Childminder, Out-of school day care in Leeds

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY251006 Inspection date 31/01/2011 Inspector Rachel Ayo

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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 2003. She lives in the Gledhow area of Leeds in West Yorkshire and has two children aged 15 and 11 years. Local amenities include schools, nurseries, parks and a library. Shops and public transport links are close by. The whole ground floor of the property is used for childminding purposes. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play.

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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, no more than three of whom may be in the early years age range. She is currently caring for one child in this age group. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register and there are currently 11 children attending within this age group. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and is a qualified teacher.

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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 childminder promotes children's welfare, learning and development successfully overall, although certain requirements for documentation are not fully met. Children are safe and secure and they develop good levels of self-esteem and confidence as a result of well fostered relationships with the childminder. The childminder knows the children well as a result of her good partnership working with parents and generally robust individualised observational assessment. There are excellent links with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to promote a coherent approach to children's care and education. There are good systems for self-evaluation in order to ensure the continual improvement of outcomes for children.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure that records are readily accessible and available for inspection at all times and include children's hours of attendance in the daily record of attendance (Documentation) (also applies to the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register). 14/02/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 improve hand washing routines and develop knowledge and understanding of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the responsibilities under food hygiene legislation including registration with the relevant Local Authority Environmental Health Department  improve the procedures for safety on outings by including first aid equipment as part of the equipment taken  continue to develop children's profiles by recording clear starting points in order to show a clear picture of progress.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded overall as a result of the childminder's good understanding of child protection issues including ensuring that people in the household are vetted when they reach 16 years of age. Risk assessments are detailed and consider a wide range of safety aspects other than those in the home, such as animal danger, stranger danger and sunburn. A record is kept of any broken items that need replacing or repairing and a variety of safety information is held to support procedures. There are generally good procedures to keep children safe on outings, although first aid equipment is not always taken. The childminder's policies and procedures work well in practise overall and record keeping systems are appropriate in most aspects. However, at the time of the inspection written parental consents to seek emergency medical treatment or advice could not be located and the daily record of the names of the children

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the early years provision

looked after does not include their hours of attendance. These are breaches in requirements.

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the early years provision

Parents are kept well informed about the setting and what their children do. A detailed childminding file is shared and includes a variety of information, such as activities and policies and procedures. In addition, the childminder gives out childcare information leaflets provided by her local children's centre. The childminder communicates daily with parents about care routines, observations and any new achievements. She works closely with them regarding children's next steps and parents are actively encouraged to share their own observations. The childminder has an excellent awareness of working in partnership with others where children have an additional need, although there is no requirement for this at present. She has superb partnerships with providers where children attend other settings. For example, she uses a daily diary and friendly chats to exchange information, such as care issues, observations and next steps. This unquestionably

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the early years provision

ensures a consistent approach, which highly fosters children's sense of security.

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the early years provision

The childminder fully ensures inclusion. She knows the children well because parents are encouraged to share what they know about their child during settling- in periods. Children bring a favourite toy or comforter to help them feel secure and the childminder responds to their individual needs well. She has a good understanding of planning for individuals or particular groups of children in order to narrow the achievement gap and ensure that no child is disadvantaged. There are good resources, activities and discussions provided to help children learn about diversity. For example, children learn about others' cultures and beliefs as they observe and talk about different places of worship in the community. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The childminder makes good use of facilities and resources within her vicinity or local authority. She links with her local children's centre and other childminders to

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the early years provision

look at practice issues and share ideas, and keeps abreast of current care and education matters by accessing childcare publications. Along with attending training in partnership working for early support, she has been involved in delivering this to others. The childminder has a clear vision and identification of areas for development that will sustain improvement, such as introducing new activities outdoors. Good use is made of free training DVDs provided by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, such as in learning, play and interaction and inclusion. Parents are actively involved in sharing their views through yearly questionnaires which reflect positive comments about the care provided.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder makes effective use of the Early Years Foundation Stage documents. She plans a varied range of activities to help children make good progress across the six areas of learning and uses spontaneous events, including during different seasons, to enhance the experiences that children have. For example, they splash in puddles on a rainy day, go sledging when it snows and plant seeds in springtime. The childminder effectively observes and responds to children's individual stages of development in order to plan for their next steps. She has some written information, although this does not fully show the children's starting points in order to reflect a clear picture of progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy and confidently move between the lounge and kitchen diner, where there are more readily available resources stored at low level. The childminder models and encourages good manners and children are well behaved because they are interested in the provision and given positive reinforcements. The childminder fully supports children's learning with her good interaction and high levels of interest in what they say and do. For example, she encourages their imaginative play while helping to connect the train track by suggesting ideas of different journeys, such as going to see the animals at the farm. She effectively extends children's language development and understanding of mathematical concepts as she talks about the different sized pieces of track and helps children to find the correct shapes in order to fit them together. Children respond positively to the childminder and their learning. They are very confident communicators, given

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and outcomes for children

their young age, and use more complex sentences to describe things or converse with adults. For example, as they observe the fish in the tank they talk about feeding them the 'smelly' food when they are hungry. As children become tired during the morning the childminder responds by making them comfortable on the sofa, offering a comforting cuddle and a story.

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and outcomes for children

Children are helped to stay healthy in most aspects. The childminder provides nutritious meals and snacks, has a clear illness policy and information about exclusion periods for particular infections and washes her hands before cutting up the cheese. However, children do not wash their hands before eating a snack and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 although they readily get a tissue to blow their nose, they do not wash their hands and neither does the childminder after helping them. In addition, the childminder is unaware of the requirements under food hygiene legislation including registration with the relevant Local Authority Environmental Health Department.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder's enthusiasm for outdoor learning is reflected in the good range of activities and outings provided. Children make bird masks at Harwood House, visit the bird gardens and observe the penguins and emus. They learn about animals and nature as they go to the farm and butterfly gardens and as part of a theme relating to transport and wheels the childminder incorporated this is activities linking to travel and planning journeys. The childminder explains that she brings children's attention to numbers and signs in the outdoors to help them develop early skills in maths and literacy. Children effectively learn about keeping safe. The childminder talks to them about being careful when getting down from the sofa and teaches different aspects of road safety and fire safety, for example, during a walk past the fire station. 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 2 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 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 3 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified above in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept). 14/02/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified above in the early years section of the report (Records to be kept). 14/02/2011

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