The Samuel Lister Academy

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 137576 Inspection date 19/10/2011 Inspector Helen Steven

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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 October 1992. She lives with her husband and two adult children. Their three bedroom home is in Willesden, in the London borough of Brent. The home is arranged over two floors accessed via a small step to the front door. The ground floor is the main area of the home used for minding. There is a secure garden used for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years, of whom three may be in the early years age group. She is currently minding four children in the early years age group on a part-time basis. She is registered on the Early Years Register, and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association (NCMA). She has completed the NCMA Quality First accreditation scheme. She is part of the London Borough of Brent children come first quality assurance Network. The childminder also holds a National Vocational Qualification at Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education. The childminder is able to provide free early education.

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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

The childminder's extremely professional approach to childminding, ensures that children's individual welfare and developmental needs are very well met. She provides children with consistent care, within a warm, stimulating and inclusive home environment. Children's health and safety is given high priority and is underpinned by comprehensive policies, which are shared with parents. Very strong partnerships with parents, together with her very good knowledge of children's starting points, ensure that children make excellent progress in their learning journeys. The childminder is consistently working to enhance her childcare practice. She promotes very good outcomes for children through self-evaluation and further training. She is an inspirational mentor for new childminders. She is in the process of strengthening her skills in working with children who have speech, language and communication needs.

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further?

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

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further?

 further support children's communication skills, by affording them more time to answer thought provoking questions posed during play. 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 shows an intense dedication and enthusiasm for the work that she does. The children's best interests are at the centre of her practice. Children are fully safeguarded as the childminder has a comprehensive understanding of child protection issues. She has detailed policies in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Emergency evacuation procedures, together with rigorous risk assessments for the home and outings, are carried out on a regular basis. All necessary safety precautions are in place to keep children safe. All required documentation is readily available and well maintained, in order to ensure children's welfare is supported very effectively.

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the early years provision

The childminder welcomes all children and families into her home and takes time to get to know each child's background. She effectively supports their linguistic and cultural needs. As a result, children have a true sense of belonging and make good progress, as their parents are also involved in their learning. She works closely with parents to share information about children's starting points, daily routines and activities, together with their progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is done through daily diaries and developmental records. The childminder has robust systems in place to effectively observe, monitor and plan learning opportunities for each individual child. She supports them fully to make very good progress across all areas of their learning and development. She is a proactive member of the local childminding network and as a result, has developed effective links with other agencies in order to support children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder's house is a stimulating, inclusive, homely environment rich in posters, pictures, photographs and children's art work. Children have independent access to an extensive range of good quality play resources and activities, covering all areas of children's development. As a result, children make choices and are encouraged to be active and independent learners. She uses information from parent questionnaires, her quality assurance system, visits from the local authority and peer feedback, to identify strengths and areas for improvement. She is however, modest in her self-evaluation judgements about the quality of her provision. The childminder is proactive in her aim to continually improve outcomes for children. For example, she was involved in the Every Child a Talker (ECAT) project to enhance how children learn language. She has started an 'I CAN' course to give her knowledge, skills and confidence in working with children who have

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the early years provision

speech, language and communication needs.

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and outcomes for children

All children make excellent progress towards the Early Learning Goals, whilst in the childminder's care. Children are extremely happy and confident and have close relationships with the childminder. Children eagerly engage in the wide range of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities. The childminder has ensured there are enough of the popular resources for all. As a result, young children play alongside each other very well. They are supported in learning to share, take turns and respect each other as the childminder is an excellent role model. Children, including those with English as an additional language, make excellent progress in their communication skills. When snuggled in close to the childminder listening to stories, they eagerly ask for definitions of words they are unsure of, this extends their vocabulary. The childminder asks them thought provoking questions, such as 'Why do you think he

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and outcomes for children

had nobody to play with?' However, at times she doesn't afford them much time to ponder on their answer. Children enjoy delving into the singing sack which contains objects that inspire a song. For example, a star shape is the stimulation to sing 'twinkle twinkle'. Young children count as they go up and down the stairs to the bathroom. They play hopscotch shouting out the numbers as they land on the squares.

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and outcomes for children

Children have excellent opportunities to experience the wonder of nature as they observe the life cycle of butterflies. The childminder extends this interest by organising an exciting range of butterfly related activities across the curriculum. For example, children complete butterfly puzzles, make butterfly cakes and dress up in butterfly wings. The childminder works alongside parents to provide resources in their home language for example, by making beautiful homemade alphabet books. Children also gain an understanding of respecting cultures and backgrounds different to their own, as they engage in age appropriate activities in the community. For example, by introducing children to black history. Children negotiate space as they whizz around the garden on their trikes and develop their skills by kicking, throwing and catching balls. They use their whole hand to explore gloop, adding water and corn flour to change the consistency, then adding paints

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and outcomes for children

to change the colour. They are fascinated as the gloop drips off their hand and enjoy the feeling of squeezing it between their fingers. Their creativity is enhanced well as they freely paint at the easel, use different coloured chalks to decorate the patio and make patterns in the corn flour.

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and outcomes for children

Children are supported well to adopt healthy lifestyles by learning good hygiene routines, such as hand washing after going to the toilet and before meal times. They know how to do this thoroughly, using soap and drying on paper towels to prevent cross-infection. They are cared for in an environment where there is a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness. Children enjoy tasty, nutritious meals and healthy snacks and drinks in partnership with their parents. They are taught about healthy eating through the Healthy Little Eaters programme at the local children's centre. Provision is made for children to rest during the day and to have access to fresh air and exercise on a daily basis. 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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