Childminder in West Sussex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY441486 Inspection date 04/07/2012 Inspector Lisa Toole

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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 2012. She lives with her husband and three school- aged children in Littlehampton, West Sussex. The ground floor of the home is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The childminder walks to schools to take and collect children and attends the local parent/toddler group. The family has chickens and two guinea pigs. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years at any one time; of these, no more than three may be in the early years age range. The childminder is currently minding six children under eight years; of these, four are in the early years age 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

Children benefit from good quality and personalised care, teaching and learning to support their development within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The childminder has a thorough understanding of her role and responsibilities to effectively meet children's needs. She is enthusiastic, caring and attentive and, consequently, children show that they feel safe and happy in her care. There is, overall, a broad range of resources available to provide variety and challenge children. The childminder effectively reflects on her practice and is ambitious about driving her own development to demonstrate a good capacity 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?

 extend the range of resources that are challenging and can be used in a variety of ways to enhance children's physical development.

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the early years provision

The childminder follows robust safeguarding procedures to help keep children safe. She has a secure understanding of her responsibilities, in order to protect children. The childminder's well-maintained records, such as the accident book and risk assessments, all contribute to her good, safeguarding measures. She has attended all mandatory training, including paediatric first aid, to help her care for children effectively in the event of a minor accident.

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the early years provision

The childminder is keen to increase her knowledge and skills as part of her drive to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 improve her practice even further. For example, she has undertaken additional training relating to child protection and food hygiene and safety. The childminder accurately evaluates her practice, reflecting on her strengths and then identifying priorities for improvement to maximise the outcomes for children. Overall, the childminder offers a good range of resources. She uses this well to support children's development across all areas of learning. However, the range of large, outdoor equipment to support their physical play equipment is an area for further development. This is to offer children even more physical challenge and variety in their play. It is also to help them develop resilience, as they learn to ride, balance and take manageable risks.

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the early years provision

The childminder forms extremely strong partnership links with parents, right from the start. She gathers vital information about the uniqueness of each child during settling visits. This enables her to effectively promote equality and diversity and form a baseline assessment of a child's capabilities. It also helps her understand more about each child's likes and routines to support continuity of care between home and the childminder. The childminder seeks the views of children and parents as an important part of her ongoing, evaluation process. Children comment how playing in the garden is one of their favourite things to do. Feedback from parents is also extremely complimentary, with comments, such as her service being 'five star'. Excellent communication systems are in place, enabling parents to keep very well informed and involved in their children's care and learning. Good communication regularly takes place between the childminder

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the early years provision

and partners, such as pre-schools, supporting individual children on a regular basis. This means they are able to share information and promote children's achievement and well-being through collaborative working.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder offers extremely good quality and personalised learning because children's individual needs and current interests form the basis for her planning. She also uses topics, such as the Olympics, to underpin various adult-initiated activities and help children to learn extensively about the world around them. Activities are very diverse, fun and interesting, greatly capturing children's interest and helping them gain important and exceptional skills for the future. Children engage extremely well together during free play, with older children selecting a snail board game to play as they develop their counting and turn-taking skills. They then move on to making snails with play dough, learning how to roll and manipulate it into a definite shape. The childminder is a superb role model, for example, as she very enthusiastically extends children's communication skills through plenty of chatter. She responds extremely well to toddlers' babbling, as

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and outcomes for children

they begin to learn how to express themselves verbally. Her excellent use of open- ended questions stimulates children's critical thinking and helps them problem solve. For example, with questions, such as 'What next?', she encourages children to work out which foam number comes next in a number line they are making. Toddlers explore the play space with a great deal of confidence, delighting in problem solving how to turn a toy pram and fit it through the door, while moving This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 backwards.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has excellent systems in place to observe and assess children's progress. Consequently, she is very successfully narrowing any potential achievement gaps by tailoring her provision uniquely to each child. She creates wonderful scrapbooks with photographs of children fully engaging in different activities, which she shares with parents. Children have very detailed, individual, planning sheets and learning journals to help the childminder monitor their development and identify next steps for learning. The records indicate that children make extremely good progress towards the early learning goals.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate how they feel safe, happy, and contented with the childminder. She promotes their physical and emotional health to a good standard. She offers plenty of cuddles and opportunities for children to snuggle up on the sofa when they are tired. Children adopt good personal hygiene routines and well understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. For example, they delight in selecting fresh fruits for snack and sit down together to eat as part of a valuable sociable time of day. They have daily opportunities for fresh air and physical exercise, as well as resting and sleeping according to their routines from home and individual needs. On outings to parks and woodlands, they effectively learn about staying safe and taking manageable risks, while under close supervision. They learn about the importance of good road safety and how to stay safe in the childminder's home. For example, children confidently explain to each other how

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and outcomes for children

they must not kick a ball indoors, in case they hurt someone or break something. Gentle reminders from the childminder reinforce messages about safety as children have fun jumping on foam mats in the lounge. Children all display a strong sense of belonging because of the good quality care provided by the childminder. She teaches them about respect, about differences in society and being kind to each other. They celebrate a diverse range of cultural and religious events through the year. These include events, such as American Independence Day and the feast of Corpus Christi when they visit Arundel Castle to see the Easter flower carpet. These activities effectively help them to understand more about equality and about making a positive contribution to society. 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 1 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 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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