Witcombe, Claire Elizabeth

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY442801 Inspection date 24/07/2012 Inspector Angela Rowley

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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 child aged six years in Oswaldtwistle, Accrington. The whole of the property is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder takes and collects children from local schools and pre-schools. The family has fish and a small reptile kept in an enclosed tank away from the children.

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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, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. At present, there are two children in this age group on roll. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years and is currently caring for two children in this age range. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. 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

The childminder operates a well-organised provision, which meets all requirements. Children are very happy and flourish as the childminder provides a broad range of interesting activities and experiences to help them achieve their next steps across almost all areas. Strong relationships ensure she knows each individual very well and she observes and works closely with parents and other professionals to provide effectively for children's continuity of care and learning. Through continual reflection and links with other childminders and early years workers, the childminder has a clear understanding of the strengths of her setting and is beginning to identify further areas for development. She is highly motivated and has some appropriate plans for future training, which are likely to further develop the quality of the provision for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop a systematic approach to using assessment to plan learning priorities and activities tailored for each individual child's learning  strengthen monitoring and self-evaluation processes to more rigorously identify the setting's strengths and priorities for development that will further improve the quality of the provision for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a clear awareness of safeguarding issues through training and through the development of associated procedures and documentation which are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 clearly linked to those of her Local Safeguarding Children Board. Comprehensive risk assessments of the premises and outings inform thorough practices which keep children safe. Consequently, children develop a clear sense of safety and security in the setting. The provision of welcome signs in different languages and some resources promoting positive images of diversity provide a clear sense of value for all. She holds food hygiene and current paediatric first aid certificates and comprehensively maintains all required documentation.

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the early years provision

Right at the start, each individual child's needs and preferences are established with their parents through a tailored settling-in process and completion of 'All about me' questionnaires. This enables children to settle very quickly. The childminder keeps parents very well informed of their child's care and what their children can do through the use of daily communication diaries. Meaningful links are also established with other professionals involved in children's care and learning and used effectively to provide continuity. Parents provide highly positive feedback regarding the service they receive and their comments are used to inform the settings evaluation of itself. Typical comments refer to the 'home from home' experience and describe the childminder's 'passionate and enthusiastic role as an educator'.

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the early years provision

The childminder's continual reflection results in a continuously developing setting, which promotes consistently good outcomes for children. She is highly motivated and has worked hard to establish clear systems that help her provide a well- organised childminding service that meets every child's needs. She accurately recognises her strengths as being the organisation of her provision along with the welcoming and stimulating environment and exciting play provision to promote children's learning. She is very aware, however, that this can be even more effective by using a more systematic process for evaluating what children can do in order to plan for their learning in a more focussed way for each individual. The childminder's systems for tracking progress and for developing her provision are as yet, however, rather narrow. This means that she occasionally overlooks providing for specific aspects of learning and opportunities to develop the provision even

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a very welcoming environment. Her care and enthusiasm ensures that children's relationships with their childminder and each other are very positive. Their photographs are prominently displayed, giving them a clear sense of belonging in her home. Children feel safe; babies snuggle in closely and settle off to sleep in the childminder's arms whilst older children move around freely in her home. They take part in activities which help them learn about keeping themselves safe, for example, home safety quizzes. They also learn about being healthy through good routines which promote healthy lifestyles. The childminder promotes children's health and well-being effectively. She routinely takes children out to ensure they receive fresh air and exercise and she consistently implements and encourages healthy lifestyles, preparing home-made meals using fresh ingredients. Meal and snack times are well organised, family occasions, where everyone,

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 including babies, sit together at the table to enjoy the social occasion. Activities promote their understanding of healthy foods, for example, making pancake faces with fruit and growing a variety of vegetables in the garden.

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and outcomes for children

The home is rich in play opportunities and successfully promotes active learning, helping children develop the skills they need for the future. The childminder has transformed her lounge to become a stimulating play space. Children freely access a wide range of good quality play materials from low level storage labelled with pictorial images. Consequently, they are able to direct their own play and follow through their own ideas, thus becoming independent thinkers and learners. As a result, they enjoy their time in the childminder's care and engage very well. The childminder uses children's interests to reinforce their learning from other settings. For example, she provides baking activities to make 'moon rock cakes' linking to a space theme. Additionally, children's interest in nature and the environment is extended when she uses her garden in addition to a wide range of outings to explore and investigate. Children make marks in messy play using a variety of

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and outcomes for children

different media; they dig in the sand outside and go on nature hunts in the woods. The childminder devotes her time to playing with the children and she speaks with them continually. A wealth of attractive materials, including resources which make stories come to life, promote the children's interest in the attractively displayed and accessible books. The childminder's secure knowledge of how children learn through play along with the learning, development and welfare requirements, promotes good outcomes for them. Activities are well matched to children's learning needs and individual interests because the childminder knows them very well and uses information provided by their parents. She observes and evaluates children's learning and uses her written observations to guide her thinking. This ensures she has a clear awareness of what children can do and of some of the next steps in their stages of development. She provides many activities relevant to this, which ensures children

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and outcomes for children

make continual progress. However, at present the childminder does not systematically re-evaluate what children can do using summative observations and consistently plan activities with specific learning objectives for each individual across all areas of learning. Consequently, as yet children make better progress in some areas of learning than 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 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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