Childminder in Halton

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY330993 Inspection date 09/07/2012 Inspector Kath Harding

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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 2006. She lives with her husband and two grown up children in Widnes, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor of the property is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family has a dog and fish as pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six 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 four children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage, all of whom, attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers 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. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 make good progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder provides a welcoming, child-friendly environment, in which children's welfare is well-promoted. The childminder actively promotes an inclusive environment and children are beginning to develop an awareness of diversity. Strong links with parents and others help to build positive relationships and ensure that the needs of the children are met. The childminder has a positive attitude to improvement and has plans for future improvement in place. Most required documentation to support her practice is in place.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain written prior parental permission to seek any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 09/07/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 encourage children to show care and concern with particular regard to activities that develop responsible behaviour for the environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding and knowledge of safeguarding procedures. She has attended training on safeguarding issues and ensures her knowledge in this area is kept up-to-date. She closely supervises the children in her care and knows of her responsibility to ensure that all people living in the house are suitably checked. Written risk assessments are undertaken which include the different areas of the childminder's home, garden and outings. A visual daily check is undertaken to ensure the premises are safe prior to the children arriving. This helps to keep children safe and ensure effective actions are taken to manage and eliminate risks. However, prior written parental permission to seek any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment is not in place. This potentially compromises children's good health.

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the early years provision

The childminder creates a welcoming, child-friendly environment where resources and toys are accessible in a dedicated playroom for the children. This helps to promote their independence. Each child has a folder containing recorded observations on the six areas of learning, art work and identified next steps in their learning and development. These are tracked to the developmental stages, showing how children make good progress. The childminder has a robust understanding of issues relating to equality and diversity, as she provides a service that ensures all children and their families are included and treated with equal concern and respect.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Written information is sought from parents regarding their child's routine, particular preferences and interests, so the childminder can provide consistent care. The childminder encourages a two-way flow of information between her and the parents so they know all about their child's day. Parents are encouraged to view their child's observation folder. Photographs are sent home detailing the activities the children have been involved in, so further aiding partnership working. Parents are involved in contributing their views and suggestions via informal chats and written comments in order to bring about future improvement. Some parental comments include, 'We are incredibly happy with our childminder she makes the most of every minute of her time when caring for our child'. 'My childminder is organised, efficient and an extremely competent person. I would highly recommend her to anyone who needs a

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to working in partnership with others. Communication takes place between the childminder and other providers to support individual children on a regular basis. This information is used to promote children's achievements and well-being. The childminder demonstrates a good commitment to continuous improvement and reflects on how to improve her service. She has clear plans in place as she has accurately assessed her strengths and identified areas for improvement. She has made some changes to her practice to suit the individual developmental needs of the children attending. She obtains advice from attending courses and uses the support of other childminders to help improve her practice. 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 very settled and quietly confident in the childminder's well-organised home. She places high priority on keeping the children safe and on them learning about safety. She explains about road safety when out walking and the children know which areas they are able to run on when playing at the park. They practise regular fire drills so they know how to get out of the house in an emergency.

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and outcomes for children

Children adopt good personal hygiene routines as they wash their hands prior to eating and after messy activities. Signs are displayed in the bathroom to encourage good hand washing techniques and children use individual paper towels to help reduce the risk of cross-infection. Children are offered healthy snacks and lunches, such as, sandwiches, fruit and yoghurts. They talk about the importance of drinking milk to help them understand about healthy teeth and strong bones. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise as this is incorporated into their daily routine. They go to local parks, soft play centres and access a wide range of physical activities both indoors and outside to help promote the development of their large motor skills.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder interacts well with the children during their play and constantly talks with them and asks open-ended questions to extend their learning. She encourages the children to talk about colours of different objects as they play. As they listen to the programmable toy and press the buttons they attempt to write the letters they have heard. They freely get the paints out as they decide they want to use stampers with the paint to make a picture. As they look at the photographs in the album they talk about the activities they have been involved in and places they have visited. They are encouraged to problem solve as they put the pieces of the puzzles together and as they see a picture of a dog, they sound out the letters of the animals. They have fun as they decide to get the dressing up clothes out and try these on. They are able to name different parts of their body, such as, the spinal cord, ribs and hip bones. They are encouraged to show care

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and outcomes for children

and concern as they help to feed the fish but they do not take part in any activities to recycle items to help them gain an understanding about sustainability.

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and outcomes for children

Children behave very well with the childminder. She uses lots of praise and encouragement with them, so promoting their self-esteem. They begin to understand about the wider world as they use a good range of resources and toys that reflect diversity. As they look at the world map they find different countries and look at the flags that represent them. They look at festivals, such as Chinese New Year, taste Chinese food and make dragon masks, so they gain a better understanding of the wider world. They regularly visit toddler sessions, the library and shops, so becoming aware of their local community. They also visit Liverpool docks and surrounding areas to gain an understanding of the world around them. 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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