Childminder in Surrey

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY351612 Inspection date 27/03/2012 Inspector Amanda Tyson

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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 2007 and is on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three school aged children, one of whom is aged under eight, in West Molesey, Surrey. The whole ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outdoor play. There is a bedroom available on the first floor for children to sleep. The childminder is registered to care for four children under eight; of these three may be in the early years age group, and of these one may be aged under one year at any one time. The childminder currently has three children on roll in the early years age group. The family have a cat, a rabbit and tortoise.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in a safe environment. The childminder has a secure relationship with the children in her care. They make satisfactory progress in their learning and development, although assessment does not fully inform planning. In some aspects, such as behaviour, progress is good. However, systems to support children learning English as an additional language and the partnership with parents and other settings are not fully effective. The childminder is committed to furthering her professional development and demonstrates sufficient capacity for continuous improvement. However, self-evaluation is in the early stages.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the two-way flow of information with other providers to support a shared approach to children's learning and development.  develop a systematic process of self-evaluation and use this to identify strengths and priorities for development that will improve the quality of provision for all children  develop more awareness and understanding about the needs of children learning English as an additional language.  analyse your observations to inform assessment using the information to plan next steps in children's developmental progress This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder uses risk assessment to identify potential hazards and to minimize accidents to children, for instance access to the gas fire is prevented by a fireguard. There are good procedures in place for keeping children safe on outings. The childminder recently attended a child protection refresher course and her knowledge and understanding of the procedure to follow if she is concerned about a child is sound. The childminder has a suitable range of play and learning resources, although there are few resources to promote equality and diversity and technology resources are underused. The childminder has made some useful activity boxes to encourage children to use and talk about their senses. The childminder makes good use of the local community to support children's learning and to promote children's health.

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the early years provision

Children, who are learning English as an additional language, are making steady progress in their use of English. However, the childminder is unfamiliar with the importance of promoting the use of children's first language so that they are more able to express themselves in play. Not enough is done to support children's settling-in period, for example through the use of visual signs to aid communication. The childminder shares her policies and procedures with parents. She keeps a daily diary detailing the activities that children have participated in and some of their efforts and achievements. The childminder meets with parents every three months to review children's progress, but this information does not cover all areas of learning and is not clearly matched to the expectations of the early learning goals. The childminder works closely with parents on some development issues, such as weaning children off the dummy. However, systems

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the early years provision

for finding out essential information about children's competency in their home language, to ensure that expectations are realistic, are not fully developed. All children attend another early years setting in addition to the childminder. She passes on any essential information about children's welfare and reads their displayed activity planning. However, this relationship has yet to develop into an effective partnership to ensure a shared approach to supporting children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder makes use of self-evaluation to identify her strengths and priorities for improvement, such as supporting children's behaviour or making sensory boxes. However, she is not assessing herself against the rigorous best practice criteria for Early Years Foundation Stage. This means that key training needs are not recognised and targeted. Nonetheless, the childminder expresses a commitment to addressing her professional development needs to ensure continuous improvement. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children keep healthy and active through regular opportunities for outdoor play and experiences. They enjoy burying themselves in the leaves, running freely around in open spaces and using climbing and balancing apparatus in different parks. However, healthy eating is not fully promoted to enable children to make healthy choices. Children either are given a jam or cheese sandwich most days. They are offered fruit but if they refuse, as some do daily, they are given crisps, which are not a healthy option. Relationships between children and the childminder are warm and affectionate. The playful interactions with the childminder and way that they seek reassurance from her in new situations, such as visiting somewhere different or meeting new people, shows that they feel safe and secure in her care. Children learn fire safety through evacuation practice. They learn road safety and the importance of holding hands when they go for walks, as well as the importance

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and outcomes for children

Assessment of children's progress and development towards the early learning goals is uneven, for instance less attention is given to numeracy. Children are not encouraged to use their first language alongside English, which limits the level of complexity of their play. The childminder has a developing knowledge of children's personalities and the activities that most interest them. She recognises that those with limited concentration indoors respond more positively to the outdoor environment and so takes them out every day. She gives older children the choice of where to go and what to do. However, the childminder knows little about children's home cultures and activity planning does not encourage children to learn about the cultures and beliefs of others. There are few resources available to raise their awareness of ethnicity, gender and disability differences. The childminder has a range of information and communication technology resources, but these are not

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and outcomes for children

used often enough to fully support the development of children's future skills. The childminder is experienced in supporting children with challenging behaviour and her strategies are having a positive effect. For example, children learn that climbing on furniture is not acceptable. They are distracted from removing their seatbelt by the childminder's introduction of magnetic drawing boards, which children now take with them in the car. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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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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