Childminder in Wakefield

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/04/2013 12/07/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder has good relationships with children. When settling children she ensures she spends one-to-one time with them. This means they have the support and reassurance to help them feel safe and secure.  The childminder effectively organises resources in her playroom so that children can make safe and independent choices in their play. This results in happy children who approach their learning with enthusiasm.  The childminder keeps children safe and healthy because she implements a good range of policies and procedures that contribute to promoting children's welfare.  The childminder works well with other settings children attend and she shares good information with them about children's care and progression. Through seeking advice and gaining ideas from other professionals she is proactive in making improvements to the provision for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The approach the childminder uses to encourage parents to share information about their child's learning at home is not always effective. Therefore, she is not maximising what parents know when planning for children's progression towards excellence.  The childminder is not always considering children's likes and interests when planning for their very good literacy development. Therefore, children are not always excited about engaging in the activities.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 arrived at the setting and had a tour of the premises and observed children in the playroom.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the observations.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, a selection of policies and documentation, including children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussions with the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011. She is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and son aged two years in a house in Ossett, Wakefield. The whole of the ground floor and garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog as a pet.

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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, nursery and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently six children on roll, of these, two are in the early years age group and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 strengthen the approach to further encourage parents to contribute and share information about their child's learning at home

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

 increase how children's interests are used when planning activities to support their literacy development. For example, by providing writing equipment in the role play area so that children can write for different purposes, such as making signs and lists.

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who attend

Through the childminder's good understanding of the learning and development requirements she understands how young children learn through play. Therefore, she is actively involved in their play, she positively interacts with them and she asks children open-ended questions. This encourages children to talk about and think about ways they can solve problems. For example, when children are creating their campsite models, they discuss with the childminder the resources they need to help them stick and join their models together. Through effective organisation of resources around the playroom children have access to a good selection of activities across all areas of learning. Children access these independently and this contributes to them being enthusiastic learners because they initiate their own play. For example, younger children eagerly take their favourite books to the childminder. She responds well to this and while reading the story

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who attend

she encourages them to repeat simple words and talk about what they can see in the pictures. This promotes children's language and communication development.

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who attend

Overall, the childminder has a good understanding of the importance of observation, assessment and planning. Through her observations and tracking of children's progress she is aware of their achievements, abilities and their next steps in learning. In the main, she plans for these next steps by providing a varied range of activities across the areas of learning. For example, when supporting young children's mathematical development she engages them in number songs and rhymes and provides games where they match and sort by shape, size and colour. Through her observations she recognises some children show little enthusiasm for engaging in early writing activities. However, she has not fully considered how she incorporates children's likes when planning for this so that children show more interest. For example, by incorporating opportunities for children to write in the role play area, an aspect of learning she knows children enjoy.

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who attend

Children behave appropriately for their ages because the childminder uses positive praise and children learn about simple boundaries. For example, she encourages children to share and take turns with their peers so that they develop harmonious relationships with them. This supports children's personal, emotional and social development. The children are creative and imaginative. They engage in a wide variety of art activities that enable them to express their own ideas. For example, when creating their campsite models, they design a disco, using shiny stars to represent the lights and a zoo. They use a variety of boxes, fabrics, paper and card to represent the land, soil and water. This fosters well children's development in expressive arts and design. The children have good opportunities to go on outings and visits. For example, they go on walks to collect leaves, they visit garden centres to see the fish and access activities at the local children's centre.

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who attend

This promotes children's understanding of the world because they learn about their community, living things and nature.

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who attend

The childminder gathers good information from parents when children first start at the setting. For example, through an 'all about me' booklet she gathers information about children's likes, abilities and routines. This contributes to the childminder meeting children's needs. Through encouraging parents to look at their child's progress records and regular discussions she informs them of their child's progress so they can support this at home. However, ways in which she encourages parents to share what children experience at home, for example, their ongoing achievements or special events in a child's life, are not as effective. Therefore, she is unable to always fully maximise what parents know about their child when planning for their learning.

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who attend

The childminder regularly takes children to the local toddler group. These opportunities promote children's confidence as they learn to separate from their main carer and encourages them to socialise with others. In addition, by encouraging children to be independent, for example, enabling them to do simple tasks, such as getting their own drinks she is preparing children for their next step in learning. For example, starting school or nursery.

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

Relationships between the children and childminder are good. Through her 'all about me' booklets and discussions with parents she gathers detailed information regarding children's starting points. For example, information on their likes, routines and abilities. She incorporates children's individual needs into the day, such as their sleeping patterns. This promotes continuity for children. This continuity, alongside positive attachments and spending one-to-one time with new children, means that they feel secure and safe within her care. Therefore, children are happy, content and settle quickly because the childminder provides support, reassurance and effectively meets their needs. This promotes children's personal, social and emotional development.

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

The childminder effectively promotes the good health of children. She provides a varied range of nutritious snacks and meals. In addition, she engages children in food preparation activities so that they develop positive attitudes towards making healthy choices. For example, children remember with fondness when they went to pick blackberries and used them to make a crumble. Through everyday routines and posters in the bathroom, the children are developing a good understanding of why they need to wash their hands. For example, they explain with confidence that if they forget to wash their hands the germs could make them ill. The children have regular opportunities to be active and to access fresh air. For example, they play in the garden, go on walks, visit the play gym and enjoy going to the park. These opportunities promote children's physical development and encourages them to lead healthy lifestyles.

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

The children behave well and this is because the childminder provides consistent boundaries and routines. For example, she positively praises children's achievements. Through play, she encourages them to share and take turns and she provides clear explanations so that they understand why their actions are unacceptable. This contributes to children having high self-esteem, confidence and encourages them to have positive relationships with their peers. It also supports them in learning skills for their transitions to school or nursery. The children have good opportunities to become independent learners. For example, they have free access to the resources within the playroom. The childminder values children's contributions, for instance, she displays their work and photographs around the setting. Children respond well to this as they talk about how they have made the number and alphabet pictures that decorate the playroom. This provides a sense of

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

The children are learning well about how they can keep themselves safe. For example, they take part in regular evacuation practises so that they know what to do in an emergency. In addition, when on outings the childminder talks to children about the importance of road safety. This raises their awareness of the risks in their local environment.

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provision

The childminder's understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements is good. She maintains a wide range of written policies and procedures that she implements effectively to keep children safe. For example, she carries out risk assessments of the home and outings and this contributes to her putting in place effective procedures to minimise accidents. The childminder has a good knowledge of child protection issues, such as knowing the signs of abuse and neglect. In addition, she is fully aware of the procedures for reporting concerns and which agencies she must inform. This contributes to protecting children from harm.

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provision

The childminder regularly reflects on her practice so that she can identify ways in which she can improve the provision for children. For example, she gains new ideas for activities when she attends sessions at the local children's centre or through discussions with other professionals. As a result of this, she extends the range of creative activities she offers. Therefore, children have more opportunities to use their senses as they explore a wider range of medias and textures, which supports their development in expressive arts and design. Furthermore, by addressing recommendations from the last inspection, provision for children to learn about people and communities has improved. For example, there are more resources that help children to learn about different cultures and beliefs. Through discussions, the childminder encourages children and parents to suggest ways in which she can improve her service.

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provision

The childminder's relationships with parents are good. Through discussions and her children's progress records she keeps parents informed about their child's care and learning. The childminder explains she receives positive feedback from parents and says they often recommend her to their friends. In addition, older children compliment the childminder and her service. For example, they say that she is a very good cook and that she is always there for them. The childminder works well with other settings involved in children's care, such as school or nursery. Through sharing good information about children's progress they work well together to support their learning. For example, other settings provide ideas for the childminder to support children's understanding of letter formation and recognition. The childminder understands the importance of working with external agencies and professionals so that appropriate interventions are in place to

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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 action. 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 EY425388 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 907423 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 6

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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

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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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