Bell, Angela

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 302718 Inspection date 27/01/2011 Inspector Angela Howard

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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 assesses 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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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 1997. She lives with her partner and adult son. They live in Hoyland Common on the outskirts of Barnsley, close to shops, parks, schools and public transport links. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed play area available for outdoor play. Care is offered Monday to Friday all year round. The family has four rabbits as pets, of which two live indoors. Access to the property is via a number of steps.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently minding five children in the early years age range. She also offers care to three children aged over five years to 12 years. This provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is qualified to level 3 in child care and education. She is also an accredited member of the Barnsley Children Come First childminders' network.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder is strongly committed to inclusion and all children are able to fully participate because of the highly skilled way in which activities are adapted to meet their individual needs and learning styles. Exceptionally strong relationships are established with parents as the childminder works closely with them to support, guide and nurture their children. As a result, the children are making excellent progress in all areas of their learning and development. The childminder has very high aspirations for quality, which is reflected in the setting's daily practice and is evident from the plans for ongoing improvements.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 how resources are organised so they are fully accessible to every child, so that each child can learn independently.

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the early years provision

Child safety is given utmost priority by the childminder. She has meticulous risk assessments for the premises and outings to ensure the safety of children at all times. The childminder has an excellent awareness of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse and the correct procedures to follow should she have any concerns. She records first class information about existing injuries and discusses This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 these with parents, showing that safety of the children in her care is always her first priority. Comprehensive policies and procedures are implemented consistently and robustly to ensure any concerns are priorities and dealt with effectively. The premises are very safe and secure, children are extremely well supervised by the childminder who is vigilant about children's safety and follows excellent procedures in relation to health and hygiene. The environment indoors and outdoors is

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the early years provision

organised well, offering children some choice. However, not all children particularly the younger ones can access equipment independently. The childminder provides a wealth of exciting learning opportunities which inspire children's imagination and encourage them to learn in a fun way. Very good daily opportunities for outdoor play are integral to the way in which she provides an enjoyable and challenging learning experience that is tailored to meet children's individual needs. This encourages children to be very active learners and has helped the childminder to identify that they behave quite differently inside and out.

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the early years provision

Children have a very strong sense of belonging and have a very close bond with the childminder, helping them to feel extremely settled and secure. Children participate in a very wide range of activities that help to develop their appreciation of the wider world. They explore the festivals through artwork, stories and factual books. They access a wealth of toys and resources that promote positive images of diversity, using these in everyday play situations. Partnerships with parents are excellent, which contributes immensely to the children's overall well-being. Ongoing daily verbal communication and very informative written records, observations and assessments ensure parents are kept extremely well informed about their child's care and learning. Children are clearly benefiting from this and are highly motivated and settled in response. Parents comments include 'she has an exceptionally good relationship with my children', 'she has excellent knowledge

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the early years provision

of child development and is very professional at all times' and 'meals are very nutritional and there is excellent safety in place.' The childminder is highly committed to working in partnership with others and takes a lead role in establishing effective working relationships. With parental permission, she works with other professionals to benefit the welfare of individual children. Partnerships with local schools are fully effective and support children's smooth transition from nursery to school. There is an excellent ethos of reflective practice throughout the setting. Planning for improvement is highly effective in enhancing the outcomes for children. The childminder is continuously looking for ways to further strengthen the active contribution of parents and children in the process of self-evaluation. The recommendations from the last inspection have been robustly addressed and there is an ongoing action plan for improvement.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder organises her day totally around the needs of the children. She promotes an ethos where children are warmly welcomed and valued as unique. A baby giggles with delight as she is scooped into the childminder's arms and she cuddles her. All children develop an excellent sense of worth through the first class interaction, care and attention they receive from the childminder. For example, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children respond eagerly to constant praise and encouragement and enjoy the warm, caring reassurance from the childminder. They feel good about themselves and show respect for each other and are beginning to manage their own behaviour successfully. The childminder has high expectations and her highly effective use of praise ensures children feel self assured and supported. Children develop to their full potential because of outstanding early years practice. The exceptional

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and outcomes for children

organisation of the educational programme reflects rich, varied and imaginative experiences that meet the needs of all children exceedingly well. Assessment through high quality observations is rigorous and the information gained is used very effectively to guide planning.

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and outcomes for children

Children participate eagerly and with great enjoyment. They love outdoors where they are offered the freedom to explore, use their senses and be physically exuberant. Children love to scoop, ladle and fill containers with dry peas, beans and lentils. They bury their hands and guess how many beans there are. They sort and compare beans, peas and lentils and use language skilfully to describe small, big, soft and hard from a very early age. Children are excellent communicators. They speak and listen way above their age level expectations and use language accurately to recall stories and are very familiar with rhymes as they spontaneously sing 'the wheels on the bus' and 'I'm a little teapot'. Babies are beginning to develop their early fundamental skills and actively explore their surroundings with curiosity and interest. For example, they use all their senses to explore and investigate the dry lentils, beans and peas. They show immense curiosity and soon

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and outcomes for children

realise that they are making the noise as they pour the lentils back in to the tray. All the children are interested in books and listen intently to stories read to them by the enthusiastic childminder. Children's creativity is developing extremely well through arts and crafts and imaginative role play. For example, children enjoy excellent daily opportunities to engage in role play, create music, dance and engage in action rhymes. Children have a very good awareness of number names as they count routinely in activities. For example, they count the number of children at the table, how many plates and cups they will need, are beginning to distinguish between more and less, and make comparatives as they match the size of the tomatoes. To encourage mark making skills the childminder innovatively uses water, sand and play dough to encourage children who are not yet interested or able to hold pens to make marks and to manipulate an inspiring variety of

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and outcomes for children

media. Displays make the environment extremely welcoming. The signs, symbols, notices and predominately displayed children's artwork promotes the value of children's work and sustains a successful learning environment.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and very young children are extremely content and settled because their individual health, physical and dietary needs are met to an exceptional standard. The children show superb awareness of adopting healthy lifestyles, understanding the need for exercise and a healthy diet. They are provided with wholesome, nutritious and well-balanced meals and thoroughly enjoy the food offered to them. Mealtimes are a social occasion, where children are able to develop their social skills and independence. The childminder makes sure children are making excellent progress in their physical development by providing an abundance of opportunities to develop control and to move their bodies in various ways. For example, they ride on a variety of toys requiring different skills to make them move, they dance to music and manipulate a vast amount of different consistencies on a daily basis. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about their own safety through following the excellent practice of the childminder. They are constantly but gently reminded of safety rules to reinforce safe practice and explain rules and boundaries to help children understand why rules exist. This gives them confidence to explore and learn in a safe and secure yet challenging environment. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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 1

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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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