Childminder in North Somerset

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY434299 Inspection date 05/03/2012 Inspector Debbie Starr

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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 2011. She lives with her husband and pre-school age child in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset. She works alongside another registered childminder and her husband works as an assistant. Children have access to most areas of the home. There is an enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time when working on her own, eight children when working with another childminder or assistant and nine children when all three are working at the same time. The childminder is registered on the Early Years register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Both childminders have equal responsibility for most aspects of the childminding practice. The childminder and co-childminder are currently caring for 13 children in the early years age range. Most children attend on a part-time basis. The childminder makes use of local facilities including the library and parks.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a happy, welcoming environment in which children's welfare is appropriately promoted. She has a satisfactory knowledge and awareness of children's individual needs, enabling her to promote their welfare and development. However, her systems of assessment are not sufficiently well developed. She builds positive relationships with parents but these do not sufficiently focus on children's learning and development. She has begun to reflect upon her practice, however this has not yet had a significant impact upon the outcomes for children. She demonstrates a suitable capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the system of assessment to clearly identify all children's next steps in learning so that they are used to plan appropriate play and learning activities particularly for younger children  develop further the two way flow of information with parents regarding children's starting points and ongoing progress and development to promote a shared approach to children's care learning and development  develop further systems for monitoring and evaluating practice to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has a sound knowledge of child protection issues and understands the procedures she should follow if she has a concern about a child. She takes overall responsibility for monitoring and maintaining safety and completes appropriate risk assessments. Children are cared for safely and securely within the home and on outings. They use a varied range of good quality toys and resources that, overall, meet their developmental needs. These are stored on low-level shelving and in accessible storage containers. This enables children to make some independent choices. Visits to local parks, the library, shops and a school promote children's awareness of their local community. The childminder supports individual children's cultural heritage well through extensive use of their first language throughout the day. Children start to develop spoken English through repetition of some words, songs and stories. The childminder promotes children's awareness of

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the early years provision

the diversity of the wider world suitably. For example, older children join in activities to help them learn about differences, including food tasting and craft activities. Children also use some resources that help them learn about wider society.

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the early years provision

The childminder builds positive relationships with parents and works very flexibly with them to support their varied working hours. Parents speak highly of the childminder and they are very appreciative of the care given to their children. The childminder and parents share information on a daily basis. This dialogue helps to ensure that the childminder finds out about children's individual needs so that she can support them appropriately. However, these discussions do not involve parents sufficiently in their children's learning and development. The childminder is aware of her responsibility to make links with other early years providers that children attend. This is not required at the time of inspection.

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the early years provision

The childminder has started to think about her provision since registration and review her practice. She seeks the views of parents to help her evaluate the provision and discusses it with her co-childminder. She has identified some areas for improvement and taken some steps to improve her practice. For example, she has identified some future training needs, such as developing her understanding of child protection issues and procedures. However, her self-evaluation has not yet had a significant impact on the outcomes for children. The childminder demonstrates a satisfactory capacity for continuous improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and settled with the childminder. They enjoy a warm relationship with her and she meets their individual needs generally well. Overall, the childminder has a sound understanding of how children learn and develop. She has started to make observations of children's progress. However, her systems of assessment are not fully effective. She does not seek enough information about This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's starting points from parents and does not use her assessments to identify children's next steps. As a result, she does not plan for their individual learning needs or offer suitable challenges to all children, particularly younger children.

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and outcomes for children

Children eagerly join in with adult-led activities although these are not well resourced at all times and do not offer suitable challenges to meet the individual needs of all children. Children at times have only some opportunities to make independent choices. For example, older children sit and wait their turn while they pass one glue stick between them as they attach a printed stamp of France in a pre-prepared passport. Children listen to instructions in their home language and develop the use of English by repeating the word 'passport'. Younger children loose interest quickly and play independently with cars. Children eagerly play in the garden. They develop control of their muscles as they scoop sand into a bucket and talk about what they are making. Older children are curious about dinosaurs and with support of the childminder they develop counting skills in their home language. Younger children play cooperatively with each other as they move

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and outcomes for children

vehicles along a track. A younger child climbs successfully and safely onto a trike but is then unable to manoeuvre it as it is too large and there are no alternatives readily available.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop an appropriate understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy physical play in the garden and when they visit local parks. They enjoy nutritious and balanced food throughout the day, which is provided from home. They help themselves to drinks during the day from their own beakers. They are encouraged to taste new food during occasional activities focused on other countries. They are supported to develop appropriate hygiene routines, such as hand washing.

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and outcomes for children

Children are starting to understand how they keep themselves safe. They practise evacuation procedures and older children help tidy toys away to prevent tripping. Younger children are guided not to stand on chairs. Discussion and reminders promote children's understanding of their personal safety when crossing roads and when encountering dogs. Children are safe when sleeping as they are within full view at all times. They behave well overall due to the childminder's calm, consistent care and ongoing praise. They are encouraged to play cooperatively together and are starting to share, take turns and develop attachments to others. As a result, they develop suitable skills for the future. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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