Childminder in Oldham

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 301297 Inspection date 18/10/2011 Inspector Emily Wheeldon

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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 1989. She lives with her husband, who is her assistant and two adult children in a semi-detached house in Oldham. The rooms and areas of the house used for childminding are the kitchen / dining room, lounge, downstairs bathroom and back garden.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to provide care for a maximum of six children under eight years, no more than three, of which, may be in the early years age range. She is currently caring for two children in this age range. She also minds three children aged over five years. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is able to take and collect children from the local primary school. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and childminding network.

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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 thrive in this highly effective setting and the childminder maintains a high quality provision for all children. The childminder has a considerable understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which means that she is highly successful in motivating and supporting children's overall development. The uniqueness of each child is valued and supported exceptionally well. Children's welfare is successfully promoted and sustained by outstanding partnerships with parents to ensure continuity of care. The childminder continually strives for improvement through self-evaluation in order to sustain a positive impact on the outstanding care provided for children within her childminding service

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further?

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

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further?

 encouraging children to increase their independence in selecting resources

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the early years provision

Effective and comprehensive policies are in place to keep children extremely safe and secure within the setting. The childminder is familiar with the safeguarding policy and is aware of the correct procedures should there be any concerns. The childminder is very well organised, because there is an extensive range of documents, policies and procedures. Highly effective risk assessments, safety checks and the childminder's vigilance ensure children are cared for in a safe and clean environment. Resources are of high quality and well organised, for example, boxes are at children's height to allow them to use resources independently and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safely. The premises are used to maximum effect and activities are highly stimulating and fun for children. Outings are carefully planned for and the childminder takes expert precautions to keep the children safe. For example,

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the early years provision

children wear personal identification bracelets and high visibility jackets with the childminder's name and address embroidered on.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are extremely well established from the start, with pre- visits organised and each child's needs well catered for. The childminder values building positive relationships by organising family barbeques and pantomimes for children at Christmas time. The childminder highly effectively exchanges and shares information with parents verbally and via daily diary sheets. This ensures children's individual needs are met. The childminder really engages with parents and listens to their preferences, for example, she will mirror a child's routine at home in her setting. Comprehensive policies and procedures and learning journeys provide parents with excellent information about their child's achievements, well- being and development. The childminder keeps her observation records, photographs and pictures the children have done in a learning journey for parents to share with their child. Parents are encouraged to share their observations of

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the early years provision

their children. Superb links are established with local nurseries, schools and the Children's Centre to ensure continuity of approach and for children to achieve the best outcomes. Seeking the views of parents and other settings enables the childminder to continuously improve and ensure the provision is of high quality.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very committed to being inclusive and works hard to make sure individual's needs are exceptionally well met. An effective equal opportunities policy means that the individual needs of all children are very well met and all children are included fully in the life of the setting. The childminder displays posters of positive images of people from different cultural backgrounds and the childminder has excellent quality resources that reflect equality and diversity. For example she has a range of beautifully coloured fabrics for children to wrap around themselves and take on the roles of people when they talk about Diwali .She has addressed previous recommendations and has dealt with them swiftly by attaching a new gate in the back garden to keep children safe and has further safeguarded the children by installing an additional gate. She has been on many courses to give her ideas about how to improve her practice, such as, story telling with props.This

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the early years provision

promotes excellent pre-reading skills and children clearly have a passion for books. She has an excellent knowledge about the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and her detailed and accurate assessment methods enable children to thrive.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers a highly stimulating and welcoming environment, which fully reflects the children's interests and backgrounds. Children make excellent progress in relation to their starting points through the expertise of the childminder and the provision of high quality resources. Activities are planned around the interests of the children whilst offering challenge and excitement. There is excellent coverage across all the areas of learning which means that children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 receive a broad and balanced curriculum. The childminder's expert knowledge about the Early Years Foundation Stage and her detailed and accurate assessment methods enable all children to thrive. Children arrive excited and eager to experience the wide range of activities on offer to them. They join up with the childminder during book sharing time and talk about matters of interest to them.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate they can handle books with the ultimate care and know where to begin reading a story. They watch the progress of flowers and vegetables they plant and thoroughly enjoy walks to the local park watching the squirrels and gathering leaves to make leaf prints. The garden is an integral part of children's play and is effectively planned to enable children to initiate their own play. For example, children access chalk boards so they can make marks, sand and water play enables children to investigate and explore and prompt cards to give children ideas about playground games and team games.

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and outcomes for children

Children initiate their own learning through discovery and are given vast opportunities to explore their environment and living things. For example, children talk excitedly about the patterns they can see on a shell of a land snail and use a magnifying glass to observe features more closely. Children are very happy and settled because the childminder has a strong bond with the children and shows interest when they play with play dough. Children name two dimensional shapes when cutting play dough and point to similar shapes in the environment. Children create resources of their own using recyclable materials. For example, they make alphabet bottles containing objects beginning with the same sound. The childminder supports children's writing skills, exceptionally well, by using motivators like going to the shop to buy a pumpkin for Halloween and then the children write shopping lists more readily.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy and benefit enormously from plenty of fresh air and exercise, gaining a secure understanding of why these are important. They go outside to play several times a day and walk to school to collect the older children whilst at the same time, talking about things they can see in their local environment. Healthy eating is promoted and children benefit from a nutritious range of snacks and drinks. Children are aware of the need to be hygienic as the childminder adheres to hygiene procedures, such as, children washing their hands before eating. Children show exceptional understanding of the importance of following good personal hygiene routines, for example, they know they need to wash their hands after using the toilet so they 'do not get germs'. Children become critical and active learners through regular opportunities to express their imagination through a varied range of role play resources and small world toys. They develop

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and outcomes for children

an acute understanding of the wider world through engaging in discussions and learning through active play with positive images of diversity in play equipment, resources and books. Children learn about festivals, such as, Diwali and Chinese New Year and go to visit the Chinese supermarket to experience different foods. Through talking about differences, the children are learning about diversity and the world in which they live. Children use technology toys, such as, cameras, with confidence, and this develops their information and communication technology skills.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder talks about road safety when they go for walks. Children know that the lollipop lady helps people to cross the road. An evacuation procedure is This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recorded in the policy file and the childminder practises the fire drill with the children every month. As a result, children gain an exceptional awareness of staying safe. The children behave impeccably well, their attention span is outstanding and they are absorbed in their play because the childminder knows what the interests of the children are and keeps them stimulated. Children understand boundaries through consistent methods to manage behaviour and build confidence and self-esteem as they receive praise and encouragement to acknowledge their positive actions. 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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