Headlands School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 126466 Inspection date 22/11/2011 Inspector Cilla Mullane

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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 1993. She lives with her husband in Westgate, Kent. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed play area for children's outside play. There is a downstairs toilet. The family has a dog and cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children aged under eight years at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age range. She is currently specialising in care of children before and after school. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There is one child in the early years age range and 12 in the older age range currently attending on a part-time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to local 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

The childminder provides care in a welcoming, well-equipped and inclusive environment. Children enjoy their time with the childminder, as she provides fun activities according to their interests that complement the structured time spent in school. Children's welfare is generally well promoted, but records of risk assessments and parental consents for medication and emergency treatment are not in place, or evacuation procedures practised, to further support children's health and safety. Children feel safe, and are happy and settled, as they are treated with care and kindness. Parents report satisfaction with the care received by their children, while some links are established with other settings children attend are not fully effective in promoting continuity in children's learning. The childminder has well-targeted but limited plans to develop her setting: she does not evaluate her practice fully effectively but does maintain some continuous

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further?

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

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further?

 request 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 20/12/2011 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 welfare)  obtain prior written permission for each and every medicine from parents before any medication is given, including for non-prescription medication (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 20/12/2011

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further?

 maintain a record of aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis, to show when they have been checked. Review the risk assessment at least once a year or more regularly and record when it was carried out, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident. (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) 20/12/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 share relevant information with all the settings that children attend, to promote effective continuity of care and progress in their learning  develop the use of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development that will continuously improve the quality of the provision for all children  carry out regular evacuation drills and record details in a fire log book of any problems encountered and how they were resolved.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is promoted to a satisfactory standard. Their safety is a priority and the childminder makes sure they are safe both within the home and during the walks to and from school. She achieves this by making sure safety precautions are in place and by helping children understand how to behave safely. However, the childminder has not met a number of requirements. She carries out risk assessments but does not keep a written record to support its review. The childminder does not always request parents' written permission to seek emergency medical treatment specifically for younger siblings. She rings parents before giving children non-prescription medicines, but does not obtain parents' written consent in advance. These breaches have the potential to compromise children's health and safety.

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the early years provision

The childminder sufficiently supports equal opportunities and diversity. All children are welcome in the setting and the childminder helps children of different ages and abilities to take part in the activities. The rules help to make the youngest children feel safe and included, as they include 'not being rough with the little ones' and 'letting the little ones keep up'. Children benefit from a very welcoming environment, with a good selection of well-organised and age-appropriate toys available to self-select. Good use is made of the environment; for example, a group of children play 'schools' in the lounge, while others do homework or eat at the dining table. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder has not considered the benefits of thoroughly evaluating her practice. However, she has a couple of ideas for development that she feels will improve outcomes for children. She intends to increase her range of resources to

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the early years provision

help children with their homework, and plans to illuminate the garden so that children can play outside on dark evenings after school. This reflects sufficient capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

Parents are informed about children's activities and well-being during daily chats. They are very happy with their children's care and appreciate the childminder's kindness. They value the childminder helping children with their homework and the sociable group activities. They express satisfaction with the physical and creative activities on offer. Children attend full-time school. The childminder ensures she finds out about their general well-being and passes messages on to parents. She has a general awareness of children's abilities, but does not share detailed information with schools about their progress in order to fully effectively promote continuity.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is currently only caring for children who attend school full time. The care they receive complements the structured educational provision of school. Children choose freely what they want to do and are encouraged to make decisions for themselves about activities. They are happy and sociable with their group of peers. They enjoy a suitable range of activities. They state that they like being able to lie on the sofa and relax watching television, showing that their need to unwind is met. Favourite activities include playing outside, especially on the trampoline, and dressing up. The childminder provides activities according to children's interests, so they enjoy their time playing at the setting.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has high expectations of children's behaviour, and as a result they behave well. They understand the rules, which include keeping themselves and others safe and being considerate to one another. They discuss, for example, 'no throwing and not hurting'. Behaviour management techniques are generally positive, and children are proud when they receive stickers. However, often the rules are phrased in a negative way, for example, 'not allowed'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to practise the skills they are learning in school, and helped to develop a good attitude to learning. The childminder raises their self- esteem by rewarding effort with praise and stickers. The older children have a positive impact on the care of the children in the early years age group, as they are kind and thoughtful and include the younger ones patiently in their games. Children have a good rapport with the childminder and her family, which helps them to feel settled and secure in her care. Children learn about their own safety and the safety of others. They confidently describe not going out into the garden or on the trampoline without first asking the childminder, and not going into the road because of the danger from cars. The childminder discusses the fire evacuation procedure with children. However, children have not practised a fire This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

drill to further support their understanding and to help the childminder identify any possible problems.

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and outcomes for children

Some children are beginning to show an understanding of healthy lifestyles and routines support this. They walk back from school and access challenging apparatus such as climbing frames and a trampoline in the garden. They follow appropriate hygiene routines and bring their own food, while the childminder provides drinks and fruit. 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 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: 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

 keep a record of any medicine administered to any child who is cared for on the premises together with a record of a parent/guardian/carer's consent. (Records to be kept) (also relates to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 20/12/2011

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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 section of the report. (Records to be kept) 20/12/2011

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