Mrs Linda Dianne Kavanagh

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 134093 Inspection date 16/11/2011 Inspector Jan Leo

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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 registered in 1995. She lives with her two brothers in a house in Wolvercote, a district of Oxford. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden available for outside play. Local shops, schools and parks are all within walking distance.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. When working alone, she may accept a maximum of six children under the age of eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. The childminder has three assistants to call on in order to increase the number of early years aged children to six. The childminder currently cares for seven children in the early years age group on a part time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to local schools and pre-schools to take and collect children. The family has four cats.

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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

The childminder dedicates all her time to the children to support their learning and help them develop the skills they need for the future. She promotes equality and diversity well by working very closely with parents to target children's individual needs and making good use of her toys and equipment to stimulate play. Links with children's other carers are well established, creating a true partnership of care. The childminder takes a self-reflective approach to developing her service, welcoming suggestions from parents and her assistants to drive improvement. She has the capacity to maintain continuous improvement, addressing identified weaknesses promptly, showing her determination to provide a highly effective service. Most of the policies and procedures that are needed in order to meet legal requirements and support practice are in place but some lack the detail needed to be of full value.

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further?

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

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further?

 request, from parents, written permission to seek any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future (Safeguarding and welfare) 01/12/2011

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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  improve the two-way flow of information with parents further by making sure that all policies and procedures are completely accurate and detailed.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very secure understanding of safeguarding issues and her responsibility to refer concerns promptly if they arise. She makes sure her assistants are familiar with the process and provides parents with a brief statement about the procedure and her responsibility to protect children from harm. The childminder assesses risks well and keeps her home in a child friendly condition to avoid accidents. She provides a high level of supervision and routinely teaches children good practice to help them make sensible decisions in the future. Very clear accident procedures are in place and the childminder seeks permission to administer first aid herself if children become injured. However, she does not request permission to seek emergency advice or treatment from health professionals for more serious injuries as required by legislation. This has little impact on the children because the childminder has numerous ways of contacting

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the early years provision

children's families and she always treats health and safety as a high priority. Both the childminder and her assistants form very close bonds with the children, welcoming them like part of the family and consequently the children feel very safe and secure in their care.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a gradual settling in programme to give all parties chance to get to know each other well and determine children's starting points. She then creates individual development plans in recognition of diversity and makes sure each child gets the support they need to join in at their own level, feel special and make good progress. An extensive range of resources is available for children to access independently and they confidently select toys to develop their own games effectively. The children learn to respect equipment, helping tidy away at times as a demonstration of consideration for the environment and their peers. Behaviour is very good as the children comply with expectations, share well, and actively approach others to invite them to join their games.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops close working relationships with parents, consulting them before making decisions about their children and sharing information on a daily basis to keep them involved in the day. The childminder has clear procedures for maintaining a high standard of service in practice but some of the detail is missing or unclear when presented to parents, compromising consistency of information sharing slightly. Links with children's other carers, when care is shared, are well established to help adults develop a consistent and balanced approach to children's development and ease the transition when they move on.

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the early years provision

The childminder routinely reviews the effectiveness of all she does, setting clear goals to work towards in order to drive improvement. She tirelessly focuses on children's changing needs, implementing continuous improvements in order to remain effective. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The children are extremely happy and relaxed at the setting. They benefit from a balanced day including organised activities, free play and opportunities for outdoor activities. The children eagerly link with both the child minder and her assistant to involve the adults in their games and all enjoy each other's company tremendously. The childminder sits on the floor to look at books and comics with children, involving them in making sticker pictures to practise control over their movements. Together they identify trees and flowers, name the colour of the stickers and use positional language to decide where the pieces might go. This helps the children to follow instructions and develop their thinking and reasoning skills within a relevant context.

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and outcomes for children

The children have access to a very appropriate range of toys to reflect modern life. They successfully push buttons and turn dials to activate a toy blender as they act out experiences gained during cooking activities earlier in the week. The childminder and assistant routinely link learning to develop numerous skills and interest in books, consistently developing skills the children will need in the future. There is a constant flow of good quality interaction between adults and children and consequently, even the very young speak clearly and confidently. They call the childminder's name to attract her attention, and relish the attention they receive, feeling both welcome and special.

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and outcomes for children

The children express their opinions clearly when given choices, demonstrating increasing independence by making decisions about their play. They show increasing understanding of their own needs and follow good practice regarding health and safety in order to develop a healthy lifestyle. The children sit to eat to avoid choking, follow robust hand washing procedures, eat healthy meals and snacks and know when they need a drink in order to stay healthy.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses observations and her years of experience to plan an effective programme with suitable challenges for each child. She varies the activities every day to promote progress in each area of learning and bases the activities around children's interests and skills in order to keep them well occupied and interested. As a result, all make very good progress in relation to their starting points and are well prepared for pre-school and school when they move on. 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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