Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY358942 Inspection date 29/03/2011 Inspector Tracey 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 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 2007. She lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire with her partner and two children aged five and eight years. The ground floor of the property is available for childminding, along with occasional use of the rear bedroom. Toilet facilities are available on both the ground and first floor of the home. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. Schools, parks and shops are within walking distance of the premises. Care is offered Monday to Friday for 48 weeks of the year. The childminder works alongside her partner who is also a registered childminder. Both childminders have equal responsibility for the childminding practice.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of four children of whom no more than two may be in the early years age range. When working with an assistant, all four children may be in the early years age range. Currently the childminder and her co-minder have five children on roll, of whom three are in the early years age range. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She 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 satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The childminder takes some positive steps to ensure that the children's individual care and learning needs are appropriately addressed. She has a sound knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundations Stage, consequently, the children remain safe and all required documentation is well ordered. Trusting relationships with parents are in evidence, although, arrangements for working with others who share the care of the children are not yet fully established. Overall, the childminder shows a sound capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 enhance the way information from observation is used to plan activities that are tailored to the needs and different learning styles of individual children  improve communication with other providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure progression and continuity of learning and care for children  increase the use of the outdoor play to support learning across the breath of the early years curriculum, particularly in relation to mathematics . This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder is committed to maintaining children's welfare. She understands her role and responsibility to safeguard children and demonstrates a sound knowledge of the indicators of child abuse and neglect. In addition, all adult members of the household are vetted and appropriate measures are in place to complete and review risk assessments. This helps to ensure that the children remain safe on the registered premises and during outings.

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the early years provision

The childminder uses her time well to interact with the children. She provides toys and resources, which are age appropriate and safely set-up each day. However, due to the location of the toys children's abilities to make decisions about their play are somewhat constrained. The childminder takes positive steps to help children value each other and develop attitudes that support equality of opportunity.

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the early years provision

The childminder finds out about children's personal requirements through making observation of the children as they play and discussions with their parents. Parents have access to the written policies and procedures and they are kept informed of any issues affecting the care of the children. The childminder seeks parent's views of the care provided and offers a flexible and supportive service. As yet, the childminder has not developed methods of communicating with other settings who share the care of the children. Consequently, there is no way of ensuring continuity and progression for individual children.

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the early years provision

The childminder is motivated to make improvements and has addressed the recommendations made at the last inspection. She has a positive attitude towards attending further training and is beginning to use the process of self-evaluation to support continuous improvement.

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and outcomes for children

The learning environment supports children to participate in a purposeful range of adult-led and child-initiated activities. However, the methods of using observations to enhance planning for the unique needs of the children are still in the early stages of development. Similarly, the planning for outside play does not receive the same prominence as that of the indoor activities. Consequently, the mathematical potential of outdoor learning environment is not fully exploited.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, the childminder supports the children to make steady progress across the six areas of learning. For example, as the children engage in small world play with cars, trains and trucks they become confident to use language to express their thoughts and ideas. In addition, the children are encouraged to use numbers and solve problems as they use an interesting range of construction equipment to represent their ideas. The children are actively engaged and they enjoy their time in the care of the warm and caring childminder. They use a range of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 programmable toys and practise their listening and handwriting skills. In addition, the childminder encourages the children to link sounds to letters, during everyday play. This supports children as they prepare for their transition to school.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, the children are settled and secure as a result of their good relationship with the childminder and her co-minder. They show an understanding of the society in which they live through their inclusion in a range of outings. This also helps the children to develop a good understanding of how to stay safe, as they learn about road safety and other environmental dangers. The children also have a good perception of healthy lifestyles. They know why they need to wash their hands and what foods are good for them. As a result, children make some healthy choices about what they eat and adopt a healthy attitude towards physical activity. 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3

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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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