Childminder in Essex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY341968 Inspection date 28/03/2012 Inspector Gill Thornton

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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 2006. She lives with her husband and three children aged five, four and one year in West Mersea in Essex. The whole of the property is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of three children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than one may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding one child in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder collects children from local schools and nurseries and regularly attends local children's groups.

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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

The childminder has a good knowledge of child development and the individual interests and background of the children in her care. She provides a safe and supportive environment in which children make good overall progress towards the early learning goals given their capabilities and starting points. Partnerships with parents and others are effective in promoting consistency of care and learning. Most of the required documentation is in place to promote children's well-being and to ensure their individual needs are met. The childminder is generally aware of her strengths and weakness and areas for development to improve her provision.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 carry out a full risk assessment for each type of outing (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 18/04/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of toys and resources to provide children with more opportunity to independently select activities and resources.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded and protected because the childminder is knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms of child abuse and the procedures to follow if she should have any concerns about the welfare of the children in her care. She has This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 attended safeguarding children training to ensure her knowledge and skills are up- to-date. All adults in the household are appropriately vetted and are safe and suitable to work with, or be in contact with, young children. The childminder carries out appropriate risk assessments to identify potential hazards and the action required to promote children's safety in the indoor and outdoor environment. Whilst she has undertaken a general risk assessment for outings she has not carried out a full risk assessment for each type of outing, which is a specific legal requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and she uses this well to support children in their learning. She provides children with a balanced range of good quality toys and equipment which provide suitable levels of interest and enjoyment. The childminder generally uses the available resources well to engage children and help them make good overall progress towards the early learning goals. However, storage facilities are not well organised to enable children to easily access toys and resources of their own choosing. The childminder is committed to providing children with a supportive and constantly improving learning experience and she has effectively addressed recommendations from previous inspections. She regularly meets with other childminders to help her identify areas for further development and she acts on advice given by local authority advisors to ensure her policies reflect current requirements.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met and parent's wishes are followed regarding their child's care and development. Parents regularly view their child's learning journal and home diaries are exchanged to ensure parents are involved in their child's learning and each child is well supported in their overall progress. Effective communication takes place with other provisions involved with the children to promote consistency of welfare and learning. The childminder provides sensitive support to ensure all children are included and able to access a suitable range of learning experiences. Additional care and learning needs are recognised and supported. Consequently, the individual needs of all children are well met and all children are included fully in the life of her setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and well settled in the welcoming and child-friendly environment. They form close and trusting relationships with the childminder and her family. As a result, they are self-assured in their play and confident to share their views knowing that their ideas will be listened to and valued. For example, when asking to have the finger paints out. The childminder enthusiastically joins in with children's play to promote their enjoyment and learning. She makes good use of open-ended questioning to encourage children to describe what they are doing. As a result, children use a widening range of words to express and elaborate on their ideas. Children also make good overall progress in developing the personal qualities that enable them to take responsibility for small tasks and develop skills for the future. For example, enjoying helping the childminder peg out the washing, or learning to do up a zip fastener.

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children's understanding of safety issues is demonstrated through their play as they recognise and confidently talk about danger and how to keep safe. For example, using a pretend toaster and saying to another younger child 'its very hot, be careful'. Children engage in a good range of physical play activities both indoors and out. The large grassed garden provides children with a variety of play and learning opportunities and children enjoy a range of further experiences at local amenities such as the park or soft play centre. As a result children increase their understanding of the importance of regular exercise as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Children learn the importance of following good hygiene procedures during daily routines and the childminder promotes their understanding of a healthy diet by providing appropriate options at mealtimes.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder maintains attractive journals recording children's achievements which contain photographs and the children's own comments. These are used effectively to plan further learning experiences firmly based upon children's current interests and capabilities. For example, a child's delight a building a tower that is 'even bigger than me' is developed using a height chart to record and compare their height with the other children. As a result, children have generally good levels of achievement and they make good progress given their capabilities and starting points. Children develop a real sense of pride in their own achievements because the childminder is very supportive in her interactions to promote their growing independence. For example, praising and encouraging a child to draw their favourite television character resulting in them excitedly exclaiming 'I can do it, I drew his nose'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing a respect for themselves and others and they are learning about other cultures and beliefs. This is because the childminder provides them with activities to introduce new ideas and promote their understanding of the diversity of the wider world. Children are learning appropriate boundaries of acceptable behaviour because the childminder is calm and consistent in her interactions and uses simple explanations to help children understand what is expected on them. Young children enjoy opportunities to use everyday technology in their play and explore the effect of their actions, for example, examining what happens when they push the buttons on an electronic toy. The childminder encourages children to use numbers in their play and promotes their early counting skills, such, as while counting the number of times they can jump up and down. 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 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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