Childminder in Kirklees

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY242115 Inspection date 15/04/2010 Inspector Shaheen Matloob

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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 March 2003. She lives with her three children in the Deighton area of Huddersfield. Local amenities, such as, shops, parks, woods, canal and railway links are all within walking distance. The whole of the ground floor and the bathroom on the first floor are used for childminding purposes. There is a safe and enclosed garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet rabbit.

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Description of the childminding

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. She is currently minding two children in this age group. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder walks to collect children from two of the local school and attends a childminding support group. 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 generally provides a stimulating and child-centred environment where the children make satisfactory progress in their learning. She promotes their welfare successfully and the children's knowledge of health and safety is exceptional. Partnerships with parents are generally positive; however, they lack arrangements for parents to be involved in contributing towards and supporting their children's learning and development. Recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been fully addressed and the childminder has self- evaluation systems in place, which appropriately address the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 match observations and assessments of children's learning to the expectations of the early learning goals intentions, and use these to plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for individual children  improve arrangements for parents to support their children's learning and development, and contribute to and review their children's progress  improve the way that information is gathered and used from parents when a child first starts, in order to effectively establish their starting points and capabilities. 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 effective arrangements in place, including links with key child agencies, for ensuring the safety of children. She has a good understanding of child protection issues and has clear policies and documentation for reporting and recording concerns about the children's welfare. Effective steps are taken to ensure the suitability of persons who may have unsupervised access to them and children are closely supervised.

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the early years provision

The childminder demonstrates a clear commitment to recycling. The children re- use card and boxes for creative activities, recycle paper and make their own resources. They are involved in discussions about saving energy, how wind turbines are used and recycling food. Equality of opportunity and anti- discriminatory practice is promoted satisfactorily. The childminder takes suitable steps to ensure children are making progress in their learning and development. However, as their learning and development is not being tracked effectively, steps to identify any gaps in their achievement are not sufficiently established. The childminder promotes the children’s understanding of differences through a range of resources and the celebration of religious festivals and events.

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the early years provision

Parents' and children’s views are sought and acted upon through questionnaires and regular discussions. Children and parents also contribute to decisions affecting the provision; for example, the childminder has recently obtained a grant to improve her outdoor play area and equipment, she has asked children and parents for their suggestions regarding toys and equipment for the outdoor area. The childminder uses the Ofsted self-evaluation form and regular discussions with parents to reflect on her practice, she satisfactorily identifies her strengths and weaknesses, taking appropriate action to make improvements.

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the early years provision

Good partnerships with other organisations promote learning and well-being for the children attending, and ensure progression and continuity of care. The childminder has positive relationships with all parents and she provides them with good quality information about her setting. All policies and procedures are clear, well-organised and shared with parents. She encourages parents to share information about their children and successful settling-in periods ensure that she meets the children's individual needs. Parents are kept well-informed about their children’s achievements and progress through daily verbal communication and also through their children's developmental records, which they can freely access and take home to contribute to. The childminder has some systems in place for parents to be involved in supporting their children’s learning and development and to review their developmental progress, although these are not yet fully established.

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and outcomes for children

The children have a positive approach to experiences and activities as they eagerly join in and show excitement while exploring shaving foam. They enjoy and persist This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 in a role play activity for an extended period of time, displaying a high level of involvement as they choose to make wraps and pizza. The children develop their awareness of numbers and number language through activities and games; for example, they count the number of spaces they have while sorting out the correct eggs to fit in the right spaces. The childminder promotes their knowledge through effective questioning techniques, such as how many eggs do you need. The children are able to solve problems independently and with support from the childminder. They have good opportunities to promote their knowledge of technology, such as operating the buttons on the role play microwave and a push

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and outcomes for children

button telephone. The childminder has a suitable understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this to carry out systematic observations and assessments of the children's progress and achievements. However, information gathered initially to establish the children's starting points is not effective and observations do not match the learning intentions. This means that the childminder is unable to effectively track and monitor the children's progress or identify the next steps in their learning, in order to help them make good progress.

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and outcomes for children

The children have an exceptional awareness of the behaviour required to keep themselves and others safe without any prompts from the childminder. They use role play experiences to demonstrate their detailed knowledge of safety; for example, while playing with a cooker, which is hot, the children explain that they 'need my gloves' to stop burning their hands and proceed to go and get oven gloves. They also help tidy up after themselves and know that this will prevent them from having accidents, such as, falling over toys. The children show a very strong sense of security and say that they feel safe at the childminder's because the childminder and older children look after them. Their understanding of fire safety is excellent as they confidently explain the fire procedure in detail. They know that 'you have to get out, but not run', and recognise the importance of not returning to the home until the fire engine has been because 'you will get burnt'.

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and outcomes for children

All children show a detailed knowledge of good personal hygiene and consistently wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. They know that this is important otherwise 'you will pass germs around and then you will be poorly'. They recognise and use their individual towels, and creative work and posters are used to reinforce hand-washing and enhance their knowledge of healthy lifestyles further. The children recognise the importance of keeping healthy, and those things which contribute to this; for example they explain that eating fruit and vegetables will make you 'big and strong', and that exercise makes 'you fit and healthy'. They also confidently recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active, such as their hearts getting 'bigger and goes fast' and needing a drink.

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and outcomes for children

The children develop positive self-esteem and worth as they are frequently praised for their achievements and rewarded for good behaviour. They show clear acceptance that they may need to wait for things and develop self-control, such as, taking turns while playing a game with the childminder's children. The children have strong relationships with the childminder and the other children attending her setting and enjoy coming to her home, they say that the other children are their friends. Positive strategies used by the childminder ensure that the children take responsibility within the setting and promote safety. As a result, they are very well This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 behaved and explain that they are 'always good'. They play an active part in the life of the setting and an effective rota system ensures that they are given designated responsibilities, such as setting the table.

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and outcomes for 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 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 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 3

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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 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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