Barnetson Kimberley-Joy

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 590080 Inspection date 18/10/2011 Inspector Lynn Hughes

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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 2001. She lives with her husband and three children aged 19, 17 and 10 years in Colchester, Essex. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools. The family have two pet cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently five children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She is a member of the National Childminding Association. The childminder provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children's learning, development and welfare needs are met to an exceptionally high standard. The childminder has extremely effective systems in place to enable her to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage proficiently. She demonstrates extensive knowledge of the children in her care and adapts her provision to differentiate for their individual learning styles and personalities. The childminder has excellent links with other early years agencies and professionals. Extremely rigorous procedures enable the childminder to efficiently self-evaluate her setting in order to strive for improvement. Provision for children to play outdoors is superb, however, the childminder has clear plans to further develop this by introducing children to more natural materials and experiences.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 continuing to develop activities which enable children to explore and find out about the natural environment.

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the early years provision

Children are extremely well protected and safeguarded as the childminder demonstrates superb knowledge of her responsibilities with regard to safeguarding procedures. She rigorously reviews and updates her safeguarding knowledge through appropriate training. All adults living on the premises are vetted and proof This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of their clearance is held on file for inspection. The childminder has robust systems in place for monitoring the visitors to her home and always ensures that children are supervised by herself or her back-up childminders in cases of emergencies. Children play and learn in an extremely safe environment as the childminder conducts thorough and comprehensive risk assessments of her home, garden and all outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder uses her well-considered reflective practice systems to review and evaluate her setting. She uses clear self-evaluation to identify any areas for improvement within her provision and actively includes parents and children in this process. Any aspects of her setting identified are quickly reviewed and changed in order to maintain her exceptionally high standards of care and education. The childminder is firmly committed to updating her childcare knowledge through appropriate training and workshops. She works very closely with the specialist teachers at the local children's centre and is an accredited childminder. The accreditation process also provides her with excellent opportunities to review and reflect on her provision for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is extremely child-centred, bright and very welcoming. A dedicated playroom provides excellent opportunities for the childminder to present toys and play materials at the children's height for easy self-selection. All resources are well labelled and attractively presented. The playroom leads directly to the childminder's garden, providing excellent opportunities for children to make free choices about whether they play indoors or outdoors. The childminder supports children superbly by being on hand at all times to facilitate their play and learning. The childminder effectively uses her childcare knowledge and expertise to meet all children's individual needs and to extend their learning opportunities. An exciting selection of toys, books and resources are provided to enhance children's knowledge of other people's differing needs, cultures and religions. Superb posters encourage children to talk about the people being portrayed and to discuss their

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the early years provision

similarities and differences. Resources which promote positive images of people with disabilities are presented around the childminder's home, which also prompt lively discussions, enhancing the children's understanding of equality and diversity.

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the early years provision

Parental feedback obtained through regular questionnaires enthusiastically compliments the childminder on her well-organised, professional and welcoming provision. Information from the questionnaires is used to inform the childminder's practices and to enable her to tailor her service to meet the needs of all the families. Extensive written information is provided for parents to ensure that they remain fully updated about the setting and any changes. Superbly presented newsletters inform them of coming events and introduce new faces to the group. These are expertly supported with photographs, which provide parents with excellent examples of activities their children have participated in. The childminder works extremely well with other early years provisions in the local area and effectively promotes partnership working. She has excellent systems in place to assist transition between settings and superbly supports children moving into

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the early years provision

school. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have enormous fun at this childminder's home. They excitedly move between the dining room, playroom and garden, freely accessing the extensive selection of toys and activities on offer to them. They enthusiastically participate in an extensive range of planned and freely chosen play, which helps them to develop knowledge across a wide range of subjects. For example, they count tea light candles and place them in and out of their container while preparing to participate in a Diwali lamp making activity. They sit with the childminder and enjoy stories, chatting confidently to her about the pictures and story. Their interest then takes them out into the garden, where they make excellent use of the push-along and ride-on toys on offer. Children are provided with exciting outdoor activities, and the childminder has plans to further develop their experiences to enable them to explore more about nature, for example, through

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and outcomes for children

the 'Forest School' ethos. The childminder has an extremely well-organised and effective system in place for observing and recording children's learning and development. She proficiently uses the system to link her observations to aspects of learning and identify children's next steps. Extremely well-presented learning journeys plot their progress across all six areas of learning. These are effectively shared with their parents to enable them to play an active role in their children's development.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave in ways which show that they are extremely safe, secure and confident in the childminder's care. Rigorous risk assessments are conducted by the childminder to provide them with safe play spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Their knowledge of keeping safe is superbly extended by the childminder discussing safety with them and encouraging them to develop clear understanding of safe practices. Children remain very healthy within the childminder's care as she has comprehensive procedures in place for dealing with health issues. Children are actively reminded about hand washing at appropriate times and each have a special shelf in the childminder's bathroom cupboard. Children thoroughly enjoy fresh air and exercise as they play in the childminder's garden, go for walks to the local park and visit local woodland areas. They understand that fresh air is good for them. Healthy and nutritious meals and snacks and meals are offered to

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and outcomes for children

children throughout the day. Fresh drinking water and juice are always available to ensure that children remain hydrated.

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and outcomes for children

The superb range of planned and purposeful activities offered to children enable them to develop secure skills for the future. For example, they learn about numbers, shapes and colour recognition through simple everyday activities. They are provided with excellent opportunities to develop handwriting skills and understand how to use technology. Children are extremely confident and express themselves with ease. They are constantly praised and encouraged by the childminder, who is firmly committed to supporting children. They are provided with exciting opportunities to learn about other people's backgrounds and cultures, for example, a Polish parent shows children how to cook a soup often made a part of a celebration. They talk about Poland and some of the customs of that family. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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