Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY397477 Inspection date 17/05/2010 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 was registered in 2009. She lives with her husband and two children aged 14 years and two years. The family live in Richmond, a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The ground floor of the premises are mostly used for childminding purposes although the childminder has registered the small bedroom and toilet facilities on the first floor of the home. There is a secure outdoor area to the rear of the property for outdoor play. The childminder has a pet cat.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding one child in the early years age group. This provision is registered by Ofsted 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The efficient and well organised childminder is committed to ensuring children’s safety and well-being. The premises are welcoming and children are making good progress in their learning and development. Partnerships with parents are effective and help to ensure that the care, learning and play opportunities are adapted to meet the individual needs of the children. The childminder has a strong commitment towards the provision of a high quality service, and she aims to make improvements through applying critical self-reflection.

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further?

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

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further?

 use the information gleaned from observations to enhance the planning for children’s individual learning styles and preferred use of the environment  enhance the record of risk assessments to detail when and by whom children's safety in relation to the pond has been assessed.  develop the use of self-evalution to include the comments of other people including parents.

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the early years provision

The efficient childminder is committed to promoting children’s good health and welfare. She has a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the indicators of child abuse and implements a number of effective child protection procedures. This enables her to identify and safeguard any children who might be at risk of harm. In addition, the childminder takes positive steps to complete risk assessments that help ensure that indoor hazards are minimised. This supports children to explore, play and learn in a safe environment. Similarly, the outdoor This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 play area is attractive, accessible and secure. The children’s access to the garden pond is prevented by a fixed adult weight bearing cover. However, there is currently no formal system in place to keep a record of when and by whom the safety of the pond cover has been assessed.

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the early years provision

The children are each respected and valued as individuals, the childminder is committed to equality and confident to challenge racist or stereotypical views. She knows the children well and provides a good selection of resources and activities, which are appropriate for their different ages and stages of development. The range of equipment is motivating, interesting and easily accessible to the children, however, it is not yet sufficiently developed to fully reflect the wider community.

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the early years provision

The childminder is well organised and eager to work in partnership with parents and carers. She encourages open communication in order to support the transition from home, and to secure improvements in children’s learning and development. This is successfully achieved through frequent verbal exchange with parents and sharing the children’s written progress reports. The childminder understands the importance of developing effective links with other providers of The Early Years Foundation Stage to support consistency of care.

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the early years provision

The newly registered childminder embraces the process of self-evaluation in order to enhance the quality of the provision and drive improvement. Although parents are not yet actively involved in making decisions about the practice, this is an area that the childminder is keen to explore. Overall, the enthusiastic and committed childminder has both the capacity and enthusiasm to secure outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

The children benefit from a well-balanced range of early years experiences that help them to make good progress in their learning and development. There are effective systems in place to identify the children’s starting points and the progress they make towards the early learning goals. The childminder uses her observations of children to plan for their unique interests and support their learning through the provision of engaging and interesting activities. However, the information gleaned from observations is not fully used to support individual learning styles and children's preferred use of the environment.

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and outcomes for children

The children are developing very good talking and listening skills. Books are plentiful and the children are encouraged to join in with stories and introduce their own narrative into their pretend play with home corner resources, tea sets and dolls. The children consistently initiate conversations, and they are very keen to share their ideas and demonstrate curiosity in events, resources and activities. For example, as the children enjoy digging in compost and modelling with playdough they explore and investigate colour, texture and shape. The childminder supports creative thinking by using open-ended questioning techniques and encouraging children to control the direction of their play. The children develop early mathematical understanding through their inclusion in games, songs and small world play, they spontaneously use numbers and show a developing understanding This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder uses her time effectively and resources are arranged for children to access the indoor and outdoor play areas. This supports their growing independence and demonstrates the strong sense of security they feel within the environment. The children's health is well supported and the importance of personal hygiene and healthy eating. The children are provided with extremely healthy snacks, meals and drinks which take account of any dietary requirements or allergies. The childminder also helps the children to understand some of the origins of food as they grow seeds, such as mustard cress. In addition, the children develop good physical skills as they climb, run, jump and use resources, such as small wheeled toys and balls. This supports a healthy attitude towards exercise and helps children to learn about dangers and environmental hazards.

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and outcomes for children

Caring relationships within the setting support positive interactions between children. They are helped to resolve conflict and take account of the feelings of others. This is further supported through planned outings to the local pre-school groups, where they build their social skills through playing with others. Overall, the children develop good self-control, because routines are flexible and their contributions are valued. The children gain a strong sense of well-being and take pleasure in having a shared responsibility for completing manageable tasks that help them develop skills for the future. 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 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 2 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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