Edwards, Claire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 319913 Inspection date 24/02/2011 Inspector Jane O'Callaghan

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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 1993. She lives with her husband and two children aged 19 and 14 years old on the outskirts of Leeds. The whole of the ground floor, upstairs bathroom and rear garden are used for childminding purposes. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time. The childminder currently has five children on roll and, of these, four are in the early years age range and one child is in the compulsory childcare group.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder collects children and takes them to local schools, visits parks and places of interest. She has two cats, two ferrets and a rabbit as family pets

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Description of the childminding

The childminder 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder provides a caring and comfortable family environment for the children she minds and acknowledges each child is unique, with their own needs and interests. She has a good knowledge and understanding of her role and responsibilities to protect children and safeguards them well. Children are making good progress in their overall learning and development as they enjoy activities within the home and the local community. The childminder builds and maintains good relationships with parents and shows commitment to developing and improving her practice to promote outcomes for children effectively.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure children's starting points and next steps are identified and that observations are clearly linked to the areas of learning  develop a procedure to ensure parents are given opportunities to contribute to children's profiles.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is safeguarded because the childminder understands her role and responsibilities to protect the children and ensures they remain sheltered from unvetted persons at all times. She demonstrates her knowledge of protecting children through discussion and understands the importance of recording any concerns and talking to parents about any worries in confidence. The childminder has created a good variety of risk assessments for reducing hazards to children, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 which include all areas they use indoors, outside and any outings they go on. The childminder ensures children are familiar with safety procedures to promote their safety effectively. She practices fire drills with children, ensuring all ages are aware of the evacuation procedure, and then records them. Children's road safety is important to the childminder. They wear high visibility jackets and are aware of

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the early years provision

The childminder maintains records appropriately and has written policies and procedures in place to support her practice. She has written parental consents for each minded child and maintains a current first aid certificate. The childminder discusses the individual health and care needs of each child to support her care and promote an inclusive environment. She makes effective use of space and resources, supplementing this with daily walks or outings for the children as part of their overall learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder has taken positive steps towards improvement through an informative system of self-evaluation. She assesses her practice for areas of development and talks to parents for their valuable feedback. The childminder builds strong relationships with parents, as she is open and approachable, supporting an important two-way flow of information. However, parents are not given opportunities to contribute to children's profiles. The childminder understands the need to work collaboratively with other settings children may attend in order to fully support their learning and developmental needs.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a caring and welcoming family environment for the children she minds and acknowledges each child is unique, with their own needs and interests. Children are beginning to enjoy their learning and demonstrate their growing confidence as they interact with the childminder, guiding their daily play and learning environment with their own choices. The children are keen to meet the visitor and to show them the large selection of toys. Children play well together with the dough; they make snakes and explain to the childminder which is the longer one. Children identify the different shapes that they make with it, saying this is a star and a butterfly. They ask to play a game of snakes and ladders with the childminder, and children count how many moves they have to take. Together they complete the game, going up the ladders and down the snakes, with a cheer from the childminder as she wins. Younger children crawl around the setting,

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and outcomes for children

reaching for the age appropriate toys. They press the buttons and watch excitedly as the animals pop up and then they press them down again, waiting patiently for the next one to spring up. All children move freely around the setting, where they independently access the good selection of toys available to them.

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and outcomes for children

Children make progress in their overall development towards the early learning goals. The childminder makes observations of children as they play. However, these do not identify children's starting points and next steps and do not clearly link to the areas of learning. Children's physical and language development benefits from good levels of support from the childminder, which contributes to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their developing skills for the future. They visit local parks and places of interest, go on daily walks and access a well resourced rear garden, where they develop their physical skills by using the large climbing frame and riding on various wheeled toys. Children are able to feel safe because of the childminder's caring approach. She works with parents successfully to enable younger children's home routines and meet parents' wishes, providing consistency and continuity of care. Children are

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and outcomes for children

able to rest according to their needs in a secure environment and learn about their own safety as they move around the childminder's home. For example, children are reminded to tidy away before getting other toys out, so that they do not fall over them. The childminder enables children to enjoy a healthy lifestyle while in her care, and she promotes their understanding of healthy food choices through an expanding range of nutritious snacks and meals. She also displays a menu weekly for parents to see. Children are aware of good personal hygiene procedures as they go to the toilet and wash their hands using disposable wipes. They know the reasons for washing their hands before having snacks.

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and outcomes for children

Children are beginning to develop their understanding of the wider world, as the childminder provides a good range of resources and activities to help them learn about other cultures. For example, she provides activities to celebrate Christmas and Chinese New Year. To support children's growing understanding of equality and diversity, the childminder is helping them to learn about making a positive contribution and building helpful relationships. This is reflected in how well the children behave and in their understanding of important messages about being polite and kind to others. 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 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 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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