Childminder in North YorkshireOfsted inspection, 16 Mar 2010

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 401348 Inspection date 16/03/2010 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 0300 123 1231, 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: 0300 123 1231 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

Children only attend this setting before and/or after the school day and/or during the school holidays. The judgements in this report reflect the quality of early years provision offered to children during those periods.

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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 has been registered since November 1999. She lives with her husband, adult son and four-year-old granddaughter in a terraced cottage in a village on the outskirts of Leeds. All of the ground floor of the childminder's home 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 a member of the National Childminding Association and is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for six children under eight years, three of whom may be in the early years age group. She is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register and works with her daughter, a qualified nursery nurse, as her assistant. When working with her assistant she may care for six children under eight years, six of whom may be in the early years age group. There are currently 11 children on roll, eight of whom are within the early years age group. Their attendance is a mix of full and part-time places.

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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 childminder ensures all children are valued as individuals and that their learning and development is supported effectively, to enable them to make good progress. They are kept safe and secure at all times and the partnerships with parents and providers of other settings the children also attend, or will move onto, are key strengths in ensuring a shared approach to their care and learning. The childminder and her assistant work very well together and accurately evaluate their practice, targeting priorities for future development, and recording these on the self-evaluation form. Detailed policies and procedures effectively underpin the safe and efficient management of the setting, and all required documentation is in place, although this occasionally lacks the necessary detail.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 improve the record of risk assessment so that it includes information on who conducted it, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation). 30/03/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the system for gaining information about children's individual needs to include their prior learning at home to help in identfying the starting points This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 in their learning on entry to the setting.

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the early years provision

Both the childminder and her assistant have a good understanding of their responsibilities in regard to safeguarding and child protection issues. This is clearly reflected in their written safeguarding policy, which parents are asked to read and sign to say they understand. Daily safety checks are carried out and a risk assessment of the premises and garden has been undertaken to ensure any hazards are minimised. A record has been made of this, however, it does not show who carried out the assessment, which is a welfare requirement. The childminder is enthusiastic about her role in helping children to learn and develop. She works very closely with her assistant, who plays an equally valuable part in the setting, and they both fully understand the value of self-evaluation as a means of ensuring continuous improvement. All the recommendations raised at the last inspection have been successfully addressed and aspects for improvement have been

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the early years provision

identified to enhance the care they provide. For example, they plan to improve the learning opportunities in the garden by providing an area for children to plant and grow vegetables, thereby enhancing their understanding of nature.

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the early years provision

Detailed policies and procedures are in place, which are implemented consistently and regularly reviewed and updated. Children’s records are maintained in a confidential manner and a record of their attendance and important information, such as parent’s emergency contact numbers, are kept readily to hand, so these can be accessed easily, for example, in the event of a fire. Good attention is paid to promoting equality of opportunity, with effective systems in place to gain important information about children’s individual needs. For example, pre- placement visits are actively encouraged and parents are asked to complete an ‘all about me form’ for their child. However, this does not include their prior learning at home, to help the childminder in assessing the starting points in their learning. Resources are easily accessible and promote children’s choice and independence, and displays of colourful posters and examples of their work provide an

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the early years provision

environment that is very conducive to learning.

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the early years provision

Good relationships are established and maintained with the parents. They are asked to read all the policies and procedures and receive a useful overview sheet of the service, which includes the procedures for illness, medication and collection. Their child’s learning journey is shared on a regular basis so they can see the progress their children are making, and parents are contacted promptly if their child becomes ill at the setting. Written testimonials show parents are confident their children are happy and secure in the care of the childminder and her assistant. The childminder also has good relationships with the local pre-school, which some of the children also attend. This ensures a very effective shared approach to promoting all aspects of their learning and development. 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 well in the very welcoming and caring environment, developing close relationships with both the childminder and her assistant. For example, they readily accept a cuddle if they are feeling under the weather. All children are making good progress towards achieving the early learning goals and this is clearly illustrated in their individual, very detailed and wellpresented learning journeys, which include observations, photographs and samples of work. The childminder and her assistant skilfully use their observations to identify and promote the next steps in the children's learning and the learning journey also provides both children and their parents, with a precious memento of their time in the setting. Good attention is paid to supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development. As a result, the children learn to behave well, know what is expected of them and make independent choices. For example, on arriving back from pre-

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and outcomes for children

school the older ones know to take off their shoes and hang up their coats. They happily choose toys to play with, while the childminder prepares their lunch and they sit well at the table to eat , confidently deciding beforehand what filling they would like in their sandwich. They enjoy looking at books and listening to stories, and the childminder and her assistant carefully link activities to the children’s interests. For example, when one child showed a particular interest in a character depicted in books and on television, they helped them to learn about Spain, the character’s country of origin, including making a flag, counting to 10 and learning the names of colours in that language.

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and outcomes for children

All children have good opportunities to develop their creativity, and they show curiosity and a keenness to learn. For example, the youngest ones enjoy the colours and sounds of electronic toys and one child was keen to use a toy lap top computer alongside the inspector on the visit. The children enjoy singing and using musical instruments and become fully immersed as they create independent works of art, skilfully using sponges and paint brushes, and delighting in mixing two colours together to produce another. The children have good opportunities to learn about their local environment as they go for walks in the village, visit the park and take part in treasure hunts. This also enables them to enjoy fresh air and to learn about road safety at the same time. They enjoy nutritious home-cooked food with an emphasis on healthy eating, and follow good hygiene routines in their personal care. For example, they use hand sanitizer gel to clean their hands before lunch.

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and outcomes for children

They also learn to tidy away the toys from an early age, to prevent trips and falls and practise the emergency evacuation procedures regularly, to ensure they know what to do in the event of a fire, with the procedures displayed in a child friendly form in the play room as a reminder. Photographs also show them fully immersed in learning about first aid, including how to apply a bandage and put a casualty in the recovery position, an interest that was sparked when they learnt the childminder and her assistant had recently attended a course to update their qualification. 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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