Childminder in Derbyshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY221879 Inspection date 14/09/2009 Inspector Tracey Jane Outram

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Type of setting Childminder to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 2002. She lives with her husband and two children aged 12 and 13 years. The family live on an established residential housing estate in Killamarsh, which is situated on the outskirts of Sheffield. The ground floor of the property is used for childminding purposes and children only access the first floor to use the bathroom. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and there are currently 14 children on roll, of whom three are in the early years age range. The older children share the same facilities as the children in the early years age range. The childminder offers a service Monday to Friday all year round and all children attend the setting on a part-time basis.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder takes and collects children to and from the local schools as required. She also attends a number of local social groups, such as childminder groups and toddler sessions. The family has a number of pets including a cat, hamster, rabbit, fish and toads.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a welcoming and friendly service which helps children to settle and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. The home environment is well organised and this supports children in making a positive contribution to their personal learning as they safely and independently access toys and equipment. The childminder is a reflective practitioner who recognises the importance of taking steps to continuously improve the service she offers to children and their families. Consequently, through the completion of self-evaluation, she has been able to accurately identify areas for future development, which include risk assessments and the use of observations to aid planning for children’s unique learning and development needs.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure that hazards to children are kept at a minimum by making sure that risk assessments are reviewed at least once a year or more frequently where the need arises  encourage parents to add to children's profiles and include them in making plans for the next steps in children's learning  use observations to supports every child’s learning through planned This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 experiences and activities that are challenging but achievable and tailored to their individual needs  make better use of the outdoor area to support children's learning across the breadth of the early years curriculum.

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the early years provision

There are appropriate arrangements in place for safeguarding children. The childminder has attended training and understands what to do if she is she worried that a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. The home environment is secure and appropriately organised to allow children to freely choose equipment and access areas of the home independently. However, the system used for reviewing risk assessments is not vigorous enough to ensure that all reasonable steps are take to maximise children’s welfare following accidents on the premises.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are respectful; the childminder spends time talking and gathering information at the start of a placement, in order to help her meet the care needs of the children. In addition, the childminder takes positive steps to ensure that parents receive feedback about children’s time in her care both verbally and through telephone messaging. She is approachable and extremely willing to support parents by offering a flexible service. For example, through the use of questionnaires parents are invited to suggest ideas for the future development of the service, which the childminder considers and implements where possible. Overall the setting runs smoothly and the childminder is skilled at addressing individual children’s care needs. However, parents are not encouraged to add to children's profiles and there are no systems in place to routinely include them in making plans for the next steps in children's learning. Similarly, while the

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the early years provision

childminder is more than willing to work in partnership with a range of other professionals, such as communication therapists, the systems for liaising with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are not fully developed.

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the early years provision

Accurate use of critical self-reflection allows the childminder to clearly identify areas of her service that require improvement. Consequently, she is able to make well defined plans for the future, which will ultimately improve outcomes for children. The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity effectively helping children to understand about the community they live in and the wider world. Equally, the childminder has a sound knowledge of how to support children’s learning through play, but activities are not always tailored to children's individual interests and learning needs. This is because the childminder has not yet fully implemented a system of using first-hand observations of the children to inform the activity planning.

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and outcomes for children

The children attending the setting are helped to become active and independent learners because they are able to safely access toys and equipment. In addition, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 they feel valued because their work is praised, discussed and openly displayed. The children are self-assured in their play and have developed a very strong relationship with the childminder. They have formed some strong friendships and they enjoy the praise and positive affirmation that they receive. The children confidently approach the childminder and they thoroughly enjoy close contact when they are tired, upset or unwell.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder understands how children learn and she provides a range of interesting outings and experiences that help children to learn about the world around them. In particular, the children access activities that help them to make steady progress in communication, mathematics and information technology. For example, they talk to each other, sing songs and listen intently to stories; the children also practise handwriting skills, enjoy number puzzles, construction activities and the use of the computer. In addition, opportunities for children to enjoy messy and creative play opportunities, such as using gloop, dressing-up, painting and modelling, are plentiful. This encourages the children’s use of their imagination and provides opportunities to aid their fine motor development. Overall, the children are making satisfactory progress in their learning and development. However, there are times during the day when activities do not

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and outcomes for children

successfully engage or motivate younger children.

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and outcomes for children

The children feel safe in the care of the childminder and through activities, discussions and stories they learn about maintaining their own good health and safety. For example, they know about the importance of eating healthily, frequently washing their hands and taking care near roads. Similarly, the children have opportunities to benefit from physical play in the secure and attractive rear garden. However, outdoor play is not systematically planned to encourage exploration and support children's learning across the breadth of the early years curriculum. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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