Gabbatiss Susan

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 321192 Inspection date 12/02/2010 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

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 adult daughter in a semi-detached house in the Woodthorpe area of York. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding purposes, with toilet facilities situated on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play to the rear of the premises.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder has a level 3 childcare qualification and is a member of the local childminding support group and the Woodthorpe Community Partnership. She 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 of age at any one time, three of whom may be within the early years age group. She is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 13 children on roll, six 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children settle very well in this warm and welcoming setting where their individuality is valued and nurtured. They are offered a very good range of activities both in the home and local environment, which enables them to learn in different ways, and to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Excellent relationships are fostered with the parents and very good links are in place with various community groups and providers of other settings the children also attend. Very positive steps are taken to evaluate the service with parents and children being fully involved in the process. This ensures continuous improvement and a service that is very responsive to the needs of all its users.

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further?

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

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further?

 further develop the assessment system to include children's starting points and to use the information gathered from observations effectively in reviewing and tracking children's progress.

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the early years provision

The childminder gives the highest regard to safeguarding children and to ensuring they feel safe and secure within their environment. She has a very good understanding of her responsibilities in regards to child protection issues and has well-thought-out procedures she would follow in an emergency. Highly effective assessments are carried out on her home and for all visits and outings to ensure This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 any risks are sensibly managed and these are meticulously reviewed on a regular basis. The childminder has devised a set of clear policies and procedures in line with the welfare requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage, which successfully underpin the safe and efficient management of her service and she maintains all documentation well. A good range of well maintained resources are in place and the childminder has devised an effective system to ensure children are

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the early years provision

able to choose what they would like to play with. For example, she has made a photographic record of most of the toys which the children use to request additional items that may not be set out.

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the early years provision

The childminder is very enthusiastic about her role and is committed to providing high quality care. She regularly extends her knowledge through training and her records show she has attended a wealth of courses. Good attention is given to self-evaluation and the childminder fully understands the benefits of using this as a means of ensuring continuous improvement. She gathers the views of parents and older children via questionnaires and the younger ones are fully involved in the choosing of new toys and resources, including visiting the shops to purchase these. The childminder accurately identifies areas for future development and regularly discusses elements of good practice with other childminders at the groups she attends. As a result, she is able to demonstrate fully how she enhances the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively and successfully promotes equality of opportunity, ensuring her service is open to all children and their families. She has a very good knowledge of each child’s background and individual needs, and her excellent partnership with the parents ensures these are met in all areas. She gives high priority to ensuring parents are kept fully informed of all aspects of the service, providing them with a very well-presented welcome pack when the placement begins. This includes all her policies and procedures and provides them with a very useful reference tool. Examples of the children's activities are displayed for them to view and she provides support and information to help resolve any difficulties they may encounter in their child’s development. Parents are extremely keen to express their views of the service and their comments are overwhelmingly supportive. The childminder is an active member of the local childcare partnership and through this

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the early years provision

she regularly meets representatives from other provisions, such as the local school. She also works very closely with providers of other settings the children in her care also attend to ensure a shared approach to their learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle very well and develop close and trusting relationships with the childminder. They are eager to learn and relish the time they spend in her care. For example, they take pleasure in recalling previous activities they have enjoyed, such as making a Christmas card and sending this to their parents through the post. The childminder has a very good understanding of the different ways in which children learn and develop and offers a wide range of varied and purposeful play experiences linked to their individual interests. For example, to foster their interest in trains she arranged an outing to the railway station and the National This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Railway Museum. The childminder maintains a learning journey for each child which also provides parents with a delightful record of their child's time in her care. However, the children's starting points are not detailed and the information

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and outcomes for children

gathered from the childminder’s observations is not yet used fully to help her in making regular summative assessments of their progress.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder gives high priority to promoting children's personal, social and emotional development and to ensuring they learn about safety, without being fearful. As a result, they make an extremely positive contribution to the setting. They know what is expected of them within the home and when taking part in the many visits and outings they enjoy, many of which include travelling on public transport. They demonstrate their very good understanding of safety issues during imaginative play, ensuring they wear their protective gloves before putting items into the play oven and they talk very confidently about what they must do to keep themselves safe when crossing the road. They regularly practise the emergency evacuation procedures for the home and recall how they need to get out of the house quickly, and that they may not have time to put their shoes on. They develop very valuable social skills as they attend the local childminder group each

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and outcomes for children

week and their behaviour is excellent. For example, they use very good manners and they clearly value each other's achievements. This is very evident as they even tell the childminder 'well done' as she interacts in their play.

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and outcomes for children

Very good attention is paid to supporting children's development in communication, language and literacy. They develop a love of books and reading through regularly visiting the library and they demonstrate a very good range of vocabulary. For example, they confidently discuss the ingredients and processes they use to make their modelling dough and how they add glitter to make it sparkle. They learn about other cultures through celebrating festivals, such as Chinese New Year when they make colourful dragons and learn how to use chopsticks. The childminder gives high priority to ensuring children's good health. They are cared for in a very clean and well maintained home and she ensures they learn about the importance of following good routines, such as hand washing, during personal care. They have an excellent understanding of healthy eating and confidently explain that too many cakes and biscuits are bad for their teeth and

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and outcomes for children

may result in them needing fillings. They learn about sourcing food as they grow fruit and vegetables in the garden at the local school and as they visit the greengrocers several times a week to choose and buy fruit for their snack. They have innovative opportunities to engage in a wide range of physical activities and to gain a secure understanding about the importance of daily exercise as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, they visit the park on a very regular basis, splash in the puddles in their wellingtons and take part in exciting activities in the nearby woods, such as singing songs around their pretend camp fire, playing hide-and-seek and looking for fairies as they follow a trail of glitter. 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 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 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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