and introduces new words to help them build on their vocabulary. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder offers lots of different opportunities for children to take part in different art and craft activities. They enjoy painting and have the freedom to express their own ideas. Babies happily crawl around the kitchen, remaining engrossed as they pull off the chunky magnetic letters that are attached to the fridge. They also investigate the saucepan lid, wooden spoon and whisk that the childminder offers them. The childminder monitors children's achievements and progress, and plans for the next steps in their learning through her use of observational assessment.

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and outcomes for children

Young children are gaining an understanding of good personal hygiene routines. The childminder supports this by teaching them to clean their hands before and after eating. They are able to drink as and when they feel thirsty because their cups remain within easy reach. The childminder has a flexible approach in respect of the provision of food. She stores anything supplied by parents appropriately so it poses no health risk. She makes sure that she provides healthy and balanced This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 meals and snacks herself. Outdoor play in the garden, going for walks and visiting parks are a normal part of the childminding day. The childminder also makes use of local soft play facilities to offer alternative opportunities for children to develop further their physical skills. The childminder makes use of relevant safety features such as safety gates and

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and outcomes for children

fireguards to prevent young children's independent access to the stairs and fireplaces. This means that they play in a safe and secure environment and have freedom to move from room to room at will. Babies especially enjoy the adventure of crawling from the lounge to playroom and back again. Young children are beginning to understand appropriate ways to behave and to understand how their actions can affect others. The childminder gently intervenes to guide them away from potentially unsafe actions such as not throwing toys because they might hurt someone. 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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