Childminder in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 314537 Inspection date 25/11/2009 Inspector Diane Lynn Turner

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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 1988. She lives with her husband, who is also her assistant, and their teenage daughter in a semi-detached house in Bridlington. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding purposes, and a bedroom, the bathroom and toilet facilities are used on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden to the rear of premises for outdoor play. A cat is kept as a family pet. The childminder takes and collects children from Burlington Primary School. She uses her car on occasions to transport children.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has childcare qualifications at level 3 and 4 and is a member of the local childminding network and the National Childminding Association. She is accredited to provide funded nursery education and is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of six children under eight years of age at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. She is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 10 children on roll, four of whom are within the early years age group. They all attend on a part-time basis.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in an extremely welcoming, safe and stimulating environment where their individual care and learning needs are fully recognised and supported very skilfully by the childminder. She has an excellent understanding of how children learn and develop and provides an exciting range of activities across all areas of learning, which ensures they make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. The partnerships established with parents are excellent and supportive links are in place with providers of other settings the children also attend. The childminder takes very positive steps to evaluate her practice and is extremely successful in maintaining continuous improvement. Parents and children are fully involved in the process and this collaborative approach results in a setting that is extremely responsive to the needs of all its users.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 continuing to develop the links with other settings children also attend to promote a shared approach to their learning and development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder gives the highest regard to safeguarding children and understands fully that children do not reach their full potential unless they feel safe and secure within their environment. She has a very good understanding of the issues relating to child protection and her responsibilities in this area, and has comprehensive procedures she would follow in an emergency, such as a child being lost. She is meticulous in maintaining a safe environment which allows the children to explore freely. This enables them to take measured risks in their play, for example, as they use the trampoline. All of the required documentation is in place and is meticulously maintained, and a comprehensive set of policies and procedures very effectively underpin the safe and efficient management of her service.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very passionate about her role and is committed not only to providing childcare of the highest quality herself, but to helping other childminders do the same. She openly shares elements of good practice with them and takes great pride when she sees her suggestions implemented and the outcomes for children enhanced as a result. She is extremely committed to extending her knowledge through training and her records show she has attended a wealth of courses. She gives excellent attention to self-evaluation and fully understands the benefits of using this as a means of ensuring continuous improvement. She meticulously identifies areas for future development and fully involves the children in the process. For example, the plans to further enhance the play opportunities in the garden are coming to fruition, with a new sand pit, parachute and road safety equipment on order, as a result of their input.

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the early years provision

The childminder gives the highest priority to promoting equality and diversity and is extremely successful in this. She has valuable previous experience of caring for children with additional needs and fully understands how to ensure inclusion. She very thoughtfully asks parents to put an 'All about me' book together for their child when they first attend, which includes photographs of family members and important information about the child's likes and dislikes. This ensures the childminder has an extensive knowledge of each child’s background and a useful tool to help them settle. Good relationships are in place with providers of other settings the children attend to ensure a shared approach to their care and learning, and the childminder has identified this as an area for further development. She has excellent relationships with all the parents, taking great care to ensure they are well-informed about all aspects of her service. They receive

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the early years provision

copies of all the policies and procedures on admission. Meticulous attention is paid to keeping them well-informed on a daily basis through informal chats and the extremely detailed and well-presented individual diaries, which also provide a precious memento to look back on in years to come. She gauges their continuing satisfaction of the service through questionnaires, and these, plus verbal and written comments, show their overwhelming appreciation of the service she provides. Consequently, the outcomes for all children and their experiences are extremely positive. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children settle very well and develop excellent relationships with the childminder. They show spontaneous affection for her, are eager to learn and relish the time they spend in her care. She has an excellent understanding of the different ways in which children learn and develop and provides a bright and stimulating environment, which is very conducive to supporting this. She offers an excellent range of rich, varied and imaginative play experiences, which ensures the children achieve as much as they can given their age, ability and starting points. Thorough assessment systems are in place to monitor their continuing progress. The childminder gives high priority to children's personal, social and emotional development. She enables them to direct their own play and provides very valuable opportunities to aid their transition to school. For example, they learn to manage changing their clothes ready for physical exercise, and to answer their

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and outcomes for children

names and take turns to speak at circle time. She helps them to learn to manage their emotions by discussing what makes them sad or happy, and to understand that sometimes they may feel angry. As a result, their behaviour is exemplary. They are very polite, show very high levels of confidence and self-esteem, are well-mannered and show concern for the comfort of others. For example, they spontaneously offered the inspector a piece of their fruit at snack time.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop excellent communication, language and literacy skills. They have free access to an excellent range of books and become captivated as they listen to stories and act out ones they have listened to previously. For example, they fill bowls with oats and take these to the three bears who they pretend are living in the hallway. They show an avid interest in letter sounds, songs and rhymes and demonstrate an excellent command of language as they discuss previous activities they have enjoyed. For example, they describe how they liked 'baby bear’s' bowl of porridge the best during a tasting activity, as this contained jam and cream, whereas 'mummy bear’s' was very plain. They demonstrate excellent creative skills as they independently use a range of materials, safely using tools such as scissors and the tape dispenser, as they complete their planned ideas. They very confidently model with malleable materials, such as 'sparkly' dough, and know that

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and outcomes for children

by adding water to oats they can produce a material which will harden as it dries.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a wealth of valuable and exciting opportunities for the children to learn about the wider world and their own community. For example, during a topic on travelling the world they made their own passports and 'visited' countries, such as Spain, Africa, America, Italy and China. They made and tasted various foods, set up a Native American camp and took part in a rain dance. They learn about the use of pattern and number on local buildings, about nature and the seasons as they use magnifying glasses to explore items such as leaves, and different occupations as they visit the optician and travel agent. The childminder pays excellent attention to keeping children safe and healthy and her efforts are rewarded as the children implement what they have learnt. For example, as she blows the whistle the children respond immediately, stating that they have to get outside quickly as it means there may be a fire. Once outside they line up against

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and outcomes for children

the wall, answer their name and ask if the childminder needs to dial 999 for the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fire service. They very confidently describe how they cross the road safely and they have an excellent knowledge of why they need to wash their hands during everyday routines. They very confidently explain that this gets rid of germs that may make them ill and they know to use their own towel. They relish taking part in physical exercise, being outside in the garden and going for long walks. They demonstrate excellent coordination as they match movements to music, hopping on one leg and performing various jumps. They move very rhythmically and show immense pleasure as they twirl their scarves to music and laugh delightedly as they try to catch bubbles. They fully understand the effect exercise has on their bodies, explaining afterwards that they are hot and thirsty and need to get their

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and outcomes for children

drink. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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