Childminder in North Yorkshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/02/2013 24/02/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children have access to a wide and varied range of toys and equipment that support their learning. They are involved in activities that take place at the setting and those available within the community. This helps children to learn in different ways and through meeting other children and adults.  Children are well supported to be involved in decision making. This builds children's confidence, independence and self-esteem.  The childminder provides a welcoming, well-organised environment for children, enabling them to feel safe and secure.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder is not completely confident in how she uses the information gained from observation and assessment to inform her planning. This does not fully support children's learning and development because their next steps are not prioritised promptly to help them make the best progress.  The views of parents and children are not used to best effect in helping the childminder to clearly prioritise areas for improvement.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the childminder and her assistant during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of all areas used by the childminder to meet children's care, play and learning needs.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's progress records and a sample of policies, procedures and other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the varied range of toys, equipment and resources provided for children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the lunchtime arrangements for children around the dining table.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2005 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, two adult children and two children aged 10 and 14 years in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. The whole ground floor of the house and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a pet hamster. The childminder's husband works alongside her as an assistant.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 17 children on roll, six of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays and family holidays. She holds a level 3 childcare qualification and is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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must:

 analyse the information gained through observation and assessment to accurately identify children's next steps in learning, and use this information to shape and guide the planning of activities.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 develop and review the self-evaluation process by placing a greater emphasis on using the views of parents and children to help prioritise targets for improvement, so that the drive to raise the quality of practice is improved.

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who attend

Children are provided with a varied range of activities and learning experiences that take place indoors and outside. This enables them to make steady progress towards the early learning goals. They take part in walks and outings to places of interest within the community. For example, to the library, playgroups, children's centre and park. This helps them to socialise and benefit from access to a wider range of learning experiences. It also helps children become familiar with their local environment and prepares them for change, such as learning to adapt to other settings, including school.

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who attend

The childminder observes children and makes an assessment of their progress. She records these details in children's individual learning records that she shares with parents. These are accompanied by photographs of children involved in different activities, and provide parents with a reasonable overview of the activities their children are involved in to help them learn. However, information is brief and, although there are some learning targets identified for children, these are not used effectively to consistently guide planning. This means the range of planned activities offered are not always led by children's individual learning needs or interest, and this hinders the progress they make. The childminder has not yet needed to carry out the progress check for children aged between two to three years because there are no children attending within this age range. However, she shows that she clearly understands the requirement and the importance of

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who attend

completing this with parents so that they have a clear picture of their child's development.

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who attend

The childminder focuses on supporting specific areas of children's learning, such as communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and physical development. These are the prime areas of learning and are fundamental to the skills children need to prepare them for school. Children are happy and content within the setting. They know where to find the toys and resources they need and understand the routine. This shows they feel comfortable, settled and secure. They are encouraged to make choices and decisions, helping them develop in confidence and independence.

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who attend

Children are supported to learn many different skills. For example, they use a variety of board games and puzzles which help them to solve problems. There are resources in place to raise their understanding of our multicultural society and of disability. Some resources are interactive and require action by the child, for instance, buttons to press to make them work. Children experiment with different art and craft materials that include paints, pencils and play dough. This helps them to use their imaginations, become familiar with different tools and to investigate. Some of the pictures children make are displayed around the setting, which helps them see that they things they make are valued and raises their self- esteem.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children have regular access to fresh air and exercise. They take part in walks, particularly to and from the local pre-school and school. This helps them become familiar with the surrounding area and environments they will eventually move on to. The childminder has close links with the local school setting and regularly exchanges information about the children that she cares for who also attend the pre-school. This supports consistently in children's care and learning and helps to ease times of transition.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are regularly involved in decision making, for example, the toys they play with and what food and drink they want, such as what filling they would like in their lunch time sandwich. Children have grown a varied range of flowers and vegetables in the garden. They particularly enjoy picking and tasting the different fresh fruits off the trees. This helps them to understand about nature, the seasons and the food chain. It also helps children be aware of tasting a varied range of food so that they begin to understanding about how to make food choices that are healthy.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The broad range of toys and resources offered are very well organised, with great emphasis placed on clear labelling of storage containers to help children identify the contents. There are plans in place to enhance the printed labels with the addition of photographs. This will help the youngest children without reading skills to be able to be involved and included in decision making about what they want to play with, and will also enhance their understanding that print carries meaning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are helped to become aware of safety by being included in practising the fire drill. This helps them understand what to do in an emergency. Younger children are given wrist restraints when they are walking outdoors to help keep them safe.

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provision

The childminder exchanges information with parents on a regular basis. For instance, she writes a daily account of each child's day and talks to parents when they leave and collect their children. The childminder keeps parents sufficiently well informed and updated.

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provision

The childminder understands about keeping children safe and her responsibility to protect them from harm. She knows the signs that indicate when a child may be at risk, and the appropriate action to take if she has any concerns about a child's welfare or well-being. She carries out risk assessments of her setting, which contributes to keeping the care and learning environment for children safe and free from hazards. A varied range of policies and procedures are in place that relate to the operation of the provision for children. These are regularly reviewed, which helps to make sure they remain effective.

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provision

The childminder attends a childminding group on a monthly basis which is organised at the nearby children's centre. This means minded children can play together and provides the childminder with the opportunity to meet with her colleagues and exchange information about working practices. The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude towards training and has completed a varied range of courses over the years. This shows a willingness to develop professional knowledge and understanding.

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provision

The childminder's husband has begun to work alongside her as an assistant. He is enthusiastic about his role and has enrolled on a level 3 childcare training course to improve his knowledge and understanding. The childminder and her assistant have begun to make clear and determined plans for future development of the provision. They talk about planned improvements that will have a positive impact on children's learning and development. The childminder recently provided a questionnaire to parents to gain their views about the service she provides, although she has not yet used this information effectively to help her priorities areas for change. As a result, although the views of parents and children are sometimes sought, they do not yet make a strong enough contribution towards the drive to improve the overall quality of practice.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY301850 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 820241 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 17

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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