Hynds, Karen

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY430501 Inspection date 05/12/2011 Inspector Jan Leo

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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 2011. She lives with her husband and young child in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The whole house is used for childminding, and there is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to accept a maximum of five children under the age of eight years at any one time and of those, no more than two may be in the early years age group. The childminder currently cares for a total of six children including three who are in the early years age group and one who is over the age of eight years. The children attend on a full-time, part-time and ad-hoc basis.

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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 children are well served by this provision because the childminder promotes equality and diversity effectively to help children make good progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder makes good use of resources to keep children well occupied and consequently their behaviour is impeccable. All aspects of health and safety are robust and children develop a strong sense of belonging. Firm relationships exist with parents and children's other carers to help maximise the effectiveness of the learning and development programme. The childminder is committed to driving improvement, linking with other childcare professionals and consistently adapting her service to help maintain continuous improvement. Although some aspects of self-evaluation are still evolving, the childminder has an accurate understanding of her strengths and weaknesses and meets the needs of those who use her service.

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further?

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

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further?

 apply a whole setting approach to self-evaluation in order to identify clear objectives for development that will maintain or improve the quality of provision for all children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very secure understanding of child protection issues, having completed safeguarding training to familiarise herself with the procedure to follow if concerns arise. She conducts robust risk assessments and supervises children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 diligently, helping develop their understanding of safety as they play. The childminder uses good quality interaction to help children know what she expects and make sense of what they see. As a result, all develop a strong sense of belonging and feel safe in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder gets to know the children well in order to create individual development plans to help narrow any gaps in achievement. She spends all her time successfully supporting the children at a level to suit their individual needs, actively promoting equality and respecting diversity. For example, the childminder sits on the floor to join in games, talking to some about what they might do, helping those less confident by showing them how and enveloping the very young in her arms to build on their feeling of belonging while helping them join in.

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the early years provision

The resources and environment are used very effectively to support children's learning and development. Equipment is stored at low level to encourage children to access it freely and they show interest in everything around them. The children choose what to do, selecting favourite books when the childminder reads them a story and opting to play with a balloon when they want a change of activity. The children share equipment fairly, learn to treat toys gently to avoid damage and willingly help pack away at the end of an activity to keep pieces together and help sustain the resources in good condition.

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the early years provision

Strong partnerships with parents, and children's other carers, when care is shared, help the childminder build effective care and development packages. This results in children making good progress and gaining in confidence. The childminder has plans for meetings to exchange information with adults, she provides clear documentation and is building good two-way communication through a daily diary system to keep parents and carers involved in the day and decision making processes.

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the early years provision

The childminder routinely evaluates her activities to identify better ways of implementing them and she constantly adapts practice to make it more effective and ensure good outcomes for children. She has high expectations and demonstrates an eagerness to drive improvements. The childminder links with other childcare professionals to share good practice and attends relevant training to continue her own development. Although the provision is good in all areas, systematic monitoring does not currently extend to the service as a whole to confirm user satisfaction and, to date, the childminder's efforts to encourage informal feedback from users has generated little response.

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and outcomes for children

The children show a real enthusiasm for participating in the activities because the childminder joins in play to build their excitement and make everything fun. For example, she uses her voice to express delight when children are nearing success and she sometimes wraps her arms around a child to draw them close before This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 toppling over and giggling together on the floor. The childminder is a good role model for the children to follow, remaining enthusiastic about all they do and providing a high level of attention to build their self-esteem. In turn, the children behave very well, sharing toys fairly with their peers, offering to hand a friend their drink, and showing concern if someone gets hurt.

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and outcomes for children

The children develop a healthy lifestyle by playing outside in the fresh air while developing their physical skills. They run around in the park, join in country walks and collect items for collages, learning to appreciate their local community by taking learning outside. The children follow good practice regarding hand washing and use individual bedding to prevent the spread of germs if they sleep. The childminder has a firm understanding of healthy eating and encourages children to eat balanced meals and snacks from an early age.

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and outcomes for children

Most children play together sociably and the childminder successfully helps the less confident feel welcome and part of the group. She interacts tirelessly to help the children make sense of things around them and effectively builds their social skills to help all fit in like part of a close family. The children work together to find pieces of a jig-saw puzzle and match the pictures to find out where they go. The childminder helps rotate the pieces and talks through what she does to develop positional language, encouraging the children to try to do things themselves to gain independence. The childminder builds the excitement as the puzzle grows and encourages all to clap and cheer when the last piece is in place. This shows that she values children's efforts, helping them take pride in what they do. The children move on to another activity, sharing out trains to push along a track and talking about the colour of the pieces to develop colour recognition in play. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder links learning very effectively to ensure it is relevant and meaningful and consequently, the children make good progress in all areas.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a stimulating range of technical toys to teach children about modern technology, reads stories from a range of books to suit all ages and interests and she sets appropriate challenges to encourage consistent progress. For example, she joins in singing when a child shows interest in the microphone and keyboard, singing simple words such as cat and car in different voices to make interesting sounds. She pauses for the child to copy and he obligingly does, promoting language practise without him realising. The children talk about foods at snack time, answer questions printed on the puzzle, and discuss animals and their features, showing interest in a wide range of topics from an early age. The childminder plans a varied programme to extend their interests and she monitors the success of all activities to maximise their value in the future. The childminder tracks children's progress well to decide on appropriate levels of support and

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and outcomes for children

challenges to help achieve their next steps, serving all children well in terms of their capabilities and starting points. 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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