Childminder in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY290337 Inspection date 17/01/2012 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 was registered in 2004. She lives with her husband and two children aged 17 and 12 years in the rural village of Brompton in North Yorkshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's home is used for childminding purposes, with the exception of the dining room. There is an enclosed garden for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and is a member of the National Childminding Association. She is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is registered to care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time, of whom three may be in the early years age group. There are currently 11 children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group. They all 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 warm and welcoming family home where each one is recognised and valued as an individual. Children are offered a good range of activities to promote their learning and development and good partnerships are promoted with parents, with information being shared effectively in most areas. Partnerships are starting to be forged with other settings involved in the children's care and learning and all required documentation is in place. However, this occasionally lacks the necessary detail. Suitable systems are in place for self- evaluation and the commitment to 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 an accurate daily record is kept of children's attendance that includes their full name (Documentation). 31/01/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further the links with other early years settings the children also attend to ensure effective continuity and progression in their learning and development is promoted through the sharing of relevant information  provide opportunities for parents to contribute to their children's learning and development record. 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's arrangements for safeguarding children are good. She is confident in her ability to recognise the possible indicators of abuse or neglect and knows to whom she should refer any concerns. The childminder has a good range of policies and procedures in place and these alongside thorough risk assessments underpin the safe and efficient management of her service. The childminder is vigilant in keeping a record of any visitors to the home and in maintaining day-to- day records. The childminder organises her home effectively and, as a result, the children move about freely and are very much at home in their environment. They are able to make choices from a suitable range of toys and resources set out in the lounge and can request additional items from the storage cupboard.

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the early years provision

The childminder shows a good commitment to improving her service. She has meticulously addressed the actions and recommendations raised at her last inspection and this has resulted in clear policies and procedures being devised for safeguarding children. Fire drills are also now being practised on a regular basis and aspects of documentation have improved. Alongside these improvements the childminder has attended various short training courses and completed a recognised childcare qualification at level 3. Suitable systems are in place for self- evaluation to aid further reflection and target areas for future development. The childminder promotes equality and diversity successfully overall. For example, through discussion with parents she is fully aware of how children's individual care needs can be met and is beginning to gather additional information regarding particular aspects of their culture. Links with other early years settings the children

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the early years provision

also attend are beginning to be established. However, these are not fully embedded to promote an effective shared approach to the children's care and learning.

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the early years provision

The childminder engages very well with parents overall. She provides them with copies of all her policies and procedures for their reference and gains a number of permissions to ensure they are happy for their children to take part in the activities she offers. Daily chats keep them fully informed of their child's day and they are involved in aspects of the children's learning, such as, helping them to record the adventures of the setting's toy frog in a diary when they take it home. Parents have regular opportunities to view their child's developmental record, but they are not actively encouraged to contribute their observations of their child's learning. Parents' comments about the service are very positive. For example, they state their children are offered a good range of activities and outings and are always kept busy.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder interacts very skilfully with the children to support their learning, asking open-ended questions to make them think and encouraging them to express their ideas. She forms close, loving relationships with them and they feel This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 safe and content in their environment, which supports their emotional well-being. The childminder offers lots of praise to acknowledge the children's efforts and achievements and this actively encourages positive behaviour and raises their self- esteem. The children make good progress in their learning and development because they are stimulated by a good range of activities that are linked to their interests. For example, on the inspection visit they were captivated by the topic of pirates and keen to show the dressing-up resources linked to this and the eye patches they had made.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder maintains a learning journey for each child and uses the information from her observations very effectively to identify and support the next steps in their learning. This ensures they continually develop their skills. The childminder ensures all areas of learning are promoted equally. For example, she encourages the children to develop the early skills of reading by taking them to the library to choose books and listen to stories. She shows them how to follow a recipe during baking activities and enables them to make marks with chalks outdoors. The childminder encourages conversation with the children at every opportunity so they become confident speakers. The children are actively encouraged to apply their knowledge of number and to solve mathematical problems in everyday activities. For example, during baking activities they are encouraged to decide which size bowl to use, to use scales to weigh ingredients

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and outcomes for children

and to count how many finished items they have.

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and outcomes for children

The children have good opportunities to be creative and to explore a variety of mediums, such as paint and clay and they are actively encouraged to learn by using their different senses. For example, they explore the properties of edible paint, ice and wet spaghetti at the childminder group they attend. The children have various opportunities to learn about the wider world. They celebrate festivals, such as, the Chinese New Year and Diwali with craft activities and food tasting and they use the computer to find information about topics, such as pirates. This also enables them to develop a good understanding of information and communication technology.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder gives good attention to ensuring the children are active, understand the benefits of physical activity and adopt healthy habits. For example, they have regular access to fresh air as they play in the garden and go for walks and they develop good control of their bodies and challenge their physical skills as they use equipment, such as slides and climbing resources at a soft play venue. The children learn good hand washing routines because the childminder explains the importance of using soap and they actively learn about food sourcing and healthy eating. For example, they grow items, such as peas and carrots in the garden and make fruit kebabs for their snack. The childminder is very effective in helping the children to keep themselves safe and actively encourages them to adopt safe and responsible practices. As a result, the children spontaneously explain to visitors to be careful not to touch the oven during baking activities. They

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and outcomes for children

confidently relate what they must do if there is a fire in the home and explain why they must wear the safety restraint as they use a booster seat at the table. 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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