Childminder in Lambeth

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY257705 Inspection date 16/01/2012 Inspector Linda Coccia

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and adult children in Streatham, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The ground floor of the house, an upstairs toilet and the master bedroom is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has chickens in the garden.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children aged under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age range. The childminder is currently minding three children in the early years age range.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local parent/toddler group and local childminding groups. 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder supports children's learning and development very well because she consistently reviews their progress. She provides a range of interesting activities which sustains their interest. She meets their individual care needs well and takes positive steps to keep them safe and secure. Overall, she has positive relationships with parents. She has addressed recommendations given at her last inspection and has good self- evaluation systems in place which help her maintain the continuous improvement of her setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen the regular two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise with all parents to help support and extend children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well-organised. She promotes children's well-being through her good understanding of child protection issues. She also has a detailed safeguarding policy which she shares with parents. All members of the childminder's family have This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 been vetted to help ensure their suitability to have contact with children. The childminder makes, and regularly reviews, thorough risk assessments to help ensure that children can play safely at all times. She maintains her regulatory paperwork well and obtains written permissions from parents for their children's individual care needs. For example, she records children's dietary requirements. The childminder evaluates her practice regularly. She has developed parent questionnaires to involve parents in her evaluation process. She has prioritised improvements that will have the greatest impact on the children. Her current

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the early years provision

priority is to ensure that she can provide appropriate activities and equipment to challenge children sufficiently. Children benefit from the childminder's good self- evaluation systems because she is able to identify areas for development that will improve outcomes for them. For example, recent improvements to the way in which the home is used mean that children now benefit from more free floor space. A varied range of toys and activities are readily available to children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding of equality and diversity. She has a good range of toys with positive images of race, culture and disability. The children enjoy learning different languages. They are also learning about different festivals throughout the year, such as Chinese New Year. The childminder's good attitude towards equality and diversity mean that children learn about each other's differences. She provides an inclusive service for all children and their parents. She has good procedures in place to work in partnership with other health and care providers. For example, she regularly plans learning activities with the children's key persons at their pre-schools. Children benefit from effective partnership working because they are consistently supported in a variety of areas. The childminder has good relationships with parents. Parents report that the childminder is reliable, flexible and most importantly that their children feel part of

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the early years provision

the childminder's family. They feel fully involved in their children's learning and are fully consulted about all aspects of their children's care. However, although some parents are actively involved in their children's learning this is not consistent. There is potential for the childminder to involve all parents by sharing more information, knowledge and expertise with them.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop close, caring relationships with the childminder and with each other. They happily talk about their feelings towards each other and the childminder. They show confidence as they initiate conversations with visitors. They are happy and settled and move around confidently. This shows how safe they feel in the childminder's care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are involved in an excellent range of activities to help them progress in their learning and development. They help to look after the chickens in the garden. They watch the hatching process and eagerly await the arrival of the new chicks. They collect the eggs and help to feed the chickens. Children are animated at story time as they select their favourite stories and act them out while the childminder reads them. They spontaneously count out items they are using, such as while This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 threading pasta to make a Chinese dragon. Their creative work is displayed on the wall or carefully pasted in their individual scrap books. Children are also spontaneous in their use of words from different languages. They practise counting in Spanish and proudly tell the childminder what they are doing. There are many opportunities for physical activity. The use of quality toys and an excellent variety

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and outcomes for children

of activities mean that children are fully engaged in their play.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is adept at combining the areas of learning to give the children the fullest experiences she can. Through the extensive selection of activities that children have access to they are developing an excellent range of skills for the future. The childminder's written observation records for each child are comprehensive and clearly shows children's individual abilities. She uses this information to plan for their individual learning needs. The records clearly show that children are making excellent progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children are adopting a healthy lifestyle through the use of excellent procedures to help them understand about healthy eating and physical exercise. They grow vegetables in the garden and regularly visit the local garden centre. They help the childminder prepare their snack by cutting up the fruit and serving themselves. They understand and follow the childminder's excellent personal care routines. For example, they know they need to sit down and rest following physical activity. Water is readily available in the playroom so that they can help themselves at any time. Children work well together. They share and take turns. They demonstrate that they know the childminder's house rules well and generally comply with them. They are polite to the childminder and follow instructions well. All children receive regular praise and encouragement from the childminder and, as a result, they have an enjoyable experience at the setting.

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and outcomes for children

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 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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