Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY390894 Inspection date 17/09/2009 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 2009. She lives with her husband and three children aged 11 years old, seven years old and four years old, in Norton a suburb of Sheffield. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder’s house is used for childminding purposes, with toilet facilities situated on the first floor. 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. There are currently seven children on roll, who of whom six are in the early years age group. The childminder is a member of the local childminding support group.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The children attending this welcoming and inclusive setting benefit from secure and high quality relationships. They are confident, well behaved and eager to participate in activities, which are planned to address their individual interests and developmental needs. The well organised childminder sustains familiar daily routines and is supported through the implementation of well written policies and procedures, which effectively sustains the safety and well-being of the children. The childminder shows a good capacity for driving continuous improvement through attending training and working in partnership with staff from the local authority.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve links with parents to include them in making plans for the next steps in children's learning  promote positive attitudes to diversity and difference within all children to help them learn to value different aspects of their own and other people’s lives  provide more opportunities for the older children to explore with letters and sounds.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and a good understanding of her responsibilities in relation to child protection issues. She is well-informed about the indicators of child abuse and neglect and has robust written policies and procedures in place, that supports her to comply with the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The childminder has This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 completed meticulous and comprehensive risk assessments, which are consistently monitored and reviewed to ensure that children are not placed at risk of harm. As a result, they remain safe on outings and during play in the home and garden.

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the early years provision

The childminder fully values the role of parents and throughout the settling-in periods, she takes positive steps to liaise with them in order to learn about their unique family backgrounds and the children's individual interests. This includes recording the children’s starting points. Parents are well informed about all aspects of their own children's achievement, well-being and development. They have access to informative developmental files, which consists of photographic and written observations of the children at play. However, less emphasis is placed on enabling parents to play an active part in continuing children’s learning at home because they are not routinely involved in planning for the next steps in children’s learning. The childminder is starting to build links with the other settings that the children attend. She accesses their planning to learn about the ongoing themes and topics which supports her to plan complimentary activities. In addition, she

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the early years provision

ensures that she has introduced herself to staff and is available to discuss individual children as required.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a commitment to the future development of her service. She has started to evaluate her practice and has accurately identified some areas for improvement. She is a committed practitioner, whose commitment to driving improvements enhances outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The children take pleasure in their time with the childminder and they are confident, articulate and self-assured. The childminder uses observations to provide a range of interesting early years experiences that addresses children’s individual interests and plans for their learning. The children demonstrate extremely good concentration skills as they are engaged in a variety of activities, which captures their imagination and leads them to confidently express themselves through the use of arts, crafts and design activities. For example, the children thoroughly enjoy and benefit from using different types of media, such as play dough and paints. They use large scale books for guidance, as they skilfully construct models of dinosaurs and produce pieces of individual of art work that captures their own ideas.

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and outcomes for children

During activities, the childminder supports children and offers guidance as required, she uses also uses her good knowledge of the children’s personal learning plans to ensure that they are sufficiently challenged to think creatively and solve simple problems, such as how to make the dinosaur stand upright. This naturally leads to extremely purposeful and educational discussion, which helps children to make sense of the world around them. Likewise, as the children model rockets with the dough they count, talk about the moon and stars in the night time sky and demonstrate their growing awareness of planets, time, nature and seasons. The children’s inclusion in such purposeful activities successfully promotes future learning and provides them with the chance to solve simple mathematical This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 problems and to discover how and why things work. This includes developing an

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and outcomes for children

understanding of some environmental issues, such as saving water and recycling paper and packaging. The childminder's secure knowledge of the six areas of learning ensures that children access an appealing and worthwhile range of activities. However, it is to a lesser extent that the children are encouraged to expand their phonetic knowledge and to increase their awareness of the cultures and beliefs of other people.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is organised and shows a good ability to meet the changing needs and demands of the children, for example, when they accidentally drop resources on the floor. She provides the children with comfort and reassurance, which has a positive effect on their personal, social and emotional development. Consequently, the children are able to form secure relationships and their behaviour is of a high standard. The indoor environment is child-friendly, as children are free to move around between the indoors and the outdoor rear garden which is safely enclosed. Resources are stacked in clear boxes to encourage the children to use their own initiative to instigate their play, however children still require some support to access toys, due to the manner in which they are stored. Overall, the children are happy, content and settled. They have an age appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe in terms of taking care with the equipment and following

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and outcomes for children

the consistently applied hygiene routines. 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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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