Childminder in Tameside

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY425922 Inspection date 22/11/2011 Inspector June Oliver

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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 2011. He lives with his wife, who is also a registered childminder, and two children age 10 and 16 in Denton, Manchester. The whole of the ground floor and a covered veranda is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight years, no more than three of which can be in the early years age group. When working with a co-minder they may care for a maximum of 12 children under eight years old, no more than six may be in the early years age range. They currently care for six children in this age range all who attend on a part time basis. They also offer care for children over five years old. Both childminders have equal responsibility for the childminding practice. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years and compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to take children to local schools. The family have chickens and guinea pigs as pets. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 made good progress towards the early learning goals. They form good relationships with the childminder and his co-worker and this ensures children are happy, settled and interested. Activities and resources are designed to meet children's individual learning needs, although there is room to improve some aspects of planning and assessment. Parents are kept fully informed about what their children are doing and information is collected from them at their children's registration. This ensures their individual needs are provided for well. Effective processes are in place to evaluate the activities and provision to ensure the childminder is meeting the needs of the children and families. A comprehensive set of policies and procedures are in place to support practice.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure daily opportunities are provided for children to practise and extend their skills in problem solving, reasoning and numeracy  strengthen the links between planning and assessment systems to clearly show how children's individual next steps are to be planned for to offer sufficient challenge and maximise their learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded well at this setting as the childminder has a good knowledge of local policies and procedures. He has attended training and has up- to-date contact numbers should he have a concern about a child in his care. The childminder ensures children stay safe by supervising their play. Attendance, medical and accident records are in place to provide further protection. Risk assessments are completed to ensure the environment is safe and to ensure children are kept safe on outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder evaluates his practice to ensure he is meeting the needs of the children in his care. He has identified areas for improvement which will raise outcomes for children. For example, he has identified that a training course on food hygiene will ensure he keeps children healthy as he is responsible for cooking in the setting. After evaluating the activities offered the childminder has recently provided more resources for children to enable them to copy the routines of their teachers when playing schools, such as attendance registers. Activities are evaluated regularly with his co-minder to ensure they meet the required learning objective and are of interest to the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder supports children's learning well as he has good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Resources are organised to enable children to select what they want to do. This helps to promote their independent learning and to enable them to make good progress in their learning. There is a good variety of resources for the children to play with, such as, drawing equipment, soft play equipment, musical toys and walkers. The childminder encourages children to help on the allotment to extend their learning. For example, he shows children how to plant seeds and how to look after them. He readily adapts activities to enable all children to participate. For example, he supervises children to feed the chickens and guinea pigs and helps the younger ones.

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the early years provision

The childminder has formed good relationships with the parents of the children he cares for. Parents' written comments suggest they are very happy with the provision and feel they are well informed using the daily diaries and they like the home-cooked food that their children are provided with. The childminder collects information about children's starting points and their dietary and medical needs. This enables the childminder to meet their individual needs effectively. The childminder informs parents about their child's day using diaries and talking to them. They are kept informed about the activities their child has participated in and their food, drink and sleep patterns. Children's learning journals are shared to enable parents to be informed about progress and to enable them to support their learning. The childminder has formed purposeful relationships with the school that he collects from. This further supports children's learning and development.

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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 have good opportunities to learn how to be healthy at this setting. They learn about healthy food as they enjoy home-cooked food that includes fresh vegetables and eggs collected from the family's allotment. For example, they enjoyed beef stew with vegetables and dumplings for dinner. Children can have fruit to eat when they are hungry and always have access to their drinks. Young children learn about hygienic care routines and readily offer their hands to be wiped before food. They learn about resting as children have quiet play after lunch or settle down easily for a nap. For example, some children sit and watch a television programme and others read a book. Children's physical development is promoted very well as children can exercise inside or outside. They run around and play football in the garden or help in the allotment and use the soft play equipment and the ball pool inside.

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and outcomes for children

Children feel safe and are settled as their needs are met. Children are confident and move around the setting freely because the childminder has ensured it is safe. For example, children move between the two playrooms and the veranda independently, selecting their own activities. They learn about fire safety as the smoke alarms are tested regularly and the emergency evacuation of the premises is practised. Children learn about using tools correctly and safely as they use cutters with the play dough and spoons while eating lunch. They learn about road safety when enjoying trips and outings and the childminder ensures their safety by holding their hands or keeping them safe in the buggy.

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and outcomes for children

Children's behaviour is very good in the setting because of the consistent boundaries. Older children have been involved in making up the ground rules to ensure they make sense to them and to ensure everyone stays safe. This enables children to explore the environment confidently. Children are learning about differences and diversity using a range of resources, such as, books, puzzles, dolls and small world figures. They are starting to learn about cultures and beliefs as they celebrate some festivals and birthdays together, although this is not yet fully supported. Children are praised for good manners, efforts and achievements.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress towards the early learning goals because the childminder plans activities to follow their interests and next steps. The childminder observes children's play and uses this information to make assessments and identify next steps. However, planning and assessments are not always formalised and this means that activities offered may not always meet individual learning objectives or consistently cover the six areas of learning. Children's learning journals contain photographs, narratives linked to the areas of learning and next steps. Children are learning about information and technology using a good range of resources, such as electronic toys, children's computers and interactive books. They are learning acceptable mathematical skills as children use shape sorters, although there are fewer opportunities for children to hear and use counting in everyday activities. Children are developing effective communication skills as they

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and outcomes for children

use words to convey meaning. For example, children respond when asked if they would like snack. Children are developing their listening skills as they listen to a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 story and their early writing skills as they use their hand-eye coordination to bang the drum. They learn about the wider world as they go on walks and go out into the community. These also help to develop children's skills for the future. 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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