Steven-Fountain, Catherine Mary

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/03/2013 24/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has an excellent understanding of how to support children's learning and development needs. She uses her accurate observations and assessments to plan stimulating and exciting activities to support each child in reaching their full potential.  The childminder provides an excellent range of activities, toys and resources, which are easily accessible to encourage children to make choices.  Partnerships with parents and others who also provide care for children are highly effective. This means that children's all round needs are extremely well supported and consistency is promoted.  Children form a strong bond with the childminder and establish good relationships with other children attending.  Children benefit greatly from leading healthy lifestyles. They understand the need to follow positive personal hygiene routines and enjoy many outings that widen their experiences and promote their physical skills.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documents and sampled some of the welfare documentation.  The inspector took account of the written statements from parents and carers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in discussions with the childminder and the children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1990. She lives with her husband and adult daughter in a house in Westbourne in Dorset. Children have use of two lounges, dining room, and conservatory with sleep provision provided on the first floor. Toilet facilities are accessible on the ground floor. Children have access to a rear garden for outdoor play activities, with a large summerhouse which children can use for physical play. The family has three cats.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently cares for 16 children, of these; 10 are in the early years age group.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 increase the use of books which include photographs of children and their families, to further encourage children's interest in their own lives and those of their friends.

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who attend

The childminder meets children's needs extremely well. She has an expert knowledge of how children learn. She uses accurate and precise assessments of children's development to plan engaging activities that capture children's interests and imaginations. She monitors children's progress closely, enabling her to quickly identify any gaps in their learning and provide additional support as needed. The childminder completes the progress check for two-year-olds, using information from her ongoing observations to ensure it is an accurate record. The childminder has an in-depth knowledge of children's preferences, interests and learning needs. She gains this through the excellent links made with parents and others working with individual children. Children thrive in the stimulating and welcoming family home. The childminder offers children a rich and varied range of experiences that support them in making rapid progress in all aspects of their learning and development.

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who attend

The childminder is sensitive in her approach. She makes the very best of each and every learning opportunity throughout the day, whether it is a planned activity or routine event. The childminder provides a secure and safe environment where children are keen to explore and investigate. She gently increases the challenge for children as they play, which enables them to build on what they already know and can do. This means that all children are prepared exceptionally well for the next stage in their learning. Children are interested and excited due to the high quality interaction they receive from the childminder. Parents receive detailed information about the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents take home children's learning records daily, and discuss them with the childminder on a regular basis. This keeps parents fully involved and well informed about their child's progress. Daily photographic activity sheets highlight the activities children have been

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who attend

enjoying, enabling parents to share these with children when they get home. This reinforces their learning and gives them a strong sense of pride.

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who attend

Children are confident communicators. They are fascinated by the childminder's animated voice as she tells them a story. They sometimes join in with familiar parts of the story and listen out for the rhyming words that sound like their own names. The childminder introduces children to new words as they take part in exciting activities and investigate the natural world. They learn how water turns to ice in cold weather and gain an understanding of words such as 'slippery' and 'frozen' when they explore the ice. Children enjoy looking at books. The childminder provides puppets as she tells a story, helping to capture children's interests. The childminder provides a wide range of books for children to enjoy, and has recently purchased books in different languages to reflect children's home experiences. The childminder provides resources that support children's current interests based on what she knows is happening at home. For example, she provides children with

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who attend

a number book which includes pictures of birthday parties following a recent family event. Children are frequently involved in activities and routines that support their mathematical skills. For example, once they have planted an amaryllis bulb, they measure its height regularly, noticing how fast and tall it is growing. This introduces them to larger numbers and encourages them to consider and use the language of size and shape. As younger children climb the stairs, the childminder counts each step, introducing them to number order. The childminder has photographs of the children, some of which are included in the hand-made alphabet book. However, not all children's photographs are included to encourage them to be curious and show an interest in their own lives and those of others. Children enjoy many opportunities to be creative and explore a wide range of media. They proudly show their paintings, where they have used a range of tools including their hands

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who attend

to mix colours and make their own work of art. Children use materials and resources such as gloop, sand and play dough frequently. The childminder introduces tools such as forks, spoons and safety knives, to encourage children to build skills to help them feed themselves and become increasingly independent.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children form strong emotional attachments with the childminder. They build positive relationships with other children in the setting. They take part in celebrating events such as birthdays, by all having a go at writing their names in a special card. This helps children to feel a strong sense of belonging. The childminder's home is very welcoming. Children are extremely relaxed and settled in the familiar daily routines. The childminder fully understands and respects the children's individual needs to ensure they receive consistent care. The childminder uses excellent strategies to support children in managing their own behaviour. Distraction, discussion and negotiation effectively help all children to build strong relationships with each other. Children learn to consider the needs of others in the group and the wider world. They benefit from discussions about children in Africa, one of whom the childminder sponsors. They look at pictures and hear about the child's

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

experiences, helping them to build a greater respect and awareness of diversity. Children enjoy many interesting and exciting outings, some of which involve meeting in groups with other children. This helps them to gain confidence away from the home and build strong social skills.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The environment is extremely stimulating. There is an excellent range of toys and resources, most of which are stored to maximise opportunities for children to make choices. For example, younger children need only minimal help from the childminder when they decide they want to explore the sensory resources. They know what is in the box due to the clear labelling. They carefully pull down the box together and excitedly take the different items from the box. They make sounds, look colourful and some have a residual smell from their previous content, such as the hot chocolate tin. This means that children use all their senses to explore and talk about what they find. Children are able to make good use of the outdoor areas to extend their play and learning. Trips to the garden pond to observe the frog spawn encourage children to learn about life cycles. They sow, plant and harvest their own healthy produce from the vegetable plot, which they then enjoy at

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The childminder places a very high priority on keeping children safe. She regularly reviews her risk assessment and completes daily checks on the environment considering the individual needs of children attending on that day. Systems to record any accidents or administered medications ensure parents are fully informed and enables the childminder to support children's welfare needs. The childminder teaches children how to risk assess activities for themselves, helping them to develop an awareness of keeping safe. She always talks to the children about road safety when they are on outings, helping them to become increasingly aware of personal safety. Children enjoy a wealth of activities which help them to start to recognise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. With little support, they carefully wash and dry their hands before they eat. They talk about cleaning their teeth after they have eaten, showing their increasing awareness of positive oral hygiene

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

routines. The childminder provides children with healthy options for snacks and always makes sure drinking water is freely available. Children enjoy frequent opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. Regular use of toys, equipment and resources at home and in local play parks provides challenge and extends children's physical abilities. Younger children access low level equipment and push-along toys, which encourage them to become increasingly strong and steady on their feet. When visiting the beach children climb up and roll down on the sandy hills, enjoying experimenting with the different ways they can move their bodies in a safe environment.

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provision

The childminder is totally committed to providing the very best service for children in her care. Children's individual needs are exceptionally well met due to excellent partnership working, secure settling-in arrangements and focused ongoing monitoring systems. The childminder is constantly reviewing all areas of practice to identify better and more successful ways of working. The childminder seeks feedback from other early years professionals and is part of the local quality assurance scheme. She is pro-active in accessing training to increase her own skills and knowledge. She focuses training needs on those that will best help her in supporting the needs of children in her care. This helps her to make positive changes to her practices and therefore, improve the outcomes for children. The childminder has excellent systems which enable her to monitor the success of the educational programmes in meeting children's individual needs. She tracks

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provision

children's progress, helping her to identify areas where children may need additional support or encouragement. She constantly evaluates and reviews the activities she offers, to ensure that children receive a good balance of experiences over all seven areas of learning. The childminder is proactive in working with parents, and seeking additional advice from outside professionals if needed, to support children's individual development needs.

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provision

The childminder has an excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for both learning and development and welfare. She has a very confident knowledge of safeguarding procedures due to the training she has attended. She has clear policies, which she shares with parents so they understand her role and responsibilities. She makes sure she follows appropriate procedures, such as recording any existing injuries, which helps her to fulfil her role in keeping children safe. All required documentation is in place and stored safely to promote confidentiality.

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provision

Partnerships with parents and other providers are extremely effective. Parents are fully included at every stage, from settling children in, to them moving onto school. Parents benefit from being able to read through children's learning folders daily. This includes information about their daily routines and progress children have made. Parents state that their children are very happy in the childminder's care. Parents value her flexible and reliable service, which helps them to manage their home lives well. They feel that children benefit greatly from the wide range of activities and the many outings they enjoy. The childminder is proactive in building links with local pre-schools and nurseries which children also attend. They share information about children's learning and development to help them all work consistently in supporting children's needs.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 100408 Local authority Bournemouth Inspection number 845807 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 16

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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