Childminder in North Somerset

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY360504 Inspection date 17/10/2011 Inspector Carol Cox

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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 2007. She lives with her husband and daughter aged seven years in Portishead, North Somerset. Children have access to the whole of the ground floor and to the bathroom and two bedrooms on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register to care for five children under eight years, of whom three may be in the early years age group and of these no more than one may be under one year at any one time. She is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register and cares for older children before and after school. She is currently minding five children in the early years age group. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children and has the use of a car. She attends a local toddler group and takes children to the park and other places of interest.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder offers warm and friendly care for children and their care, learning and development needs are generally met. However, some systems to record information about children's welfare and learning are not yet fully developed. The childminder builds sound relationships with parents to identify children's needs and provide consistent care, although partnerships with other providers are not yet fully established. The childminder has implemented a system to monitor the quality of her provision although it is not fully effective in identifying all areas for future development. She demonstrates satisfactory capacity for improvement through addressing recommendations raised at her last inspection.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 request written parental permission, at the time of the child's admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 28/10/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop further observations of children's learning to identify next steps in learning for individual children, demonstrate their progress towards the early learning goals and use when planning future learning experiences  develop the two-way flow of information with other providers to help promote a consistent programme of activities and care to support children's progress as they attend other settings  develop further all children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe through practising regular fire evacuation drills  develop systems of self-evaluation to identify the strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of the provision for all children.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well because the childminder has a sound knowledge of child protection issues. She seeks parental explanations for existing injuries and records these. Should she have unresolved concerns about a child, she knows which services to contact for help and guidance. The childminder gives parents copies of her safeguarding procedure which follows the guidance of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. The childminder has made arrangements with a local childminder to provide emergency back up care for children and parents have given their consent. The childminder works with parents to obtain all necessary information to provide care consistent with children's needs. However, she has not yet requested written parental consent to seek emergency medical advice or treatment. This is a breach of a legal requirement. At present children do not attend other settings and the childminder has little experience of building

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the early years provision

partnerships with others involved in the care of minded children. This is an area which will develop this year as children begin to move onto pre-school or nursery. Children enjoy regular outings to local parks and places of interest and are kept safe through sensible precautions. The childminder helps children learn about crossing roads safely and makes risk assessments of most aspects of her provision. She carries out daily checks of her home which is safe and secure for children. Children practise fire drills regularly in order to develop their understanding of keeping safe, but not all children who attend are yet included. There is a wide range of toys and resources made freely available for children's play. When planning for the day the childminder considers the interests of each child and generally plans an adult-led activity to complement their free play. Resources reflect the diversity of people in the community and wider afield and

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the early years provision

children enjoy celebrating festivals from different cultures. The childminder encourages children to recognise their own needs and those of others; they begin to appreciate their individuality and value differences in others. The childminder has started to evaluate her practice with regard to the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. However, this has not successfully identified all areas for improvement. She has addressed issues arising from her last inspection thus demonstrating capacity for improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time with the childminder who spends time getting to know their interests and provides a range of activities to promote their learning in all areas. The childminder has started to record children's achievements in learning diaries. These are still in their infancy and do not yet identify next steps in children's learning or demonstrate children's progress towards the early learning goals. These diaries do not inform her planning of future learning experiences for the children. However, the childminder understands how to help children of different ages play together and adapts activities to meet their needs. For example, when playing an action and singing game the childminder partners with the toddler and the two 'big boys' partner each other. They are very proud to be playing the game unaided and the toddler is delighted to be part of the fun. Children learn about their community and the childminder links activities. For

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and outcomes for children

example, they have collected twigs, cones and leaves from the local lake grounds which they use to make autumn pictures. The childminder explains that by talking about their trip and the objects they have collected children are developing a sense of their locality, reliving enjoyable experiences and gaining a sense of past and present. Children develop physical skills when using simple spreading tools and glue. Children demonstrate good imaginative skills when a child plans a plane ride to visit his grandparents abroad and another organises a picnic with 'real' ice creams. The childminder uses children's own play to promote their language. For example, through open ended questions to challenge an older child to express his thinking and modelling sentences for a younger child who is just beginning to speak. Children begin to make choices about their play and the childminder is happy to let them take the lead. Thus children begin to explore and experiment

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and outcomes for children

and develop skills which will support their future learning. Children learn about keeping themselves safe through their everyday activities. They are reminded to pick up toys when changing activities so that the toddler does not trip over them and they practise road safety when out walking. The childminder provides healthy snacks and drinks and parents provide lunch boxes for children. Some children happily eat up their fruit and raisins and all drink water in their special bottles. They learn about the importance of hand washing and the childminder works closely with parents to support toilet training, offering opportunities for children to be independent but with support if needed. Children all enjoy lots of exercise whether playing energetic action games in the house, playing in a local park or walking to school to collect older children. Generally children behave well and start learning to consider the needs of others. They

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and outcomes for children

respond to simple instructions and the childminder has a positive and encouraging approach to help children learn about the effects their behaviour may have on others. The childminder creates a calm environment where children relax and are secure. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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