Childminder in Leeds

Inspection report for early years provision

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320019 Unique Reference Number 13 July 2006 Inspection date June Rice Inspector

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Childcare Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder was registered in 1995. She lives with her husband and three children in East Ardsley, Leeds. The whole ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding ten children of which seven are under eight years and four are under five years. Children attend for a variety of sessions on different days. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent and toddler group.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is qualified to NVQ Level 3 in childcare.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children stay healthy through the implementation of effective hygiene practices and procedures which meet their individual nutritional, physical and health needs well. For example, good information is provided to parents in regard to suitable contents for packed lunches. Children are learning good hygiene practice. For example, washroom facilities promote independence and they are learning to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. They are learning to care for their teeth, brushing them after lunch. However, children occasionally share water to wash their hands after craft activities and this increases the risk of cross infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children enjoy learning about healthy living and growing through interesting activities. For example, they plant a selection of vegetables to learn about how food grows and which food is healthy for their bodies. They help cook vegetable soup, bake bread, collect blackberries to make jam and fruit pies. Children join in conversations about exercise and healthy food. They say to the inspector 'vegetables and milk make my bones strong' and 'milk gives me muscles.'

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from well planned activities to develop their physical skills and enjoyment of exercise. For example, they eagerly participate in physical exercise both inside and outside. They enjoy regular daily walks to school, tell the inspector 'I like walking, it's good for me'. They learn exercise is good for them and enjoy participating in outside games including obstacle courses, team games and dancing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a warm, welcoming and interesting environment. They are relaxed, feel safe and secure. The childminder's approach to home security ensures no one can gain unauthorised entry into the premises and that children are collected by known persons only. Children's risk of injury is reduced because the childminder has identified and minimised risks. She uses appropriate safety equipment and written risk assessments to ensure children's safety. For example, she makes sure the house, toys and equipment are clean on a daily basis and gas and electric appliances are serviced regularly. She has organised the home very well and this ensures she has the children in sight and hearing at all times. They safely and independently select from the toys and equipment that are well presented, age appropriate and meet BS EN safety standards.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s understanding of personal safety is well promoted through simple explanation and every day events. They join in interesting activities that promote their understanding of safety. For example, during role play they are learning about road safety and talk about how to cross the road safely. Children know their meeting point in the school playground and understand walking home rules. Children regularly practice the emergency evacuation and are learning to understand the reason for evacuating quickly. Children are kept safe from harm because the childminder has a very clear understanding of child protection. She is familiar with possible

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 signs and symptoms and has a clear understanding of procedures to be followed. There is a clear child protection policy and procedure in place that informs parents of her role.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children enjoy their time in the setting and they are sociable, confident and very happy. Children show a high level of awareness and are extremely interested in what they do. They regularly initiate their own activities from the excellent range on offer and also enjoy participating in well planned activities that help them to achieve and build on present skills. They respond exceptionally well to the childminder's expert questioning techniques that challenges them appropriately. For example, children learning to put their own shoes on say 'think that’s on the wrong foot,' the childminder asks why and they reply 'cos it hurts.' While mixing paint children are asked 'what will water do to the paint' and they reply 'make it watery'. They are encouraged to recognise the colour blue. They are asked to 'think very carefully' and whether they remember how to say blue in French. They say 'bleu' and smile broadly at the positive comments they

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

receive. Children demonstrate a sense of pride in their own achievement, proudly show off their work and enjoy looking at photographs of past events and activities.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are highly motivated and benefit from the rich, varied and imaginative activities that are well planned by the childminder. They independently initiate role play and respond with pleasure when the childminder accepts their invitation to tea. Children benefit from the childminder's excellent approach to children's learning through play. For example, she has made props to use alongside the duel language story of Robbie Rabbit and children are animated while re-enacting the story using the props. She considers younger children in the early stages of listening to stories and supplies extra props for them to use. This enables all the children to enjoy the experience of story telling. She has successfully implemented the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Children are encouraged to develop their use of communication skills through facial expressions. She recognises when they need a feed, if they are tired and when

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

they want to play. They enjoy a rich environment that stimulates their different senses. For example, they enjoy heuristic play that includes different textures. They make music with home made instruments and listen to different sounds from musical toys. They love watching windmills, blowing bubbles and being included in craft activities that are suitably adapted to meet their individual needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Children are valued, included and treated with equal respect and this helps them to develop very strong, meaningful relationships with the childminder. They respond positively and are motivated by the praise, support and encouragement they receive from her. This develops their confidence and self-esteem. They strive to please, help to tidy up before lunch and enjoy the responsibility of pouring drinks for younger children. They are learning independence and are beginning to think for themselves. For example, they put their shoes on before going outside and remember to take them off before coming back inside. The childminder is very well informed about individual children and is able to discuss their different temperaments, stages of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 development, likes and dislikes. She uses her knowledge and understanding of children's development and excellent observations of their progress, to plan a wide variety of activities adapting them to enable all children to achieve well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are able to distinguish between right and wrong. They are learning to understand responsible behaviour and respond to simple requests. They benefit because the childminder has developed realistic boundaries familiar to those at home. For example, they are beginning to use polite language to each other saying 'please' and 'thank you' during general conversation and play. They offer toys to each other when they are asked to share and take turns during games. The childminder displays a very positive attitude towards equal opportunities and learning difficulties and/or disabilities. She provides an excellent range of positive images through play and equipment that helps build children's knowledge and understanding of differences within their wider environment. For example, she provides duel language books, dolls in ethnic dress and introduces children to different festivals from around the world.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children enjoy dressing up in traditional clothes from different cultures and learn there are many different languages, such as German, Urdu and Spanish. They are inspired by the childminder and learn basic words in French.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are happy, confident and secure in their environment. The childminder organises and utilises her premises well to provide an interesting environment for children to play and learn. They have use of dedicated space and an outdoor play area which is well equipped. The day is well-organised remaining flexible to meet children's individual needs. They enjoy a varied day that provides them with a good balance of well-organised activities and the opportunity to make independent choices from a wide selection of toys and equipment.

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Organisation

Children's welfare and care is promoted well. The childminder is fully committed and continues to develop her knowledge and understanding of child development. She is qualified to NVQ Level 3 in childcare and continues to access relevant training, such as child protection and the 'Birth to three matters' framework. She has skilfully implemented the 'Birth to three matters framework' and uses it to plan activities and experiences for children under three years. The childminder has developed a professional relationship with parents. There is a good exchange of verbal and written information to ensure children's individual needs are met effectively and keep parents informed of their children's progress. She provides parents with detailed information about her setting and all documentation required is in place. Most documentation is completed appropriately, although recording does not clearly identify when medication has

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Organisation

been administered and information about children is not updated periodically. Therefore, they do not always reflect changes in children's personal care needs.

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Organisation

Overall the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • improve hand washing routine following craft activities to reduce the risk of cross infection • ensure written records clearly identify when medicines have been administered to children and ensure the parent signs the record to acknowledge the entry • review information on children to ensure it is valid and up to date.

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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