Mullaney, Sonya Rebecca

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY392361 Inspection date 02/07/2010 Inspector Linda Filewood

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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 2009. She lives with her family in the Rothwell area of Leeds, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. All of the ground floor and first floor bathroom are available for childminding and there is a rear garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children under eight years old at any one time, of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. She is currently minding three children in this age group. She also offers care to children aged over five years old to 11 years old. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder collects children from the local school and attends several toddler groups on a regular basis. 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a welcoming environment for the children and clearly promotes children's health and safety. Children play with a good selection of resources, which supports their overall development and learning. The childminder is developing a positive partnership with parents and they share plenty of information. This enables the childminder to successfully meet each child's individual requirements. The childminder has no system in place yet to reflect on her provision but through discussion, she is able to satisfactorily identify areas to improve and the key strengths of her service.

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further?

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

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further?

 review resources to ensure they provide positive images of gender, ethnicity, language, religion, culture and special educational needs and/or disabilities  introduce a self-evaluation system to monitor the provision in order to clearly identify key strengths and areas for improvement  use regular short observations to identify the immediate developmental needs of children to promote their continued learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and her duty in protecting the children's welfare. She shares her clearly written policies, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 including those for safeguarding, with parents so that they are aware of her responsibilities. Any adults who work with the childminder hold a current Criminal Records Bureau check, which means they are suitable to be with the children. The childminder takes all reasonable steps to ensure that children are safe indoors and out. For example, the gate leading from the garden is securely fastened. She carries out and clearly records risk assessments and takes appropriate action to manage or eliminate risks. Furniture, equipment and toys are suitable and safe. The childminder provides children with a good range of age-appropriate resources to support their learning and development. She ensures that younger children do

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the early years provision

not play with toys that contain small pieces. The childminder uses resources well to support children's ongoing development. For example, she counts with the children as she builds up a tower of wooden bricks, which younger children take delight in knocking down. However, available resources that reflect the diversity in society are insufficient to support children's understanding of similarities and differences. Children are confident within the setting and self-select their play equipment. There is sufficient space for them to move around safely and the childminder encourages them to tidy some toys away so that they do not fall.

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the early years provision

The childminder cooperates well with parents and gathers plenty of information from them, so that she is fully aware of their child's individual needs. They receive a well-presented file of relevant policies and other information. This ensures that they know the procedures the childminder has in place to care for their child. The childminder updates parents on their child's activities verbally and through daily diaries, so that they are included in their child's day. Parents report positively about the care their children receive and are very pleased in the way their children have settled with the childminder. The childminder is beginning to make links with other community activities and services, to extend the play experiences that she offers the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates satisfactory commitment to securing improvement, in order to continually improve the outcomes for the children. She sufficiently recognises her strengths and clearly identifies some areas for development, especially undertaking further training. However, she has no self-evaluation system in place yet, to ensure she focuses on the most significant priorities for development within her newly registered provision. The childminder asks for the opinions of parents and older children, in order to find out if they are happy with what she offers. She plans to do written parent questionnaires in the future, to aid her in reflecting on her service.

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and outcomes for children

There are strong and positive relationships developing between the childminder and children. As a result, children feel secure, settle quickly into the welcoming environment and become involved in playing with the toys and resources on offer. They are comfortable in their routines and feel secure in the childminder's care. Children are becoming familiar with the expectations of the childminder and are developing good manners. Activities are child-led. Children express their choices of what to play with and the childminder supports their play and exploration with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 appropriate interaction. She praises their achievements and young children give themselves a clap in response. Young children persevere to learn a new skill, with the childminder nearby to offer suitable support and guidance if needed. For example, after feeding their baby doll, they concentrate to fit the feeding-bottle

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and outcomes for children

cap, by trying it in different positions before successfully fitting it correctly. Children benefit from some planned activities and outings to ensure that they experience a broad and suitably balanced range of activities. For example, the childminder meets up with another childminder, so that children learn to play in larger groups to develop their social skills. The childminder offers children a suitable variety of resources, indoors and outdoors, to make marks and develop skills for the future. For example, young children explore push button toys and beam with enjoyment, as they manage to turn a knob successfully that they have not been able to do before.

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and outcomes for children

Children have plenty of opportunities to be active and receive daily physical exercise. The outdoor area is particularly well resourced and laid out, with children’s learning imaginatively planned for. For example, children of all ages enjoy playing in the play house and young children play safely with large equipment, such as a slide. The children play in a clean, safe environment and learn about good personal hygiene routines, eating healthy foods and drinking regularly. To ensure children are effectively hydrated, the childminder offers them ice lollies for extra refreshment in hot weather. They are beginning to learn about keeping themselves safe through clear procedures, and the childminder securely fastens young children into a highchair while making their morning toast. Appropriate child-sized cutlery helps children to learn to feed themselves and become independent. The childminder talks to them constantly during play and

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and outcomes for children

daily routines, which promotes their understanding of words and meaning. Some young children are becoming clear in their speech and respond well to her by repeating the words they hear.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is beginning to establish individual records of the children's achievements and progress. These include photographs of the children engaged in activities. Observations contain links to the different areas of learning and show that most children are beginning to make steady progress in relation to their starting points. The childminder generally reflects well on her observations of children's play, in order to identify ways of providing further challenge. She refers to the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance book to support her understanding. However, most observations do not specifically record the child's next step in their learning and development. Also, the childminder does not always identify the immediate developmental needs of children, as some of the identified next steps are not set appropriately and offer the children too much challenge. 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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 3

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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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