Childminder in LeicestershireOfsted inspection, 7 Mar 2012

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY363250 Inspection date 07/03/2012 Inspector Janice Hughes

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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 has been registered since 2007. She lives with her partner and three children aged 15, 12 and eight year old. She lives on the outskirts of Hinckley, in west Leicestershire. All areas of the ground floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for five children at any one time and is currently minding six children, all of whom attend on a part-time basis. All of these children are in the early years age range.

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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 happy and secure in the childminder's care as they experience a wide range of activities, enabling them to make good progress in their learning and development. She offers children a welcoming home environment in which they feel safe and secure. The childminder works extremely well with parents to ensure all children are included and they are provided with a continuous learning experience. In the main some good relationships have been formed with other professionals to provide continuity of care for the children. The childminder reflects upon her practice effectively and has a good understanding of how to use self- evaluation to demonstrate her continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop partnerships with other settings to ensure that practitioners from each setting regularly share the children's development and learning records and any other relevant information; paying attention to transition times.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded from the risk of abuse or neglect because the childminder has a clear and detailed policy which explains her responsibilities to refer any concerns she may have about children's welfare. She has all the relevant information to be able to take the appropriate action if necessary. The childminder also ensures all adults are vetted and children are never left with anyone who has not been cleared. Detailed systems are in place to promote children's safety, for example, socket covers, and daily checks ensure that all areas of the home are safe for use. A comprehensive risk assessment is also in place and this includes This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 activities the children participate in and outings. This ensures the children's safety is well maintained at all times. Regular fire drills are practised so that children learn

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the early years provision

how to keep themselves safe in an emergency. There is a good procedure to protect children from the spread of infection, for example children use liquid soap and have individual towels when washing and drying their hands. Arrangements are in place to exclude children who have any infectious illnesses.

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the early years provision

A positive attitude to self- reflection is in place and the childminder continuously monitors her provision. She has completed the Ofsted self- evaluation form and development plans to help her think about ways in which to improve her service to children. For example, she has developed the garden by putting in a planting area. This means the children have more opportunities outside to enhance their learning and development. She is fully committed to improving her own knowledge and expertise by attending courses; which include first aid and safeguarding. The childminder is clearly committed to improving outcomes for children. She keeps herself up-to-date with current good child care practice through making effective use of support offered by the local authority, reading child care information and meeting with other childminders regularly.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a welcoming inclusive service that is for all children and their families. The childminder recognises and values children's uniqueness and organises space well to meet the needs of children's different age and abilities. This ensures all children are able to join in activities and access resources. She understands in the main the benefits of developing partnerships with other settings involved in the children's care. However she has not yet fully implemented a procedure for sharing information or transition of children from her care to another provider. She liaises efficiently with other childcare professionals to help develop her further understanding of childcare issues.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are extremely strong, as the childminder values their contributions and keeps them very well informed about all aspects of their child's development and achievements. This significantly contributes to the care and well- being of the children. During introductory visits, the childminder uses both discussion with parents and observations to help her assess a child's 'starting points'. She shares information with parents on a daily basis, both verbally and in children's daily diaries, as well as sending them text messages. Children's development folders are shared with parents and these include children's work, photographs and observations. Parents are invited to comment on their child's learning and development and are given questionnaires to seek their views.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy themselves and are happy in the environment, they are making good progress towards the early learning goals. They demonstrate their independence as they select different toys and resources to play with. Thorough maintenance and very good organisation of equipment and toys enables children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to use the resources imaginatively and follow their natural curiosity as learners. The childminder provides a wide range of activities to stimulate children's interest and support their learning and development. For example, the children make bird feeders and excitingly watch the birds feeding. They also explore different textures such as wet and dry icing sugar, and then decorate biscuits using the wet icing sugar. The childminder makes purposeful use of information provided by parents and undertakes regular observations of children's achievements and interests. This

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and outcomes for children

information provides a record of children's achievements and the childminder uses the observations to identify children's next steps. The observations link effectively into the planning and as a result children are fully challenged to meet their maximum potential in their developing and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are supported to develop their self-care skills and develop their understanding of good hygiene, for example, washing their hands after using the toilet and before meals and snacks. The childminder provides a board range of opportunities for children to learn about safety, as she talks to them about road safety and stranger danger when they go on outings. Children are very well behaved; they have very good manners and respond positively to the childminder's boundaries. She knows the minded children very well and ensures methods used for behaviour management are appropriate to each child's age and understanding. Children are happy to help with tidying up and through the positive role modelling provided by the childminder, younger children are learning to take turns and share. Lots of praise is used to help good self-esteem and to understand when they have done well.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder promotes children's healthy life styles and provides healthy snacks. She supports this by helping the children to grow fruit and vegetables and using them in their snack. Children's physical skills develop effectively when using the varied range of outdoor play equipment. Walks to their local amenities, use of the equipment at their local parks and the use of various outdoor toys offer challenges to advance their physical skills. For example, children enjoy jumping around in a soft play area and explore the adventure park and local woodland. Children's awareness of people's differences is promoted as they are able to access resources that reflect cultural diversity and disability, such as small world figures and books. They learn about countries from around the world and celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year by making, lanterns and Chinese dumplings.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is very successful in enabling children to develop skills that will support them in the future. Children develop early language to communicate with the childminder and each other, and to solve problems as these arise in their play. They learn how to draw and make marks to encourage early writing skills in activities such as chalking and become absorbed in sharing books and stories. Children's awareness of numeracy is challenged by the childminder when she uses painting activities to explore mathematical language such as big and small. She draws notice to numbers, patterns and shapes and encourages children to count when using a delightful selection of number games and toys. Pop up, press-button and battery operated toys all help the children to gain skills effectively for the future, as they learn problem solving, numeracy and reasoning skills. 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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