Padstow School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 122905 Inspection date 20/12/2011 Inspector Lorraine Sparey

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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 has been registered since 1997. The childminder lives with her husband, three adult children and her youngest child aged 15 years. They live in a five bedroom house in the Southfields area of Wimbledon, London. Minded children have access to the kitchen, lounge, the conservatory, a downstairs toilet, and a secure outdoor area. They can sleep in the lounge or in a ground floor bedroom.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both parts of the compulsory and voluntary Childcare Register. A maximum of four children under eight years may attend at any one time, of these, three maybe in the early years age group. There is currently one child on roll who is in the early years age group. The childminder takes children to a local playgroup, the library, park and to local shops on a regular basis. She is a member of the Wandsworth Childminders Association.

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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

Children are happy, settled and making steady progress in their learning. The childminder gathers some information from parents with regard to their welfare needs. However, there are less opportunities to discuss children's current interests or their progress towards the early learning goals. She plans and provides an adequate range of activities but she does not link these to children's interests and there is no system to ensure they cover all areas of learning. The childminder has addressed the previous recommendations and is developing her monitoring procedures to help her maintain continuous improvement. However, some of the systems to evaluate her practice are not sufficient to identify all areas that require improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 encourage a culture of reflective practice, self-evaluation and informed discussion to identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  plan appropriate play and learning experiences based on the children's interests and needs and ensure all areas of learning are covered equally  develop the two-way flow of information with parents to offer more opportunities for them to discuss their child's current interests and review their progress towards the early learning goals. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates sound awareness of safeguarding children. She has attended training to help her in identifying possible concerns and has developed a suitable policy. In addition she has documentation from the local authority to help her to follow the correct procedures if there are any concerns with regard to a child's welfare. The childminder completes risk assessments for her home, garden and the various outings she takes the children on throughout the week. This enables her to create a safe and secure environment and consider the risks when out of the home to promote children's safety.

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the early years provision

The childminder has some basic systems to monitor and evaluate her provision, some of which are more successful than others. For example, parental questionnaires give her and parents the opportunity to evaluate the service she offers. Regular visits from the local authority provide opportunities for her to critically evaluate her provision. As a result, the childminder has increased her resources that promote positive images of many aspects of our diverse society. The childminder has begun to use the Ofsted self-evaluation form. However, the childminder is not clear in identifying all the areas that require development. For example, increasing her knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good range of resources and interacts well with the children supporting them in their play. The childminder ensures that there is a good range of resources easily accessible to children to promote choices in their play. The space available is used well to create different play and learning opportunities both in the home and the garden.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents and carers are developing. The childminder has good settling in procedures to enable children to feel safe and secure. Parents are encouraged to share information about their children's individual needs and routines when they initially register their child. Ongoing informal discussions provide opportunities for both parents and the childminder to share information about the children. However, opportunities to share information about children's changing interests and development are not always maximised to support her in planning. There are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies. However, the childminder is aware of the need to work in partnership with the any other settings if the need arises.

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and outcomes for children

Children are content and settled in the childminders homely and nurturing environment. They participate in a range of age-appropriate activities throughout the week and have many opportunities to attend a variety of groups in the local This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 community. This enables the children to socialise with other children of similar ages and participate in a range of different play and learning opportunities. Children benefit from the childminder playing and talking with them, encouraging them in their learning. For example, the childminder encourages the baby to explore the pretend telephone. The child flaps their arms with excitement as it makes different sounds. The childminder extends this by suggesting who might be on the telephone and presses different buttons to maintain their interest. The childminder uses a book to encourage the child to press the buttons and listen to

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and outcomes for children

the various sounds it makes, such as a frog. She reads the story which supports children's language development and develops their interest in stories. Photographic evidence demonstrates children have opportunities to grow seeds and learn about the natural world. They have opportunities to develop their numeracy skills counting in everyday play. This supports children developing appropriate skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a basic awareness of the learning and development requirements. She is beginning to undertake observations and uses photographs to help her in this process. However, the information gathered is not used effectively to plan the next steps. The childminder is beginning to link activities and play opportunities to the various areas of learning. However, her methods do not ensure that all areas are covered equally or that children's interests are taken into account when planning activities.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning about healthy lifestyles. They are encouraged to follow appropriate hygiene routines. Parents provide children's meals and the childminder encourages them to have regular drinks. Children have plenty of opportunities to play and exercise in the fresh air. They visit the local park and use the garden for more physical activities. Children are learning about safety through discussion. For example, the childminder explains about road safety encouraging the children to stop when they see the red lights and cross the road when the green man lights up. They practise the evacuation procedures to help them to become familiar with what to do in an emergency. Children's behaviour is appropriate for their age and stage of development. The childminder regularly uses praise to encourage children to follow the simple house rules. They have opportunities to learn about the wider world through discussion, visiting the library and local children's centre where they

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and outcomes for children

have the opportunity to celebrate other festivals. 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 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 3 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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