Childminder in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY241144 Inspection date 21/10/2011 Inspector Tina Mason

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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 2002. She lives with her husband and three children aged 11, 13 and 15 years, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. The whole of the property is used for childminding. Accessibility to the premises is via a small step to the front door. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family have one cat and two guinea pigs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom, no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently five children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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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

The childminder provides children with warm, consistent care within a stimulating and inclusive environment. Detailed written policies and procedures contribute to the smooth running of the setting. Strong partnerships with parents, together with her good knowledge of children's individual needs, ensure that children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Generally good planning ensures children make good progress in their learning and development. Systems to promote children's welfare are effective and most safety measures are in place. The childminder consistently works to improve her provision through self- evaluation and further training, enhancing her childcare practice and promoting good outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the recording of risk assessments for the home and garden to include daily checks  improve the use of observations and assessments to identify learning priorities for each child.

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded as the childminder has clear policies and procedures for dealing with safeguarding issues, which are shared with parents. All members This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of her family have been appropriately checked. Risk assessments, together with regular emergency evacuation procedures, are carried out on a regular basis. However, the record of risk assessment does not include evidence of the daily checks carried out to further safeguard the children. When out with children the childminder helps them to learn about road safety and ensures that appropriate equipment is provided to promote children's safety and well-being. All required documentation is available, well maintained and confidentially stored.

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the early years provision

The childminder welcomes all families into her home and takes time to get to know individual children and their family background. This enables her to support their linguistic and cultural needs, helps them to settle, make good progress and involves parents in their children's learning. She provides parents with detailed information about her practice and children's daily routines and progress; for example, a port folio including polices and procedures is shown to new parents. Daily diaries, together with children's progress folders containing observations, photographs and monthly newsletters ensure that parents are kept fully informed about their children's day and progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder recognises the importance of making good use of the outdoor learning environment and ensures that children benefit from regular opportunities to enjoy fresh air and physical exercise in the garden and local parks. Appropriate protective clothing, allows children to enjoy the outdoors regardless of the weather conditions.The childminder's home is very well organised allowing children to be active and independent learners. Children can choose what they want to play with from a broad range of good quality toys and books which are readily accessible and include many positive images. Various posters, pictures and children's art work help to create a stimulating and child friendly environment in which children feel safe and confident.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a high level of ambition to provide good care for children. She uses self-evaluation and information from parent questionnaires to identify strengths and areas for improvement. She is proactive in continually improving her childcare knowledge by attending training courses and she has met recommendations made at her previous inspection. This further promotes good outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children form friendships and warm relationships in the care of the childminder. They feel safe and happy, showing their developing confidence and independence as they play. They contribute their thoughts and ideas, making clear requests to meet their interests, for example, during an art and craft activity they ask for more stickers to stick. They are starting to recognise different colours and shapes. The childminder has a clear awareness of children's individual preferences and ensures that they are constantly occupied. Children make good progress towards the early learning goals. and benefit from the warm interactions with the childminder. As a result, children are relaxed and secure in their environment. The childminder has a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of child development. The overall system for the observation, assessment and planning for children's

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and outcomes for children

progress is secure. Well presented individual visual learning journals and developmental summaries record children's individual progress well; however, a small weakness in the overall process is how the children's next steps in learning are used to inform the future planning. This is not fully supporting each child to their fullest potential.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop good hygiene routines and understand why they do things. They wash, rinse and dry their hands at appropriate times. Children follow age- appropriate instructions and behave well. The childminder gently reminds them about having good manners and being kind to each other. Children learn safe boundaries, for example, how to behave near the road and to use park equipment carefully. They benefit from fresh air, exercise and social opportunities during outings. Children enjoy regular baking activities, involving weighing and mixing, which prompts the use of mathematical language. Completing jigsaws and exploring a variety of shape sorting resources promotes children's problem solving and reasoning abilities, as well as developing their fine motor skills. All children have good opportunities to develop their creative skills as they enjoy role play, exploring play dough and taking part in a variety of arts and craft activities; for

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and outcomes for children

example, children enjoy experimenting with paint and wax crayons to make interesting patterns. Children show their developing understanding of everyday technology and how things work, for example, they play with a toy phones and computers.

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and outcomes for children

Children are welcomed into clean and well-kept premises where they have good space to play both indoors and outdoors. They are learning about the importance of good personal hygiene and are becoming increasingly independent in their personal care, for example, they know they must wash their hands after visiting the toilet and before meal times. Children do not attend when they are ill, which enables the childminder to protect others from illness. They enjoy physical play and have a variety of outdoor toys and resources to use in the rear garden. The childminder also takes them to the nearby park, where they can run about and enjoy exercise in the fresh air. Children also attend toddler groups with the childminder. This provides them with lots of opportunities to socialise with their peers. Children have good opportunities to learn about keeping themselves safe. They practise regular fire drills, this enables them to know what to do in the event

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and outcomes for children

of an emergency. 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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