Childminder in Bexley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY233948 Inspection date 09/05/2012 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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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 registered in 2006. She lives with her husband and two children aged eight and 12 years in Sidcup, in the London Borough of Bexley. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age group. The childminder is currently minding four children, one of these is in the early years age group. Two children are aged over five and one is over eight. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/toddler group.

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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 clearly happy and thrive in the childminders setting. They enjoy a good range of activities that cover all of the six areas of learning well and help them move forward in their learning and development at a good pace. A strong emphasis is placed on all safety procedures, therefore children are safeguarded extremely well. The childminder regularly reflects on her practice and uses self- evaluation effectively to indentify priorities for development. This demonstrates her commitment to maintaining continuous improvement. Overall, good partnerships with parents and other professionals are established and mean that children's individual needs are met effectively.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes children's safety and welfare extremely well. Comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented consistently and robustly to ensure any concerns or safety issues are prioritised and dealt with effectively. For example, a highly effective risk assessment ensures the environment both inside and out is thoroughly safe and secure. The childminder has a comprehensive awareness of the local safeguarding procedures and an extensive knowledge of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 how to refer a concern about a child in her care. She has a wide range of written information that underpins her outstanding practice. This is shared with parents to ensure they are secure in the knowledge their children are protected. All equipment and resources are of high quality and suitable for the ages of children. They are easily accessible and displayed to invite children to make choices about

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the early years provision

what they play with. This means that children develop independence and decision making skills extremely well. Outcomes for children are clearly attributed to excellent use of resources.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a fully inclusive service where each child is nurtured, respected and included. Details of their culture, religion and family background are recorded enabling the childminder to support them according to their specific needs and circumstances. As a result, no child is disadvantaged. The childminder shows a strong commitment to improving the service she provides. She has completed the Ofsted self-evaluation, using this to reflect on her practice to identify her strengths and further areas for improvement. For example, she has up-dated her first aid certificate, before this expires, so she is able to deal with accidents in line with the most current guidelines. She has achieved a Home Based Childcare certificate at level three to help her understand children learning and development better and has identified further training to attend that will have a positive impact on the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has good relationships with the parents. Overall, this ensures that they are involved in their children's care to a good level. Each day the childminder takes time to discuss, with parents, how their children have been and details of the progress they are making. However, despite this regular feedback, parents are not consistently being involved in children's learning and development or given opportunities of adding to the information to guide where they go next in their development. Letters from parents at the time of the inspection show they think extremely highly of the childminder and state they are very happy with the care their children receive. The childminder has strong links with the other settings the children attend. She talks to the staff about their progress and carries though activities into her setting to complement children's learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children are well supported in their play and learning experiences. The childminder knows children extremely well so is able to plan activities around their likes and interests which aim to move the children forward in their development. There are clearly strong bonds between the childminder and child who thoroughly enjoys playing with her. They talk as they play, about family, familiar events and remember things they have done together. This means that children gain a strong sense of belonging. The childminder is skillful in her interaction with the children, asking many open questions to extend their learning and challenge their thinking. For example, making them think about the colours there are using during sticking activities by asking 'what colour are you using there' Children thoroughly enjoy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 being creative and enjoy making their model look like a well-known colourful

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and outcomes for children

children's character. Children show they have very good concentration as they make pictures out of very small beads. They use very careful hand control to select the colour they want and place this onto the board to build their picture. Therefore, their physical skills are promoted very well.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a wide understanding of the world around them. They take part in activities to celebrate festivals from different cultures, use a wide variety of resources that have a very strong reflection of positive images of diversity for example, dolls, books, puzzles, and play people. This means that children learn to respect others differences. Children explore early technology as they get great pleasure from iinvestigating toys that require them to press buttons to make sounds or play music. Children develop socially as they play together in the childminders home. The childminder states they have good relationships with the older children and learn skills, such as, sharing and turn taking well.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder works with parents to establish children's capabilities and starting points. Therefore, she has a firm base to move children forward. She keeps a record of children's development and progress in a daily learning journal. She links the observations she makes to the areas of learning and uses this information to plan activities that complement the children's development and help them move forward at a good pace. At the end of each month, she evaluates all that children have achieved and notes the next steps for their development. As a result, children make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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and outcomes for children

Children display an exceptional awareness of safety issues and show they understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they competently use special child safety knives to cut up their fruit at snack time. They know how to hold it safely and explain they must keep their fingers out of the way, as they cut. They take part in regular fire drills and clearly communicate their knowledge of the evacuation procedures. They also speak about their safety when out, stating that they must look left and right before they cross the road. This means that children show a strong sense of security and have a significant feeling of safety within the setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate an excellent understanding of healthy eating and make healthy choices at snack and meal times. They choose from a variety of healthy fruits and thoroughly enjoy their lunch of jacket potato, tuna and sweetcorn with raw carrots and tomatoes. Without prompting, children wash their hands before and after eating. They have excellent opportunities to be active, either going to the park after school or playing in the childminders well equipped garden. Children behave very well because they are constantly occupied and engage in activities they thoroughly enjoy. They are fully motivated because they receive constant praise and encouragement in everything they do. Children clearly benefit and thrive as a result of the setting they are in. 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 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 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 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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