Hopkins, Beverley Anne

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY282835 Inspection date 21/11/2011 Inspector Amanda Tyson

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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 registered in 2004 and is on the Early Years register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and their two children aged eight and six years in Surbiton, Surrey. The home is located within walking distance of local shops, and parks and Christchurch Primary school. All areas of the childminder's home are available for childminding use. There is a ground floor toilet and enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

Registration is for five children under eight; of these no more than three may be in the early years age range, of whom one may be aged under one year at any one time. There are currently two children aged under eight on roll. Both attend full time school and one is still within the early years age range. The childminder has a lot of experience in caring for children with special educational needs and disabilities. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and works closely with local authority early years advisors.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder knows, understands and supports children's individual needs exceptionally well; they have been attending since they were babies. Children enjoy a wide range of activities which are tremendously good fun and they are very happy and settled. Self-evaluation is, overall, highly effective in identifying ways to further improve. Capacity for sustaining ongoing improvement is exceptionally strong and clearly demonstrated by the developments since the last inspection.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 obtaining a qualification to level 3 and beyond, particularly in relation to special educational needs.

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the early years provision

The childminder is extremely dedicated and immensely professional in her approach to childminding. Record keeping is highly effective as a tool for monitoring children's wellbeing and development. Risk assessment, along with the focus on teaching children how to keep themselves safe, successfully reduces accidents and incidents, such as a lost child situation, from occurring. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder's knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and procedures is highly secure and she works extremely effectively with parents and external agencies to support children with specific requirements, such as special educational needs and /or disabilities, and to safeguard and promote children's welfare. Equality and diversity is very successfully promoted within all aspects of the childminder's provision, for example by going the extra mile to equip all

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the early years provision

children with the skills to start school.

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the early years provision

When the childminder cares for young children, which she was doing until very recently, she ensures that they receive an excellent balance of community based activities, with time spent in the home environment. She understands the needs of school aged children very well and provides an environment that enables free choice and encourages outdoor and adventurous play. She has an excellent range of high quality play and learning resources which meet the differing needs and interests of preschool and school aged children. The childminder successfully applied for a local authority grant to develop her garden, which now features giant wooden growing and digging boxes, a large wooden sailing boat, covered wooden canopies to provide all weather play areas, a long arched pergola, a raised patio platform in the middle of the grass, climbing apparatus, and a delightfully equipped playhouse. Whilst still a working project, it is already a fantastic play

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the early years provision

Parents hold the childminder in the highest regard. They inform of her insurmountable support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, exceptional levels of patience, and understanding of children's unique dispositions, such as their interests, and anxieties about change. They appreciate the learning journey records immensely. The childminder works in complete partnerships with both parents, preschool and school teachers to support and plan for children's continuous learning. She is skilled in carrying out observational assessments and her documented evidence shows the amazing progress they make in her care very clearly.

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the early years provision

The childminder is a highly reflective practitioner who makes excellent use of self- evaluation to identify and target areas for improvement. Since the last inspection she has developed close links with the local children's centre and attended a range of training workshops. She makes good use of local childminding forums, reads early years publications and networks closely with other childminders to identify ways to further improve the outcomes for children. However, training opportunities to date have been more in the form of workshops. Her knowledge and experience of special educational needs is already high and she has the capacity to progress to a much higher level. The development of the garden is a reflection of her success in driving improvement. The ambitious plans for making safe and renovating the underground air raid shelter to offer children a living history experience, is set to turn this fabulous setting into a very unique one.

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely happy and settled and have a brilliant relationship with the childminder who they trust implicitly. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in the childminder's home. They help themselves to play resources and enjoy their play and learning immensely. The childminder knows each and every child extremely well. Her knowledge is acquired through high levels of information sharing with parents and other early years settings children attend, as well as through her observational assessments. These are astute, skilfully evaluated and matched to the expectations of the early learning goals so that talents and gaps are recognised and appropriately supported. Children have an individual learning plan, for example to encourage specific aspects of numeracy, self care, walking and eating solid foods. The childminder identifies and targets areas requiring additional support through strategies, such as taking the doll and pushchair on the

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and outcomes for children

walk to school, or introducing children to different food textures gradually.

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to share their news with the childminder when she collects them from school and enjoy a healthy snack before changing into dressing up costumes and launching themselves into exciting outdoor play which helps to keep them healthy and active and offers a wonderful compliment to their school day. They board the wooden sailing boat which takes them away to faraway places and dens are created using old blankets. Dressed as a popular cartoon character, a postman, fairy and wearing a traditional Chinese costume children play 'families' in the playhouse. On occasions this is transformed into a shop, restaurant and such like where menus and price lists are created on the blackboard. Children grow their own vegetables, which they pick and eat and enjoy collecting the apples off the childminder's tree to make a pie for tea. They have tremendous fun organising and performing their own enactments of popular fairytales and songs on the raised

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and outcomes for children

patio which they call 'the stage' with guitars, microphones and African bongos. Sometimes they go to the park, but the children enjoy the childminder's home environment so much this is their usual preference after school. During the holidays children benefit from a range of day trips to country parks and woodlands where adventurous play, such as tree climbing, is popular.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy art and craft activities and resources are constantly available for them to help themselves. They learn about wider world differences as they celebrate different festivals, such as Chinese New year, discover land marks and other features of countries around the world using an interactive globe, and access resources, such as dolls which depict ethnicity differences and dress up in culturally different costumes. The childminder exploits opportunities to develop children's understanding of disability issues whenever she can. For example, they all helped a child with a broken leg to put on their one shoe and inclusive play developed as they joined together to play hospitals with them being the doctors and nurses. Children have the space to indulge themselves in solo play, for instance dressed as a fairy they stand in front of the mirror pulling faces and twirling themselves around before suddenly deciding to join their friends.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate excellent understanding of safety and older children are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 brilliant at reinforcing the risks to younger children. For example, when they discover wild mushrooms they alert the childminder immediately, fetch a spade and help to carefully remove without touching them. They practice fire evacuation and are clear about what to do if, for example, they were upstairs and unable to get downstairs. Stranger danger and road safety are all reinforced through discussion and board games and when they are out and about. This is a delightful and highly progressive setting. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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