Rawstron, Helen

Inspection report for early years provision

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320811 Unique Reference Number 23 March 2006 Inspection date Ann Webb Inspector

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Integrated Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder was registered in 2001. She lives with her husband and two children aged 11 and 18 years in the Horsforth area of Leeds. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a rear garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding nine children under 8 part time and before and after school.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder runs a local carer and toddler group. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is an accredited childminder, she is a member of the West Leeds Children Come First childminding network.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The children are continually learning about healthy eating through trying a variety of healthy choices during meals and snacks. They further develop their ideas for healthy eating because they have many opportunities to be involved in food tasting and preparation, for example, they make pizza with fresh fruit and vegetables. The childminder has an excellent understanding of the nutritional needs of the children and her practice is significantly enhanced through her healthy eating policy, food hygiene training and personal research. By working closely with parents, asking for comments and suggestions and sharing of information, the children's individual dietary needs are successfully identified and met.

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Helping children to be healthy

Robust hand washing routines ensure that all the children develop a very good understanding of the importance of personal hygiene. They become independent in contributing toward their own hygiene practices, for example, brushing their teeth after meals.

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Helping children to be healthy

Opportunities for the children to have fresh air and exercise are given a high priority. The children have many opportunities daily to play in the childminders well equipped garden for large physical play and for themed activities. For example, they put on outdoor clothing and take out their paper aeroplanes to watch them blow and fly in the wind. They also visit wildlife parks and adventure play grounds and walk each day to and from school.

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Helping children to be healthy

The children's health and well-being is significantly enhanced through a clear sickness policy and the effective management of children's illnesses. The children are able to rest and to sleep in accordance with their parent's wishes and their individual sleep patterns.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. The children's safety is given a high priority by the childminder. All risks to children are significantly reduced because she undertakes comprehensive risk assessments for all activities inside and outside the home. Additionally she reviews and records all safety issues after each activity and outing. The children are able to contribute successfully toward their own safety through practicing emergency evacuations, following the Green Cross Code and identifying dangerous items during a safety activity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All toys and equipment are very well maintained, the childminder checks resources and furniture each day to ensure that they are safe for the children's use. She gives careful consideration to the presentation and storage of toys to ensure that children are able to make independent choices.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

All records, policies and documents are meticulously detailed, regularly reviewed and shared with parents. This successfully promotes the children's welfare and safety. The childminder has a current first aid certificate and keeps fully up to date through regular on line bulletins. She

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. has a clear understanding of the Area Child Protection Procedures and shares her child protection policy with all parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. The children are inspired to learn through very well planned play opportunities. Their creative instincts are well fostered and developed and they are confident to freely express themselves. For example, they listen to world music, make their own music using musical instruments, paint and model make. Their efforts are valued by the childminder who displays their work with care. During a craft activity the children are able to select their own materials to design an air craft. They know that their model needs wings and eagerly take them outside to see if they will fly in the wind. The childminder links this activity skilfully with a theme on weather conditions introducing the children to ideas and language, such as breezy, damp and cloudy.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The childminder's practice is significantly enhanced by her use and knowledge of the Birth to three matters framework. She undertakes comprehensive observations to track children's development in their early years. These observations are recorded and presented attractively and are complemented with photographs in individual files which are shared with all parents.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The childminder has attended training on the Foundation Stage and competently puts this into practice. She shows a good knowledge of the Foundation Stage and provides a wide range of activities and experiences to cover all areas of the children's learning. Assessment records for each child show, their achievements, progress and the next steps in their learning.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children separate from their carers with confidence and seek out the childminder to share experiences. Some children talk freely about their home and community. The children are well behaved, they use manners, share and cooperate at tidy up time. The can maintain attention, concentrate and sit quietly when appropriately.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children enjoy books, they are able to listen carefully and respond enthusiastically to stories and songs. However, there are limited opportunities for the children to independently select books. Some children are beginning to recognise letters of their own names and make attempts to write their names. They are confident to use one handed tools and equipment, such as scissors, and glue spreaders.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show curiosity, observe and manipulate objects and construct and design with a purpose. The children show an interest in the world in which they live, they remember and talk about significant events which have happened to them, for example, going to the garage for petrol. They are beginning to know about their own cultures and those of others, for example, celebrating Chinese New Year.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The children are developing good counting skills and enjoy participating in counting songs and rhymes. Three-year-old children are able to successfully count to five and can recognise some

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. numerals. They understand and use some positional language and know the shapes of everyday items, for example, yoghurt pots are small and round.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use their imaginations well. They respond in a variety of ways to what they feel, see, hear, touch and smell. The children are able to differentiate colours and enjoy exploring what happens when they mix colours. The three-year-olds enjoy using props to support their role play, such as dressing up and car and a garage. Overall, children are making good progress toward the early learning goals given their capability and starting points.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. The children are involved in a very meaningful range of activities which significantly promote their understanding of the diversity of the world in which they live. For example, they have celebrated Chinese New Year with food tasting and mask making. They access a very good range of resources which positively reflect race, gender and disability through books, dressing up, small world figures and jigsaws. They learn effectively about their local community through frequent visits to the local park, toddler groups and wildlife centres. They visit local shops to choose what they will have to eat and during themed activities they look at where people live and the homes they live in. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered appropriately.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children are well behaved. They respond well to the childminder who uses words of approval and praise to promote positive behaviour. They are learning effectively to help each other through everyday activities, such as clearing away their toys.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The children's individual needs are well understood by the childminder, she has established highly professional relationships with parents and ensures that she receives, shares and maintains all information needed to meet all children's individual needs. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure that they are fully involved in all aspects of their children's care.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. The childminder ensures that parents receive clear information regarding all aspects of her service and the progress that their children make. For example, the children's profiles clearly detail the progress that children are making toward the early learning goals, however, there are limited ways for parents to be involved in their children's learning in practical ways, for example, through a self registration activity.

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The environment for the children is exceptionally well organised and child centred, and consequently the children are happy, settled and very confident in their surroundings.

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Organisation

All policies and procedures are very well written and shared with parents. They are used as working documents and are reviewed regularly to ensure that they successfully promote the care, welfare and learning of all the children. For example, the childminder reviews her self

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Organisation

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. assessment of the provision on a month by month basis which enables her to successfully develop the care and education that she offers.

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Organisation

The childminder is highly committed to improving the service she offers to children and their families. She frequently attends training courses, for example, she is currently studying for an Open University degree in Early Years. Overall the provision meets the needs of all the children who attend.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the childminder was asked to improve safety in the garden. She completes comprehensive risk assessments for the safety and security of the garden. She was also asked to improve hygiene and implement an incident record. The childminder has a written incident record and all tooth brushes are individually covered. This has significantly improved the safety, hygiene and welfare for all the children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted. There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • increase opportunities for the children to select their own books • provide opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

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