Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY266051 Inspection date 18/06/2012 Inspector Debbie Kerry

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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 2003 and lives with her husband and two children in a village close to Bury St Edmunds. Children have access to all parts of the childminder's home and the premises are accessed via a step. A secure enclosed garden is available for outdoor play. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The family has a cat, rabbits and guinea pigs.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time, three of whom may be in the early years age range and of whom, no more than one may be under one year old. There are currently four children attending who are within the early years age group, all attend on a part- time basis. The childminder is able to offer care to children aged over five years. She 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 is able to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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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 ensures that children's safety and welfare are fully supported and they have their individual care needs met well. The childminder works closely with parents so that all children's individual interests and needs are fully understood. She has a range of clear policies and procedures in place, which supports her practice and keeps parents informed. Overall, she has implemented effective procedures to support the learning and development of children and as a result, they make good progress in their learning and development. She is committed to her role and evaluates her practice, identifying areas to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the use of observations and the systems for monitoring and analysing children's progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder has clear policies and procedures in place regarding safeguarding to ensure that maintaining children's welfare remains a high priority. She has a good understanding of safeguarding children procedures and of whom to contact This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 should she have any concerns. The childminder ensures that children are supervised at all times to promote their safety, especially when using the garden. She practises the fire evacuation procedures with children on a regular basis. This enables children to develop a good knowledge and understanding of what to do in an emergency. She ensures that a written record of these is kept to enable her to review their success and ensure that any issues are resolved. The childminder completes written risk assessments for all areas of the home, garden and for all outings. This ensures that hazards are minimised and children are protected from

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed close relationships with parents of the minded children. This ensures that information is shared to promote continuity of care and helps children to feel safe and settled in her home. For example, they exchange information each day on the children's day-to-day care needs and home routines. The childminder also writes a daily diary for younger children to reflect an accurate record of their day with the childminder and includes all the activities, which they have undertaken. Parents provide regular feedback in their child's diary to ensure that the childminder is kept up to date of any changes. Parents are kept fully informed about their children's development through daily discussions and the sharing of their progress records. The childminder has developed good relationships with staff of other early years settings that minded children attend. She regularly exchanges information and shares children's learning journey records

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the early years provision

to promote continuity in their learning and support.

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the early years provision

The childminder has undertaken a review of her practice and has identified areas for development to maintain continuous improvement. Parents have provided positive written feedback and completed questionnaires on the care and learning that the childminder provides for their children. This is used to implement any suggestions to improve her practice further and to respond to parents and children's needs. Children are provided with a child-centred environment with a range of posters and displays, making it bright and welcoming. Resources are stored in the playroom and set out in the lounge within their reach. This helps to promote their independence and ensures that all children can make choices about what they play with.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder ensures that parents' wishes are respected regarding children's individual dietary requirements. She also ensures that food provided by parents is stored appropriately. The childminder has clear procedures in place to effectively promote children's health and medical needs. Children have access to physical play each day. They walk to the local park where they can access a range of large equipment to promote their healthy growth and development well. Children play ball games with each other and the childminder. This helps them to develop an understanding of the value of exercise, while enjoying active games. Children are learning good hygiene routines because they are supported in cleaning their hands with anti-bacteria hand gel before eating. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder plans a range of activities each week around children's individual

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and outcomes for children

interests to enhance their engagement and help them to make progress in their learning. As a result, children are motivated to learn and make good progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities. Each child has their own record of progress, the format for this varies depending on their ages, and these are shared with parents to keep them fully informed. The childminder records regular observations and evaluates these to identify children's next steps in their learning. However, the observations for some children are not always fully evaluated or linked to the six areas of learning to enable their progress to be clearly analysed or tracked.

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and outcomes for children

Children are taken on regular outings within the local community to develop their understanding on the world around them and the local environment. The childminder plans activities to support children's knowledge on other cultures and beliefs throughout the year. Children also have access to resources that reflect positive images of diversity to help develop their understanding in relation to the cultures of others. Children are supported in developing their problem solving skills through completing puzzles, as they match the shapes and colours of the pieces together. Children are developing their skills in numeracy as the childminder counts resources with them. She encourages children to count in sequence. Children play with push button toys and pretend telephones and develop their understanding around basic technology. Children enjoy exploring various materials, including foam where they look for the hidden dinosaurs. This helps to develop

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and outcomes for children

their dexterity as they make marks and patterns in the foam. Children have opportunities to play with musical toys and the childminder sings songs with them to help promote their speech and language development. 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 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 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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