Childminder in Calderdale

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 303542 Inspection date 24/11/2009 Inspector Shazaad Arshad

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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 1998. She lives with her husband and three children aged 23, 21 and 11 in the Central Park area of Halifax. Only the ground floor of their home is used for childminding and there is a ground floor toilet area. There is a fully-enclosed garden, suitable for outdoor play. The property is wheelchair-accessible. Amenities such as shops, schools, a park and a pre-school are within walking distance.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently looks after seven children, five of whom are in the early years age range. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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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

Children are cared for in a very comfortable, safe and clean home. Their health and safety needs are exceptionally well met. The childminder is fully aware of each of the children's individual needs and she is able to tailor their early learning experiences in order to fully support them. This ensures that they all make very good progress in their learning and development. Effective working relationships with parents and others who may be involved with each child contribute well to children's continuity of care and learning. The childminder continues to make improvements to her provision, including acting on recommendations, and has recently started to self-evaluate her provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 link observations of individual children's learning and development more closely to the early learning goals in order to better identify future targets and challenges for them  develop a systematic approach to self-evaluation to better support continuous development

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the early years provision

All the necessary records are maintained appropriately, and policies and procedures are in writing and presented in a portfolio file for parents to read. The procedures and supporting for safeguarding are in place and the childminder is aware of her responsibility if she has any concerns about a child. Additionally, the childminder is aware of the need to vet all adults in the home and has appropriate This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Criminal Record Bureau checks for all adults in the home. Risk assessments are carried out and recorded for all the areas of the home and regular outings. Toys and play equipment are good quality and organised appropriately around the rooms used on the ground floor.

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the early years provision

The childminder has always attended a variety of training events since becoming registered, in order to maintain and improve the quality of her practice. She has a very positive attitude to training. For example, she has booked on to further early years training for the new year and has completed her first aid training.

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the early years provision

Since her last inspection the childminder has attended numerous childcare courses with family learning services, including training on various activities, such as hand making puppets. As a result of recommendations made at her last inspection, she now has a clear complaints policy in place. The childminder has started to self- evaluate her practice but she does not yet have a systematic approach to this, which would better support the continuous improvement of her service.

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the early years provision

Parents speak extremely positively about the childminder. They comment, amongst other things, on how loving, caring and welcoming she is; the way she responds to children as individuals; her skills in promoting good behaviour; and the fun, educational activities she provides for children. They receive good information about the service she offers and have lots of opportunities to share information about their children with her and ensure that the changing needs of each one of them can continue to be met. Parents complete questionnaires and have access to a comments book. When children are attending pre-school or school the childminder finds out what they have been doing and builds on it with activities at home.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a safe, clean and comfortable home environment where there is plenty of room for them to play and a good selection of toys and resources to meet their individual needs. The garden is spacious, with plenty of room for children to run around freely, and can be used in better weather for children to enjoy all activities outdoors. The home is kept secure, so that children feel safe, and this is further promoted by them learning to evacuate the house in the event of a fire and, in the case of the youngest ones, what is safe to play with and what they should not touch. For example, children are reminded not to touch and play near the lampshades and they eagerly explain the safety rules. Good use is made of equipment such as stair gates and socket covers to keep children safe. When they are out walking, children learn how to cross the road safely and older ones are taught about potential 'stranger danger'. Children's personal hygiene is well

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and outcomes for children

promoted. For example, when very young children have a cold, the childminder is vigilant in keeping their noses wiped and they learn, by watching her, the procedures for hand washing after nappy changing and disposing of nappies. Along with the childminder being clear about non-attendance for certain illnesses, this helps prevent the spread of infection. Children are gradually helped to learn to use the toilet, in conjunction with parents' wishes, at an appropriate age. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children's dietary needs are fully met because parents provide healthy, nutritious meals and snacks for those attending after school. They all have plenty to drink and even the youngest can access their drinking beakers whenever they want. In addition, children are aware of the different types of foods and can, for example, identify the differences between pasta and noodles. Children are aware of the

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and outcomes for children

expectations of their behaviour according to their age and ability. Children are very well behaved and polite. They help each other with the toys and using the role play 'spider man' outfits.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a full range of activities that help them make good progress towards the early learning goals stated in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder usually plans a key activity each day, which may be an outing, for example to the library or adventure play area, or be an art or craft activity, to ensure that all the areas of learning are covered. As well as this, children play with toys they like or engage in activities of their own choosing and interests. Initial information sharing with parents and the childminder's own early observations provide a starting point for children's learning. Ongoing observations show how children are progressing and provide the childminder with information to plan their next steps. However, she is not yet linking these observations closely enough to the early learning goals to fully identify the most appropriate next challenges for each child.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to develop respect for all members of society and celebrate diversity. For example, the childminder is aware of the forthcoming Eid celebrations and has made plans to celebrate the festival at a basic level. Children have plenty of resources which can be used as part of everyday play so that this is reinforced more easily. Children's self-initiated play is supported well by the childminder, who interacts with them warmly and makes things fun. She sets out toys that she knows the youngest children like and encourages them to, for example, explore textures on pictures in books, sing and dance along to music, and do actions to rhymes. Babies are helped to develop their physical skills, such as moving on from crawling to walking. The childminder records the children's development in this area as she notes down that the child is able to take a few steps. Lots of conversation and repetition of words helps them to develop their

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and outcomes for children

language skills. Pre-school aged children benefit from more attention when babies are sleeping, and can enjoy activities that younger ones may disrupt and so cause frustration; for example, building block games and drawing games. 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 2 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 2 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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