Childminder in Lancashire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY369158 Inspection date 22/05/2012 Inspector Lynne Naylor

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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 2008. She lives with her husband and two children aged 10 and six years in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. The whole ground floor of the house is used for childminding and the rear garden is available for outdoor play. The childminder walks to toddler groups and is able to take children to and collect them from local schools.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. There are currently five children on roll who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3. She 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

Children are cared for in a home that is organised to be inclusive, accessible and safe. Monitoring systems are not strong enough to identify that the risk assessment records are incomplete and some written policies contain out-of-date references. However, the childminder is beginning to use more robust criteria to identify further areas for development and demonstrates a good capacity to maintain continuous improvement. Children's unique needs are effectively met, supported by good verbal communication with parents. They make good progress in their learning and development, although partnerships with parents and other providers are not purposefully used to support children's continued learning and development.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the risk assessment so that it identifies aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis and includes anything with which a child may come into contact (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 05/06/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 update, where necessary, any references and telephone numbers shared with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parents  build on the partnership with parents and others to extend the ways they can contribute their views about the childcare service and children's learning  evaluate the benefit of worksheets and consider replacing them with planned play activities and first-hand experiences.

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the early years provision

The childminder understands and follows clear written child protection policies that are in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. She has previously attended appropriate child protection training and holds a valid first aid certificate, which enables her to safeguard children's health in an emergency. Records of children's attendance, accidents and medicine administrations are well maintained. These records help keep children safe. All adults who live in the household have undergone appropriate clearance procedures, which helps to maintain children's safety. The childminder follows a useful checklist to help her visually check the home is suitable and safe for children on a daily basis. Her written risk assessment is reviewed regularly, although does not identify all possible risks within the home and garden. This is a breach of a specific legal requirement. Children move freely between the living room and well-resourced playroom. They have full access to all

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the early years provision

resources, which enables them to successfully initiate and extend their own play. Resources are varied and many promote positive attitudes to differences in culture and respect for diversity. There are many posters on the walls, which are professionally produced using photographs of the children. These promote children's sense of belonging as well as being informative to parents. The garden is being renovated so is not currently being used by the children. However, children experience some fresh air every day, either at the park or on walks in the local area, although outdoor learning opportunities are mainly linked to the promotion of their physical development.

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the early years provision

Parents receive written policies which are generally informative despite the outdated references and phone numbers. They have access to good quality information about the setting through daily verbal exchanges and displayed notices. The childminder demonstrates a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. She observes and accurately assesses each child's progress and identifies the next steps in their learning. She also purposefully tracks the progress of individual children to ensure it is balanced across all six areas of learning. She keeps photographs and formal observations in each child's achievement record, which parents take home regularly. However, she does not maximise on opportunities for parents to add their knowledge to these records. The partnerships with the other settings that children attend are in the early stages of development and are not yet fully

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the early years provision

effective. The childminder reflects on her practice and is open to any views expressed by parents to successfully improve outcomes for children. She is beginning to evaluate her setting against robust criteria. However, she does not yet actively seek the views of parents. 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 learning about a healthy lifestyle. They sit at the table to eat a healthy snack, such as grapes and strawberries with a home-made biscuit. Some adult-led activities, such as making fajitas, pizza and fruit kebabs for lunch, successfully widen their awareness of different healthy foods and introduce them to cultural foods. Children exercise every day in the fresh air as they walk to places in the local area. They practise climbing skills at the soft play centre and use equipment at the park. Children follow safe pavement skills when walking back from school. They demonstrate a clear sense of security and belonging at the childminder's home. They behave well, have an excellent relationship with the childminder and confidently talk to each other and visitors. Children enjoy many opportunities to learn how to use tools safely, for example, when baking and enjoying craft activities.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder puts considerable effort into planning themed activities that are well linked to promote children's learning in all areas of their development. For example, children refine their listening skills as the childminder reads the story of 'Goldilocks'. They develop their creativity as they paint and colour pictures of the characters and use these to re-tell the story through role play. Most of the time, children effectively learn through play, meaningful activities and effective support from the childminder. However, worksheets sourced from the internet are sometimes used to teach number, pattern and writing skills rather than adapting these ideas to provide meaningful activities using real-life resources and situations. Young children acquire a good understanding of technology as they push buttons on toys to activate lights and sounds. Older children role play with retractable tape measures and operate simple computer programmes which refine their

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and outcomes for children

technological skills. They extend their numeracy skills and develop their hand-to- eye coordination as they match numerals on the lotto board. Children play imaginatively in the play kitchen and with the dolls' house, toy cars and small world figures. Children demonstrate growing literacy skills as they look at books and draw and write with a range of pens and pencils. They express themselves creatively with musical instruments. Children's awareness of their own cultures and festivals is frequently raised as they enjoy planned activities. For example, they make rangoli patterns with rice and make jigsaws at Chinese New Year. 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 3 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 3 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 05/06/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 05/06/2012

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