Ramskill, Julie Louise

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY344048 Inspection date 07/04/2010 Inspector Tracey Jane Outram

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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 2006. She lives in Rotherham with her husband and two children aged six and eight years. Most areas of the home are used for childminding purposes and there is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoors play. The area has good transport links and there is access to shops, children's play areas and parks.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on both parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of five 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 an assistant, numbers of children may increase to a maximum of eleven, of whom, no more than six may be in the early years age range. There are currently 19 children on role, of whom, seven are in the early years age range. The childminder is also registered to provide overnight care for a maximum of two children at any one time.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds a recognised early years qualification.

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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 children attending the setting demonstrate a strong sense of belonging within the secure and well organised environment. The childminder takes positive steps to provide children with interesting activities, most of which focus on their individual interests and developmental needs. Partnerships with parents are extremely good although the processes of liaising with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are limited. Good systems are in place to drive improvements for the future because self-evaluation is effective and supports identified improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase opportunities and experiences for babies and young children to explore and participate outdoors without compromising their safety  ensure continuity between all settings to ensure that children’s social, emotional and educational needs are addressed appropriately  take steps to ensure that all children benefit from regular observations and planning for their unique interests and learning styles. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminding provision benefits from a number of extremely well documented and efficiently applied policies and procedures, which ensure the children's good health and safety. For example, risk assessments are vigorous and the childminder has a very secure understanding of safeguarding. Importantly, as the childminder frequently works with assistants, she takes positive steps to ensure that they are each trained in first aid, food hygiene and have an up-to-date knowledge of the local child protection procedures. This successfully helps to ensure the suitability and qualifications of all adults looking after the children.

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the early years provision

The childminder works hard to build high quality relationships with all parents and carers. She recognises that parents are central to the children’s well-being. Therefore, she supports the transition from home by talking with parents and agreeing comprehensive care plans, which address the children’s individual needs and routines. In addition, she uses some innovative methods of supporting the children’s learning by helping them to make connections between their experiences at home and those within the setting. This includes the use of Zak the teddy bear and the use of a digital photograph frame that displays daily images of the children involved in play. However, systems to work with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage who share the care and education of the children are not strong. Consequently, the capacity to ensure continuity and coherence between the different settings is limited.

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the early years provision

The setting is inclusive and children of different ages with different backgrounds and life experiences happily interact and build healthy relationships. In addition, the childminder is able to act quickly and respond to the personal requirements of the children by skilfully adjusting activities. The childminder has some appropriate methods in place to help her evaluate and reflect on the service she provides. She frequently looks for ways to adapt and extend her service to meet the varied needs of the children and their families.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has some effective systems in place for keeping written and photographic observations of the children. The information gathered in the learning journeys is used to aid planning and record their achievements as they progress towards their early learning goals. However, some of the older children, who are still in the Early Years Foundations Stage, do not have the same high level of written observations and planning.

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and outcomes for children

The environment is inclusive and encourages independence and personal choice. The children freely access the bright and welcoming playroom, which is comfortable and designed to encourage learning and participation in a broad range of activities. This includes role play, messy play and construction along with providing restful areas with books and mirrors for the younger children. In This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 addition, the assembly of an upper-level balcony in the playroom ensures that the older children have a secure play area which allows them to safely use equipment that is developmentally inappropriate for the younger children. The children are consulted about the activities and the organisation of the day, this allows them to benefit from extended periods of exploration, investigation and play. The outdoor play area is a feature of the daily routine where children experiment with different

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and outcomes for children

ways of moving their bodies and they perfect skills, such as balancing, climbing and peddling. Although most children are eager to play outdoors, the range of activities do not thoroughly engage babies and actively provide for their physical activity and exploration.

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and outcomes for children

The children enjoy their time with the thoughtful childminder who supports them in building skills for the future. They communicate effectively and enjoy talking about themselves, their interests and their daily lives which the childminder facilitates through lively social interactions. In addition, the children enjoy books, they are beginning to ascribe meanings to their mark-making as they draw and begin to write. The children are imaginative and during play they engage with the childminder who supports their developing understanding of problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. The children count and spontaneously use numbers in a varied range of contexts, for example, during indoor and outdoor play.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder maximises the use of the local environment to help children learn about the world around them. They are included in fundraising in order to help them learn about a range of different needs and take an active part in society. Strong and healthy relationships assist in the children's emotional development and nurture a high sense of security. They are actively involved in assessing risks in order to develop a confident understanding of environmental hazards and the importance of playing within safe limits. Extremely good systems are in place to help children learn about healthy lifestyles. They understand the virtues of good personal care through the implementation of well planned topics, such as healthy eating, personal cleanliness and oral hygiene. The children are extremely confident and secure in the setting. The children are well behaved and confident in their abilities, they are helped to understand equality of opportunity and there is no

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and outcomes for children

evidence of discrimination or bullying between children. 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 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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