Childminder in Leeds

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/06/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 are encouraged to make some choices about their play. They use an appropriate range of toys and activities which help them to make steady progress in their learning and development.  Children benefit from a variety of activities outside the setting. They regularly visit the local parks and the children's centre. The childminder uses these opportunities to help children to develop their social skills and raise their awareness of road safety and how to stay safe.  The childminder shares information, both verbally and in writing, with parents to ensure they are aware of their children's welfare and daily activities.

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It is not yet good because

 Information gathered about children's learning and development is not consistently used to plan what they need to learn next to ensure they make good progress over time.  Younger children do not have consistently rich opportunities to learn through exploring and investigating natural and everyday objects, to help them understand the world.  There is scope to further enhance young children's personal, social and emotional development as they learn about themselves and others.

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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 compulsory part 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 observed interaction between the childminder and the children in the kitchen, lounge and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of the childminder's documentation, including children's learning journeys and the parents' information pack.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder and the children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged six and four years in the Horsforth area of Leeds. The kitchen and living room are used for childminding purposes, along with the bathroom on the first floor. Children also have access to the garden for outdoor play. The family has a cat and a hamster as pets.

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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 parks on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently four children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group and 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. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 use the information gained through observing children to plan challenging activities for them and shape future learning to help them make the best possible progress in their learning and development.

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

 enhance play and learning opportunities for younger children by providing a range of materials and textures for them to explore, for example, in treasure baskets

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

 enhance children's personal, social and emotional development by, for example, sharing and displaying photographs of themselves and their family, friends, pets and special people to further develop their understanding of themselves and others.

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who attend

The childminder has only been minding children for a short period of time, but has developed a sound knowledge of the prime and specific areas of learning. There are suitable systems in place to identify children's starting points, and the childminder uses this information to form a baseline assessment. Settling-in time enables the childminder to find out about children's interests and preferences, and she seeks information from parents to support her in this. The childminder provides a suitable variety of indoor and outdoor activities. She observes children as they play and makes some notes about their development. She also uses photographs and examples of children's work to show what they enjoy and can do. However, the childminder does not use the information she gathers from her observations consistently to help her effectively plan for the next steps in children's learning. Consequently, children make satisfactory progress. The childminder

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who attend

shares her photographs and observations with parents to keep them informed of their child's activities and progress. This supports parents to be actively involved in their child's learning. The childminder is aware of the progress check at age two and the need to share this with parents to enable her to complete this appropriately. As result, children are satisfactorily gaining the key skills they need in their learning to be ready for school.

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who attend

The childminder provides activities for children in the living room, kitchen and the rear garden. She sets out a suitable range of resources to enable children to make independent choices from those available. Young children's individual home routines are provided for with regard for meals and sleep times. The childminder is able to balance these individual needs with time for both indoor and outdoor activities. Indoors children have opportunities to build with a range of construction toys. Books are freely available to children and are age and stage appropriate; for example, larger cardboard books support young children to turn the pages. They also enjoy the touch and feel sections on each page, which enhances their interest and enjoyment of books and stories. Children are busy and enjoy the toys available to them. There is, however, room to extend the use of natural resources within those provided to introduce young children to different textures and materials in their play

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who attend

and exploration, for example by providing treasure baskets.

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who attend

In the garden, children strengthen their early walking skills by chasing the large football across the grass. They enjoy exploring and feel the leaves on the bushes as they walk past, and study the tools and the screws on the role play work bench. The childminder offers good support to children by staying close to them and promoting their early communication and language skills. As they babble the childminder repeats what they say, acknowledging and recognising the sounds. For example, young children toddle about the garden saying 'B' 'B', the childminder repeats the sound and tells the child 'B' for ball. She offers the children lots of praise for their efforts and they smile and giggle in response to her, showing the security they feel when they are in her care.

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

Children have formed sound relationships with the childminder, and their individual needs are suitably met. This is because the childminder requests parents to complete an 'all about me' form from the outset, which includes relevant information about their children's care routines. This ensures that children settle quickly and make a smooth transition from home to the childminder's setting. Children learn about expected behaviour. The childminder encourages them to share, take turns and be kind to each other. She praises them for their efforts, and her calm and sensitive manner raises their self-esteem. As a consequence, children are settled and happy in the childminder's care and show a genuine affection for her. This supports their sense of security and well-being. However, younger children have fewer opportunities to see photographs of themselves and their family and other special people around the setting to further support them as they form positive

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

The childminder regularly rotates the toys and resources to ensure children remain interested. She organises her home to enable children to make some independent choices about their play, from the selection of toys available. Children have daily opportunities to engage in outdoor activities and are provided with plenty of fresh air. They learn to ride wheeled toys and develop their skills as they choose the footballs to kick and throw. Children also benefit from a range of activities away from the setting. They visit the local parks and childminding group. These opportunities help support children's overall physical well-being and develop their social skills in preparation for later transitions to nursery and school.

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

The childminder encourages children to learn about keeping safe. For example, when on outings she explains to them about how to safely cross the road. More able children take turns to press the button and wait for the green man. Younger children listen to the childminder as she gives clear explanations about looking and listening for cars before it is safe to cross. This supports their development and understanding of keeping safe for their future. Children also learn about how to keep themselves safe in the setting as the childminder supports them to keep the toys tidy. Her good use of safety equipment enables the children to move around freely and securely.

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

The childminder encourages children to follow suitable hygiene routines. For example, they learn to wash their hands before they eat. The childminder promotes children's self- care by encouraging them to access their own drinks and feed themselves at meal times. Children are developing a sound understanding of a healthy lifestyle. For example, they are provided with a range of fresh fruit for snack, and main meals consist of fresh meats and vegetables which are home cooked. The childminder effectively meets children's individual dietary needs. Close working with parents supports her to be aware of any individual allergies, and sound planning ensures these are met at all times. Partnership working also enables parents to provide recipes, supporting the childminder to provide a wider range of foods. The childminder takes children on regular walks and to the park where they benefit from fresh air and learn the importance of exercise.

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of how to protect the children in her care, and recognises that this is her first priority. She knows the procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child and has implemented a written policy, which she makes sure is shared with parents. The childminder assesses potential risks to children within the home and garden, and has put procedures and practices in place to minimise these at all times. Appropriate safety equipment is used according to the age and needs of the children attending, including safety gates and fire guards. This ensures children's safety is protected.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a suitable commitment to ongoing training to develop her professional skills. As a result, she has a sound understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare, and learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder is reflecting on her practice and through self-evaluation has identified areas she wishes to develop and improve, such as attending further training and investing in more resources. She has started to involve parents in evaluating her service. Initially this has been through the conversations she has with them at the end of each day. Consequently, she has a sound knowledge and understanding of her strengths and weaknesses. Her plans for the future are realistic and targeted to drive further improvement, such as developing her confidence in observation and assessment. The childminder understands the need to monitor the

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provision

educational programmes for children to track their development, and for the younger children she focuses learning on the prime areas.

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provision

The childminder engages well with parents. They are kept informed daily about their children's progress through conversations and a record sheet. These support sound foundations for partnership working. The childminder has developed an information file for new parents, which shares valuable information about her service and policies and procedures. This supports parents to be fully informed about the care their children will receive. The childminder works in partnership with other settings children attend, such as the local nursery and school, to ensure key messages are passed on to parents and continuity in care and learning is provided.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY456359 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 896897 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 4

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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

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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