Childminder in Essex

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY440355 Inspection date 17/07/2012 Inspector Moira Oliver

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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 2012 and lives with her family in a village close to Colchester, Essex. The whole of the property is registered, however, childminding mostly takes place on the ground floor and children access the upstairs toilet. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from the local school and pre- schools and they attend a range of toddler groups. The family has two cats as pets.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children under eight years at any one time. There are currently six children attending, three of whom are within the early years age range and most attend on a part-time basis. The childminder also offers care to older children and is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder supports children who are bilingual.

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Description of the childminding

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 are happy, confident and have a strong sense of belonging, enabling them to make good progress in their learning and development. Their welfare is promoted well, they are safe, secure and learn to live healthy lifestyles. Children benefit because the childminder works very closely with the parents and strong, trusting relationships are built. The childminder is dedicated to her role and has some systems in place to regularly reflect on her practice, providing a good basis for her 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?

 review the self-evaluation system to clearly identify strengths and specific areas for future improvement in practice and the impact on outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder prioritises children's safety and has a very good understanding of her roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. She has clear and robust policies and procedures in place that are shared with parents when their child starts. She has attended training and reads relevant publications to ensure that she keeps up-to-date with child protection issues and all legislation. Children are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 supervised at all times and are safe and secure in the childminder's care. Thorough risk assessments ensure that the premises are safe and hazards are minimised. For example, the garden is enclosed, gates are bolted and the stairs are protected with a gate to ensure very young children do not access them unsupervised. Risk assessments are also in place for each outing and she ensures that her vehicle is safe for children to be transported in.

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the early years provision

The childminder regularly reflects on her practice, asking herself questions about how the activities went and how she responded to the children. She has completed a self-evaluation document, describing her practice and has found it helpful to go through each area and identify and record what she does. However, the childminder does not make full use of this system to identify specific areas for development and the impact that these improvements will have on outcomes for the children.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are a key strength in the setting and as the parents are very much involved in their child's day at the setting. They receive clear and professionally set out information, including all the childminder's policies and procedures. They provide valuable information about their children when they start and regularly share their child's records, contributing their own comments. The childminder actively encourages parents to share their views and completed questionnaires show that parents are very happy with the care and education their child receives. They share information in a variety of ways, including daily discussions, comment books and by email. They are very comfortable in the childminder's home and join in with the children's play as they get to know the other children and the childminder's own family.

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the early years provision

The childminder works closely with the local authority and regularly meets with other childminders, sharing ideas and good practice. She understands the benefits of working closely with other settings that the children attend and has clear plans for partnership working when the children start to attend the local nursery. The childminder provides an extremely inclusive and welcoming setting for all children and their families. She supports children to understand and accept peoples differing needs using discussions and a range of resources that reflect diversity. Dual language books are used for children who are bilingual and toys and resources are labelled with dual languages and photographs.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and have fun in the stimulating and welcoming learning environment. They have many opportunities to develop their independence skills and confidently select their activities and resources from well-labelled, low-level storage units. They freely use all areas and access the outdoors, taking their chosen toys and equipment with them. Each child is supported to develop their interests and extend their learning through a wide range of activities. Rigorous observation, assessment and planning systems are linked with the areas of learning, shared with parents and clearly show good levels of progression. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children enjoy listening to stories and pointing out pictures on the pages as they help to turn them one at a time. Bilingual children have many opportunities to use and hear both languages as the childminder identifies animals in the picture book.

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and outcomes for children

Children are inquisitive and ask questions about the flowers in the garden and insects that they find. They use a magnifying glass to look at them closely and the childminder finds reference books to help them to identify them. They use their imaginations as they dress-up pretending to be princesses and have a variety of accessories to complete their outfits. For example, children enjoy walking in the play shoes, taking handbags into the garden and wearing builder's hats.

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and outcomes for children

They are becoming interested in shape and colour and can identify some colours on their clothing and the equipment. They use number and some mathematical language as they compare the size of the two slides. Children take part in planting, watering and harvesting fruit and vegetables and smell the flowers in an inviting sensory garden area. They express themselves through music as they join-in with singing and action rhymes and play on a range of instruments. They push buttons on electronic toys listening to the music and voices as they identify letters and shapes.

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and outcomes for children

Children's welfare is promoted well. They have daily opportunities to play outdoors and to go for walks in the countryside. They skilfully scoot themselves along on the ride-on toys, avoiding other children and equipment, and climb the slides. They hold-on tight to the ropes of the swing and enjoy being pushed higher. Children are provided with a range of healthy meals and snacks and drinks are available at all times.

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and outcomes for children

Children are safe and secure in the childminder's care. They learn to keep themselves safe as they talk about road safety on the way to school and wear fluorescent jackets so they can be seen. They learn the simple house rules, for example, they all sit down to eat and drink and know to sit on chairs and not to throw the toys. Children have lots of opportunities to socialise in larger groups as they attend a range of toddler groups. They learn to be kind, to respect each other and to share the equipment fairly. The childminder provides a good role model for them to follow as she values each child, respecting their unique personalities. She provides high levels of support and attention and is affectionate towards the children, building strong relationships. She has a calm, caring and consistent approach and uses age appropriate explanations to support the children to manage their behaviour effectively.

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and outcomes for children

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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