Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/07/2013 26/01/2012

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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 form secure relationships with the childminder, which means they are confident and settled in her nurturing care.  The childminder provides a suitable level of praise and encouragement, which helps to build children's understanding of acceptable behaviour.  The childminder interacts with children appropriately as they play.

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It is not yet good because

 Currently the outdoor space is not fit for purpose or safe for children to use due to poor maintenance and security. This means children's safety is not well promoted.  Role play and painting resources are stored upstairs. As a result, there are missed opportunities for children to be expressive and to gain an understanding of the wider world.  Current self-evaluation lacks rigour and is not yet robust enough to accurately identify all strengths and weaknesses and inform ongoing improvements to the childminder's provision.  Children do not always take part in everyday routines. As a result, they are not always gaining a sense of independence to help extend their confidence in their own abilities.  There are limited opportunities for the childminder to develop partnerships with other providers in order to share good learning practice which will benefit all children.

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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 spoke with the childminder and the child at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector observed lunchtime and activities in the living room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled the childminder's documentation and the child's learning records.  The inspector viewed the areas of the premises and garden used for childminding.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1997 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and teenage son in Frechville, Sheffield. Premises are accessible via a small step to the front door. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding purposes, with toilet facilities on the first floor. Children have access to the upper part of the rear garden. The family have some guinea pigs, which are kept outside.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is currently minding four children under eight years, of whom one is in the early years age group. The childminder walks and drives to local schools to take and collect children. She operates all year round from 7am 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:

 ensure that the outdoor space is fit for purpose by providing more security to the gate, maintenance of the lawns, and tending to a cracked drain cover in order to ensure children's safety

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

 provide children with resources that will allow them to engage freely in expressive art and role play and gain a greater awareness of the wider world

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

 develop further the systems for self-evaluation so that it takes into account the views of parents and children, and identifies current strengths and weaknesses of the provision

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

 provide children with opportunities to take part in everyday tasks, especially at meal times to promote their independence

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

 develop effective partnerships with other providers and professionals so all children benefit from shared good practice.

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who attend

The childminder has a developing understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. At onset of care, parents are asked to provide information about their child's starting points and interests, which the childminder uses to plan activities. The childminder uses basic assessment and observations of the children and she plans and provides suitable activities. There are a satisfactory range of resources and play activities and children can access these independently. However, some of the resources are kept upstairs, such as paint and role play equipment. This means that children do not always have opportunities to engage in imaginative role-play and gain an understanding of the wider world and the diverse society in which we live.

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who attend

A child enjoys the childminder's involvement in his play. This is because she shows an interest in what the child is doing. The child responds positively to her and talks about what he is doing. The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of how to promote the children's language skills and asks questions to extend his thinking. Children's literacy skills are appropriately encouraged. For example, a child enjoys drawing around stencils and confidently naming the letters in his name. This promotes his early writing skills as the childminder talks about the letters that represent the sounds in his name. For example, the child says he has a 'curly c' and a 'kicking k' in his name. The childminder introduces numbers in the child's play and he counts confidently from one to ten, showing an early concept of mathematics and numbers.

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who attend

The childminder discusses the children's progress and achievements with their parents. She shares verbal information with parents on a daily basis and discusses any concerns she may have. The childminder also passes on any information from school if necessary. Parents make verbal suggestions to the childminder if they would like to see any changes or include any particular activities in their child's learning. This helps them to be involved in their child's learning.

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

Children have built sound emotional attachments to the childminder and her family. For example, a child is happy to see the childminder's son when he returns home and engages in conversation with him. The child enjoys the company of the childminder and her participation in his activities. As a result, he is happy and feels safe in the childminder's care. The child is showing a developing understanding of acceptable behaviour. This is because the childminder offers lots of praise and encouragement to promote his self- esteem. As a result, the child shows a sense of belonging and a developing confidence. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure that all children's needs are known and met and this supports transitions to her home. Transitions to school will be supported when appropriate. The main playroom is, generally, well organised to allow children to make some independent choices about their play. For example, a child independently selects paper,

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

stencils and pens. Daily routines, such as hand washing, help children to learn about appropriate hygiene practices. However, there are missed opportunities to allow all children to be independent in self-care, such as, wiping their noses, and taking part in daily routines, such as pouring their own drinks. This means that although a child is obtaining a satisfactory range of skills to support his readiness for school, there are areas in which this can be improved such as, allowing more opportunities to become independent at meal times.

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

The childminder has a satisfactory awareness of healthy eating as she encourages a child to eat an apple after his lunch. Children have most daily opportunities to develop their physical skills and enjoy the fresh air because the childminder visits the local park. The childminder talks to children about road safety during trips so they learn how to keep themselves safe. However, the childminder offers an outdoor provision which is currently not fit for purpose as there are issues of poor maintenance. This potentially impacts on children's safety, although it is not currently being used.

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provision

Overall, the childminder has an adequate knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. The childminder is secure in her knowledge of the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child in her care. She has attended child protection awareness training and has policies and procedures in place, which she reviews annually. The childminder also has a policy to cover the use of mobile phones and cameras in the home environment.

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provision

The childminder completes medication, accident and existing injury records and holds a current, relevant first aid certificate, which supports her understanding of dealing with minor injuries. The childminder carries out some risk assessments to help ensure children can play in a suitable and safe environment. However, the childminder does not have a written risk assessment for the outdoor play area. Consequently, this area is not safe for children and fit for purpose. The childminder demonstrates a satisfactory knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is some monitoring of activities but, as yet, this is not rigorous enough to help her focus on areas for improvement that will have the most impact on children.

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provision

The childminder gains some helpful information about how well a child is progressing at school. However, there is not a good two-way flow of information sharing and partnership working with other providers. This means shared learning opportunities are not as well supported as possible. The childminder carries out some basic evaluation of her practices, however, she does not have a robust ongoing system to enable her to effectively review and monitor practices, in order to continue to improve her childcare provision.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that the outdoor space is fit for purpose by providing more security to the gate, maintenance of the lawns, and tending to a cracked drain cover  ensure that the outdoor space is fit for purpose by providing more security to the gate, maintenance of the lawns, and tending to a cracked drain cover

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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 300306 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 818602 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 4

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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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