Butler, Sarah

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY350245 Inspection date 11/01/2012 Inspector Lindsay Farenden

p.1

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.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 2007. She lives with her husband, an adult child and a school-aged child in Carshalton in Surrey. The ground floor of the house is used for childminding. The main play area is a playroom which leads to a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a small pet dog, three geckos and a lizard.

p.4

Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. There are currently four children on roll in this age range. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

p.4

Description of the childminding

The childminder collects children from local schools, attends local toddler groups and takes children to the local library and parks. She has a recognised childcare qualification.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

All children relish their time in this very child-centred provision where the childminder provides highly effective care and learning opportunities. The childminder recognises and values the uniqueness of each child and provides a fully inclusive service. Overall, close working relationships with parents lead to continuity of care and learning. The childminder uses self-evaluation highly effectively to indentify the strengths and areas for improvement in the provision and constantly strives to improve the outcomes for children in her care.

p.4

further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

p.4

further?

 involving parents further in their children's learning and development, for example, by inviting them to contribute to their learning journals.

p.4

the early years provision

The childminder places a very strong emphasis on safeguarding children. She has attended child protection training and, as a result, has a very thorough understanding of her legal duties and responsibilities with regards to safeguarding issues. She takes positive steps to check that all adults having contact with the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children are suitable to do so. She gives extremely high consideration to children's safety and undertakes comprehensive risk assessments of both her home and for each individual outings. Children have a very good understanding of the procedures to follow in the event of fire because they regularly practise the evacuation drill.

p.4

the early years provision

Children's care and learning is greatly enriched by the childminder's enthusiasm and commitment to her work. She uses her detailed records, policies and procedures to very effectively promote the welfare of the children. She has a level three qualification in childcare and attends regular training to keep up to date with current childcare practices. Her professional approach to childminding is demonstrated well by the way in which she uses self-evaluation to continually improve her childminding practice.

p.5

the early years provision

The childminder makes excellent use of space. One room is set up as a dedicated playroom which is extremely welcoming for children with posters, photographs and examples of their artwork. The childminder devotes her time to the children when they are present and clearly enjoys her role. She provides an excellent range of resources which are very attractively stored in drawers with pictures clearly showing what is in them. Children's independence is encouraged extremely well as they are able to make choices about what they play with, building on their natural curiosity as learners. They use a superb range of toys and books which reflect positive images of all aspects of society. This helps them to acknowledge and accept diversity.

p.5

the early years provision

Good relationships with parents contribute to inclusion and meeting the needs of children well. The childminder actively seeks parent's views about their child's needs and interests during the settling-in period and on a regular basis throughout their time at her provision. She keeps them well informed of their child's day through discussion and a notice detailing activities, songs and stories that they have enjoyed. She makes sure that parents know how their children are progressing and developing. They receive a written progress report every three months and take their children's learning journals home for the weekend so that they can look at them. However, they are not fully involved in supporting their children's learning and development because the childminder does not invite them to contribute to their learning journals. Results from parent questionnaires show they are very pleased with the childminding service provided.

p.5

the early years provision

Children are highly respected as individuals and the childminder provides a fully inclusive provision for all children. The childminder learns some words in the language that children speak at home and uses the world map to talk about their countries of origin. She has established highly effectively partnerships with other agencies to provide a shared approach to children's care and learning. She liaises closely with children's schools and obtains information on the topics they are doing at school. She uses this information very effectively to plan complementary activities to enhance children's learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.5

and outcomes for children

Children feel very safe and secure in the care of this experienced and dedicated childminder. The childminder interacts very well with them and spends a lot of time playing with them. Children's behaviour is exemplary because they are constantly occupied and receive frequent praise and encouragement. They thoroughly enjoy their time and are very relaxed and happy. They very much enjoy dressing up and making dens. They use their imaginations very well as they pretend to cook meals using a large play kitchen unit and take dolls for walks. They develop their problem solving skills as they do puzzles and have great fun developing their numeracy skills as they count how many toy animals they can find. They weigh ingredients and follow diagrams when they cook and explore whether objects float or sink in the water tray. The childminder actively encourages them to develop a love of books. For example, they have fun looking

p.6

and outcomes for children

at books in dens and find stories relating to their favourite toys. They listen to stories with fascination as the childminder uses puppets to bring them to life.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children express themselves highly effectively through an extensive range of creative materials. For example, they explore paints, various drawing materials and make bark rubbings. They learn about recycling as they use junk for making models. They enjoy taking part in a very wide range of activities that help them learn about their own celebrations and various other cultural festivals. For example, when they celebrate Chinese New Year they set up the role-play area as a Chinese restaurant, find out about Chinese writing, make lanterns and use Chinese parasols. They learn about the wider world through outings. These include trips to toddler groups, farms, the library and a Chinese supermarket. They enjoy finding out about nature. They go on nature walks where they observe squirrels and birds and collect leaves. They enjoy growing vegetables and flowers in the garden.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children are provided with an excellent range of planned topic activities but also have plenty of time to play freely. As a result, they make excellent progress in all areas learning and develop excellent skills for the future. The childminder makes highly worthwhile observations of children at play. She skilfully evaluates these and uses them to plan an extensive range of experiences to support each child in their next step of learning. She maintains high quality learning journeys for each child. These include photographs of children doing activities and examples of their artwork. They show that children are making excellent progress in relation to their starting points.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The childminder actively helps children to develop healthy lifestyles. They receive plenty of fresh air as they play in the garden and frequently go for walks in the local park. They have numerous opportunities to develop their physical skills as they use large apparatus in the park and visit soft play centres. The childminder is very aware of the importance of providing children with nutritious home-cooked meals so that they adopt healthy eating habits from a young age. Children are learning highly effectively about personal hygiene. They wash their hands very enthusiastically and sing songs about washing germs away They learn to keep This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 themselves safe as the childminder teaches them how to cross roads safely and the dangers of rivers. She reinforces this by using posters and leaflets. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.6

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

p.8

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

p.8

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

p.8

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

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9