Richardson, Karen Louise

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY364583 Inspection date 11/10/2011 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 2007. She lives with her husband and two children in Crawley in West Sussex. Childminding mostly takes place on the ground floor of the home. Bathroom facilities are provided upstairs and children sleep upstairs if necessary. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The home is close to schools, shops, parks and other community amenities. The family has two cats, two dogs and a rabbit.

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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. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight at any one time, of which not more than three may in the early years age group. There are currently four children in the early years age group and two older children on roll. Days and times of children's attendance vary. The childminder drives to local schools to take and collect children and she takes children to local toddler and childminding groups, the library, different parks and other places of interest

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Description of the childminding

. The childminder is an accredited network minder and is part of the National Childminding Association's endorsed quality assurance scheme Children Come First.

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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's priority is that children are happy in her care and she is successful in achieving this. Children have their individual needs met in a homely environment and they receive mostly consistent support to help them make good progress in their learning. However, the childminder is not currently meeting one specific welfare requirement. Arrangements for working in partnership with parents are mostly very effective. Overall, the childminder's capacity for maintaining ongoing improvement and promoting effective outcomes for children is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 request 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) 31/10/2011 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?

 maximise learning opportunities by consistently modelling and encouraging use of mathematical language for shape and by asking questions and giving daily opportunities to share and enjoy songs  investigate ways of encouraging parents to contribute to their child's learning and development record on a regular basis to promote a more cohesive approach to supporting children''s learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder implements many positive measures to safeguard children. She has recently attended safeguarding training and has a very secure understanding of her responsibility and the procedure to follow if she has any concerns about a child. Her use of ongoing risk assessment, appropriate safety features and careful supervision means that children play in a safe and secure environment. Most required documentation is in place. However, the childminder does not have written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment for every child in the early years age group. This is a specific legal requirement; the omission of which undermines the other positive measures the childminder takes to ensure children''s health and safety.

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the early years provision

Children display a strong sense of confidence and belonging as they move freely around those areas of the childminder''s home used for minding. The patio door remains open, enabling children to choose to play indoors or outside. They can independently help themselves to a variety of play materials and thus make their own decisions about what they do. The childminder is in the process of putting together a catalogue of all the toys she has so that children can look through this and ask for additional items if these are not out. She also regularly makes use of local toy libraries to provide children with many other resources. This ensures that the play provision constantly remains fresh and interesting.

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the early years provision

All children are valued as individuals and everyone is treated with equal concern. Children play with resources that reflect different aspects of diversity and they are presented with many opportunities to participate in activities that relate to both their own and other traditions and celebrations. They gain awareness of the needs of others because they participate in different fundraising events for national and local charities. The childminder has previous experience of caring for children with additional needs and displays a positive attitude towards this.

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the early years provision

Parents provide detailed information about their children at the start of their placement, which means the childminder is fully aware of their child''s interests and what they know and can do. This acts as a useful starting point for their future learning. Ongoing daily discussions, which are supplemented by a written diary, ensure parents are included in their child''s day. Parents are invited to view their child''s learning record whenever they wish. However, they do not contribute to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 this process on an ongoing basis to help the childminder fully consolidate the information she gathers and ensure a shared approach to supporting and extending children's learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder is fully aware of the importance of working in partnership with other settings that children attend or any agencies that may be involved with them, to ensure the integration of care, education and any extended support. She has experience of doing this in the past and has begun to establish these links in respect of school children who have recently joined her setting.

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the early years provision

The childminder is fully committed to the continued improvement of outcomes for children and families and her own professional development. This is ably demonstrated by her attendance of several different training courses and her achievement in becoming an accredited network minder. She is very reflective and uses self-evaluation to identify the strengths of her provision and areas for development. For instance, she is keen to develop her garden to extend opportunities for children's learning and has been successful in obtaining a grant to help bring this about. The childminder actively seeks the views of parents and children about her service through discussion and questionnaires. Information available for viewing at the inspection indicates that parents are very happy. They comment that ''the childminder is so good with children'' and that ''she always works really hard to make their child''s time interesting and exciting.''

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and outcomes for children

Children are provided with many different experiences that support their learning and enable them to gain valuable skills for the future. Activities take place inside and outside the home and are both child-initiated and adult-planned. For instance, children benefit from many good opportunities to learn about nature and explore the living world. They frequently go for walks in the nearby woods where they make dens and collect leaves. They grow vegetables which they harvest and eat and hunt for insects in the mini-beast area of the garden. Another part of the garden has been planted with herbs to create a sensory area where children can explore using their senses. Regular visits to different childminding and toddler groups, outings to the library, parks and soft play centres and interesting excursions to other places of interest such as farms enable children to socialise with others and learn about their community.

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and outcomes for children

Children have the confidence to initiate their play and follow their interests. The childminder takes her lead from the children and, for the most part, provides sensitive support which builds further on their learning. For instance, when children pretend to wash their hands and faces using the play soap, the childminder joins in too, demonstrating how to rub their hands together and explaining that washing and the use of soap makes us clean. Children learn about balance and refine their fine motor skills as they persevere to build towers of blocks. Some of these are of differing shapes and sizes and thus necessitate a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 gentle touch and steady hand. The childminder encourages them to name the different colours of the blocks but misses opportunities to introduce the names of shapes and encourage them to count and think about quantity. Children enjoy

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and outcomes for children

playing with animal puppets that make noises. The childminder talks about different animal songs such as ''Old Macdonald had a farm'' but does not extend this further, for example by leading an impromptu singing session. The childminder monitors children''s progress through her use of observational assessment and planning for the next steps in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a good understanding of safety issues and acceptable ways to behave because the childminder acts as a positive role-model. She is very patient, calm and consistent in her interactions with children, gently intervening as necessary. For example, she encourages sharing, the careful handling of toys so they do not accidentally hit anyone and helps children understand the need to include everyone. The childminder has thought about the type of positive behaviour she wishes to promote and shares this with children and parents in the form of house rules. Children''s self-esteem is well fostered because the childminder praises them constantly. They regularly take part in practice fire drills and they learn about road safety as part of their normal everyday routine. Both children and childminder wear fluorescent jackets when they go on outings. This means that they can all be easily seen, especially if they are in places where there

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and outcomes for children

Hygiene in the home is good. Children are supported in learning about simple personal hygiene as a way of promoting their own good health, such as washing their hands before eating and why this is important. The childminder implements a healthy eating policy and encourages parents to follow this. She provides healthy snacks of fruit and makes sure that food provided by parents is stored appropriately. Outdoor play forms an integral part of the children''s day, whether playing in the garden, visiting parks or going for walks. They enjoy playing on sit- and-ride toys and skilfully manoeuvre these around the different areas of the garden with control and coordination. 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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