Childminder in Bath and North East Somerset

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY368034 Inspection date 14/11/2011 Inspector Mary Daniel

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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 has been registered since 2008. She lives with her partner and their two children aged nine and eight years in a terraced house, situated in Bath. Children have use of a living room and conservatory downstairs. They also have use of an upstairs bathroom, and two bedrooms available for sleeping. There is an enclosed garden area on two levels at the back of the premises for outdoor play activities.

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Description of the childminding

Ofsted have registered the childminder on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of four children aged under eight years, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age group at any one time. There are currently five children on roll and all are in the early years age group. Overnight care is not included within the registration. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association. (NCMA)

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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 are very much valued and welcomed by the friendly childminder who provides a comfortable, secure family home. She gets to know their individual needs very well through the positive relationships formed with their parents. Regular liaison is maintained which overall supports their involvement in their child's learning. Children are offered a broad range of exciting, play activities that promote their learning and development effectively overall. The childminder gives a positive approach about developing her practice to promote outcomes for children. She is establishing systems to help her evaluate her provision and identify areas to support her aim for continual improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the assessment systems to clearly evidence the learning objectives of children's next steps of development to support the planning of activities that are securely based on their existing abilities  develop further the information shared with parents on their child's learning to clearly reflect what they learn through their play and how this links with the early learning goals. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is promoted well. The childminder continues to update her knowledge of safeguarding issues and clear procedures are in place to follow should a concern arise. Children are well supervised and clear risk assessments systems are implemented. These support the childminder in identifying potential safety issues in the home and most aspects of any outings. Required records are organized well to support children's well-being. For example, accidents are clearly detailed and written parental permissions, such as to take children on any outings are obtained. This effectively promotes continuity in children's care. This is further supported by the good liaison systems the childminder has formed with most other providers that children attend. Consequently, a consistent delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework is offered in most aspects of their welfare. Parents say the childminder is very 'professional' and of 'top quality' and their

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the early years provision

children love being with her. Good systems are implemented to keep parents well informed of their child's daily activities. For example, daily diary notes are used to record their play activities, although do not yet reflect what children learn from their play. For example, to provide further opportunities for parents to contribute to their child's learning.

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the early years provision

Children's individual interests and ways of learning are clearly recognized by the childminder. She uses this knowledge effectively to help each child feel included in activities at their level of ability. Children have easy accessibility to a wide range of well maintained, colourful toys and resources. For instance, they find the basket of puzzles that they like to do or pick up a toy mobile phone to use in their imaginary game. As a result, children are effectively encouraged in making their own choices in play. Local resources are used well to encourage children's social skills. For instance, they visit different toddler groups through the week. This effectively supports children in developing their social skills as they meet with their peers. Children benefit from the childminder's use of a local toy library specializing in resources that reflect diversity. For example, they play with puzzles and games

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the early years provision

which reflect people of other cultures. This actively supports children's awareness of other ways of living within their everyday play.

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the early years provision

Continual improvements are made. For instance, a recommendation made at the last inspection has been addressed, which has improved documentation available for parents. Ideas gained through the training and liaison she maintains with other childcare professionals effectively support children's learning needs. For example, planning systems are beginning to be shared with another provider that one of her minded children also attends. This effectively promotes continuity for children's learning. The childminder is self-actively reflective of the provision she offers. She continues to evaluate her practice to effectively promote all aspects of outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children develop strong bonds with the childminder and their peers and clearly delight in their company. Children play happily alongside each other and show as confident, active learners. They initiate their own games and are also keen to join in with planned activities. For example, they press the keys on a toy laptop to progress a game and laugh together as they hear the different responses. From this activity they begin to develop an early understanding of simple technology. Children become fully absorbed in their games. For instance, as they play with the different farm animals and organize them around their farm mat. They put the horses into the toy barn and say they are sleeping and make the toy rabbit bounce off across the yard. Children excitedly go on a pretend 'boat trip' together. They collect their dolls, blankets and bags and then sit on the sofa to share the 'driving'. As a result, they develop their imagination very well and use the available

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and outcomes for children

resources effectively to meet their ideas in play.

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and outcomes for children

Children express their thoughts and ideas extremely well. They say 'It's a bit tricky' as they try to fit different size bricks together and talk about the 'stinky mud' on their toy farm. They lift the collapsible roof off the toy barn and fold this back saying 'Look, it's like a book'. They are encouraged by the childminder to share their thoughts as she carefully instigates discussion through her effective questioning. This is evident through the lovely story sessions provided. Children listen intently to their favourite stories, for instance about a friendly monster. They eagerly find the various small animal toys in the story sac and use these to represent those in the story they hear. They start to link sounds with letters and complete rhyming sentences as they recognize the finishing word. As a result, they begin to develop their early reading abilities very well through fun activities. Children start to use numbers naturally within their play. They count the number of

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and outcomes for children

colourful bricks they use to make a tower. The childminder gently counts with them to reinforce the correct sequence. Observations of children's play are used by the childminder to monitor their developmental achievements. This supports her in planning a range of motivating and exciting play experiences for children. However, the learning objectives of their next steps of development are not yet consistently identified. Children benefit from the childminder's gentle, non-intrusive support within their play. She guides their ideas through suggestion and example and as a result children develop a natural curiosity and confidence. This promotes their future skills very well.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is effectively promoted within their everyday routines. For example, they know they use soap to wash their hands before eating. They are keen to do this and enjoy making bubbles as they enthusiastically rub their hands together. Children enjoy well organised and sociable snack and meal times where they are offered nutritious foods. For instance, they eat breadsticks, cheese and grapes for a snack or cottage pie and vegetables for their lunch. They can access their drink beakers throughout the day. Children help to grow some vegetables on the childminder's allotment. They talk about the strawberries and beans that they pick there. This effectively promotes their awareness of healthy foods. Children have fun opportunities to exercise. For example, they sometimes go to a soft play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 centre where they crawl, roll, jump and climb safely. They go for local walks to

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and outcomes for children

feed the ducks or to fetch their friends from school. They learn how to manage road safety as they stop, look and listen with the childminder before crossing any roads. As a result, they begin to understand about keeping themselves safe from harm. Children are kind to each other and learn from a young age about taking turns and sharing. They receive frequent praise for their efforts and are keen to also praise their friends. For instance, they clap enthusiastically as a friend manages to fit the pieces of a favourite puzzle together. This effectively supports them in developing good self-esteem and they become confident in their abilities. Consequently, children play cooperatively together and have fun as they learn through their play. 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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