Childminder in York

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 321264 Inspection date 09/09/2011 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 1996. She lives with her husband in a detached house in a village on the eastern outskirts of York. The childminder's adult daughter and sister also live at the home on a part-time basis. All of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding purposes, with toilet facilities situated on the first floor. 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 accredited with the local authority to provide funded nursery education. She 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 registered to work with an assistant and is registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 15 children on roll, seven of whom are within the early years age group. They all currently 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 settle well because they are cared for in a welcoming and homely environment. Excellent partnerships are forged with parents and providers of any other settings involved in the children's care and learning which ensures their individual needs are met very successfully. Children are offered a good range of activities and they enjoy their learning both indoors and in the outdoor environment. Most of the required documentation is in place and the systems for monitoring and assessing children's progress in their learning and development are effective in most areas. Reflective practice is used to monitor the quality of the service and evidence of continuous improvement is good.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure written parental permission is requested for the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment for all children (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 16/09/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the system for monitoring and assessing children's progress in their learning and development. 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 gives good attention to safeguarding children. She fully understands the possible indicators of abuse or neglect and knows the correct procedure to follow should she need to make a referral to the relevant authorities. Safety assessments are carried out on the home and any risks identified from these are minimised effectively. Fire drills are practised with the children in a sensitive manner to ensure they are not afraid of the procedure. Documentation is maintained effectively overall. However, written parental permission for the seeking of medical advice or treatment in an emergency has not been obtained for all children. This is a breach of the welfare requirements in regards to ensuring children's well-being.

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the early years provision

The childminder provides an environment that successfully supports children's play and learning. A good range of toys and resources are available and photographic displays are used very effectively to enable the children to request items that are stored in areas other than the lounge. The childminder has a clear vision of what it is she wants to achieve for her service. She is driven to improving the outcomes for children and her reflective practice and continuous improvement help her to achieve this. For example, since the last inspection an outdoor play room has been erected in the garden and the storage system for books has been improved to make them more accessible to the children. The childminder talks animatedly about the positive impact the improvements have had on the children's learning and the children delight in relaying how much they enjoy using the outdoor playroom.

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the early years provision

The childminder gives good attention to promoting equality and diversity. For example, she knows each child very well and talks knowledgeably about the personality and stage of development of each one. The children have access to resources, such as books, that portray positive images of diversity and they learn about the wider world. For example, the childminder facilitates discussion about countries the children have visited on holiday, enabling them to draw on their personal experience. The childminder has excellent links with providers of other settings in the locality. For example, she plays a very active part in the local Early Years Partnership meeting up regularly with representatives from the school and pre-school. The reception teacher visits the children at the childminder's home and the child minded children are able to use the school's outdoor play equipment during the holidays. All of which promotes a highly effective shared approach to

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the early years provision

The childminder engages with all parents in an excellent manner. Information that they receive is of a very good quality and a wealth of photographs of the children at play is displayed enabling parents to get a real feel of how the children spend their day. The childminder arranges time outside her childminding hours for more in-depth discussion, such as that relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage and the children's learning journal. Questionnaires are used in a highly effectively manner to gauge the parents' continuing satisfaction of the service and those This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 recently returned are all extremely complimentary.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and develop. She interacts skilfully with them as they play, knowing instinctively when to sit back and let the children explore for themselves and when to join in to extend their ideas. This enables the children to become independent learners and to develop good skills for the future. The childminder gives high priority to promoting children's development in communication, language and literacy. For example, books play a very important part in the setting and the childminder's enthusiastic approach to reading stories and using books to extend knowledge helps the children to develop a real love of reading. This is very evident as the children become fully immersed in looking at a book about nature, confidently naming the animals and insects they observe. The childminder skilfully engages the children in conversation and asks open-ended questions to make them think, giving them to

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and outcomes for children

The childminder makes good use of every learning opportunity that arises. For example, after taking a photograph of the children she encourages them to use the camera themselves, carefully explaining how to look through the view finder and which button to press. The children show delight as they view the digital image they have taken, showing they are very interested in how things work. The childminder supports the children's understanding of mathematical concepts very well, and as a result, the children spontaneously use number operations. For example, they identify numerals as they read books and use the number poster on display in the outdoor play room to practise their counting skills.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has a very calm and caring manner and is a good role model for the children to follow. She readily acknowledges their efforts and achievements with lots of praise and consequently the children feel safe and confident in their environment and behave very well. For example, they readily share and take turns and are keen to try and put on their own shoes. The childminder makes regular observations of the children's responses to the activities and has recently started to use the information to make ongoing summative assessments of their progress in all areas. However, the system to show how the assessments link to the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage is not fully developed to ensure children's development is in line with this.

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and outcomes for children

The children are actively encouraged to develop an understanding of the benefits of physical activity and the importance of adopting healthy habits. For example, they relish playing out in the garden when they delight in demonstrating their skills as they use the slide and showing how fast they can run. They know to use a wipe to clean their hands after toileting and before eating and they know that fruit is good for them. The children learn about following safe and responsible practices, such as being careful on the steps as they access the outdoor playroom, and they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learn about the role of the emergency services as they read books together. 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 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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