Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY278369 Unique Reference Number 29 January 2007 Inspection date Rachel Ayo 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 2004 and lives with her husband and children aged 11 and eight years in a terraced property in the Wilsden area of Bradford, West Yorkshire. She co-minds from her home with another registered childminder who takes joint responsibility for the childminding practice. The whole of the ground floor is used for childcare purposes along with two first floor bedrooms and a bathroom. Children have access to a rear and front garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time or nine children when working with another childminder. The childminder is currently caring for six children under five years during the day, and four children who attend before and after school and during school holidays. A number of children over eight years attend the setting. Children attend a variety of sessions. The childminder is close to local amenities, including a library, parks, playgroups and shops. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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 satisfactory. Children take part in regular physical activity both indoors and outdoors. They walk to and from school or pre-school, ensuring that they benefit from fresh air and exercise daily. Children access the local park where they use a range of large equipment, which supports their large motor skills, such as climbing. Children also access the childminder's garden where they can use a good range of resources, such as wheeled toys and skipping ropes. Indoors, young children excitedly crawl through the tunnel and hide in the tent. Young children's individual rest and sleep needs are in line with parental wishes and home routines.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children are protected from infection because the childminder generally follows current and appropriate environmental health and hygiene guidelines, policies and procedures. For example, children have individual towels to ensure drying arrangements prevent cross-contamination, anti-bacterial liquid soap is used for washing hands, and high chairs and work surfaces in the kitchen are cleaned using an anti-bacterial solution. Therefore, enhancing the good health of children.

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Helping children to be healthy

Older children are involved in appropriate routines to help them learn about simple good health and hygiene practices, such as washing their hands before meals. The childminder explains that older children remind each other of the importance of hand washing and inform her if one of their peers has not done this. However, hand washing and the wiping of runny noses is not consistently implemented with very young children, thus impacting on good hygiene.

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Helping children to be healthy

Accident and illness procedures are implemented to a good standard overall to ensure that children are well taken care of. For example, the childminder has devised a number of written policies, such as an emergency procedure, to support her practice, along with a written illness policy that includes exclusion periods. This promotes children's well-being because it minimises the spread of infection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Overall, children are helped to be well nourished. Although the childminder's co-minder generally takes responsibility for cooking, the childminder has jointly planned a four week food rota. A good variety of meals and snacks is provided, including a substantial home cooked tea. Meals are generally well balanced and reflect healthy eating. Examples reflected in the displayed menu include cottage pie and vegetables, pasta bake, cheese toasties, yogurts, and turkey and rice. Children's all round good health and development is additionally supported as they readily access their cup or feeder cup, filled with water.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Children are cared for in a warm and welcoming environment. Space is organised very well and resources are set out before children arrive to ensure that they can readily access these and make choices about their play and learning. Children use an overall good range of suitable and safe equipment, appropriate to meet their individual needs and promote their development.

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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 For example, very young children have their own highchair and older children can sit at the dining table. This means that very young children can develop independence and mealtimes can be used as a good arena for developing social skills.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are cared for in a generally very safe home environment. A detailed written risk assessment is in place and regularly reviewed. Possible hazards are identified and minimised well, including through the use of a good range of safety equipment. Fire safety is promoted well. Smoke alarms are tested regularly and the written fire plan is practised each month, thus enhancing children's awareness of how to keep themselves safe. However, fencing in the rear and front garden has very recently suffered storm damage. Although the childminder has risk assessed this hazard and is actively seeking to repair the fence, it still means that both gardens are not secure. Additionally, the current system in place to promote the security of the home is not robust in ensuring children's welfare.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder demonstrates good supervision levels, in particularly with very young children who are, for example, pulling themselves up on furniture or objects. Children are helped to stay safe on outings. For example, children wear identification bands and are taught what to do in the event of them becoming separated from the group. They learn how to cross the road safely, through the use of appropriate crossings, including the lollipop person. Children are also reminded not to run indoors, which helps them to learn how to keep themselves safe.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are safeguarded appropriately because the childminder understands her role in child protection. The childminder has devised a child protection policy, which is shared with parents, and has attended training in the subject to enhance her knowledge and understanding. This enables her to identify a range of possible signs of abuse and neglect. The most recent guidance on reporting procedures is held, including contact numbers. This means that the childminder is able to respond quickly and efficiently to any concerns, therefore, promoting children's welfare.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are well settled and present as happy. The childminder ensures that children are involved in a broad range of activities and spontaneous events, which support their development and learning. The childminder takes the lead role in planning activities and links these to the 'Birth to three matters' framework, although planning systems are continually being enhanced. She supports her co-minder in completing children's scrap books, which include photographs and observations to show how children are progressing and what they enjoy doing. The childminder intends to extend these further with her co-minder to show links to the 'Birth to three matters' framework.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young children show good imagination with the wide range of role play resources. They clearly enjoy ironing the doll's clothes and make the doll some dinner before taking it for a stroll in the pram, around the lounge. Children arrive from pre-school and immediately link up with their peers. They say that they are making cheese pie as they use the toy blender, attached to the role play kitchen. Young children also develop skills in counting and matching as they engage in a range of games, such as dominoes.

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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 Very young children explore and investigate their environment confidently and are supported in their development and learning through a generally good range of resources, such as pop-up toys, musical toys, shape sorters and sensory equipment and activities, including finger painting. The childminder is currently extending the range of natural resources to enhance the provision for children under three years of age. Very young children delight in playing peek-a-boo with the childminder and develop emotional well-being because of close, warm and supportive relationships.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Older children are actively encouraged to make choices and share ideas about what they would like to do in the setting, including creating a wish list using catalogues. Activities and resources are varied for older children and include board games, baking activities, a games console, construction toys, snap cards and more complex arts and crafts, such as bead and canvas pictures and making binoculars.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children respond well to the childminder who demonstrates a warm, caring manner and is interested in what they do and say. For example, she sits very young children on her knee and helps them clap their hands as she sings 'if you're happy and you know it' and looks at the photograph album talking about the pictures. The children respond positively to this with sounds and gestures, which the childminder fully encourages. The childminder supports children's learning by asking questions, such as 'what do you need to make a cheese pie?' and 'what colour is the ball?' and engages herself in children's play, for example, as she takes on the role of the shop keeper.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's individual needs are met effectively to ensure that they are valued and take part fully in the life of the setting, including children with a learning difficulty and/or disability. The childminder works in close partnership with parents. For example, she obtains and records detailed information which includes any particular health or dietary requirements, thus enabling appropriate care. Parents are initially invited to an introductory visit with their children, where they are shown a range of information including policies and procedures, the meal plan and a photograph album of children engaging in a wide variety of activities. All required records, including appropriate consent forms, are completed before placement by the childminder to ensure that parents are fully informed about the setting and in agreement with the practice. While the childminder goes through this procedure with parents her co-minder generally sits

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and plays with the children to help them settle.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Parents are asked if they would like a daily diary maintaining to share day to day information, and regular newsletters are provided to update parents or pass on new information, such as courses attended. Children take artwork home and scrapbooks are shared with parents to show them how their children are progressing.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children learn to respond to appropriate expectations for their behaviour and develop good levels of self-esteem because the childminder acts as a good role model and uses a good range of positive strategies to manage a wide range of behaviour. For example, clear ground rules are in place for older children and praise and encouragement is shown frequently, such as when

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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 children help to collect the mail or catch the ball. The childminder cajoles younger children, to encourage them to tidy up or eat their lunch. Children respond positively as they behave very well.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children benefit from a good range of activities and resources that help them value diversity. For example, an international night takes place on the menu where children are introduced to a range of foods from around the world. This is generally linked to themes and extended to activities. For example, children engage in a jungle theme as part of the 'Chatter Matters' scheme. They play African instruments and eat African chicken.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder has a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to continual improvement. She ensures that all mandatory training is attended as required, liaises closely with the early years network and keeps up to date with new or future childcare initiatives. Additional courses have been attended to enhance her practice, knowledge and understanding of child development and a very positive attitude is held regarding the attendance of future training. The childminder demonstrates a very good understanding overall of the National Standards and she is promoting these well in most aspects to support positive outcomes for children.

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Organisation

The adult-child ratio positively supports children's care, learning and play as ratios are well maintained. The childminder identifies her own key skills and her co-minder's skills, which means that they work effectively alongside each other to meets the needs of the children. The childminder utilises her time well and implements good routines. This ensures that young children feel secure and ensures that all children can take part in a wide range of activities, including outings. Space is organised extremely well, taking into account the different age groups and types of activities occurring. For example, older children can play at the dining table or in the first floor bedrooms. This means that they can access appropriate resources to meet their needs which can also be kept out of the reach of very young children or babies, thus also promoting safety.

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Organisation

All required documentation is well maintained and the childminder's practice is enhanced and supported by a good range of well devised written policies and procedures, which overall, work well in practice to promote positive outcomes for children. The childminder takes joint responsibility for keeping records and these are generally used well to promote the efficient and safe management of the setting, promote children's well-being and meet children's individual needs.

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Organisation

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

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder received a recommendation regarding care, learning and play. The childminder ensures that children have a range of rich play opportunities by enhancing her planning systems.

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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.

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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): • enhance hygiene practices with very young children in relation to hand washing and cleaning runny noses • ensure that the rear and front garden fence is repaired, as planned, to promote security and enhance the current arrangements that promote the security of the home.

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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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