Childminder in Merton

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Unique reference number EY242545 Inspection date 22/03/2012 Inspector Linda Close

p.1

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.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.3

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).

p.3

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.

p.3

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

p.3

Description of the childminding

The childminder registered in 2003. She lives with her husband and family in a residential cul-de-sac in West Wimbledon in the London borough of Merton. There are two children in the family, who are both involved in secondary education. Children have access to the ground floor of the house and the bathroom and two bedrooms on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The family has a cat, a hamster and a pet chinchilla. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time; of these, three may be in the early years age range and two may be under one year. There are currently four children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age range and two are older children. All of the children attend part time. The childminder regularly attends local toddler groups, the public library and

p.4

Description of the childminding

parks. She has National Nursery Examination Board Diploma at level 3.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

p.4

The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder establishes affectionate, secure and trusting relationships with children and this helps them to take full advantage of the excellent learning opportunities she provides. Children are safe, happy and thriving and they make significant progress because the childminder recognises and meets their individual needs exceptionally well. The childminder liaises very effectively with parents and other providers. Together, the adults form an excellent team and they work extremely closely to provide the best support for children. The childminder carefully reviews and evaluates her work and she identifies her strengths and most areas for further development. She is involved in extensive further training and personal study, which shows that she has an excellent capacity to secure ongoing improvement.

p.4

further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

p.4

further?

 providing more opportunities for children to explore and respond to what they hear, particularly when outdoors.

p.4

the early years provision

The childminder is exemplary in her approach to safeguarding children. She keeps her knowledge up-to-date by attending refresher courses at regular intervals. Her This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 policy and procedure documents are comprehensive. She shares these with new parents so that they are fully informed about her responsibilities in relation to child protection. The childminder keeps her home safe and secure. She undertakes meticulous, preliminary visits to the venues she intends to visit with children to assess potential risks. She teaches children how to keep themselves safe by talking to them about stranger danger and explaining road safety. She helps them to understand what to do if they are lost or find themselves in an emergency evacuation situation.

p.4

the early years provision

The childminder constantly evaluates her work and seeks to secure ongoing improvement. She specifically chooses training that helps her to meet children's individual needs. She is extremely knowledgeable about the care and support that children need if they have problems, such as vision, digestion, behaviour and social skills. The childminder searches tirelessly for ways to extend her knowledge of how children learn. She has a keen interest in developing children's communication skills and is accessing a relevant course to assist her in this area. She is inspired by a recent course, which helped her to find out about what children learn from exploring, placing and arranging different objects. The childminder puts her evaluation and learning into practice to extremely good effect. For example, she makes excellent use of her garden to offer children stimulating learning experiences though these do not specifically include the exploration of sounds.

p.5

the early years provision

The childminder has a vast range of high quality toys, books and equipment. She has selected these with care to appeal to boys and girls of different ages. She stores many toys at a low level so that children can choose and make decisions. She also shows them the contents of cupboards. Children point out toys or games that they wish to play with, which are beyond their reach. The childminder's home has many colourful posters, examples of children's artwork and plenty of labels and photographs. These give children the chance to recall and discuss past activities and to talk about friends and siblings. Children see many displayed images of diverse people and places. They share books and stories with the childminder about the lives of children in other countries. She helps them to understand that some people have disabilities. The childminder has a very clear policy of promoting equality and diversity and she puts it into practice extremely

p.5

the early years provision

The childminder works exceptionally closely and successfully with parents and other providers. This enables her to make sure that every child receives high levels of support according to their individual needs. She takes advice given by specialist advisors so that she can prepare children for changes. The childminder finds out what children do at nursery and she complements that work extremely well. She has a detailed and very valuable policy that she follows about supporting children with transitions. She assists children in preparing for changes and new beginnings, including starting school. Parents report that they have the utmost confidence in the childminder's judgement. They say that her punctuality, reliability, kindness and patience is outstanding. Parents explain that the childminder has taken children for new shoes, a haircut and to the dentist. They state that this is an enormous help when they are at work. They comment on how helpful the

p.5

the early years provision

childminder has been when children are potty training. They say that, above all, their children always come home happy and smiling. The childminder keeps This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents extremely well informed about every step that their children make in their learning. Parents fully share the childminder's observation notes and her planning for their children's continuing progress.

p.5

and outcomes for children

The childminder is exceptionally well organised. Children gain an extremely strong sense of being safe and secure from knowing what will happen next in their day. They are extremely confident and jolly and they greet visitors with a smile. They chat and laugh with the childminder at meal times and she interacts with them very well. They know how to eat nicely and always say 'please' and 'thank you'. The childminder is calm and particularly skilful in her management of children's behaviour and they respond to her very well. She gives them time to play and relax and then they happily settle down to rest with their favourite comforters. The childminder uses innovative ways to teach children about stranger danger, road safety and fire evacuation.

p.6

and outcomes for children

Children gain an excellent understanding about a healthy lifestyle. They play in a clean home environment and eat carefully planned balanced and healthy meals. Children learn extensively about personal hygiene from a very early age and the childminder explains why this is essential for their health. They thrive on numerous outings to the park to run and play in the fresh air. They play, experiment and have great fun with water and jumbo chalks.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The development of children's oral communication skills is exceptionally good as the childminder models very clear speech. They gain a wide vocabulary and express themselves very well. Older children learn how to form the letters of their names and they bask in warm praise from the childminder. They gain a very good understanding of shapes, numbers and counting from lively discussions over play with the childminder. They show great curiosity and a willingness to experiment with battery-operated toys. They take the lead in finding out how some toys work by eagerly pressing buttons on magic wands that flash and buzz when spells are correctly cast. Children are highly curious and inquisitive and develop excellent early skills for the future.

p.6

and outcomes for children

The childminder is very well informed about how children learn and she knows how to attract their interest. She plans and provides highly stimulating, learning experiences linked to exploration of materials. For example, the childminder takes children to learn about animals at the city farm. She involves children in planting and growing sunflowers in her garden. They dig in the earth, look at worms and insects, and find out about rainfall. They play with bubbles and windmills to learn about the effect of the wind. Children have access to a lovely selection of fabrics and dressing-up materials for imaginative play and the childminder helps them to create dens in and out of doors. The childminder extensively develops children's understanding of diversity. She involves children in charitable fund raising activities and celebrations linked to, for example, Diwali, Harvest Festival and Easter. She has exciting plans in place to explore different languages, scripts and customs to

p.6

and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 make best use of children's links with different cultures. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

p.7

Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

p.8

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

p.8

children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

p.8

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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

p.8

Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

p.8

Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

p.8

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

p.8

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9

Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

p.9