Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY439263 Inspection date 30/05/2012 Inspector Sarah Clements

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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 one-year- old child in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding, with the exception of the master bedroom. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools, nurseries and pre-schools. The family has a pet cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of five children under eight years may attend the setting at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. There are currently three children attending in this age group. Children attend on a part-time basis. Care is also offered to children over five years. The childminder is currently supporting a number of children who speak English as an additional language and has strategies in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The childminder attends local social groups with the children and takes them on regular outings. She holds Qualified Teacher Status.

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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

Children delight in spending time at the childminder's extremely safe, inclusive and welcoming home. The childminder makes expert use of observation and assessments, using these to plan an array of stimulating play opportunities that promote children's exceptional progress. Children's individual needs are met with great success because the childminder has an unquestionable commitment to working in close partnership with their parents and carers. Continuity is further enhanced through the very purposeful links that are fostered with the other early years settings that children attend. Efficient organisation of the provision underpins the outstanding practice and the childminder's rigorous use of self-evaluation ensures outcomes for children are continually built upon and maximised.

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further?

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

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further?

 implementing plans to extend the range of resources for children's outdoor play.

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the early years provision

The childminder's practice in relation to protecting children from harm is exceptionally strong. Robust policies and procedures for safeguarding children This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ensure the childminder is able to take prompt action if she becomes concerned about a child's welfare. All the required checks have been completed to confirm that all adults in the home are suitable to be in regular contact with the children. Meticulous risk assessments are carried out to address any potential hazards and the childminder is extremely intuitive of children's safety and security at all times. For example, she makes excellent use of a video monitor to ensure children sleep very safely. Documentation and records are extensive, exceptionally well organised and reviewed regularly. This includes well-established systems for recording information about children's specific needs and comprehensive fire evacuation and

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the early years provision

emergency plans. Children make excellent use of indoor and outdoor spaces and have easy access to an abundance of equipment and high quality resources. The childminder takes well-considered steps to ensure the provision of resources remains sustainable. For example, she continuously enhances children's play experiences by making innovate resources from everyday materials herself and taking full advantage of the toy library scheme at a local children's centre.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very well qualified and demonstrates a highly professional approach to her role. Her constant drive to gather new ideas ensures that the provision continues to promote the very best outcomes for children. Self-evaluation is used extensively, and consequently, the childminder maintains an excellent capacity to build on her existing outstanding practice. Detailed analysis and skilful action planning inspires the setting of ambitious targets for improvement. In particular, there are advanced plans in place to extend the range of resources that enhance children's outdoor learning experiences.

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the early years provision

There are excellent systems to ensure that children who may need additional support receive this at an early stage and the childminder is committed to extending her awareness of inclusive practice. The childminder goes the extra mile to foster highly positive partnerships with parents, carers and grandparents. Parents are extremely well informed about all aspects of their children's care and the childminder creates exciting ways for them to share in their children's learning. For example, parents and their children enjoy taking the setting's resident soft toy monkey and bear on family outings and often bring in photos to celebrate their experiences. Parents receive ongoing information through meaningful website updates, text messages and newsletters. They are also actively encouraged to add comments to their children's learning journey records which contributes significantly to the overall accuracy of the childminder's planning. The childminder

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the early years provision

proactively initiates effective partnerships with practitioners who care for children in other early years settings. This includes the exchange of weekly emails with a local preschool to ensure children's progress is readily shared and cohesion in their learning is fully maximised.

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and outcomes for children

Children make significant gains in their learning as a result of the childminder's extensive knowledge and implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Records of their development reflect the childminder's skilful use of observational assessment and rigorous monitoring of children's progress. This excellent This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 organisation of the educational programme provides children with a wealth of experiences that meet their individual needs and inspire their learning through play. The childminder is very enthusiastic in her approach and she channels her energies into interacting with the children whilst they play. For example, children eagerly join the childminder to share a story about a hungry caterpillar which the childminder brings to life with differing tones of voice and interesting props. Children are developing excellent skills for the future as they become very strong

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and outcomes for children

and confident communicators. Babies excitedly express themselves through babbling and the use of an increasing range of signs and gestures. For example, they make a familiar sign with their hand to indicate when they wish to stop eating. Children who have English as an additional language are particularly well supported as the childminder proactively gathers key words and dual language books to promote children's use of their home language.

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and outcomes for children

Young children revel in the excitement of learning to walk. They enjoy the freedom of using a walker for support as they move around the home with great confidence. Children's finer physical skills are also promoted extremely well as they complete challenging threading activities and learn to do up zips and buttons for themselves. Through skilful planning of resources, children encounter a vast range of activities that stimulate their problem solving skills and numeric understanding. For example, when they show an interest in building with bricks, the childminder embraces this by providing a larger range of construction equipment. This extends children's thinking as they calculate how many bricks they need to build more complex models of trees and hearts, using a sheet of designs to guide them. Children are highly inquisitive and delight in exploring bottles filled with colourful feathers, glittery water and magnetic pipe cleaners. They demonstrate rapid

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and outcomes for children

progress in their use of everyday technology as they have practical opportunities to use the scanning machine at the local library and demonstrate great control in using a mouse to operate the laptop. The childminder is an excellent role model, who encourages children's positive behaviour and offers them consistent amounts of praise and encouragement. This means that children develop a superb levels of self-esteem and have a strong desire to behave well. A wide range of positive posters, television programmes and books are purposefully provided to strengthen children's understanding and respect for the diverse society in which they live.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is significantly well promoted. They enjoy plenty of fresh air and physical exercise on a daily basis, including time spent in the childminder's inviting garden and trips to parks. The childminder actively raises children's awareness of the benefits of exercising as she talks to them about how their bodies feel when they have been active. Excellent hygiene practices ensure that children are fully protected from the risk of spread of infection. For example, babies learn to clean their hands with a wipe before handling finger foods, whilst older children reliably wash and dry their hands using their own individual flannels. There are rich opportunities for children to learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, they enjoy visits to the local fire station where they explore fire safety issues in a meaningful way. Clear and consistent prompting by the childminder ensures that babies develop a valuable awareness of safe practices

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and outcomes for children

from an early age. For example, they are gently discouraged from putting toys into their mouths whilst they are crawling. 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 1 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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