Copp Gertrude Billie Louise

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 204187 Inspection date 20/07/2011 Inspector Clementina Ogunsanwo

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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 1978. She lives with her husband and one son aged 21 years in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding and 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 four children at any one time and is currently minding three children in the early years age range all day and one child over five before school. The childminder walks to and from local schools to drop off and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/toddler group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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 happy and settled well in the childminder's care. She regularly uses observations of children's achievements and is beginning to use some of this information to plan appropriate activities to help them to progress. She keeps parents regularly informed about what their children are doing and obtains information about their needs and routines on a regular basis, which is subsequently used in planning the children's daily care and learning requirements.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

All the paperwork required for effective care of the children is in place and are used well to address the personal needs of the children. The childminder has completed an accurate self-evaluation of her practice and is committed to improving and developing her service.

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further?

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

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further?

 use observations more consistently to plan for individual children and match these to the expectations of the early learning goals  extend the range of opportunities for children to develop knowledge of the wider world.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded because the childminder has a clear and detailed policy which explains her responsibilities. She has completed safeguarding training and is aware of her responsibility to refer any concerns she may have about children's welfare to the relevant safeguarding authority. She has all the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 necessary information to take the appropriate action if required. Children are cared for in a safe, secure and well-maintained environment. A detailed risk assessment has been carried out on all parts of the property and the childminder conducts daily checks to ensure that the environment is safe for children. When taking children to a local fire station, she conducts a risk assessment prior to the visit. The childminder has detailed, written set of policies to cover many aspects of her service. All policies are well maintained, regularly reviewed and accessible. She

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the early years provision

maintains an accurate record of children's hours of attendance and obtains prior parental permission for the administration of medication.

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the early years provision

Resources are well organised. The environment is bright and attractive. Children play in the main living room, which is being used as a dedicated playroom. Toys are arranged in low-level crates to enable children to access them independently. The outside area has a paved area and soft grass area, which supports the children's play opportunities. Children are encouraged to share resources and are able to play cooperatively with each other. The childminder has some resources which reflect our diverse world, although the use of discussions and visual resources to actively extend older children's knowledge of the wider world is limited. The childminder exchanges information with parents on a daily basis and shows them the records she keeps on their children's development. Parents are given the policies when they start to keep them informed and are encouraged to share details about their children's development through the 'all about me' booklet.

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the early years provision

Systems for sharing information about children's learning and development when they attend other settings are well established to ensure continuity. The childminder is committed to developing her service and has implemented improvements since the previous inspection. For example, she now has a detailed complaints policy. She meets with other local childminders, the registered childminding association and the children's centre to keep up to date and improve her practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very settled and contented in the childminder's care. They are provided with a wide range of enjoyable activities and games. Toys are easily accessible in the playroom and craft and messy activities are regularly provided. Children's direct access to the garden area ensures continuity of play within the indoor and the outdoor play environment. Regular visits to the local library and toddler group extend the children's play opportunities. The childminder regularly makes observations of children's play and records the children's acquisition of key skills, such as, counting, name and shape recognition and letter formation using a checklist system. However, the use of this information to plan activities to help children to progress is in the early stages of development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and relaxed with the childminder and clearly communicate their needs and feelings, which are promptly addressed. The childminder notes when they develop new vocabulary. She talks to them positively to extend their language development. Books are accessible and well used. Children develop manipulative skills as they learn to build towers using a range of construction sets, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 which help children to make use of their imagination. They are able to express themselves as they play with small world toys to recreate road and rail layouts. They are developing counting skills through regular counting games and activities, which are facilitated well by an adult.

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and outcomes for children

Children's learning and development are promoted well through regular game sessions and lively discussions. For example, purposeful game sessions during which children put together the different parts of a 'bug' enable the children to develop awareness of an insect's feature. Staff's active engagement and facilitation through ongoing dialogue, prompts and questions makes learning fun and meaningful. Similarly, active discussions on game rules, the starting and finishing points of games and adults good modelling of positional language, enable the children's acquisition of new vocabulary.

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and outcomes for children

Children cooperate well with each other and enjoy each others company. They are developing independence skills as they are able to make choices of activities, games and have easy access to a range of resources which facilitate their independent learning. Toddlers are able to develop coordination and space awareness as they crawl and walk around the play room. The childminder actively supervises their movement which ensures their safety at all times. Good use is made of visits to the local park, nature centre and fire station to develop the children's awareness of helpful community members and environment features.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is promoted as they go out for walks regularly to get fresh air. This complements their outdoor physical play opportunities. Good hygiene procedures are in place to prevent the risk of infection. The childminder implements a regular hand washing routine so that children learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. Children's drinks are easily accessible for them and parents provide snacks and meals which are generally healthy. Children learn to keep themselves safe as the childminder talks to them about issues, such as road safety and gives explanations about safety when they play, for example reminding older children to tidy up resources after game sessions. Children have developed warm and harmonious relationships with the childminder and so feel safe and relaxed in the setting. They are learning to count, explore number operations and are developing a love of books and form which is developing their learning skills for

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and outcomes for children

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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