Dartford Grammar School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 136359 Inspection date 02/11/2011 Inspector Beverley Blackburn

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 registerde in 1996. She lives with her husband and two teenage sons in a two-bedroom terraced house in the Bradley Stoke area of South Gloucestershire. The ground floor of the premises is used for childminding, including the front lounge and kitchen/diner. Children access the first floor bathroom and main bedroom that is used for sleeping. There is an enclosed, rear garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children, including three in the early years age range at any one time. She is currently minding four children in the early years age group on a part-time basis. She is on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder lives within walking distance of a primary school, pre-school groups and a range of community facilities. She takes children to local parks with equipment for younger and older children and visits a leisure centre with soft play equipment. She uses her car to transport children to and from school, as well as for occasional trips to the surrounding areas.

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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 are settled and happy with the experienced childminder who provides a caring environment to meet their needs. She attends to them all of the time which helps them to make sound progress. However, she does not use assessment of their achievements to plan for their next steps. Required documentation is in place to support children's health and safety, although systems for record keeping regarding risk assessment and for complaints are under developed. The childminder is beginning to reflect on her practice to identify her strengths and weaknesses, although systems for this are still in their infancy. She shows a sound capacity to continuously improve outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop observation and assessment of children's progress and use these to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child  make sure there is a suitable system in place to keep a record of complaints This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  extend the risk assessment regularly to cover anything with which a child may come into contact.

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the early years provision

The childminder has appropriate knowledge of how to safeguard children. She has a secure understanding of child protection issues and who to contact in the event of concerns about a child. The childminder demonstrates her ability to provide a safe environment for the children by checking that suitable safety measures are in place. These include a fire blanket and working smoke alarms and she uses an effective, evacuation procedure. The childminder carries out suitable risk assessments. However, she does not check regularly that her records cover anything with which a child may come into contact. The childminder has the required procedures in place to help children to be satisfactorily protected and supported. However, she does not have a system for logging any complaint.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a secure understanding of promoting equality of opportunity. She ensures that all children are welcomed into her home and included in all activities. She has a suitable range of age-appropriate resources which includes toys that show positive images of diversity. The childminder has begun to reflect on her practice to identify areas for improvement that will enhance her practice and provision. These include attending training to develop her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, planning and observations and how to improve the range of outdoor toys. However, her systems for self-evaluation are still in their infancy and are an area for development.

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the early years provision

A sound partnership is developed with the parents and carers. There is clear, two- way sharing of information through regular discussions at drop-off and collection times. The childminder and parents also liaise through daily diaries for younger children. This means that parents are kept suitably informed of their child's day and of their progress and development. The childminder is developing suitable links with other early years settings, such as the local pre-school. These are soundly used to work with a united approach to children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a sound understanding of the six areas of learning and of the early learning goals. She has some understanding of how children learn. However, she has not used her observations of children to plan the next steps in their learning and development. Children are making steady progress in their learning. This is because of the varied activities that are available to them and their experiences of attending other early years settings, such as a toddler group.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a suitable range of activities appropriate to their stages of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 development. The resources suitably help in developing children's mathematical thinking, and communication and language skills. Children show enjoyment when doing puzzles, matching objects, playing with construction toys and building train tracks. Such activities help children develop suitable skills for the future. Children develop satisfactory creative skills and enjoy imaginative play, for example, with toy cars. Children seem relaxed in the company of the childminder. She gets down to their level to be involved in activities, such as reading together or talking on the pretend phone.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled, developing relationships with those of different ages. As a result, they, generally, play cooperatively together or along side each other. They are learning to share and take turns. The childminder has suitable strategies in place to manage children's behaviour appropriately. She does this according to their ages and stages of development, working with parents to achieve consistency of methods. She explains her expectations to children and encourages them to take responsibility for their behaviour. Children are becoming aware of the boundaries.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to learn about healthy lifestyles. They enjoy regular outdoor exercise, such as walks to the local park, and have regular access to the garden. Children's understanding of personal hygiene is suitably promoted. They are encouraged to wash their hands at appropriate times, such as before eating and after visiting the toilet. They enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks and are regularly offered drinks. Parents provide their children's lunches, which are appropriately stored in the fridge. The childminder is aware of children with special dietary needs and can meet their needs when required. Overall, babies and young children's health, physical and dietary needs are adequately met.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning to keep themselves safe, for example, through practising the evacuation procedure. They are encouraged to help tidy away the toys to prevent trip hazards. They stay close to the childminder when out and about and are taught how to cross the road safely. Overall, babies and young children are starting to develop a sense of security and confidence within the home through suitable interactions. 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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