Childminder in West Sussex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY428135 Inspection date 14/12/2011 Inspector Jill Steer

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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 2011. She lives with her husband in Shoreham, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding.

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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 whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding five children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder collects children from the local school and attends several activity groups on a regular basis. She is a member of the National Childminding 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

The childminder has a positive attitude towards developing and improving her practice but has not yet begun to evaluate the effectiveness of the service she provides. She provides suitable care and learning opportunities for children although the records of their developmental progress are not sufficiently detailed to identify the next steps in their learning. Care takes place in a secure, homely environment but records of risk assessments are not kept and not all required records and procedures are in place. Partnerships with parents are supportive and information is shared about children's care.

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further?

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

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further?

 keep a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation) 30/12/2011

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further?

 devise a procedure to be followed in the event of a child going missing and provide this information for parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 30/12/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop further the use of ongoing observational assessments of each child's achievements and interests and use them to provide relevant and motivating learning experiences that meet children's individual needs  develop the use of reflective practice and self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development that will continuously improve the quality of the provision for all children  record details of emergency evacuation drills in a fire log book and include any problems encountered and how they were resolved.

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the early years provision

The childminder is clear about her responsibility to protect children from harm and understands the procedure to follow should she have any concerns about their welfare. She checks her home is free from hazards by completing risk assessments of the house and garden. However, there is no record kept to show when and by whom these checks have been carried out to further safeguard children. In addition, although children are appropriately supervised the childminder has not yet considered a procedure to follow in the event of a missing child. These are breaches of requirements.

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the early years provision

The childminder is suitably experienced to care for young children and is keen to develop her knowledge of good childcare practice by planning to attend a range of training courses. However, she does not effectively evaluate her current practice to recognise what she is doing well and identify key areas for improvement. The childminder receives positive feedback from parents who say their children are happy in her care. She has developed sound partnerships with parents, providing a supportive and flexible service to them and their children.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is organised so that children have sufficient space to play and can easily access the suitable range of toys and resources. As a result, children are able to make independent choices in their play and learning which develops their confidence. Resources include positive images of cultural diversity, so children begin to recognise and respect difference. All children are clearly happy with the childminder who is calm and supportive which influences their ability to behave well and cooperate. The childminder is aware of each child's individuality and supports any additional care needs they may have. There are no children on roll who attend other settings or need additional support. However, the childminder is aware of the need to cooperate with other professionals to support children's development.

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and outcomes for children

Children happily choose what they want to play with from the wide selection of toys available which are stored on the floor so they can easily reach them. They This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 move from one toy to another, trying out things that catch their interest such as pressing the buttons and moving levers on a pop-up toy to make lights and sounds work, then start to build a tower with bricks. The childminder keeps up with the children's movements and offers suggestions and encouragement to maintain their developing concentration span. She talks to them as they play, using familiar language and naming the toys to help increase their vocabulary and engage them in the activities. Children enjoy looking at books and the childminder sits with them close by her to read the stories and look at picture books together. The children giggle as they stroke the fluffy sheep and the childminder names the animals and

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and outcomes for children

makes their sounds for the children. She asks them to point to various animals as they turn the pages and some children can point them out.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder takes photos of the children at various activities and records them in individual learning journals to show what they have been doing. However, she does not include the areas of learning these activities cover and does not include observations of what the children are have done and achieved. This does not provide sufficient information for the childminder to plan the next steps in each child's development and learning. Some planning is in place such as making Christmas cards and gifts for the children's parents or cooking activities, but most of the time children make their own decisions about what they want to do. Children regularly go out to the park where they pick up fallen leaves. They visit soft play centres, enabling the children to practice their developing physical skills in safe surroundings. Indoors some children enjoy 'working out' to computer sports games which along with playing some children's television games on the computer

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and outcomes for children

helps them develop skills for the future and enjoy keeping fit.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy healthy fruit for snacks which they eat sitting at a child height table together. Drinks are readily available for them when they are thirsty. Children learn when to wash their hands; they understand they must cover their mouths when they cough. Praise and reinforcement teaches children about developing good personal hygiene habits, which along with outdoor and physical activities contributes to leading a healthy lifestyle. Under the supervision of the childminder the children generally behave well and are beginning to learn to share and take turns. Her support helps them learn to consider the needs of other people and how to behave to keep everyone safe such as sitting on their chairs properly. When they are out the childminder helps them wear reins, or reminds them to hold the buggy. She keeps them with her at all times so they are always under her supervision. 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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