Coxlease School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116586 Inspection date 20/03/2012 Inspector Naomi Brown

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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

This childminder has been registered since September 1998. The childminder lives with her family in a semi-detached house in the Totteridge area of High Wycombe. Minded children have access to all the ground floor level. Rest facilities are available on the first floor level. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. It is a non-smoking household. She is registered to provide care for six children under eight years; of these, not more than three may be under five years and of these only one may be under one year. There are currently two children on roll in the early years age group. The family has a pet dog. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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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 enjoy their time in the childminder's home. She works hard to establish clear communication between herself, parents and other settings and professionals to benefit children in her care. The childminder is committed to improving her service and her self-evaluation systems include most information to improve outcomes for children. The childminder has a well-developed knowledge of children's individual needs and this makes sure that she effectively promotes their welfare and learning. Overall, the childminder uses observations and assessments of children to support their good progress. Children are safe and secure and enjoy learning about their local area and the world around them.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop assessments to fully link next steps to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum  develop self evaluation systems so that they take in to account views of all users to further improve outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

Children are well protected because the childminder has secure knowledge and understanding of local safeguarding procedures. She has written clear policies that she shares with parents so that they know how she protects their children. She teaches them how to keep themselves safe and they are well aware of what they can and cannot do in her home. This helps them to keep themselves safe. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder has used good quality written information and pertinent observations of the children to find out what they can and cannot do when they first join her. She maintains secure information from parents to make sure that she caters for children's likes, dislikes and individual needs. She uses her observations and assessments to plan learning that encourages children to make good progress. However, though she identifies the next stage of learning for most children, she

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the early years provision

does not consistently link these to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Overall, children make good progress in her care.

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the early years provision

The childminder has produced a well-written self-evaluation form. She has a good understanding of her own strengths and weaknesses and a clear vision for how to drive further improvements. However, at this stage she has not used the views of parents of children in her self-evaluation, to drive more targeted improvements. The childminder attends relevant training to keep her practice up to date. She is able to respond to changes in the curriculum and requirements of the regulator to further meet children's welfare and learning needs. As a result, her capacity to improve is good.

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the early years provision

Children enjoy a wide range of resources that meet their learning needs and cover all areas of learning. They enjoy a range of well-planned experiences, such as construction, messy play sessions and musical activities that respond to their individual interests. The childminder supplements her indoor plans with imaginative outings that children clearly enjoy. They are welcomed warmly into her home and are affectionate towards the childminder and each other. Children enjoy lots of cuddles and play together well, with very few disagreements over toys. The childminder has solid risk assessments in place. She updates these regularly and they clearly identify the steps that she takes to maintain her safe environment. The childminder is well organised and she keeps plenty of flexibility in her daily routines to cater for children's changing needs on a daily basis. For example, she is happy to alter her routine to enable children to sleep longer during the day if they have

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the early years provision

had a late night or a disrupted night's sleep. She finds out this information from parents on a daily basis, so that she can continue to respond to their children's needs.

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the early years provision

Children benefit from the childminder's establishment of solid links with parents and carers. She demonstrates good knowledge of children in her care and she keeps this up to date by speaking to parents every day. She supports verbal communication with focussed written diaries. Parents have free access to all information that the childminder holds on their children. She invites them to become involved in many aspects of their care and development and uses information from them to adapt her planning to meet children's individual needs. This includes children who learn English as an additional language. The childminder also uses effective contacts with other settings that children attend, to ensure that she has important information on their care and learning experiences to improve the focus of planned activities. This provides solid continuity of care to benefit children who are cared for in her home.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a mature and sensitive attitude towards diversity and equality. She is a positive role model and she values and respect the children in her home. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children enjoy learning about other cultures, religions and individual differences as part of their everyday curriculum. The childminder has taken care to weave her strong values for equal opportunities throughout her practice and this encourages children to behave well and treat each other with respect and care.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress towards the Early Learning Goals. The childminder uses accurate and sensitive observations and assessments linked to all areas of learning, to evidence that children progress well in her care. Children enjoy choosing from a wide range of attractive and accessible toys and they do so with confidence. They develop their small muscle, communication and problem solving skills as they construct a model train track. The childminder maintains a lively discussion throughout most activities, which extends children's communication skills. She encourages them to recognise colours, shapes and patterns and to explore properties of wooden trains, including magnets, as they work out which magnets will touch and which will not. The childminder is confident to step back when she needs to, to allow children time to solve problems on their own. Children show good levels of concentration during activities and they play

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and outcomes for children

purposefully and cooperatively throughout the inspection. Children enjoy messy play, lots of painting and different activities to develop their creative skills. The childminder adapts messy play, so that children of all ages in the group can take part. For example, all children are able to play with paint, some use their fingers and others use a range of tools that change as their small muscle skills develop.

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and outcomes for children

Children are able to manage their own safety effectively. They take part in regular fire drills and they tell the inspector at several points how they look after each other in the home. For example, older children are aware that they must keep smaller items from babies, as they may put them in their mouths, Children also refrain from building large construction towers near younger babies in case they fall. They do this without prompting from the childminder. As a result, children are able to feel safe in the childminder's home. They also show a good awareness of how to manage a healthy lifestyle. The childminder plans nutritious menus, which she illustrates with pictures, so that children can see what they are going to eat. They are aware of their own health, as they ask for drinks whenever they are thirsty and they ask the childminder to help them remove a layer of clothing if they are too hot. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to play outdoors, both in the

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and outcomes for children

childminder's garden and on lots of outings to local parks and play centres. This supports both their good health and the development of their large muscles. The childminder supports younger children well to develop confidence in their physical skills. The childminder keeps clear assessment records. These identify that young children progress from sitting to standing and then walking in a safe environment, supported strongly by the childminder. The childminder uses her considerable experience to plan activities that challenge children well and according to their abilities. This clearly contributes to their good progress in her home. Children are able to develop effective skills for the future, as they have good communication and problem solving skills and opportunities to play with a wide array of simple This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 technology. 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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