Setting

Inspection report for early years provision

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EY357792 Unique Reference Number 14 April 2008 Inspection date Helene Anne Terry 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 has been registered since 2007. She lives with her husband and daughter aged one year in a terraced house in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Areas of the home used for the children include the lounge and bathroom on the first floor. The garden is used for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time. At present she has three children on roll between the ages of one and five years; most of whom attend for various sessions throughout the week. The childminder takes children to and from the local schools.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder regularly attends toddler groups and is a member of the National Childminding Association and the Bradford Childminding Network.

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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's health is promoted very well. They have opportunities to become physically active on a daily basis through dancing to music in the home, visits to local parks and toddler groups as well as using equipment in the back garden. They also enjoy going to the farm to play on the hay bales and adventure playgrounds. The childminder works with parents to ensure children receive consistent messages about making healthy choices through the foods they eat. She offers the children a nutritious balanced diet that includes lots of fruit and vegetables. Drinks are accessible to the children throughout the day to prevent them becoming dehydrated.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder holds an up-to-date first aid certificate. This enables her to manage any minor accidents the children may have. All the necessary documentation is in place to support the children's well-being, such as written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice and treatment and records for the safe administration of medication.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder discusses with parents the need to exclude infectious children to help reduce the risk of infection and germs. This is supported by a written sickness policy that she shares with parents. Children learn positive personal hygiene through daily routines where they recognise the need to wash their hands after messy play, using the toilet and before meal times. Each child has their own labelled hand towel hung on a peg with a coloured picture of their hand print to help the children recognise which is theirs. Children's health is further promoted through the positive hygiene routines followed, such as gloves worn when changing nappies and children's noses wiped.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children's safety is promoted well. They are cared for in a well maintained and organised family home where positive measures are taken to reduce the children's exposure to potential hazards. For example, stair gates are used, a fire guard is in place and dangerous substances are inaccessible to children. All the necessary furniture, equipment and play provision is in place to support the care and learning needs of those children attending. The childminder monitors the upkeep of her home and resources to ensure they remain safe, by doing regular risk assessments.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder supervises the children closely in their play to ensure they are safe. She teaches them house rules to ensure they are able to recognise what is expected of them and why. For example, to pick toys up from the floor when younger children are around so that they do not put small pieces into their mouths. Emergency evacuation of the premises is discussed and practised with the children regularly to raise their awareness of what action to take in an emergency situation. Children learn how to behave when on outings. They learn how to cross the road safely, about 'stranger danger' and the need to walk sensibly.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder is clear on child protection issues and what action to take should she have a concern about a child in her care. She has appropriate literature in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. This enables her to help safeguard children's welfare.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy, settled and fully occupied. They engage in a range of age-appropriate activities that supports their learning needs and interests to a certain extent. Children have developed positive relationships with each other and the childminder. They receive high levels of positive interaction from her to support their learning. Although she provides activities in line with their interests and abilities, she is not clearly using children's development records to plan for their next stage in development. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the 'Birth to three matters' framework and is beginning to record observations of what children can do.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children enjoy taking part in creative activities as they make models from recycled materials, make masks and other collage activities. They play the musical instruments and dance to the music and action songs. They show good concentration skills as they play with the small world objects, such as the cars, trucks and play people on the road mat. They also develop imagination as they introduce a narrative into their play by adding voices to various play figures. Children enjoy looking at books and talk about what they see as they develop their language skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children have a positive introduction to the world in which they live. The childminder takes them on regular outings to places of interest where they meet a variety of people. They learn about the wider world through planned craft activities to give them an understanding about people's different beliefs, such as Diwali and Chinese New Year. They also enjoy the Easter egg hunt at Easter. Children access some play provision that provides them with positive images of diversity and ability, however, these are limited.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are well-behaved. The childminder is a positive role model and gives the children clear instructions and reminders of what is expected and why. The children have helped create the 'house rules' with statements, such as 'Be kind to one another' and 'We share'. She ensures the children are suitably occupied to support their good behaviour and discusses behaviour management with parents for consistency. This means children know what is expected and why.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Positive relationships have been developed with parents. All the necessary records and consents are in place to ensure that the childminder is aware of the children's individual care needs. Daily discussions with parents and diary sheets for babies enable appropriate information to be shared. The childminder shares her policies and procedures with parents and she has a monthly newsletter that informs parents about forthcoming events and recent activities. The childminder is aware of her legal responsibilities and the correct procedure to follow should a parent make a written complaint.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children are safe, secure and happy in the stimulating environment. They are confident to initiate their own play and learning, are fully engaged in activities and receive good help and support from their childminder. Children are kept safe due to the childminder's good awareness of vetting procedures for adults having supervised or unsupervised access to the children. She

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 is very interested in training to enhance her childcare skills and promote her personal development. She has attended recent workshops on treasure baskets, dental hygiene, communicating with children, equal opportunities and story sacks. She is currently working towards a quality assurance award with the local authority. The childminder uses her time well to ensure that children receive appropriate adult attention and this ensures that children feel secure and confident in her care. The environment, both indoors and out, is organised very well so children are able to make choices and decisions about what they would like to play with and how they would like to spend their time.

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Organisation

The childminder has all the required documents and she shares these with parents to keep them informed about the provision. For example, daily register, parental written permissions and accident and medication records. These are implemented successfully in the daily routines and impact directly on the continuity of the children's care. She also has a wide range of policies and procedures covering all aspects of the setting. Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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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. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint 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): • further develop the use of children's development records to highlight what the children can do and use these to plan for the next stage in their development • obtain further resources that promote positive images of culture and disabilities in society.

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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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