Childminder in Islington

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY424321 Inspection date 31/10/2011 Inspector Samantha Smith

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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 2011. She lives with her husband who is also a childminder and one child. The house is in the London Borough of Islington, within easy walking distance of shops, parks, nurseries and schools. The whole of the ground floor, including a bathroom, are used for childminding and are easily accessible. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. Access to the premises is via a flight of stairs at the front of the premises.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, two of whom may be in the early years age range. When working with another childminder they may look after eight children under eight years. Of these four may be in the early years age range. There are currently three children on roll, all are in the early years age range and attend part-time throughout the week. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both 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. She walks to local nurseries and schools to take and collect children.

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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

Children settle in well in the childminder's care. They form positive relationships with her and her co-childminder, which is evident through their positive interactions. Although they have only been in the care of this childminder for a short time, she demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of their care and learning needs. She establishes positive partnerships with their parents, ensuring that there is regularly flow of information exchanged between them. The childminder has effective partnerships with others supporting the children, but less so with other settings they attend. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to providing a quality childcare provision and further improving outcomes for children. She is aware of her strengths; however she has yet to introduce evaluation systems to support her in identifying future targets for improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 take reasonable steps to ensure that hazards to children both indoor and outdoors are kept to a minimum by conducting a risk assessment and review it regularly. This must identify aspects of the 18/11/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and maintain a record of these and when and by whom they have been checked (Suitable premises, environment & equipment)

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop observation and assessment systems to ensure that they are reliable, show how the next steps are followed through and linked to future planning to show that children are making progress  develop effective partnerships with other settings attended by children in order to support children's development and progress towards the outcomes of Every Child Matters  develop the use of monitoring systems to evaluate the provision and identify areas for future improvement to further promote positive outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises herself well and the setting runs smoothly. She works in partnership with her husband, who is her co-childminder, and they both contribute equally to support the effective running of the setting. Robust procedures are in place to safeguard and promote the well-being of children. These include procedures for child protection, which clearly detail the childminder's responsibility to safeguard children, and the steps to take if she had a concern about their welfare. The childminder takes appropriate steps to promote children's safety in the home and on outings. However, weaknesses in the risk assessment means that some hazards, in particularly in the garden, have not been addressed. Furthermore, records of risk assessments are not maintained. This breaches requirements.

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the early years provision

The childminder makes good use of her home, which she organises well to support the needs of the children. She creates a designated play area in the lounge, which provides children with space to play and explore a good range of resources. She makes good use of parent and toddler groups and other local facilities, giving children opportunities to engage in other activities as well as mix and play with other children. She demonstrates that she has a sound knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She continues to develop her systems of observation and assessment. These do not yet fully focus on supporting children in making progress in their learning and development or link to the various aspects of different areas of learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a sound understanding of promoting an inclusive provision and has taken positive steps to provide a welcoming home for the children attending. She demonstrates that all children are valued as unique individuals as she considers their individual needs and routines in the daily planning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder has positive relationships with parents. She keeps them fully informed of children's progress through regular discussions, sharing daily diaries and children's developmental records. She uses information parents provide at the beginning of their child's placement to support children's individual care needs. Although the childminder has formed effective working relationships with other professionals, she has yet to establish partnerships with other settings that children attend to further promote continuity in children's care and learning. She

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the early years provision

demonstrates a sound awareness of the benefits of such partnerships. The childminder does not yet have systems to rigorously monitor and evaluate her practice. However, she is starting to identify some areas to develop and future training to attend. She demonstrates a positive attitude to improving her practice and further promoting positive outcomes for children. This reflects sufficient capacity to maintain continual improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children appear happy and content in the childminder's care. They demonstrate this through their body language and expressions as they sing and smile while bouncing around, freely exploring their environment. They enjoy the positive interactions that they share with the childminder as she spends time on their level engaging in their play. For example, whilst at the drawing table she spends time sitting with them, talking about their drawings.

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and outcomes for children

The play environment is challenging and child-friendly. Children have access to a wide selection of toys and resources that provide suitable challenges and support them in developing future skills. They help themselves to books and make themselves comfortable as they sit on the soft furniture and flick through the pages to look at the pictures. They show an interest in the home corner and spend time in pretend play, investigating the knobs and buttons on the cooker and exploring the utensils available. They show an interest in puzzles as they independently try to complete them and receive appropriate support from the childminder when needed. The childminder has created an interactive nature area that stimulates children's curiosity as they explore textures and colours of the different materials.

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and outcomes for children

Daily routines support children's understanding of good hygiene routines. She encourages them to wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day, including before eating their meals. They enjoy healthy lunches and snacks the childminder provides and their individual dietary needs are fully catered for. Children's follow their individual home routines and rest and sleep according to their needs. This helps them settle well as their needs are met.

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and outcomes for children

Children have daily outings and regular trips to local parks, groups and other places of interest. This promotes children's early social skills as they enjoy opportunities to mix with larger groups of children and participate in community activities. They are beginning to develop understanding of diversity through using This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 a selection of resources that are made available on a daily basis. The childminder demonstrates that she is keen to develop this further.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave well and are busy and interested in their play. They listen to the childminder and respond well as she praises them for their efforts and achievements. They communicate their wants and needs verbally and by using sounds and gestures, to which she responds positively. They are learning to keep themselves safe as they play through the gentle reminders they receive from the childminder. They also learn to keep themselves safe as they take part in emergency evacuation practises. 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 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 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (Suitability and Safety of Premises) (also applies to the voluntary part of the childcare register) 18/11/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Suitability and Safety of Premises) 18/11/2011

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