Childminder in Surrey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY348168 Inspection date 15/02/2012 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 2007. She lives in a residential area of Haslemere in Surrey with her adult child. Childminding mostly takes place on the ground floor of the home with sleeping facilities provided in a first floor bedroom. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The family has four cats.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, of whom not more than three may be in the early years age group. The childminder is currently caring for two children in the early years age group and provides after school care for two older children. The childminder also cares for her grandchildren on some days of the week. The childminder regularly takes children to the park, library, pet centre, toddler group and other places of interest.

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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

Children are treated with warmth and affection by the childminder who is committed to providing good quality care. They have their individual welfare needs met well and make good progress in their learning through a mostly balanced range of activities. The childminder's deployment of resources is mostly effective. She fosters successful relationships with parents. She demonstrates a sound capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend further the opportunities for children to explore numbers, counting and calculating through practical situations  extend further children's independence in selecting resources, with particular regard to accessing books  build on the existing range of resources to include those that reflect children's diverse backgrounds to help them gain a positive sense of their own identity. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety is clearly very important to the childminder. She has a secure understanding of safeguarding issues and the action she must take if she has any concerns. Risk assessments are completed and cover everything with which a child may come into contact with and these are reviewed as necessary. All adults in the home have been checked to ensure they are suitable to be in contact with the children. The childminder has thought about and initiated effective contingency plans in the event of an emergency. Children have sufficient space to move around and sit and play in comfort. They explore a good range of resources, most of which are arranged to be accessible. However the books are not so well organised to allow children to access these independently..

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the early years provision

The childminder works hard to meet the individual needs of the children in her care and to be as flexible as she can. For instance, she collects one child from home and takes them back again at the end of the day. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to promoting equality and diversity, providing children with many opportunities to find out about different religions, beliefs and cultures. This helps them begin to learn about the wider world. Some resources reflect positive images although there are less items that represent children's diverse backgrounds to help them gain a positive sense of their own identity.

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the early years provision

Parents are very pleased with the service offered as expressed in written references. One describes how the childminder 'is always polite and professional' and 'is very kind and caring with all the children'. Another reference states that they have the 'utmost confidence in her judgements and maturity and look forward to their chats about their child's day and development'. The childminder takes positive steps to ensure parents are fully informed. She supplements informal discussions with daily diaries and photographs. Parents are invited to share their views and are aware they can look at their child's learning journey whenever they wish. There are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies. However, the childminder is aware of the need to work in partnership with any other settings if the need arises.

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the early years provision

The childminder is clearly reflective and she sets goals for further development. These are in relation to how she can best support individual children, build on her own professional development and improve the environment. For instance, she is in the process of renovating her garden to create a more inviting and stimulating outdoor learning environment. Parents have been informed of her intended plans. The childminder has successfully addressed the issues identified for attention at her last inspection. These contribute in a positive way to children's health and safety and improved arrangements for supporting learning and development. The childminder maintains all of the required documentation. Records are stored securely to maintain confidentiality. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely happy and very settled in the company of the childminder. They display a strong sense of security and safety as a result of the good relationship they have with the childminder. Children behave well and respond positively to the childminder's enthusiastic praise, as demonstrated by their big beaming smiles. She shows genuine pleasure in children's achievements, such as when they correctly form the letters of their names.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides children with activities that reflect all areas of learning and enable them to gain the skills they need for future learning. Play dates with other children and attending organised groups enables them to socialise and explore their local community. They regularly go shopping. The childminder makes this a meaningful and fun experience by providing individual child-sized shopping bags and simple shopping lists in both written and pictorial formats. Children take part in a daily planned music and dance session to encourage their creative and physical development. The childminder's home provides evidence of many of the different projects children take part in. For instance, they have planted herbs and grown cress egg heads. They continue to explore growth and the living world as they care for these and observe how they change over time. There are many displays showing the children's participation in specific activities relating to recent

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and outcomes for children

festivals and special events. The childminder's good use of labelling helps children understand that print carries meaning. Babies explore simple problem-solving skills as they repeatedly place a toy figure in a car and take it out again. Older children display understanding of basic technology as they explain the need to press different buttons to make the lights on a truck come on. The childminder spends time talking and listening to children, which encourages their spoken language skills. She engages older children in conversation and acknowledges the sounds and gestures made by a baby. Older children remain fully engrossed for sustained periods of time as they complete a selection of numeracy worksheets with the support of the childminder. They readily count to 10. Whilst they clearly enjoy completing these, the closed nature of the activity does not readily enable them to make connections and find out about and work with numbers and counting in a

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and outcomes for children

practical way. The childminder monitors children's achievements across each area of learning through observational assessment. She identifies and plans for the next steps in their learning and children make good progress..

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from the effective measures the childminder implements to promote their good health and prevent the spread of infection. Regular hand washing is part of their normal daily routine. Children enjoy nutritious, home- cooked meals. Young children rest according to their individual need and their parents' wishes in a cosy, well-presented bedroom. As the garden is not currently in use, children spend time in the nearby park at least once a day. This means that they enjoy regular exercise and fresh air.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to keep themselves and others safe with the support of the childminder. For instance, they are encouraged to help clear away some of the toys on the floor so there is room to play. The childminder explains to older This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children that they need to play with the big cars whilst the babies are up, rather than the small ones. Children take part in monthly fire drills to develop their understanding of what to do in the event of it being necessary to evacuate the home. 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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