Hayward, Christina Elizabeth

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY400368 Inspection date 29/02/2012 Inspector Ingrid Szczerban

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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 2009. She works with other registered childminders and assistants as part of a childminding network, in Oakwood, a suburb of Leeds. The ground floor and one room on the first floor of the property are used for childminding purposes and there is an enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered by Ofsted 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 at any one time with three in the early years age group. She can care for 10 children when working with one co-childminder or assistant, with six in the early years age group and 10 children with nine in the early years age group when working with two co-childminders or assistants. There are currently 14 children on roll, all of them are in the early years age range. The childminders have equal responsibility for the childminding practice. The childminder is a member of the National Childminding Association and is a qualified practitioner in childcare to level 3.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Superb attention is given to meeting the individual learning and development needs of children, they take part in an extensive range of activities and make excellent progress in all areas of learning in the main. Inclusive practice is promoted exceptionally well and children are very much valued and respected as individuals. There are robust systems in place to promote the welfare needs of children and relationships with parents are outstanding. Links with external agencies are good. The provider assesses the effectiveness of the setting very well indeed, and areas for improvement are accurately identified. An outstanding capacity to continuously drive improvement is demonstrated, in order to ensure that outcomes for children develop positively.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extending opportunities for children to develop further their knowledge, skills and understanding that help them to make sense of the world, such as learning more about plants and growing food. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Highly-effective safeguarding procedures and practices ensure that children are well protected. All household members are vetted, and the childminder has completed safeguarding training. She holds a current first aid certificate and has devised comprehensive risk assessments which are effectively implemented. Safety procedures are considered paramount to ensure that children remain safe. For instance, before each outing the childminder discusses safety aspects with the children. Comprehensive polices and procedures are routinely reviewed, signed and updated when needed and all necessary written consents are obtained from parents.

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the early years provision

The exemplary organisation of space and resources meets each child's individual needs and fully enables them to develop independence make choices and ensures inclusion. For example, dressing-up clothes hang neatly on a low-level rail for children to reach without adult help. The childminder gives high levels of supervision to children. Children safely choose from a very wide selection of toys and games which are stored at their height, so they are autonomous and supremely confident. All resources used by children are of high quality, suitably challenging and appropriate to their ages and stages of development.

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the early years provision

Parents are very much partners in their child's learning. Excellent practice, such as sharing photographs daily about children's activities on a secure internet site, and a regular flow of information from home, means that learning is encouraged consistently between the settings. The childminder respects the wishes of some parents who do not wish to use the internet and gives them their own CD of photographs. The photographs are also continuously shown for children as a slideshow in a digital frame in the hallway. None of the children currently attending go to any other settings which deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage but the childminder has had contact with the staff in other settings in the past and worked well with teachers to compliment children's learning.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation demonstrates rigorous monitoring and searching analysis of what the childminder does well and areas of development. Parents and children are highly involved in the evaluation of the service, as well as the other childminders she works with. She is enthusiastic and highly-motivated to constantly improve outcomes for the children. The views of parents are requested and acted on, for instance, as a result of a parent survey, the childminder was prompted to produce a list of the things parents should bring with them when their child first starts. The parents confirm their satisfaction with the service and their written comments include,'my child settled really well, we definitely chose the right place and can return to work happy'. Through close observation of children's play, one of the childminding assistants suggested the provision of a sunken gravel pit for children to extend their interest in containment and transportation. The childminder

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the early years provision

arranged for this to happen and also made a digging area for children in the garden. She continues to develop her good practice through training, such as, makaton, problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. There are excellent plans for the future development of the service. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

A rich, vibrant and varied environment, coupled with meticulous individual observations, assessments and plans, means that children thrive in the childminder's care and make significant gains in their learning. Children are completely relaxed and happy in their warm and loving relationships with the childminder. Daily routines are based entirely around the children's needs and their interests. For instance, when the parents of one child told the childminder they really enjoyed a farm visit, the childminder discovered through conversation the child was fascinated with the deer being fed from a chute. The child was helped to recreate this in the childminder's garden using a piece of guttering. So children know they are listened to and their ideas are valued.

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and outcomes for children

Rapid progress is made by children in their self-care skills. With excellent support from the childminder, children quickly learn how to put on their own dressing-up clothes. Children are extremely confident communicators because the childminder uses effective questioning techniques to seek their views and she provides opportunities for them to make decisions. For instance, at circle time children decide which song or nursery rhyme they would like. When two children make different choices the childminder helps them to resolve the conflict of who should go first. She asked what they should do and children come up with their own solutions and agree between themselves. This sensitive guidance results in children showing social skills and consideration for the needs of others, beyond their years. Literacy is encouraged extremely well. The childminder suggests a child makes a list of the people they wish to invite to a party and the labelling of

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and outcomes for children

resources is prevalent throughout the home and in the garden shed. So children make marks for a purpose and learn that print carries meaning.

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and outcomes for children

Many opportunities are presented for children to learn about the world around them. They learn about technology and take photographs with digital camera. They learn about the seasons and relish playing out in the snow. Children dig in the garden and have grown sunflowers which they took home. However, children have fewer opportunities to further their understanding of nature and where food comes from. Festivals from around the world are celebrated and the childminder has acquired dual-language books to acknowledge and value children's heritage. Active, healthy lifestyles are promoted very well indeed and the childminder gives only healthy foods to children. To further extend children's climbing skills the childminder has made a climbing mound for children in the garden. They pull themselves up a rope to scale the mound and so strengthen their muscles, improve their coordination and boost their self-esteem. In order that all children

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and outcomes for children

could access this activity, the childminder consulted with the older children how the younger children might climb the mound too. They concluded that little ones can use the side of the mound along the fence. So children learn extremely well about how to risk assess and stay safe.

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and outcomes for children

Everyday play situations are used by the childminder to extend children's understanding of numbers and problem solving. For instance, she provides a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 measuring tape in the pretend baby clinic for them to compare which is the smallest and biggest doll and two-year-olds show impressive skill in counting up to seven.

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and outcomes for children

Children's creativity is highly valued and they know this because the childminder encourages them to display their own art work on the wall. They love dressing-up and reciting their favourite nursery rhymes. The childminder has made visual aids for children to use so that the interest of even the youngest children is sustained without effort at circle time. They delight in holding up their cut-out monkeys as they repeat the five-little-monkeys rhyme. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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