Childminder in Cornwall

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY217234 Inspection date 23/05/2012 Inspector Sara Frost

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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 2002. She lives with her husband in Trewoon, St Austell. The ground floor of her home is used for childminding and children have access to a secure garden. There are two working dogs, which are kept in a separate and secure area of the back garden. This childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She may care for six children under eight years at any one time; of these, three may be in the early years age group. She is currently caring for two children in the early years age range who attend on a part-time basis.

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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, who has recently commenced minding, provides a friendly, caring homely environment where children are content, happy and confident. Overall, the childminder develops a good, working relationship with parents to maintain continuity of children's care and effectively meet their needs. The childminder robustly promotes children's health and most aspects of helping them to feel safe. Most of the required documentation is in place, although she does not maintain a record of her risk assessment. The childminder effectively reflects to evaluate her practice and demonstrates good capacity to improve, for example, through accessing training.

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further?

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

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further?

 make a record of the risk assessment clearly stating when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation). 18/06/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the relationship with parents for them to review their children's progress regularly and contribute to their child's learning and development  develop children's understanding of keeping themselves safe in an emergency, for example, by carrying out regular evacuation drills and recording in a fire log book any problems encountered and how they were resolved. 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 safeguards children's welfare effectively overall. She is confident in her knowledge, understanding and responsibility should she have any concerns about a child. Effective systems are in place to record all visitors to the childminder's home. The childminder visibly conducts daily checks for all areas to which children have access. She is clear about how she identifies and maintains children's safety in the home and when children are outdoors. However, risk assessment so that children remain safe in the childminder's home is not recorded and therefore does not contain all the required, regulatory information. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement, yet it has a minimal impact on children. Other documentation is in place and is well maintained and kept in a secure and confidential manner.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is well organised, well resourced and resources are easily accessible. This gives children opportunities to make their own choices in play and well promotes their independence. The childminder provides an inclusive service. Her attention to detail prior and during children's settling-in periods enables her to gain a good understanding of each child's individual needs. Children benefit from good opportunities to develop a positive respect and understanding of the diversity of people in the community. They achieve these through use of an effective range of toys and resources.

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the early years provision

There are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies. The childminder, however, is clear on the importance of forming partnerships to provide a shared approach to children's care and learning, if the need arises. Parents and childminder share children's development verbally though this process is not fully developed. The childminder has good systems to seek relevant information from parents when children first attend, in order to identify their starting points.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well motivated to seek further improvement. She has effectively used recent training events to incorporate changes in her practice, including on further developing how she records her observations about children. The childminder has identified future training courses she would like to attend to aid her skills and practice.

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and outcomes for children

Children have settled well in the care of the childminder in such a very short time. They are very relaxed and content, happily playing with the range of resources provided and well supported by the attention the childminder provides. Children feel secure; for example, babies settle quickly at their sleep times and younger children, no longer seek reassurance when trains pass by. The childminder holds babies securely as they are bottle-fed. She engages them with her eye contact, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 smiling and chatting as they feed. Children freely access toys from various, areas in the childminders home. They particularly benefit from accessing fresh air, as children freely and confidently move between indoor and outdoor play. They enjoy taking their dolls out in the pram, playing on ride-on toys or attempting to play golf. As a result, they effectively develop their coordination skills and imaginative

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and outcomes for children

play. Regular trips to local, play parks provide children with different experiences of physical exercise.

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and outcomes for children

Children have access to a good range of story and reference books. They select books to share with the childminder and she encourages each child to develop their vocabulary as they look at books together. The childminder encourages children to talk about what they see in the pictures or guess what might happen next in the story. Younger children eagerly look for birds at the feeder through their homemade binoculars. The use of reference books helps children to identify birds that visit the garden. They learn about difference and diversity through their daily use of dolls and books that show positive images of people of different races and cultures. The development of babies' communication skills benefits from the childminder's confidently chatting away and responding to gurgling sounds that they make.

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and outcomes for children

Given their ages and stages of development, young children play well alongside each other. The childminder encourages children to share fairly and take turns. Young children show care and concern towards babies. For example, a child found a blanket to cover a baby asleep in rocker. The childminder recognises children's kindness and responds well to maintain children's self-esteem. She gently explains as the weather is hot it is too warm for a blanket, and encourages the child to take the blanket away. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and is developing learning journals for each child. Records effectively link to the early learning goals though identification of next steps in learning and development for all children is not fully developed.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, the childminder effectively enhances children's awareness of aspects of keeping safe. For example, she uses safety restraints when seating babies and young children in high and low chairs. Younger children learn to negotiate going in and out of conservatory into the garden. However, a fire evacuation involving children has yet to take place. This limits children's understanding of what to do in an emergency.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. The childminder develops children's awareness of good, hygiene practices as she washes and wipes their hands throughout the day. The childminder uses snacks and mealtimes to aid children's awareness of keeping healthy. She provides a range of nutritious snacks and meals and keeps parents well informed of how much their children have eaten during the day. Children sample and learn about growth from the various ranges of fruit and vegetables grown in the garden. 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 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 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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