Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY341998 Unique Reference Number 07 March 2007 Inspection date Diane Lynn Turner 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 lives with her husband and two children aged eight and five-years-old in a detached house in the village of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, near York. All of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden at the rear of the house for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is a qualified primary school teacher and is a member of the National Childminding Association. She is registered to care for five children at any one time and is currently minding five children on a part-time basis, three of whom are under five-years-old.

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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 thrive and are kept healthy in the childminder's care. She ensures they are well protected from infection by implementing very good practices in her daily routines. For example, she ensures surfaces are cleaned thoroughly before food is prepared and provides individual hand towels and liquid soap dispensers for hand washing to prevent cross infection. She has a detailed policy for the care of children who are ill, which includes the exclusion times for infectious diseases. The policy is shared very effectively with parents, who are given a copy of the document and asked to sign to say they agree with this. Children are well cared for in the event of an accident. The childminder has a well stocked first aid box, which is used exclusively for childminding purposes and any accidents are recorded in detail. Parents are given a copy of the record, which means they are kept fully informed of what happened and are able to continue

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder is vigilant in helping children to learn about good hygiene practices in their personal care. For example, she explains to them that washing their hands after toileting and before meals helps to prevent germs that may make them ill and during baking activities she explains why it is important to wash their hands after coming into contact with raw egg. As a result, the children readily and independently wash their hands and know to use their own towel to dry them. They are all encouraged to personalise their towel using fabric paints, which helps the youngest ones in particular, to identify which is theirs.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children have good opportunities to take part in activities which help them to develop their physical skills and gain control of their bodies. For example, they play in the garden where they are able to use equipment, such as stilts, hoppers and a slide, and they regularly visit the local park and walk to and from school. They also have good opportunities to develop their fine motor skills as they take part in activities, such as using dough, pencils, crayons and construction materials.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children benefit from healthy nutritious food. They enjoy freshly prepared meals, which take into account any individual dietary requirements they may have and the childminder involves them in the preparation of meals so that they learn about nutrition in a meaningful way. For example, photographs show the older children preparing a beautifully presented fruit salad for their snack. The children sit at the table for their meals, which provides them with valuable opportunities to learn good social skills and manners. The childminder ensures they have plenty to drink throughout the day. For example, they have a choice of juice or milk at meal times and a jug of water and cups is thoughtfully made available on the dining room table for them to help themselves to at any time, if they become thirsty.

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Helping children to be healthy

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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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a very well maintained and child-friendly home where they are able to play comfortably and move about safely and independently. The space is organised well and displays of the children's art work make it a welcoming environment.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder gives high priority to ensuring children are kept safe and free from harm. She carries out regular risk assessment to identify any risks to the children's safety, keeps a record of her findings and takes appropriate action. For example, safety locks are in place on the kitchen cupboards to prevent children accessing hazardous materials, smoke detectors are checked on a regular basis to ensure they remain in working order, and low level glass is covered with safety film.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder pays very good attention to helping children learn about personal safety. She shows them how to cross the road safely when they go for walks and she ensures they understand what to do if they need to evacuate the premises in an emergency. She regularly practises the procedures with them when they learn to recognise the sound of both the smoke detector and the carbon monoxide detector. They also learn the importance of tidying away the toys after use to prevent trips and falls and about using equipment, such as an electric whisk safely as they take part in baking activities.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are able to play with a good range of good quality, well-maintained toys and resources. These are well presented and easily accessible, which enables children to make choices and direct their own play. For example, they are able to choose items, such as board games from low level boxes and know they can help themselves to art and craft materials from the storage cupboard in the dining room. The childminder also makes use of the local toy library to enhance and vary her resources and the children clearly enjoy playing with the items they have chosen.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected from possible abuse. The childminder has attended safeguarding children training and has a good understanding of her responsibilities in this area. She has a good understanding of the possible indicators of abuse and is clear of what she must do if she has any concerns. This is very evident from her extremely detailed safeguarding children policy, which is shared very effectively with parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The childminder uses her teaching experience very effectively to provide a very positive learning environment where children are encouraged to participate in a wide range of purposeful activities. She has a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage guidance and the 'Birth to three matters' framework to ensure children are developing and progressing well. She provides a very good balance of both free play and planned activities. For example, the youngest children who attend have lots of opportunities to take part in tactile experiences, such as gluing and painting and the older pre-school children regularly take part in baking activities. During this activity they learn to follow a recipe, begin to understand about weight and measure as they use scales to weigh the ingredients and observe the changes in texture when the items are

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 cooked. They become fully immersed in the activity and delight in sharing the items they have made at snack time.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder is very skilled at developing children's curiosity and asking them open-ended questions to make them think. For example, she uses board games to encourage their counting and matching skills and construction materials to help them develop their design and making skills. She makes excellent use of every learning opportunity that arises. For example, during the inspection one child observed that the drinking water appeared to change colour as this was in a blue plastic jug. The childminder seized the opportunity to extend the child's observation by providing a clear plastic jug of water and food colouring to demonstrate what happens when colours are mixed together. As a result, the child became captivated when colours, such as blue and yellow were mixed together to make green and watched in fascination as the colours made swirling patterns when added to the water.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder has a very good understanding of meeting the needs of the older children who attend. She knows that some children may be tired after a day at school, whilst others may still want to be active. She provides opportunities for them to take part in art and craft activities, play challenging board games or just relax and take part in quite activities or watch the television. All children are very settled and confident in the childminder's care. They clearly enjoy the time they spend with her, develop close relationships and respond very positively to the activities provided.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. All children are highly valued as individuals and the childminder pays very good attention to ensuring their individual needs are met. She finds out as much as she can about the children before they start the placement by asking parents to complete an 'all about me' form for their child where they can record their child's interests, routines, likes and dislikes. Children with learning difficulties or disabilities are welcome to attend. The childminder has valuable previous experience in this area and fully understands about making any necessary adaptations and of working closely with parents to ensure children's individual needs are met. This is very evident from her inclusion policy for the service.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder provides some positive opportunities for children to learn about diversity and the wider world. For example, they have access to resources, such as crayons that reflect different skin tones and they talk about where various fruit is grown, particularly exotic varieties. They learn about features of their local environment as they walk to and from school and visit the park and they learn to socialise with others as they attend the local childminder group. The childminder has identified that she would like to provide more opportunities for children to learn about different festivals from around the world, but she has not yet implemented this.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has an excellent understanding of behaviour management. Her written behaviour management policy provides a supportive framework for children and she is a very good role model for them to follow. She is very patient in her approach and acknowledges children's good behaviour with lots of praise. She has discussed the house rules with the children so they understand about working harmoniously together and the effect negative behaviour can have

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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 on others. As a result, children know to sit at the table to eat, use good manners and treat the toys and resources with respect. This is particularly evident as they put items from board games carefully away in their box.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder gives high priority to developing a positive partnership with parents. For example, they are given a very detailed information pack when the placement begins, which includes copies of all the policies and procedures for the service. Parents are kept well informed about their child's care and activities through verbal feedback at the end of the day and the daily sheet, which is completed for very young children. Parents are keen to express their satisfaction with the service and this is evident from a written testimonial, which states they are very happy to leave their child in the childminder's care.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are very much at ease in the childminder's care. They are able to move about freely and safely in the well-organised home and are confident to initiate their own play and learning. For example, they independently access the toilet facilities and confidently select items they would like to play from the boxes of toys. They are very well-occupied and provided with a good balance of activities, both inside and outside the home, including quiet times, planned activities and outings.

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Organisation

Comprehensive and well-thought out policies and procedures ensure the service operates very efficiently and are used effectively to promote the welfare, care and learning of children. Parents are asked to read and sign to say they agree with the policies, which means they fully understand how the service operates and are confident that there are arrangements in place to deal with any emergencies. The childminder is very clear about her responsibilities when caring for children and about meeting the National Standards. She is very committed to developing her knowledge and improving her practice and talks enthusiastically about developing particular aspects of the service. She has attended several training courses, in the short time she has been registered, including safeguarding children and the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Organisation

The childminder ensures she keeps to her conditions of registration and she has all the legally required documentation, such as attendance, medication and accident records and children's details. She fully understands about the requirement to keep a record of any complaints she may receive about the service. All documentation is very well organised, kept up to date and stored securely to maintain confidentiality. In addition all policies and procedures have review dates and the childminder ensures parents are notified of any changes she makes.

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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 registration 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.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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): • continue to develop the range of activities to support children's understanding of the wider world.

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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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