Childminder in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY264327 Inspection date 20/03/2012 Inspector Jan Linsdell

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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 2003. She lives with her husband and three children aged 11, 13 and 16 years. The family live in Elton, Chester. The ground floor of the property is used for childminding purposes. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. Family pets include a dog, cat, two guinea pigs and a hamster.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight years at any one time. She is currently minding 12 children, one of whom is within the early years age group. Children mostly attend before and after school. The childminder holds a childminding qualification at level 3 and an early years qualification at level 4.

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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 extremely well supported in their learning and development, and excellent partnerships with parents and carers ensure children's individual needs are fully addressed. Inclusive practice is extremely well promoted and children have many opportunities to learn about diversity. The childminder shows a strong capacity for maintaining continuous improvement. She is committed to developing her professional practice and uses effective systems to evaluate the quality of her setting. The outdoor environment is identified as an area for development.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the outdoor environment, so that all aspects of children's learning and development are fully promoted outside.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding of how to protect children from harm. She attends safeguarding training and has comprehensive policies and procedures in place to keep children safe. Thorough risk assessments of the premises and outings are consistently carried out and all visitors are required to sign the visitor's book. This ensures children's safety and security. All required documentation to promote the safe management of the setting is very well organised and maintained to a high standard. Parents and carers are given copies of certain policies to read and sign. This ensures they are fully informed of procedures. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder attends a wide range of training and she is currently in the process of completing the early years foundation degree. This shows her drive to continually improve her own practice. She uses effective systems, such as the

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the early years provision

'Moving on' document, to evaluate her setting. She has identified the garden as an area for improvement, as currently outdoor space is not fully utilised to promote all areas of children's learning and development. Indoor play space is well organised, with a wide range of good quality and clearly labelled resources, all of which are easily accessible to the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes inclusive practice exceptionally well. She values children as unique individuals and shows an excellent understanding of their backgrounds, preferences and abilities. This ensures their individual needs are extremely well met and they are fully supported to achieve as much as they can. An extensive range of multi-cultural activities are organised to help children develop an excellent awareness of differences in society. Attractive wall displays, posters and artwork create a very welcoming environment that positively promotes children's strong sense of belonging.

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the early years provision

The childminder successfully works in partnership with other providers to promote continuity in children's care and learning. This is supported by using communication books to share information between settings. Effective links with the local school are well established and the childminder willingly shares her skills, for example by undertaking block play and den building sessions with the children. Engagement with parents and carers is excellent. They are continually kept fully informed about all aspects of children's care and learning. This includes receiving many photographs of the children and copies of their observations. A superb range of story sacks are available for parents to use with the children at home. Recent parental questionnaires reflect a high level of satisfaction with the care and support that children receive.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides an excellent level of attention and support, and organises rich and varied learning opportunities for the children to enjoy. Comprehensive and well organised systems are used to plan, observe and assess children's progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder successfully uses this information to help children achieve their next steps. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder and make significant gains in their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Young children benefit from high quality interactions and one-to-one support during the day, which enables them to feel safe, secure and confident. They develop their awareness of safety issues, for example when they practice fire drills and tidy away toys to prevent trip hazards. The childminder involves children in everyday tasks and provides plenty of opportunities for children to try things for themselves. Regular visits to the local childminder's group enable children to socialise as they play with other children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children develop excellent skills for the future because the childminder encourages their language, literacy and numeracy skills exceptionally well. She is highly skilled at communicating with children; encouraging them to talk and listen, while respecting their thinking time. Children self-register on arrival, by placing their

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and outcomes for children

names on the large beanstalk, and the wide variety of story sacks encourage children's enjoyment of reading. Children enjoy many interesting activities to help them understand the importance of recycling. They develop excellent mathematical skills, as they count and match objects to numbers and measure the length of a book.

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and outcomes for children

Children's knowledge of the wider world is developing really well. Interesting books, resources and quality displays, such as about India, help children to learn about other countries and traditions, and they enjoy making African musical instruments. They learn about the lifecycle of frogs and observe tadpoles in the container, and they also enjoy helping to feed the pets. Children are encouraged to use their senses as they play and they thoroughly enjoy exploring different textures, such as dried pasta.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health and well being is successfully promoted. The childminder follows very hygienic practices to minimise the risk of cross-infection and she uses careful explanations help children to understand why hand washing is important. Children benefit from eating very healthy meals and snacks, such as casseroles and fresh fruit, and various photographs show children involved in active play. Children have many opportunities to make choices and decisions. The childminder models courteous behaviour and uses excellent strategies to boost children's confidence and help them feel good about themselves, such as creating displays that celebrate their personal achievements. 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 1 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 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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