King James's School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 121687 Inspection date 02/12/2011 Inspector Janet Thouless

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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 1999. She lives with her partner, teenage children and adult children in Thames Ditton, Surrey close to shops, parks, the library, several playgroups and three local primary schools. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding, with the exception of the bedrooms. There is a garden for outdoor play. The family have two terrapins.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of these no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding four children in this age group. She also offers care to children in the older age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder holds a degree in Education and Psychology.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder collects children from the local school and attends the local toddler groups on a regular basis. She is a member of an approved childminding network.

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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 cared for in a safe, secure and very welcoming family home where the childminder knows them well and acknowledges them as unique individuals. As a result, children are settled and enjoy their time with the childminder. Their learning and development needs are mostly promoted to an exceptional standard. The childminder works in close partnership with parents to identify and meet children's individual needs. She has a good understanding of her strengths and areas for future development and there is good capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 extending further opportunities for children to become involved in writing for different purposes.

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the early years provision

The childminder is clear about her responsibility to safeguard children and is aware of signs that a child may be at risk of harm. This enables her to follow the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 appropriate procedures should she ever have concerns about a child in her care. The childminder implements a comprehensive range of polices and procedures which are used to underpin her practice. Risk assessments are completed for the home, garden and places they visit to identify and address any potential hazards and make sure they are safe for the children. The good relationship the childminder maintains with parents ensures that there is an open exchange of information with them to further assist in safeguarding children. Effective use of self-evaluation helps the childminder to identify her strengths and priorities for future development to improve the quality of her provision for all children. She has

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the early years provision

attended a wealth of training to improve the quality of her provision and promote outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very committed to the children for whom she cares and creates a welcoming home environment where they feel safe and fully included. Toys and resources are displayed to their best advantage to allow children to participate fully. She ensures that all activities are accessible to all the children and adapts activities to meet children's individual needs. As a result, children's independence and choice is promoted. The childminder provides opportunities for children to develop their awareness of all areas of diversity through toys and activities. Children enjoy looking at books in dual languages which raises awareness of scripts from different cultures.

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the early years provision

The childminder develops positive relationships with parents to ensure she knows the culture and background of each child and this contributes to inclusive practice, meeting their needs consistently and providing continuity of care. Parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress through daily discussions and daily diary Parents have access to children's profiles and photographs which the childminder has taken. Parents comment that they are extremely happy with the progress and care of their children. This enables parents to be fully involved and contribute to their children's record of achievement. Highly effective systems are in place to support the liaison with other childcare practitioners. For example, the childminder works with key persons from other setting to support children's developing independence skills.

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and outcomes for children

The children show exceptional enjoyment in coming to the childminders home because the activities provided are both interesting and fun and they are made to feel very secure in this homely environment. Consequently, they are well motivated and challenged and progress well in all areas of their learning. Planning for each child stems from the childminders sensitive observations of their interests, play and achievements, all of which are recorded in individual folders. The adult- led, planned activities are then accurately set at the right level for each child to ensure they each enjoy and achieve consistently at their own level and pace. Children are fully engaged and show high levels of interest in all that they do as they receive constant praise and reassurance. Children's behaviour is excellent as they respond well to the high expectations and consistently good example of the 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 their imaginations very well when taking on different roles in small world play. They chat happily as they pretend to be the farmer manoeuvring a vehicle to attach a horse box. Extremely worthwhile conversations take place on what horses eat, where they live and sleep and the importance of daily exercise. Children are very keen to communicate with the childminder and use language well to express their own thoughts and ideas, recalling a recent trip to the farm. When completing a number puzzle with the children the childminder uses skilful questioning to help them identify individual and groups of numbers. They know that five and five make ten and confidently count two groups of objects to make a given total. Children enjoy an abundance of creative media; they make reindeers from hand and foot prints and an autumn collage from leaves, acorns and fir cones. They proudly ask if they can take their farm picture home to share with

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and outcomes for children

mummy and daddy. Samples of children's creative work are displayed on the walls, creating a bright environment and instilling a sense of pride into each child. However, there are fewer opportunities for children to become involved in writing for different purposes. The childminder takes photographs of children participating in activities and displays these on a digital photo frame; children eagerly look at the photographs of themselves and their friends. This helps them to recall past events and feel fully included.

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and outcomes for children

The wide range of outdoor play experiences supports children's physical development and allows them to take acceptable risks in a safe environment. They enjoy walking across the wobbly bridge, climb the cargo net with confidence and develop their balancing skills on the stepping stones. When crossing the wobbly bridge younger children seek support from the childminder when unsure. Consequently, children are being to develop a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Children develop exceptional understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children sit together at snack and lunch times and enjoy participating in many worthwhile conversations about healthy eating options and the importance of exercise. They show exceptional awareness of hygiene routines as they know to wash their hands before and after eating, toilet routines and outdoor play. They benefit greatly from the many visits in the community to help them learn about

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and outcomes for children

their immediate environment. They attend singing groups, local parks and enjoy walks across local fields and woodlands collecting conkers, fir cones and leaves. These positive early years experiences provide children with an exceptional start in life to enable them to develop the skills needed for their future success. 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 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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