Childminder in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 205662 Inspection date 09/03/2012 Inspector Diane Turner

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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 has been registered since 2001. She lives with her husband and two children aged 14 and 11 years in a detached house in the residential area of Scartho in Grimsby, close to local amenities. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding purposes. There is an enclosed outdoor area at the rear of the house but this is not currently being used for childminding purposes. Children are taken for walks and to the local park for physical exercise. The family has a pet cat, two dogs and three gerbils.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has an early years qualification at level 3 and is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for six children under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. There are currently six children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group. They all attend on a part-time basis.

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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 cared for in a welcoming and well-organised environment where they settle well. They are provided with a good range of learning experiences which support them fully in making good progress towards the early learning goals. Overall, partnership working with parents is promoted effectively which ensures information about most aspects of children's care, learning and development is shared successfully. Systems for monitoring the quality of the service are well- established and clearly evidence continuous improvement of a good standard.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide opportunities for parents to contribute to their children's learning and development record.

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the early years provision

The childminder's arrangements for safeguarding children are good. She is confident in her ability to recognise the possible indicators of abuse or neglect and understands the procedures to follow should she need to refer any concerns to the relevant authorities. The childminder keeps a record of any visitors to the home and minimises any risks to the children's safety very effectively in all areas, adapting her practice as and when any changes occur. The childminder has a good range of policies and procedures in place to show how the service operates and all This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 documentation is maintained to a good standard. This underpins the efficient management of the service.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises the space within her home well enabling the children to move about freely. She provides them with a good range of resources and the children delight in choosing from these and using them to support their play. The childminder is driven to providing good quality care for children and their families. She regularly reflects on her practice and has made a good number of improvements to her service since her last inspection. For example, she has extended the area at the rear of the house to provide more space for the children to play and has attended various training courses to develop her knowledge and ensure her practice is up-to-date. The childminder's plans for future improvement are clearly defined, with priority being given to ensuring the garden area is made safe and suitable for children's use following on from the recent building work.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes equality and diversity very successfully. She gains a good amount of information about children's individual needs before she undertakes their care and she carefully tailors activities to their individual interests. The childminder has a good range of resources that reflect positive images of diversity, such as books in dual languages, and these are used very successfully to promote children's understanding of the cultures and beliefs of others. The childminder works well in partnership with other early years settings the children attend, with information being shared very effectively to promote a cohesive approach to their care and learning. Parents receive good information about the service when the placement begins and on an ongoing basis. For example, they receive copies of all the childminder's policies and procedures and time is made for discussion about the children's day at collection time. Parents have some

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the early years provision

opportunities to view their child's progress record; however, they are not encouraged to add their observations of the children's learning to this. This means the childminder may not be fully aware of the progress children make in their home environment. Parents' comments about the service are very positive. For example, they say they find the childminder very easy to talk to and that they would not hesitate in recommending her service.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides children with a good range of activities to ensure they receive enjoyable and challenging experiences across all areas of learning. For example, they have good opportunities to initiate their own play and they delight in using resources, such as, small world figures and dressing up clothes to act out different roles and scenarios. The children also take part in focused activities led by the childminder which she uses to concentrate on particular aspects of their learning. For example, she enables them to explore a range of fruit, helping them to find the country of origin on a map of the world and to use their senses as they explore the texture of items, such as a pineapple and pear. During the activity the childminder helps the children to use small tools, such as child-friendly knives to cut up the fruit and discover what is inside. She explains how squirting lemon juice over the fruit will prevent this from going brown until they are ready to eat it. All of

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 which helps the children to develop their understanding of the wider world and control of their small muscles.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has effective systems in place to monitor the children's progress in their learning and development. She keeps written and photographic evidence of their responses to the activities and uses these to successfully identify the next steps in their learning. The childminder develops close and trusting relationships with the children which promotes their emotional well-being and helps them to feel safe in their environment. This is particularly evident as the children snuggle down with her as they read books together. The children thoroughly enjoy the experience, giggling with delight as they join in with familiar refrains as the childminder reads them their favourite story over and over again at their request. The childminder encourages the children to behave well and enables them to develop their independence through activities, such as making their own sandwich at lunch time and learning to wash their hands as part of their daily routines. She

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and outcomes for children

acknowledges their efforts with lots of praise, which successfully raises their self- esteem.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder actively encourages the children to follow safe and responsible practices. For example, she explains about keeping their hand behind the knife blade as they hold and cut up fruit and she teaches them about road safety when out in the community. The success of this is very evident as the children confidently relate how they use the pedestrian crossing and wait for cars before crossing the road. The children learn about eating healthily through first-hand experiences, such as making their own fruit salad, and they have good opportunities to develop their physical skills and to benefit from fresh air. For example, as they walk to school each day, help walk the childminder's dog and make regular visits to the local park. 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 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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