Davies-Hill, Amy May

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY429922 Inspection date 13/12/2011 Inspector Rosemary Beyer

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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 2011. She lives with her husband and child aged 22-months-old near Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The ground floor and most of the first floor of the property are used for childminding purposes. An enclosed garden is available for outside play. The family has two rabbits, a cat and some fish.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder is able to care for a maximum of five children at any one time, two of whom may be in the early years age group. She may provide overnight care for two children. She is currently caring for seven children in total, four of whom are in the early years age group and one of whom is cared for full-time. 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 has a very good knowledge of all the children, which she uses to great effect when meeting their individual welfare and learning needs. Children are able to access a wide range of resources suitable to their age and stage. She has very good relationships with parents and other carers, but has not yet developed them with outside agencies. As part of her self-evaluation procedures, she has included parents and children to ensure the service meets their needs. She has already adapted her practice by improving her monitoring of children's development and the information she provides for parents.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop the self-evaluation procedure further to highlight strengths of the setting and identify aspects for future implementation  develop relationships further with other agencies to ensure children's individual needs can be met.

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the early years provision

The childminder has a very good understanding of safeguarding and has undertaken training to support her knowledge. She makes parents aware of her responsibilities, with information about the local child protection procedures readily available for them to see. She also ensures only authorised people have access to the children. She promotes children's welfare to maintain good health, through a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 well-balanced diet, good hygiene practice and fresh air and exercise.

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the early years provision

The childminder's home is well organised to allow children opportunities to develop independence. Flexible daily routines allow them to experience a wide range of activities both on the premises and in the wider community. The home is very child friendly with resources and toys easily accessible for the children to promote their own interests. They are constantly supervised and get support from the childminder when needed. Risk assessments have been completed, with an identified review date and daily safety checks are made before children arrive. This ensures children are cared for in a safe and secure environment.

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the early years provision

The childminder has developed good relationships with parents. They are kept well informed of their child's day through verbal feedback and daily diary sheets, which are completed for children in the early years age group. Each child has a development file, which is readily available for parents to see. The childminder gives ideas for activities, which both she and the parents can provide to support children's next development steps. There is a parent file to provide information about the setting and that explains how the childminder manages the children's care. She has not yet however developed relationships with outside agencies to ensure any additional needs can be met.

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the early years provision

Since starting to work as a childminder, the provider has used the self-evaluation procedure to monitor her practice. She has highlighted areas for development but has still not identified all of her strengths. She has already adapted the daily recording information for parents to make it more suitable and has changed her monitoring and recording of development. Parents have given their views about the setting and are very happy with the care and education she provides. Children have not yet been formally consulted but in general conversation they say the childminder provides good care and lets them be involved in choosing activities. Parents particularly like to receive the photographs of their children, either digitally or in the learning journal.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning, as the childminder has a good understanding of the six areas of learning. Information regarding their achievements, interests and needs is used very effectively to support their next steps in learning and development. She provides a wide range of resources and activities across all areas, which they can access freely. The children are confident in their surroundings and are settled and secure, showing no concern when visitors arrive. They are curious and play well together. The children are developing good social skills, supported by visits to groups within the community and behave well. Older children have developed the house rules, which are on display and understand the need to consider the other children who are present. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Communication and literacy skills are promoted well with books readily available

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and outcomes for children

for children to use themselves or with the childminder. They enjoy sitting together to listen to stories and participate enthusiastically. Books are also used to raise children's awareness of other countries, customs and cultures. Children are currently celebrating Christmas, which is the first festival to occur since minding started, with art and craft activities. Music and songs are also used daily to support children's language and development. They select instruments and play along to the songs or the programmable toys, swaying in time to the music. They enjoy choosing instruments for themselves and take turns. The childminder uses rhymes to help the younger children learn to count and has displays around the room to enable them to identify numbers.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn to look after themselves through good hygiene practice, washing their hands after personal care and before food. The pictures in the lavatory and on the wall provide a reminder to the younger children. They also learn to use resources with care, cross the road safely and practise the emergency evacuation in case of fire. The childminder uses the garden for children to develop their physical skills in the fresh air and to widen their knowledge of the natural world through observation of insects. The childminder has already identified use of the garden, as an area for future development. For example, she plans to introduce children to growing fresh vegetable and flowers in the future. 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 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 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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