Childminder in Southwark

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY307136 Inspection date 18/06/2012 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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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 2005. She lives with her partner in East Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a garden for outside play. The family has a cat. The childminder registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time; of these, three may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding two children and both of these are in the early years age group. The childminder walks or drives to local schools to take and collect children. She attends the local parent/toddler group

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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 promotes children's welfare and learning in a child-friendly environment. Overall, a good range of activities based on children's interests and abilities helps them to move forward in their learning at a good pace. The childminder has strong relationships with parents and a clear understanding of children's backgrounds and, therefore, caters for their individual needs well. The childminder regularly reflects on her practice and uses self-evaluation effectively to indentify priorities for development. She demonstrates good capacity to improve outcomes for children. In the main, there are suitable procedures in place to safeguard children.

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further?

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

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further?

 create further opportunities for children to explore and experiment with a range of media

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the early years provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of the local safeguarding children procedures. She uses a thorough, risk assessment system to help make sure children play in a safe environment. The childminder is caring for more children than her conditions of registration allows. This is a breach of her conditions of registration. However, she has a reasonable excuse in that she had not realised there had been an administrative error when updating her registration certificate. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 This has had no adverse impact on the children she cares for. Therefore, on this occasion Ofsted does not intend to take further action. The childminder keeps her first aid qualification up-to-date so she is aware of current, recommended practice to deal with accidents and injuries. She has a wide range of written information that underpins her good practice. This is shared with parents so that, overall, they

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the early years provision

are secure in the knowledge their children are protected.

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the early years provision

The childminder arranges her home well so children see what is on offer and make choices about their play. They move around freely and with confidence, playing with resources that support and promote their learning well. The childminder shows a strong commitment to improving her childminding service. She has completed the Ofsted self-evaluation, using this to reflect on her practice and indentify her strengths and areas she wishes to develop. She is continually evaluating what she does to find improvements that will benefit children most. For example, she is planning to develop the outside area to provide children with more opportunities to role play in different environments.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides a service that is inclusive to all families and values all children. She has a good understanding of each child's individual needs and works closely with the parents to close the achievement gap for all children. Children learn about people's similarities and differences through a good range of resources that reflects diversity. Children also get opportunities to share food from their own and other backgrounds, which helps them to lean about cultures other than their own. The childminder gives good feedback to parents on a daily basis. She uses a contact book to keep them informed of children's well-being and achievements, and talks to them about how they are progressing on a regular basis. This helps them to be more involved in their children's learning and development. She takes time to listen to parents and uses questionnaires to seek their views on the service she provides. Currently there are no other professionals involved in the children's

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the early years provision

care. However, the childminder demonstrates a positive attitude to forging links, having had experience of doing so in the past.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, settled and display confidence as they engage in activities that they clearly enjoy. Children access the outdoors freely, which helps them to develop in all areas of learning well. The childminder skilfully interacts with children, asking many open questions to extend their learning and challenge their thinking. For example, she asks them to name colours and prompts them to count as they play. The childminder talks constantly to children, helping them to develop their communication skills well. The childminder shows she knows children well. She asks them what they did at the weekend, refers to family members and discusses familiar events with them. This makes them feel comfortable in her care so they gain a real sense of belonging. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children enjoy good opportunities to explore and investigate through play. They

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and outcomes for children

concentrate on filling a bucket using small spades; consequently, they begin to learn about volume as they work out how many spadefuls it takes to fill the bucket. They talk about big and little as the childminder introduces other buckets for them to fill. Children thoroughly enjoy stories. They enthusiastically choose a book for the childminder to read to them. This is an interactive book and each child gets a turn to press a button to make the appropriate sound during the story. The childminder develops this further by asking them about the pictures and to predict what comes next. This helps children to develop a love of books and to learn how a story is structured.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to form relationships and make friends as they attend groups regularly throughout the week. At music sessions, they gain experience of different instruments and the sounds they make. They learn about the world around them through trips in the local community. Children have some opportunities to be creative using dough to make models. However, there is limited access to a range of different media to experiment. The childminder takes time to talks to them about the snails children find, explaining how these see and carry their homes on their backs. The children show interest in her explanation and, consequently, learn about nature and the world around them.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is aware of children's abilities and where they are in relation to their starting points. Therefore, she has a firm base to move children forward. She periodically makes observations of children's development and evaluates these to indentify next steps in their learning. She plans all activities using her good knowledge of where children are in their development. As a result, children make good progress and develop good skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to adopt healthy lifestyles. They enjoy regular, outside play in the garden and park or at local groups, using challenging equipment to develop strong, physical skills. They show good understanding of hygiene routines, for example, by asking to wash after sand play and before snacks. They benefit from a healthy diet and frequently help themselves to drinks. Clear boundaries are set so children know about acceptable behaviour. The childminder talks to them about any negative behaviour and supports them to share and take turns. Children behave in ways that are safe for themselves and for others. For example, a child removes a toy from underneath the scooter so the younger child can move forward. This demonstrates that children understand about safety and show care and concern for others. 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 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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