Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY438202 Inspection date 14/05/2012 Inspector Anne Barnsley

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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 2011. She lives with her partner and two children aged three and four years in Cherry Willingham, Lincolnshire. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has finches, guinea pigs and pond fish as pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder provides care on Mondays to Fridays all year round from 7am until 6pm. She is registered to care for four children under eight years; of whom, no more than one may be in the early years age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has four children on roll. Two children are in the early years age group.

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Description of the childminding

Children on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register share the same facilities as those on the Early Years Register. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and receives support from the local authority.

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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 an in-depth knowledge of each child and supports them well. They make good progress in their learning and development. Children are safe and secure in the childminder's home, which is generally well resourced and organised very well to meet their needs. Strong partnerships are embedded with parents and other providers, which ensures continuity and consistency for children. Positive use of self-evaluation and reflective practice ensure that the childminder is successfully continuing the development of her provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 provide resources and activities that promote positive images of diversity and enable children to question and challenge stereotypes.

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the early years provision

The childminder prioritises children's safety. She has well organised systems to ensure that all adults in her home have currents checks and remain suitable, and that all visitors are properly identified and recorded. She has safeguarding procedures in place and provides information in line with the Local Safeguarding This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children Board guidelines. She has completed safeguarding training and has good knowledge about her duty and responsibility to protect children. All policies and procedures that are required are fully in place and shared with parents. A comprehensive range of risk assessments are effectively carried out on all areas in the home and for all outings. All potential risks have been clearly identified and appropriate safety measures have been put in place to minimise risks.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very organised and maintains all records and documentation well. These successfully provide all the necessary information for the on-going support of each child and their individual needs. She effectively shares all relevant records with parents, including daily information about activities, events, incidents and accidents. The childminder supports children's diverse needs well as she skilfully encourages children of all ages to take part in appropriate activities and experiences. She gives children her full attention and takes full account of their interests, stages of development and of their individual personalities. She organises daily routines well to meet the needs of all children in her care, which includes altering routines as their needs develop and change. She makes very good use of resources including the children's groups in her local area and the Children's Centre.

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the early years provision

The childminder uses self-evaluation well and is highly reflective. She shows a strong commitment to driving improvements and has put a great deal of work into establishing her provision. She accurately identifies strengths and weaknesses and has effective plans in place with realistic targets raised for continuous improvement. For example, she is focussing on developing the outdoor area more with a large playhouse to enable all-weather play. She works very closely with other childminders and the Children Centre to develop her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has identified additional training to undertake and so improve her knowledge. The positive relationships which the childminder builds with both parents and other providers enables her to develop a clear picture of children's learning and developmental needs. Daily exchanges and written records through diaries and learning journeys keep parents very well informed and enables

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the early years provision

them to contribute well to their child's learning and care. The childminder demonstrates a clear understanding of how these partnerships are effective in supporting children's learning and development and transition as they move on.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, confident and exceptionally well settled in the comfortable, relaxed environment. Children are carefully nurtured by the warm relationships that they have with the childminder. Babies form strong attachments to the childminder and enjoy cuddles and the attention she gives them. Children are confident to make choices from the activities and resources on offer. They can access these easily as they are stored at child height and organised safely to account for the ages and stages of the children who attend. Children's individual learning and development is supported well by the in-depth knowledge that the childminder has of each child in her care. She makes effective use of the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 information she gathers for each child from parents and from settling-in visits to ensure that children feel welcome and secure from the onset. She uses her own

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and outcomes for children

observations and the information gathered from parents and other settings very well to build a clear picture of children's individual needs and interests.

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and outcomes for children

Children play in the lounge, large kitchen/dinner, conservatory playroom and the garden. They have a wide range of toys, which are constantly being increased to meet their developing needs or current interests. The childminder works very closely with parents to ensure that she takes full account of the child at home as well as in her setting. For example, a parent discussed how much her child enjoys treasure baskets. Together the parent and the childminder developed a range of baskets that provide the child with endless interest and fun through exploration. The childminder uses these well and plays games of hide and seek, touch and sound with items in the baskets. She interacts extremely well, showing how to do things, talking about what is taking place, asking questions and giving a lot of praise and recognition. Other interests that children have such as pirates or train tracks are fully recognised and resources are obtained and made fully available.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a natural ability to bring all areas of learning into any type of play by talking about numbers, size, colour, what is happening and asking children 'how and what do you think?' In the short time she has been minding she has developed her provision well around the needs of the children she cares for and has introduced many new things such as story sacks which she has made herself. She wants to introduce an interest table next and is currently trying to work out the best place to put this. She has limited resources that promote positive images of diversity and recognises this as an area to develop. However, children are taken out and about every day to either a toddler group or to activities in the Children's Centre. Here they have contact with other children and adults, use a wide range of resources and engage in many activities that cover all areas of learning well. They learn about their community and develop their social skills and confidence very

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and outcomes for children

Young children are supported very well with developing their understanding of developing healthy lifestyles. They are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment, where they eat, rest and play in safety. The childminder ensures that they are not hungry or thirsty by providing healthy snacks during the morning and afternoon and drinks of water continuously throughout the day. Babies learn to recognise if they are thirsty as the childminder asks them at regular intervals if they would like a drink and shows them their cups. She promotes healthy eating well and displays menus for parents to see the meals she can provide from breakfast to an evening meal. She has full details of children's dietary needs and also takes account of things they particularly like or do not like. This helps children to develop a positive attitude towards food and to feel safe that they are not going to be given something they really do not like. Hygiene is promoted well to children

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and outcomes for children

as they have their own steps, seats, potties, paper towels and gel soap. This enables children to learn to be independent with their personal care as they grow. Babies have consistent nappy changes and are their hands and faces are kept clean. Individual sleep routines are respected and kept consistent to the children's home-life. Children learn to be safe through the safety measures that the childminder uses such as car seats, safety gates, high chairs and travel cots. She supports children very well and helps them to learn about keeping their toys and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 environment safe and how to follow simple rules about sharing, taking turns and learning to care about others. They learn about fire evacuation and road safety and how to work together safety as a team. They know why it is important to respond to what the childminder teaches them about these things. Children

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and outcomes for children

behave very well and through their strong attachment to the childminder are successfully developing the skills they need for their future. 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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