Hereford Sixth Form College

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 143929 Inspection date 08/12/2011 Inspector Lorna Hall

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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 registered in 1992. She lives with her husband and three adult children in Streatham Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding. Shops, schools, parks and public transport are within walking distance. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time; of these, no more than three may be in the early years age group. There are currently two children on roll in the early years age group. The childminder collects children from local schools and goes to several toddler groups.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder has a sound understanding about safeguarding issues, though she misses an opportunity to teach children about home safety in an emergency. Children are broadly content and build secure relationships with the childminder. She works reasonably well to meet most of the children's needs. They make satisfactory progress in their learning, though systems to assess this and share information with parents are not fully effective. The childminder maintains suitable documentation to support most of her work, though risk assessments lack all the required detail. All the recommendations made at the last inspection are met, demonstrating that the childminder has sufficient capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation). 08/12/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the use of observations and assessments to plan for the next stage in the children's learning and involve the parents in the process so they can contribute to their child's progress This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  practise regular emergency evacuations of the home with the children, to become aware of any problems and extend children's understanding of how to stay safe.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of safeguarding and knows who to report concerns to, in order to help protect children. Most of the records required for the safe and efficient running of the service meet requirements. However, the risk assessment record lacks all required information. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement. Since the childminder keeps the home safe this will have little impact on the children. Within the home, the childminder fits safety devices, such as fire alarms and fire blankets to promote safety. Parents receive information about the care and exclusion of children who are ill. This minimises the spread of infection and helps to keep children healthy. Suitable systems are in place to ensure children receive the correct treatment in an emergency or if they need medication.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a satisfactory range of resources to promote learning. She uses some resources to promote the children knowledge and understanding of different cultures and religion. The childminder organises her home appropriately so the children can engage in free and structured play. The childminder is reasonably motivated and committed about her work. Links with others in her community enable her to seek advice and access appropriate training. Through adequate self-evaluation, the childminder reviews and reflects on her service. She is able to maintain satisfactory continuous improvement.

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the early years provision

Parents receive an appropriate range of information from the childminder about the business arrangements, policies and procedures. The childminder enjoys a sound relationship with parents. During the settling period, the childminder gathers information about the children and their families to help her care for them appropriately. She works flexibly to adapt her service to meet individual needs. The childminder seeks parents' views through questionnaires and she uses their contributions to help her reflect on her practice. However, the childminder does not discuss fully the children's progress towards the early learning goals with parents so that they can be involved in their child's learning. Despite this weakness, parents are full of praise for the advice and service they receive. The childminder is aware of the need to work in partnership with any other settings if the need arises in order to promote continuity in children's care and learning.

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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 make satisfactory progress in a warm, clean and welcoming environment. The children can access resources at all times since the childminder organises the space reasonably well. Children build sound relationships with the childminder and frequently include her in their play. Children are broadly content, behave well and engage in activities appropriate to their age and stage of development. They access resources that support their interests. For example, home corner resources are always available because the children love to pretend to cook. Children take part in activities to help them respect similarities and differences. On trips out to local groups they take dishes of food relating to their own family culture to share with others.

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and outcomes for children

Children make some progress in their communication, language and literacy. They enjoy looking at books and listening to songs. They are able to use instruments to play along to action songs. Children practise early writing and create books all about themselves. This promotes the children's self-esteem. Activities such as puzzles encourage children to solve simple problems as they carefully put the pieces in the correct place. The children are steadily developing some skills to support their future learning. The childminder carries out some observations and assessments of the children's achievements in the six areas of learning. However, she does not always keep up to date with these observations or use them to plan how to support the next step in the children's learning. Children show they feel safe in the way they maintain eye contact and frequently cuddle or bring toys to the childminder. The children move safely around the

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and outcomes for children

home, choosing to play in different rooms. Although there is an emergency evacuation plan in place, the children do not practise it to help them become of aware of how to stay safe. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious snacks as part of a healthy life style. This helps them make choices about which foods are good for them. Parents provide a packed lunch for their children the childminder stores the food safely. Every day the children have many interesting opportunities to engage in physical play to encourage them to enjoy fresh air and exercise. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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