Childminder in Halton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY271801 Inspection date 21/10/2011 Inspector Susan Heap

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and two children aged 11 and 13 in the Brookvale area of Runcorn, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the ground floor and the bathroom on the first floor are used for childminding. The garden is 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 at any one time, no more than three of whom may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding five children in this age group. The childminder occasionally works with an assistant. The numbers and ages of children to be cared for may vary when the childminder is working with an assistant. The childminder is registered by Ofsted 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 collects children from the local school and regularly attends toddler and childminding groups. She has a level 3 early years 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 and parents are welcomed into a warm, safe, inclusive environment and are acknowledged and valued as individuals. The childminder works very closely with parents and forges good quality links with other professionals to meet children's individual needs. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals through accessing a wide variety of experiences to extend their learning. Observation and assessment systems are in the early stages of development, and particular emphasis is placed on children's social and emotional development. The childminder evaluates her practice informally and successfully identifies areas for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the observation, assessment and planning systems to ensure each child's next steps in their learning and development are identified and met  develop ways of encouraging parents to share their observations of their children's activities and interests to help inform future planning for their individual needs  develop opportunities for children to find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information and communication technology to support their learning. 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 demonstrates a good understanding of how to safeguard children. By attending safeguarding training, she ensures that all policies and procedures are up to date. All adults in the home have completed the required vetting procedures. Risk assessments for the home, outdoor area and outings are in place, and good quality records are kept. Appropriate safety equipment is provided and regular fire drills are completed and recorded. The childminder appraises the quality of care and education provided informally, and has a strong understanding of her strengths and weaknesses. As a result, areas for improvement are identified efficiently and appropriate action is taken. For example, she is booked to attend an observation and assessment course and has taken steps to develop information and communication technology with the children. The childminder demonstrates a very strong commitment to improvement through training and has attended many

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the early years provision

courses to improve her practice and outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Good use is made of space to provide children with easy access to a wide variety of resources. Children are able to make choices and self-select activities independently from low-level storage units. This helps nurture their decision making skills and independence. The childminder helps to raise children's awareness of diversity and the wider world through play and discussions. She has completed equality training and provides resources which enable children to develop a suitable understanding of diversity, such as books. Good working relationships with other professionals and agencies enable her to fully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She has also accessed relevant training to support her in this. She has effectively forged links with others delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage by sharing written information about individual children with key people. As a result, children benefit from consistency of

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the early years provision

The childminder works very well with parents and establishes positive relationships with them. Pertinent details about children's initial needs and abilities are obtained, which means the childminder acquires a very strong understanding of children's starting points and abilities. Policies and procedures are shared with them and they are encouraged to keep the childminder up to date regarding any events or information that may impact upon the continued care of their child. In turn, they are kept very well informed about general events of the day and their child's progress. Feedback from parents and children is very complimentary. This is reflected through letters and the positive feedback from completed questionnaires by both parents and children. For example, comments from parents include, 'we make a good team', 'behaviour is consistently managed', and 'very accommodating when times needed to alter'.

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the early years provision

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

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and outcomes for children

Through discussion, the childminder demonstrates she makes good use of her observations to acquire a strong understanding of individual children's abilities. She uses these to track children's overall progress in each of the six areas of learning. Planning is flexible and responsive to children's interests and abilities, for example, to develop children's social and physical skills or their interest in role play. However, a variety of observation and assessment methods are used, none of which are consistently applied. This means that they are not fully secure, nor do they include parents' observations or comments to support and extend children's learning.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of how to support children's learning and development. As a result, children are able to learn at their own level and pace and make good progress. A good variety of adult-led activities are provided to nurture and reinforce children's learning, such as creative activities, singing and story times. Younger children regularly attend toddler groups at the local children's centre. They visit places of interest, such as the local park and a children's farm. Through these outings, children have good opportunities to access a variety of additional activities. These support their learning and development, and develop their social skills and their awareness of the local community and the wider world. They enjoy dressing up, role play and reading books. They develop their fine motor skills and problem solving skills as they fit a train track together or use tools and equipment to prepare their fruit at snack time. A selection of push

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and outcomes for children

button toys and telephones successfully introduce children to technology and how things work. A love of books and stories is fostered as each child has their own library card.

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and outcomes for children

Children are helped to develop a good awareness of safety matters. They practise road safety and fire drills. This is consolidated through planned activities, such as visits to the fire station. They are very closely supervised and their safety is paramount. The childminder and her assistant deploy themselves effectively to support children. As a result, children explore their environment freely, investigate toys and equipment and self-select activities which are age appropriate. All children are made aware of the ground rules and receive gentle reminders when necessary.

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and outcomes for children

Hygiene standards are well maintained. The childminder is a positive role model and children are encouraged to adopt appropriate personal hygiene practices through regular routines. For example, they wash their hands before preparing and eating snacks and after visiting the bathroom. Healthy eating is well promoted. Dietary needs are discussed in detail with parents and relevant information is recorded. Children develop an understanding of the food cycle as they have opportunities to grow their own vegetables. Fresh drinking water and other suitable drinks are provided. The benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle are very well promoted. For example, children have daily opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air and go for walks. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children are extremely happy, settled and content in the warm, welcoming family environment. The childminder acknowledges and celebrates children's efforts and

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and outcomes for children

achievements through lots of verbal praise, smiles, cuddles and star charts. This positive reinforcement builds their self-esteem and confidence. As a result, children's behaviour and manners are good. Very close, warm relationships are evident between the childminder and the children. Each child is valued as an individual and their special days are celebrated. Children develop a strong caring nature and show great respect for each other's needs and differences. This is shown through the care and attention they give to making cards for and celebrating each other's birthdays or taking care when playing with birthday gifts. They form strong friendships with each other, often bringing a favourite toy from home to share with others so that they can play together. 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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