Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 301612 Inspection date 11/10/2011 Inspector Jennifer Kennaugh

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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 1993. She lives with her husband in a terraced house in the village of Ribchester in the Ribble valley. The home is a short distance from the shops, several local schools and the park.

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Description of the childminding

The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding purposes, along with the first floor bathroom. The rear yard is not used as a condition of registration. The childminder is registered to care for six children under eight years and there are currently five children on roll. Three in the early years age group attend full time and two children attend before and after school.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder receives support from the local authority and is a member of the local childminding network.

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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 make good progress in their learning and development as their individual needs are met and some elements of practice are very good. The childminder provides an environment where children are happy, secure and able to experience positive outcomes because most areas of play are well resourced in the setting. There are excellent relationships with parents, who are very well informed of their children's daily care, learning and routine.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Strong links with other settings promote continuity of learning, development and care for children. Effective self-evaluation is in place which produces good results in care and learning, showing commitment to continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 support children in using a range of information and communication technology to develop their understanding of technology  provide flexible resources that can be used in many different ways to facilitate play and exploration.

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the early years provision

The childminder has excellent measures in place to safeguard children, including detailed risk assessments for the premises and outings. Comprehensive and clear policies lead to effective procedures for keeping children safe in and out of the house. The childminder sets clear boundaries for behaviour so that accidents and incidents can be minimised. She has undergone training on local safeguarding This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 procedure and has clear procedures in place to report concerns about a child. Parents are aware of her policy and procedures for safeguarding. All adults living on the premises have been suitably vetted. Fire evacuation is regularly practised and recorded so children are familiar with it.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a wide range of resources that promote development through play across the six areas of learning, and offers enthusiastic support to children in adult-led and child-initiated activities. The resources are clean, well-maintained and age-appropriate for the children present. The childminder is aware of the strengths of her provision and the areas where she would like to enhance practice. She identifies training that would benefit her provision and undertakes it. Network support is used to evaluate practice and access training. The childminder has excellent policies in place to promote equality of opportunity and to eliminate discrimination. Her practice in supporting children with English as a second language exemplifies her commitment to meeting individual needs and equality of opportunity. She has met all recommendations from the previous report with regard to improving fire procedures and children's learning records.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is a strength of the setting and parents are highly proactive in providing the childminder with information and resources to enhance provision for children. The childminder acts as the main point of contact between parents and pre-school for some children and fulfils this role exceptionally well. She adapts to parents' preferred methods for communication to maintain partnership. She sends home a daily sheet, giving information about food, drink, activities and rests or sleeps for all children so parents are informed about their child's day. She has twice yearly meetings with parents who do not come to the setting to discuss children's progress. She has an excellent partnership with the local primary school who consult her over how changes to after school activities affect her collection of children.

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and outcomes for children

Children show they feel safe and secure by being confident and happy with the childminder. Babies explore the environment with enjoyment and are very settled despite only recently joining the setting. Older children use simple resources like glue and spatulas safely to develop their fine motor skills. They talk confidently with a visitor to the setting about their jungle collages and make up role play using the foam animals they have stuck on. They enjoy the opportunity to show their creativity in a supportive environment.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging children to enjoy outdoor play, sometimes for most of the day, using the local park. She offers a healthy choice of drinks and snacks to supplement the packed meals provided by parents. Snacks include a choice of fruit to promote healthy eating. The childminder takes care to teach children well about personal hygiene, and children can say when they need to wash their hands and why. She grows vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes to extend children's knowledge and understanding of the natural world, whilst promoting the value of growing food at home. Nappy- This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 changing routines are exceptionally hygienic, so that the chance of cross-infection is low.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has sustained interactions with children, which support extension of vocabulary and communication skills. She uses children's play effectively to promote holistic development and can bring many areas of learning into one activity, showing her experience in promoting early learning. However, there is no use of flexible resources for explorative play, such as cardboard boxes, plastic tubing or lengths of material to extend children's creativity.

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and outcomes for children

When children make their jungle pictures she incorporates questioning on numbers of different animals and pretends to be mixed up over animal names so that the children can enjoy correcting her. Her flexible approach towards planning, based on the weather, allows for children to have extensive opportunities for outdoor play which enhances their enjoyment of exercise. Planning for indoor activities is usually based on themes being covered at the children's pre-school to complement their learning there. She makes regular purposeful observations of children's progress and records them, along with annotated photographs in a file for each child. Her awareness of current progress means that she can extend their learning when interacting with children. The quality of sustained talk between the children and the childminder means that excellent skills for the future are being developed in communication, literacy and early numeracy. However, there is currently little

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and outcomes for children

provision for children to develop skills related to information technology apart from the use of a digital camera.

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and outcomes for children

Behaviour of children overall is good and children are willing to engage in discussion of minor disputes, with support from the childminder, so that apologies can be made and they learn from the experience. Babies are very settled and content, showing they are happy and that their needs are very well met. Children have opportunities, through attending network groups, to enjoy activities to celebrate various festivals that reflect cultural diversity. The childminder's approach to meeting individual needs as described in her statement on equal opportunity shows how she values the contribution each child brings to the setting, enabling them to achieve good outcomes. 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 1 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 1 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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