Childminder in Barnsley

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY393948 Inspection date 25/06/2010 Inspector Helen Blackburn

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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 husband and parents in the Birdwell area of Barnsley, close to schools, shops, parks and public transport links. The childminder's husband and mother are also registered childminders who work from the same premises. All childminders have joint responsibility for the service. The childminding service is provided from an annexe building within the grounds of the family home. There is a fully enclosed garden and paddock for outside play. The childminder has five dogs, which do not have contact with the children, two peacocks, a budgie and goldfish as pets.

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Description of the childminding

When working alone, the childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than three may be in the early years age range. When working with other childminders, she may care for a maximum of 18 children under eight years at any one time, of whom no more than nine may be in the early years age range. They are currently minding three children in the early years age range. The childminder also offers care to children aged over five years to 11 years. 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 attends several toddler groups and childminder support 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder has good relationships with parents and she communicates with them effectively to ensure she meets each child’s individual needs. The equipment, resources and experiences provided for children are of high quality and they contribute to effectively supporting children’s learning and development. The learning environment for children is inclusive, stimulating, varied and fun; it positively promotes good behaviour, diversity and independence. The childminder maintains good quality documentation, policies and procedures, which overall contribute to the safe and efficient management of the setting. The childminder’s enthusiasm and commitment to improve her service are good. She has introduced some good quality improvement processes to support in her in identifying areas of development.

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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, when it was carried out, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Documentation). 09/07/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop the use of quality improvement processes, such as self-evaluation, as the basis for ongoing internal review and to ensure priorities are targeted effectively  improve the observation and assessment arrangements to ensure observations are linked to expectations of the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

The arrangements for safeguarding children are good. The childminder completes regular safety checks and conducts risk assessments of her home and outings so that she minimises hazards and keeps children safe. However, her risk assessment record lacks some relevant information, which is a breach of a specific legal requirement. The childminder maintains a wide range of documentation, policies and procedures, such as on health, safety, equality and safeguarding. These contribute to safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare and promote the safe and efficient management of the setting. The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in protecting children from harm. For example, she is fully aware of the procedures to follow if she has any concerns about a child in her care. All adults living and working on the premises have undergone appropriate checks and the childminder supervises all visitors to the

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the early years provision

home to ensure she keeps children safe. The childminder works well with her co- childminders. They organise themselves very well to ensure they meet children needs, undertake management tasks, prepare meals and maintain the premises and equipment without compromising children’s safety. In addition, they maintain high adult to child ratios, often providing one-to-one care for children.

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the early years provision

The childminder’s drive, ambition and commitment in striving towards improvement are good. The childminder has been proactive in identifying ways in which she can enhance the provision and service for children through self- evaluation and reflective practice. Her self-evaluation processes are inclusive; they include feedback from all the childminders working at the setting, parents and other professionals, and observations of the children. However, her quality improvement processes, such as self-evaluation, are in their infancy and the childminder has yet to prioritise the areas of development she has identified. Through accessing training and seeking ideas from other professionals, the childminder is developing her skills and knowledge. This demonstrates the childminder’s commitment to her ongoing professional development.

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the early years provision

Relationships between the childminder and parents are good. The parents receive good quality information about the service provided for their child through policies and procedures. The childminder keeps parents well informed about their children’s achievements, well-being and development using daily diaries, regular review meetings and discussions. This ensures the childminder effectively meets children’s individual needs and promotes continuity of care for children. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 childminder has a good understanding of the importance of working with other settings involved in children’s learning. In addition, she understands the necessity to work with external agencies so that children who require additional help and support have the best learning opportunities available.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of how young children learn and develop and, as a result, she supports children in making good progress. The childminder carries out regular observations of the children and uses these to identify and plan for children’s next steps. She is beginning to match her observations to the expectations of the early learning goals; however, this process is still developing. Children have excellent opportunities to be independent learners due to the effective organisation of resources. For example, they initiate their own play and the childminder builds on this, contributing to children influencing their learning. This results in children being very happy, motivated and inquisitive learners. For example, children excitedly water the plants, babble with pleasure as they interact with the childminder when they see the aeroplanes flying in the sky, and enthusiastically explore their environment when visiting the farm. The

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and outcomes for children

childminder provides a welcoming, safe and friendly environment for children. The children access an extensive range of high quality resources and experiences across all areas of learning. In addition, the childminder is very creative and she uses her artistic expertise to encourage children to express themselves imaginatively through art, crafts and music, promoting traditional crafts, such as sewing and knitting. The children have good, trusting and secure relationships with the childminder and this contributes to children feeling safe. For example, children approach her for comfort and reassurance. The children are developing a good understanding of keeping themselves safe; for example, they are involved in fire evacuation practices.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder supports the children very well in understanding the importance of adopting good hygiene and self-care practices through everyday routines, such as hand washing. The childminder uses the expertise of her co-childminder, a trained chef, to ensure children receive an extremely well-balanced, healthy and nutritious diet. For example, the children enjoy an extensive range of home-cooked meals that incorporate all the food groups, nutrients and vitamins children need to promote their healthy growth and development. In addition, the childminder is introducing the children to growing some of their own herbs and vegetables so that they learn about the benefits of making healthy choices. The children’s physical skills are developing extremely well because they have excellent opportunities to be active and to exercise. For example, they thoroughly enjoy playing outdoors and have many opportunities to engage in physical activity, such

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and outcomes for children

as running, climbing, sliding and kicking balls, through daily outings to the park, farms and other places of interest. The children are developing their coordination and dexterity skills through activities such as drawing, building and constructing, rolling balls and manipulating objects.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a positive approach to managing children’s behaviour. She This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 helps the children to learn about right and wrong, sharing and taking turns using praise and clear explanations. The childminder celebrates children’s achievements and the children respond well to this. For instance, they clap with pleasure when they know they have achieved well, which contributes to children being confident and having a positive self-image and good self-esteem. The childminder promotes equality and diversity well. Through resources and regular visits in the local community, the children are learning about differences and different ways of life so that they develop a positive and caring attitude towards all people in society. 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 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 1 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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