Childminder in Rotherham

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY345118 Inspection date 16/06/2010 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

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 registered in 2007. She lives with her husband and three children aged 15, 14 and 12 years. The family lives in a house that is situated in a small village near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding purposes. The rear garden is excluded from the registration and therefore the childminder takes the children to local parks. The childminder offers a service Monday to Friday, except for statutory bank holidays. The family has a dog.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for six children under eight years at any one time, no more than three of whom can be in the early years age range. There are currently four children on roll in this age range. The childminder also offers care to children over five years old. She occasionally works with her husband, who is also a registered childminder, or her daughter who is an assistant. When working with another adult, she can care for a maximum of eight children under eight years. This provision is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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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 children are cared for in a comfortable home environment where they benefit from relationships that are close, warm and supportive. The childminder takes some positive steps to build secure partnerships with parents and offer a service that ensures children’s family backgrounds and contributions are respected. The children are taken on many outings and make steady progress in their learning and development. However, the information gathered from observations is not always effectively analysed or used in consultation with parents to plan for the next steps in children's personal learning. The childminder is beginning to consider the effectiveness of the provision, and while future plans are limited, they are likely to bring about improvement to the childminding service.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure that younger children in the Early Years Foundation Stage receive sufficient stimulation and challenge  develop the educational programme by routinely using the information gained from observations and parents to enhance the planning and support individual children's progress across the six areas of learning  improve the use of self-evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the provision and include the views of parents and others  obtain written parental permission to allow a registered assistant to care for children for short periods of time. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has attended relevant safeguarding training and demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the procedures to be followed should she have concerns about the children's safety and welfare. All persons living or working in the household are vetted. However, the childminder has not obtained written parental permission to allow a registered assistant to care for children for short periods of time.

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the early years provision

The childminder takes some positive steps to help children develop an understanding and awareness of danger as they play and enjoy outings. She has a clear understanding of how to monitor her own practice, thereby reducing the likelihood of accidents. For example, she has completed both visual and written risk assessments in order to identify potential hazards and keep children safe both on and off the registered premises. The children have some opportunities to make independent choices from a selection of toys and books which are clean, safe and well maintained. However, since a large part of the daily routine involves outings, the children have less time to use the play provision indoors.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a basic awareness of her responsibilities to promote inclusive practice and counter the development of discriminatory attitudes. She achieves this through valuing difference and helping children to learn about a range of different cultures, festivals and beliefs.

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the early years provision

Overall, the childminder is friendly and engages in the regular exchange of information with parents, who find her supportive and caring. She keeps parents up-to-date about daily events and provides some basic information on how well their children are achieving. As yet, there are fewer opportunities for parents to contribute to the children’s records and take an active part in the planning. Similarly, partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage who share the care and education of the children are not yet fully developed.

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the early years provision

The process of self-evaluation is still in the very early stages of development and is not fully embedded into the daily practice to give the childminder a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the early years provision. However, she has made some plans for the future, such as developing the use of observations, which is a clearly defined target that is likely to improve outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is beginning to develop the educational programme by improving the planning and the use of observations. However, she is not yet confident to use what she knows about the children to provide activities that explicitly help them make progress across all areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The children are highly sociable and enjoy playful communication with the childminder, who demonstrates good-humoured ways of interacting with the children through jokes, rhymes and singing funny songs. This supports the children's social skills and the development of positive identities. The children eagerly participate in some of the activities, playing and working collaboratively with their peers. They are settled and enjoy reading books, investigating small world resources and making ‘sticky pictures’ as a means of exploring textures,

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and outcomes for children

patterns and forms. Similarly, their spatial and mathematical knowledge is enhanced as they play games, count, and sort and order cars. The childminder's level of engagement with the children is very good at times. However, there is a weakness in the systems used to differentiate and plan activities for the children’s unique interests and stages of development. This is particularly applicable in relation to the younger children, who at times lack direction.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder is keen to see children develop and gain the skills and disposition that will support them in their transitions to school. For example, they are encouraged to share, be kind and be respectful. Overall, play is delivered in a non- stereotypical way to help counter inequality. Activities, such as baking and cooking, are used to help children learn about different lifestyles and sources of food from around the world. The childminder places a great deal of emphasis on promoting the development of independence skills in order to support children’s growing confidence and self-esteem. They learn about the importance of regular exercise and enjoy opportunities to engage in physical activities, both indoors and outdoors. This helps the children to learn about risk taking and keeping safe as they use large pieces of apparatus and visit local attractions within the local and wider community. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 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 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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