Childminder in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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955624 Unique Reference Number 26 November 2007 Inspection date Shirley Maynard 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 1999. She co-minds with another registered childminder in a detached property on the edge of Ingleton village, North Yorkshire. Although the detached property consists of two adjoining houses, children have use of only the first floor of one of the houses. This comprises an open-plan lounge with dining area, bathroom and playroom. Children also have access to an enclosed garden. The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children or 12 when co-minding. She is currently co-minding 21 children, of whom 16 are under eight years. All attend on a part time basis.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder walks to the local school, nursery and playgroup. She regularly attends local toddler groups and childminding groups. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and holds a level 3 qualification in nursery nursing. She has recently successfully completed the North Yorkshire Quality Assurance Scheme.

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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 outstanding. Children stay healthy because they are cared for in a very well maintained homely environment. The childminder follows robust procedures in relation to health and hygiene and this limits the spread of infection. For example, the floor and surfaces are regularly cleaned thoroughly. Children are starting to understand how to keep themselves healthy through personal care routines such as wiping their noses and washing their hands. This is enhanced by a selection of homemade books which remind them of the hand washing procedures and include photographs which reinforces the younger children's understanding. The childminder has a hygienic nappy changing procedure and follows the children's individual care routines. Disposable gloves are routinely used and the childminder talks to the children about why she also needs to wash her hands.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder holds an up to date first aid certificate enabling her to deal effectively with minor accidents. This, together with prior written consent to seek emergency medical advice or treatment, means there is no delay should a child have an accident or become unwell. Children are well protected from infection due to a very clear sick child policy which parents are made aware of. An effective system for maintaining records to administer medicine is implemented.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder has an extremely good understanding of healthy eating and has attended training in relation to child nutrition. When working with a co-minder, she takes responsibility for planning the menus and preparing the nourishing snacks and meals which include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. As a result, children greatly benefit from a balanced diet which promotes their growth and development. For example, snacks offered generally consist of a selection of fresh fruit and chopped vegetables. Home cooked meals include stir fry ratatouille and vegetable lasagne. Children also have regular opportunities to try food from other counties, such as couscous and pita bread. The children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day to quench their thirst. Furthermore, parents are kept fully informed of what their child has eaten whist in the childminder's care from the daily menu which is displayed near the door.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in an extremely welcoming and very safe indoor and outdoor environment which is clean and well maintained. They have a sense of belonging as their photographs and pictures are attractively displayed on the walls. Toys and resources are very well maintained and cover all ages of development. The children are encouraged to make independent choices in their play as they access the resources from child height storage boxes which are brightly labelled.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has taken appropriate steps to reduce risks to children in the home. For example, an emergency evacuation procedure is well established and shared with parents and children. All children regularly practise this. The childminder records the details including which children were involved and the time taken to evacuate the premises. This ensures all children know what to do in the event of an emergency. The childminder and co-minder are vigilant in their supervision of the children in the home and on outings. For example, children are never left unsupervised outside and this includes sleeping babies. When on outings, children wear a reflective wristband with the childminder's mobile phone number on.

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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 The childminder has attended child protection training and shares joint responsibility with the co-minder in relation to this. She has a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and the action to take should any concern arise. As a result, the children's welfare is protected. However, the child protection policy is not currently up to date with local and national guidelines.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children are provided with a fantastic range of activities which meet their individual ages and stage of development. The childminder uses her excellent knowledge and understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework to plan flexible activities which include free play and creative and outdoor activities. Regular outings and visits include toddler groups and the local library. The childminder makes observations of the children, collects examples of creative work and uses photographs to record children's progression along the milestones. An excellent balance of child-initiated and adult directed activities are provided. This enables children to make choices and to make significant progression in a stimulating and interesting environment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are developing their confidence and self esteem by having excellent relationships with the childminder and co-minder. Interaction is skilled and children positively enjoy cuddles and soothing discussions, for instance, 'what a clever girl you are'. The childminder gets down on the floor and inspires their play by supporting them and guiding them with enthusiasm. Children develop creative skills through paint, glue and mark making. Their imagination is developed as they play with small world, dressing up and role play equipment. As a result, children are confident to ask for support in their play, for example, when they want a story read or help building towers with the bricks.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Older children have the opportunity to relax after school. They are also able to complete homework or select resources from a range of age appropriate equipment, for example, computer, craft material and outdoor equipment. Recent questionnaires completed by the older children indicate they have enough choice and enjoy the planned activities such as painting, sewing and baking. Currently children are making Christmas cakes which they will decorate before taking home. This also helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills in the younger children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The childminder and co-minder treat all children as individuals and shows them respect, which helps foster their feelings of self worth and promotes their confidence. Children are sensitively encouraged to be polite and well behaved. They have clear boundaries and the childminder and co-minder use consistent age appropriate strategies, for instance, realistic ground rules which include not running inside. Children respond positively to enthusiastic praise and encouragement, such as 'that is excellent' and 'well done'. As a result, children play harmoniously together, share and take turns. There are currently no children attending with a learning difficulty or disability but the childminder demonstrates a very good knowledge. She has attended training to enhance her knowledge and understanding and is aware of the importance of liaising with parents to ensure any need is promptly identified and children sensitively

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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 The children enjoy learning about the wider world. They have free access to play resources and books which reflect positive images of race, gender and culture. The childminder has a purposeful range of interesting books about different beliefs and cultures. The children celebrate festivals, such as Diwali, Eden and Harvest Festival. To support this, regular outings are undertaken to extend their knowledge and understanding. Recently, the children went to the local library to listen to some Harvest stories. When back at the childminder's home, they asked if they could grow some plants. The children of all ages were very enthusiastic as they planted the seeds from the fruit eaten at tea time, and over the next weeks watched in amazement as most of the seeds grew into plants. These were then taken home by the children. However, play resources

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Helping children make a positive contribution

reflecting positive images of disability are very limited and as a result, their understanding of equality of opportunity is not fully addressed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder and the co-minder have excellent relationships with parents and children. Several parents have independently contacted the regulator so positive views about the service can be voiced prior to the inspection. Comments in these letters have emphasised the 'stimulating environment' the children greatly benefit from, and how the childminders always 'go the extra mile' to meet children's individual needs.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder works very effectively with a co-minder to provide quality care for children in an imaginative and exciting way. Children feel at home and readily choose from the quality toys and equipment such as the bubble machine, musical instruments and music tapes. Children positively benefit from the childminder's commitment to her personal development and her childminding practice, for example, she has attended regular training courses including The Early Years Foundation Stage. Furthermore, she has recently successfully completed the North Yorkshire Quality Assurance Scheme.

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Organisation

Children thoroughly benefit from being cared for in an environment that is highly organised to meet their individual needs. There are robust systems in place to record children's attendance and records show adult to child ratios are strictly observed. This positively promote children's care, learning and play. Children are not left with any person not vetted, which protects their safety.

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Organisation

The childminder has mainly up to date policies and procedures which are review regularly and work effectively to provide parents with information on their individual child's progress. However, several policies, including the child protection policy, lost child policy and special needs policy, all need updating in line with local and national guidelines.

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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

At the last inspection recommendations were agreed in relation to health and organisation. These have both been successfully addressed by the childminder. A jug of fresh water is available for older children to independently access and younger children are regularly offered drinks to quench their thirst and keep them hydrated. The childminder uses a different style register which is rigorously kept up to date and includes the actual times of individual attendance of children. The above action ensures all children are well protected.

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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): • continue to develop resources which reflect positive images of disability • ensure all policies and procedures are updated in line with local and national guidelines.

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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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