Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY362640 Inspection date 23/02/2012 Inspector Melanie Arnold

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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 2007. She lives with her partner and two children aged eight and two years in Lincoln. All areas of the ground floor are used for childminding, with additional play facilities located on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, two of whom may be in the early years age range. There are currently two children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. 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 provides an inclusive service where every child is valued and respected in line with their specific backgrounds and beliefs. Mainly effective systems enable all children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children are safeguarded and their welfare is maintained through the childminder's robust policies and procedures. Partnership working in the wider context is generally good, which enables the childminder to promote an integrated approach to children's care and learning. Improvements made since the last inspection and the childminder's clear system of self-evaluation result in the effective delivery of Early Years Foundation Stage.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure the exchange of clearer information with other providers to further promote coherence of learning and development across different settings  develop further the systems to match children's observations to the expectations of the early learning goals in order to more accurately monitor their progress.

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the early years provision

Children are constantly supervised and they remain in the care of the childminder at all times, which helps to safeguard them from potential harm. The childminder uses a robust system of risk assessment to identify and minimise potential hazards, and her good knowledge of child protection further supports children's health and safety. All necessary records and documents are in place and comprehensively This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 maintained. They are stored securely and used effectively to provide a strong framework for the care of children. Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming home which is securely maintained. Space and resources are exceptionally well organised to create an interesting and stimulating indoor and outdoor environment where children learn through play. An extensive range of high quality, well-maintained and developmentally appropriate toys are resources

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the early years provision

are provided for all children to freely access. The childminder is enthusiastic and passionate about her job, which creates a positive ethos throughout her provision. She maintains a current first aid certificate and continually updates her knowledge and skills through her commitment to ongoing training. This enables her to promote positive outcomes for all children.

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the early years provision

The childminder works effectively with parents and carers to ensure the inclusion of all children. Clear communication channels are established from the outset to ensure children's individuality is respected and their learning and development is promoted from their unique starting points. Parents and carers are kept well informed about their children's care, learning and development as information is continually exchanged with them via verbal feedback, daily written diaries and observation and assessment files being regularly sent home. Although the childminder does exchange information with other providers for the benefit of children's continuity of care and learning, she is aware these links could be more firmly established to further enhance children's learning experiences in all areas. The childminder strives to make improvements to her provision and she has developed her practice by working on the recommendations raised at the previous

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the early years provision

inspection. By increasing the range of accessible toys and resources which reflect positive images of differences and diversity and through displaying positive images around her home, children learn to respect and value the uniqueness of others. The childminder uses an effective system of self-evaluation, which includes the views of all users. This enables her to effectively monitor her practice and procedures in all areas, leading to the clear identification of targets for further improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and confident in the childminder's care. They freely access an extensive range of toys and resources covering the six areas of learning. For example, children enjoy playing with a range of toy laptop computers and they show skill as they use the remote control to make a car move. This effectively promotes their interest and use of technology. A wide range of hands-on learning experiences are planned and provided for children following their individual interests. Purposeful learning experiences are created as the childminder observes each child and engages in their chosen play experiences with them. For example, when a child chooses to do a puzzle the childminder points out the number one, and when children play outside and begin climbing up the steps to the slide, she counts the number of steps with them. Regular opportunities to access outside play in the well-resourced garden enable children to develop their skills in all areas.

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and outcomes for children

Children of all ages like to draw and make marks on paper, which develops their early writing skills. Their mathematical awareness is developed during fun baking This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities, as children learn to weigh and count the ingredients out. Observational assessments are in place and the childminder continually refers back to the practice guidance of the Early Years Foundation Stage to identify individual children's next steps for learning. However, she has yet to fully link all observations to the area and aspects of learning, to ensure children's development is more accurately monitored in all areas. Regular reports detailing children's progress are shared with parents and carers.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and safety is maintained through effective practices and procedures. For example, the home is clean, children use individual towels to dry their hands, and the clear illness and exclusion policy ensures children do not attend when they are suffering from contagious illnesses. Good security procedures within the home and garden and thorough outings procedures all contribute to keeping children safe from harm. Children learn important safety messages as the childminder promotes their awareness of stranger danger and road safety during outings. Children are encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles, with the childminder providing a range of healthy meals and snacks which meet their dietary requirements. This was recently recognised by the local authority, who have awarded the childminder a five star rating for her food provision. Fresh drinking water is freely accessible to all children, ensuring their needs are met.

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and outcomes for children

Discussions about the benefits of healthy foods are promoted as children help the childminder to pack away deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables. Children are also encouraged to develop good hand washing practices during the daily routine and they like playing outside in the fresh air where they enjoy being active.

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and outcomes for children

Children respond well to praise and encouragement, which promotes their self- esteem and good behaviour. Discussions help children to learn the differences between right and wrong, and they are encouraged to play cooperatively with their peers. High regard is given to the integration of children who have English as an additional language, with the childminder using excellent strategies to meet their specific needs in line with their backgrounds and beliefs. Each child and their family are fully respected, with the childminder actively seeking key words and phrases in the child's home language. These are then skilfully used within the setting, with the childminder encouraging all children to learn these words and phrases. This enables every child to show an extremely strong sense of security and belonging within the setting, while also helping children to value diversity. 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 1 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 1 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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