Childminder in Bexley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY440656 Inspection date 24/07/2012 Inspector Sarah Morfett

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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 one child aged four, in Welling, in the London Borough of Bexley. The family has a cat. The whole of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a secure garden for outside play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time; of these two may be in the early years age group. Currently there is one child in the early years age group on roll. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent/toddler 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

The childminder promotes children's welfare and learning successfully in a safe and secure environment. They have a good range of activities based on their interests and abilities, which helps them to move forward in their learning at a good pace. Generally, good partnerships with parents and other professionals are established and mean that children's individual needs are met effectively overall. The childminder demonstrates a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement. She regularly reflects on her practice to indentify priorities for development as part of her self-evaluation process.

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further?

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

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further?

 strengthen partnerships with practitioners to complement the education and care the children receive in other settings.

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the early years provision

The childminder promotes children's safety and welfare effectively. A wide range of policies and procedures are in place and shared with parents to promote consistency of care. The childminder has an effective risk assessment procedure that covers all aspects of her home and all outings that she takes children on. She prioritises any concerns or safety issues to minimise risk to children. The childminder has a good understanding of the local procedures for safeguarding children. She has a wide range of information, such as the local safeguarding team This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 contact numbers and an informative policy to refer to in the event of a concern. Toys and resources are deployed effectively so that all ages of children can make choices about what they play with. As a result, children develop independence well. The childminder provides a fully inclusive service where each child is nurtured,

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the early years provision

respected and included. She has clear details of their culture, religion and family background, enabling her to support them according to their specific needs and circumstances. Children learn about people's similarities and differences through a good range of resources that reflect diversity and by taking part in celebrations of festivals from other cultures. As a result, children learn about the wider world. The childminder demonstrates she is keen to improve her skills and knowledge as she places high importance on attending regular training. She evaluates her practice so she has a good awareness of her strengths and areas for further development. Therefore, she can tailor the training to her needs. For example, she is arranging to attend courses to develop her knowledge of the New Early Years Statutory Framework and a Dolls and Dinosaurs course, which deals with girls and boys different learning styles. This enables her to bring about improvements that benefit

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the early years provision

children most. The childminder develops good partnerships with parents. She shares details of children's well-being, learning and development with parents on a daily basis. This keeps them informed of their children's achievements and helps them to be more involved in children's learning. The childminder has generally good relationships with staff from the other settings children attend. She takes time to discuss children's well-being and liaise between staff and parents. However, she is not, as yet, sharing details of children's development. Consequently, she is not fully complementing children's learning and development within her setting.

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and outcomes for children

Children clearly enjoy their time with the childminder. She makes them feel secure in her care because of the warm and friendly relationships they have developed. For example, children thoroughly enjoy playing with the childminder and they seek reassurance and comfort. She talks to them about familiar events in their lives, such as an impending holiday, discussing how much fun it will be. This gives children a strong sense of belonging. The childminder is skilful in her interaction with the children, asking many open questions to extend their learning and challenge their thinking. For example, she asks them to name colours and prompts them to count as they play. She promotes good sharing as the children play board games, helping them to take turns. The childminder talks constantly to children, therefore, they develop their communication skills well. Children enjoy good opportunities to explore and investigate through play. They

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and outcomes for children

love digging in the sand, filling buckets and turning them over to make a sandcastle. This helps them to begin to understand simple maths and science concepts as they talk about how much sand there is and how heavy the buckets are. The children benefit greatly from the childminders excellent keyboard skills. She plays for them as they sing. They learn to keep time as they bang drums or xylophones. This develops their love of music and they learn about rhythm. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children enjoy shopping trips, visits to the local park to feed the ducks and to the library to choose books. They are beginning to learn some simple words in other languages, which help them to understand about people's differences. They learn about the world around them through trips in the local community. The childminder shows she is aware of children's abilities and where they are in

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and outcomes for children

relation to their starting points. She makes a thorough, all-round assessment of what children can do, including parents when they first start. This gives her a starting point to make meaningful observations, which she evaluates to show how children are making progress. She uses this information to plan for each child's individual learning and development requirements. As a result, children make good progress in her care. Children feel safe and secure as the childminder takes good steps to make sure her home is suitable for them to play in. There is a good range of equipment, such as gates to prevent access to stairs. The childminder teaches children about playing safely as she explains to them the dangers of flicking the sand about. Therefore, they learn to act in ways that are safe for themselves and others. Children benefit from regular, outside play in the garden, the park or at local groups, using

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and outcomes for children

challenging equipment to develop strong, physical skills. They show good understanding of hygiene routines. For example, they know they wash their hands before they eat and after playing outside. They benefit from a healthy diet and frequently help themselves to drinks especially after being outside. This means that children adopt healthy lifestyles. 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 3 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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