Childminder in Kent

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY438303 Inspection date 21/05/2012 Inspector Linda Coccia

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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 husband and school age child in Ramsgate, Kent. She occasionally works with another childminder at the same address. The ground and basement floors of the property are dedicated to childminding and there is an enclosed outdoor play space. Outdoors there are steps leading into the garden and inside there are steps down to the basement sleeping area.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. The numbers of children may increase when the childminder works with an assistant or a co-childminder. The childminder is registered to provide overnight care for up to two children. There are currently four children in the early years age range on roll.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is available to walk to local schools to take and collect children. She attends a variety of local venues with children, including the library and the local parent and toddler group. The family has a number of pets which children may come into contact with.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder meets the needs of children exceptionally well and, as a result, they make outstanding progress. They benefit from the excellent partnerships between the childminder and their parents who are totally involved in their development and learning. The childminder has been highly effective in adapting her setting to the needs of the children and has developed action plans to make further exciting changes. Overall, she shows an excellent capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 reviewing and continually developing the systems for self-evaluation in order to maintain exemplary practice. 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 manages her setting in an exceptional manner. She is committed to providing the best possible care for children and has detailed this in her mission statement. She continually updates her knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop by attending regular training sessions and studying for childcare qualifications. She uses an innovative management/record keeping tool to organise her setting. This, along with her excellent understanding of child protection issues, enables her to safeguard children extremely effectively and gives parents an excellent understanding of her duty to protect children. For example, she records any accidents or instances of administering medication to children on a secure website. The system allows parents instant access to all of their children's records through the use of secure passwords. Parents report that they consider the system to be exceptional because they can be more involved with what the

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the early years provision

children are doing on a daily basis. Children have their well-being promoted in a highly effective manner. Since registration the childminder has extensively evaluated all aspects of her provision, such as how she helps children to make healthy food choices or making stronger links with the community to further children's interests. She has extensive previous experience in day care settings and this has enabled her to develop excellent action plans to improve outcomes for children. The continual review of self-evaluation in order to maintain her exemplary practice is an area for ongoing development. The childminder provides very high quality resources for the children which they can access easily. This enables them to make independent choices about their play. The childminder also makes excellent use of local amenities to provide exciting and interesting activities.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an exemplary understanding of equality issues. She has studied the individual learning needs of all the children and particularly the boys. She understands that they may need more physical activity and caters for this in her activity planning. She promotes cultural differences by using a vibrant cultural area in which she displays books and posters and items of interest that the children bring in. Every child has their individual needs met unconditionally. None of the children currently attend other settings. However, the childminder has an excellent understanding and extensive previous experience of working in partnership to promote a shared approach to children's care and learning. She has established close working links with the local children's centre and knows how to access local services should the need arise. Parents report that they are very impressed by the childminder's professionalism and the nurturing environment that

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the early years provision

she creates. They also report that the childminder has listened to their views and individual requests concerning the care of their children. Children receive excellent, consistent care because frequent discussions of their needs take place. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are extremely happy and relaxed in the setting and their parents report that they are excited to attend. Children show how very secure and safe they feel with the childminder as they confidently toddle around investigating the activities. Parents report that when at home their children enthusiastically demonstrate what they have learnt with the childminder.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain an excellent understanding of the world around them. They blow and chase bubbles, study the fish to see how their fins work and plant seeds and flowers in the garden. They enthusiastically operate the push button musical toys and beam with delight when they recognise a particular song. They engage in a wide variety of craft activities using an abundance of different materials. For example, they experiment with sticking buttons and ribbons and paint with different parts of their own bodies. The childminder encourages all children to take part in different ways. For example, a child that does not usually enjoy craft activities joins in by creating pictures using the tyre tracks of their favourite cars. The children love the stories the childminder tells them. They are actively involved in the telling as they use puppets and other prompts to act them out. Their sensory development is encouraged from an early age as they investigate treasure

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and outcomes for children

baskets. They pull themselves up to ring the sleigh bells and make sounds with the other items that the childminder has hung up. They chatter to the childminder in baby babble as they play. The childminder is adept at extending the babble into conversations as she encourages children to do things for themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children accompany the childminder to a wide variety of play settings and outdoor venues. By using the highly stimulating range of toys and activities on offer at these settings and at the childminder's home children are building an excellent repertoire of skills for the future. The childminder has an excellent understanding of how young children learn and develop. She conducts highly impressive assessments of the children which cover all areas of their development. She skilfully uses these to identify children's next steps and provide motivating activities for each child. Her excellent activity planning for each individual child means that they are very interested in the activities and, therefore, are fully engaged in their play. Her records clearly show that children are making excellent progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to make excellent healthy food choices. They often help the childminder choose and purchase fruit and vegetables from the local shop for snack time. They are encouraged to be independent in selecting their own choices of fruit and preparing it for themselves. They learn where food comes from as they plant seeds in pots in the small garden and have a dedicated growing area in the local recreational square. They are encouraged to think about recycling as they help the childminder create compost.

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and outcomes for children

Children have many excellent opportunities for physical play both indoors and outside. They show abundant confidence as they use physical play equipment, especially the soft play materials at the local children's centre. They know they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 must have regard to other children as they play. As a result they use toys carefully and safely. They are very kind to each other and greet each other with wide smiles and hugs. All children receive an abundance of praise and encouragement from the childminder, especially when they do something for the first time or do something nice for someone else. This helps children to develop a caring attitude towards each other and helps maintain the warm, harmonious atmosphere of the setting in which they flourish. 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 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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