Childminder in Cheshire East

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 304531 Inspection date 18/01/2012 Inspector Sarah Rhodes

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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 1996. She lives with her husband and one adult child in Middlewich, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play. She has a rabbit as a pet.

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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, no more than three of which may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She collects children from the local school and goes to several toddler groups regularly.

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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 enjoy a homely environment where they can develop in confidence and become social children with busy and inquisitive minds. The childminder has implemented the Early Years Foundation Stage and records children's development in a broad way. Systems for evaluating the provisions strengths and weaknesses and driving improvements are being developed. The childminder is well organised and has produced a wide range of written documents which help the smooth running of the setting. Good links are made with parents with a frequent exchange of both verbal and written information.

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further?

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

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further?

 update the record of risk assessments for the premises to include the garden (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). 01/02/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 consolidate the use of the learning journeys in the monitoring of children's progress towards all the aspects of the Early Learning Goals  develop the use of self-evaluation as part of an internal review to inform planning of future improvements  develop links with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers to ensure continuity of care and education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded as the childminder is committed to keeping up to date with safeguarding issues through attending training. She has a clear knowledge of what would constitute a child protection concern and who she would seek advice from, in line with government guidelines. This helps to ensure children are protected from harm or neglect. She maintains a safe and secure building. Risk assessments have been undertaken for the building and outings. The risk assessment for the garden has not been included on the written record as required by the Early Years Foundation Stage. All other required documentation is in place. Children are encouraged to keep themselves safe as the childminder reminds them of simple precautions, such as tiding toys away and all children are included in the emergency evacuation practises and road safety training. All adult household members have been notified to Ofsted and visitors are supervised.

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the early years provision

The childminder has attended the required training and is committed to attending further training when courses become available. The childminder has started to reflect on the setting's strengths and areas for improvement in an informal way. This has helped to highlight the changes she would like to implement, for example, expanding the range of plants grown with the children and developing her observation and assessment paperwork. Feedback from parents is frequently sought through discussion and children's summary assessments. The childminder is committed to developing the service she provides and formalising self-evaluation to set and monitor targets for improvement, thus she has a good capacity to improve further.

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the early years provision

The childminder reflects on how she organises her provision and concentrates on how to make each child's time with her the best learning experience it can be. She is aware of parents' feelings and their need for good quality information about their child's care. She has a range of policies which parents receive in a parent pack. This ensures that parents are clear about how the childminder operates right from the beginning of the placement and they can refer back to these policies whenever they need clarification. Daily diary sheets and verbal exchanges on collection are used to keep a two way flow of information between the parents and the childminder. The forward-planning board is accessible to parents to give them information about activities taking place at the setting. Parents also see and discuss their child's learning journey file, which helps their awareness of their child's progress and activities they have undertaken.

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the early years provision

The childminder has not exchanged information about children's progress with other Early Years Foundation Stage providers where a child attends two settings and this limits her ability to review if the settings complement each other in providing balanced learning opportunities. The childminder understands the needs of the individual children she cares for and has organised her play space to allow children easy access to a range of appropriate high quality equipment both inside and outside. She is confident about working in partnership with other professionals where this becomes necessary and is aware of the need to adapt her practice and the environment to accommodate children with additional needs or English as a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 second language. This ensures that no child is disadvantaged and all children have their needs met effectively.

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and outcomes for children

The provision for children's learning, development and welfare is good. Each child has a file which contains all their details and a second file which contains a range of observations about their activities and development. The observations she records are related to the six areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage as she uses them to support her periodic summary of children's progress recorded under the six areas of learning. Children's interests and events they are involved in, feed into planning of subsequent activities, for example, activities based on fire prevention after a routine fire safety visit by the fire service. This allows the childminder to develop a good picture of children's general development. She has shared all this information with parents and they can add their perspective on their child's development to the assessment. However, this assessment system does not currently provide a way to easily monitor children's progress towards all the

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and outcomes for children

aspects of the different Early Learning Goals for their age range.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the bright and welcoming environment. The main playroom promotes their independence as they can select toys for themselves from the boxes and low level units. A constant stream of conversation and singing means that the children have a rich verbal environment to support the acquisition of speech. The children are encouraged to value books and enjoy interactive story sessions with the childminder. They are able to start to mark make with a range of chalks, pens and paints. They enjoy a wide range of craft work and enjoy making tactile displays, for example, of letters of the alphabet. Routine activities are used to extend children's learning, for example, counting cars they are playing with or looking at the number which make the date on the weather board. Discussions about the weather and growing plants from seed to picking and eating the fruits, helps children understand seasons and enhances their understanding of nature.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop links with the local community visiting a number of toddler groups and the library. They develop their knowledge of cultures and beliefs through activities. Children have access to larger equipment in the garden and at local parks giving them the opportunity to develop their balancing and climbing skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is also promoted through the provision of healthy and varied snacks and light lunches. Clear procedures about hygiene, both personal hygiene and hygiene of the home allows children to develop a clear understanding of hygiene practices. The childminder manages the children's behaviour in a very positive way, praising the children, using distraction and keeping them well occupied. Older children are helped to reflect on how their actions affect others. Children are well supported in making good progress in developing skills for the future and the move to nursery or school when the time comes. 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 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 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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