Childminder in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 314535 Inspection date 18/05/2011 Inspector Diane Turner

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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 has been registered since 1994. She lives with her husband and two adult sons in a detached house in the town of Hessle in East Yorkshire. All of the ground floor of the house, with the exception of the lounge, is used for childminding purposes. Toilet facilities are situated on this level and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play to the rear of the premises.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for six children under eight years at any one time, three of whom may be within the early years age group. The childminder is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. There are currently four children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis.

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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

Children are cared for in a very welcoming and homely environment where they are offered a wide range of interesting and purposeful learning opportunities. Good attention is paid to engaging with all parents which ensures information is exchanged very effectively regarding children's individual needs and how these can be met. Overall, there are good policies and procedures in place which underpin the effective management of the setting and the systems for monitoring children's progress in their learning and development cover most aspects very well. The systems for monitoring the quality of the service are well-established and used very effectively as a tool to identify strengths and areas for future development, which in turn promotes continuous improvement of a good standard.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the policies and procedures to ensure they are relevant to the setting and make any necessary amendments  develop further the systems for assessing children's progress in their learning and development.

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the early years provision

The childminder gives high priority to safeguarding children. For example, she regularly attends training in child protection and as a result, she has a good knowledge and understanding of the possible indicators of abuse or neglect and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 knows who to refer any concerns to. The childminder undertakes safety assessments on her home each month and minimises any potential hazards effectively. Alongside these she practises the emergency evacuation procedures for the home with the children and maintains a log of the checks she makes of the smoke detectors. Written policies and procedures are in place to show how the service operates. However, very occasionally these have been adopted from other sources and contain details that are not relevant to the setting. All day to day documentation is maintained to a good standard and is kept in a secure manner.

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the early years provision

The childminder organises her home very effectively. For example, children have access to a dedicated playroom which has colourful displays, a good range of easily accessible resources and child-height furniture. This provides an environment that is very conducive to learning. The childminder is very enthusiastic about her role and talks passionately about the children's achievements and the progress they are making in their learning and development. She uses self-evaluation very effectively in monitoring and assessing the quality of the service she offers and she is driven to continually improving the outcomes for children. The improvements the childminder has made since her last inspection are clearly evidenced. For example, she has purchased new equipment and resources both indoors and outside and has attended a good number of training courses, to develop her practice. The childminder has clearly identified areas she wants to

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the early years provision

improve in the future, such as enabling children to access the computer and extending the range of visits and outings, to further their knowledge of the local community.

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the early years provision

The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity. She values the uniqueness of each child and has good systems in place to gather information about their interests, care routines and the starting points in their learning. She has a good range of resources that positively promotes children's awareness of diversity, such as, books and dolls and through attending various group activities in the community the children learn to be accepting of others. The childminder fully understands that children do not learn in isolation and the importance of working in partnership with providers of other settings they also attend, such as, the local school and nursery, to ensure a shared approach to their care and learning. The childminder pays good attention to working in partnership with parents, ensuring the care the children receive is an extension of their home life. She goes through all aspects of the service with them when the placement begins and they can have

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the early years provision

copies of the policies if they wish. Daily chats ensure they are well informed of their children's day and they are actively encouraged to view their learning journal. Recent questionnaires show all parents are extremely satisfied with the service provided.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and develop and uses this very effectively to plan a wide range of activities to support each child's age and stage of development. This ensures the outcomes for children in terms of their learning and development are good and that they acquire valuable skills for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the future. The childminder is very skilled in the way she interacts with the children. For example, as they play with the dolls house, she asks open ended questions to engage them in conversation, such as asking what each of the play figures is doing as the children place them in the various rooms. The childminder makes very good use of any learning opportunities that arise. For example, explaining about the static reaction they experience as they use the plastic slide. The childminder maintains an informative learning journal for each child to monitor

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and outcomes for children

their progress, which includes her observations of their responses to the activities, photographs and examples of their work. The childminder has recently devised a sheet to enable her to make regular summative assessments from this evidence to ensure all areas are being covered equally. However, she has not implemented this.

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and outcomes for children

The children clearly feel safe in the childminder's care and join in the activities with enthusiasm. For example, they confidently complete the weather chart, correctly identifying what day it is and what the weather is like. They become fully immersed as they take part in number games, showing they are very confident in their counting skills and in recognising a number of shapes. The children behave well because they know what is expected of them within the setting and the childminder raises their self-esteem whenever possible through an abundance of praise. Consequently, the children are willing to attempt things and are confident to make suggestions when they may not be sure of the answer. For example, as they attempt to identify more complex shapes.

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and outcomes for children

The children have good opportunities to develop their skills in communication language and literacy and as a result, they can recognise a good number of letters and sounds and they are confident to engage in conversation and to discuss what it is they like about the setting. The children enjoy using electronic toys to match patterns and animals to their habitat and they show creativity and good control of their small muscles as they use modelling materials and small tools, such as, cutters and rolling pins. Through visits and outings, the children have good opportunities to learn about their local community. For example, they visit the supermarket to buy fruit for their snack and regularly take part in activities at the local children's centre.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder supports the children very well in learning about what contributes to a healthy lifestyle. For example, she enables them to play in the garden where they have access to equipment, such as, balance beams, wheeled toys, sand and a slide. These activities are complemented by visits to the park, a soft play provision and music and movement activities indoors. The childminder actively encourages the children to learn about the benefits of eating a healthy diet and has various posters and games to aid this. The childminder supports the children well in learning to follow safe and responsible practices. For example, they learn about road safety when out in the community and this is reinforced as they play with wheeled toys in the garden. The children learn to use suitable knives safely as they cut up their banana at snack time and before they go on outings, the childminder discusses what is expected of them so they remain safe.

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and outcomes for children

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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