Hirst, Michelle Georgina Catherine

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/04/2013 06/08/2009

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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 provides an interesting and exciting environment, with children having easy access to a wide variety of toys and activities, both inside and outdoors. Consequently, children are happy, highly motivated and are making good progress in their learning and development.  Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted well by the childminder. Consequently, children are happy, settled and secure and the relationship between the childminder and the children is good.  Children gain a very good understanding of the importance of physical exercise and a healthy diet. They become very independent in managing their own personal care.  The childminder has a sound understanding of how to promote the health and safety of the children in her care. Safeguarding procedures are secure. As a result, children are well-cared for and protected.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder sometimes provides worksheets for the children to complete. This can sometimes limit children's input and restricts them from creating and contributing their own ideas and thoughts.

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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 observed activities in the main playrooms used for childcare.  The inspector observed all relevant documentation provided.  The inspector spoke to the children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at regular intervals throughout the inspection and made observations of the four children present.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged nine and five years in a house in Birstall near Batley. The whole of the ground floor and the garden are used for childminding. The family has two dogs, chinchillas and fish as pets. The childminder attends activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis. The Childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 17 children on roll, six are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder regularly works with assistants. She operates all year round from 6.30am to 7pm, 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:

 provide varied resources, experiences and activities to encourage children's early writing skills which give children greater freedom to experiment, develop their creativity and contribute their own ideas and thoughts.

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who attend

The childminder has a good knowledge of the seven areas of learning and understands her responsibility to uphold the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. Children's learning and development is enhanced through the good range of toys and resources, which are stored at their level for constant access. They freely move around the play space, enabling them to make independent choices in their play. The childminder and her assistant, takes time to know the children fully and support their learning well through appropriate interactions. For example, a couple of children choose to take part in role play activities with the kitchen and pretend Chinese food. The childminder talks to each child individually and motivates them by carrying out sustained shared thinking and skilfully questions them, which extends children learning further. She offers

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who attend

some assistance only when she feels this is appropriate and praises when children are successful. This results in children becoming more confident and they develop their critical thinking skills, which contributes to their readiness for the next step in learning, such as school. The childminder and her assistant make regular observations of the children's learning. These are used to help the childminder assess children's development. From this, children are then provided with new appropriate challenges, experiences and activities, so that they make progress. The childminder regularly discusses children's development with her assistant. They monitor children's progress and the childminder takes the lead in keeping this up-to-date, while mentoring and teaching her assistant the methods used for planning. In this way, she is able to spot any gaps in learning quickly.

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who attend

Children enjoy the experiences on offer and eagerly play and explore, showing enthusiasm for their learning. This is because the childminder and her assistant are skilful in their interactions with children. They are given plenty of choices and options and the current free-flow system allows children to access the outdoors as they want. Children's physical development is promoted well by the childminder. She uses her garden and space effectively but she also ensures that children are able to practise skills using equipment at the park, indoor play centres and at toddler groups. Children are developing good imagination skills. For example, they play with the small world figures and commercial toys for a long period of time in the playroom, offering a running commentary of what they are doing as they move the figures and take them around the room. Children develop a love of books as they frequently visit the library to borrow books and have plenty of favourites

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who attend

to choose from at the childminding setting. Printed words and labels are displayed around the room, so that children begin to realise that print carries meaning. The childminder works effectively with her assistant to provide activities that promote literacy, at just the right level, to keep children interested and progressing well. For example, children access a good and varied selection of activities that explore reading and writing. However, the childminder sometimes provides worksheets for the children, which limits their input and restricts them from creating their own ideas and thoughts.

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who attend

Parents receive information, support and suggestions about how best to support their child's learning at home. This enables them to fully engage in their child's learning and take pride in their achievements. The childminder regularly sends home and to school 'Wow' moments that children have achieved, to ensure all carers can celebrate children's success.

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

Children are settled and happy and relationships are good. Their personal, social and emotional development is supported well by the childminder. Their emotional security is paramount to the childminder and is initially addressed through the settling-in period, which is always adapted to fit with the family and agreed with parents. The childminder takes time to get to know the children and finds out as much as she can from parents about their likes, dislikes and routines to help them settle quickly and feel secure. She is warm and attentive to children's needs, which fosters their emotional and physical well- being. The childminder's home is well organised and welcoming. Children are prepared well for their transition into other early years settings and school. For example, they learn key social skills, as they interact with other adults and children at groups. The childminder identifies that positive reinforcement is an effective approach when

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

managing children's behaviour and has an effective policy in place. Children's independence is promoted well. For example, they choose and easily select resources for themselves. Resources are safe and meet children's learning and development needs well. These include resources that reflect diversity in a positive way and children learn about differences and similarities in people. Children show a strong sense of belonging at the setting. The dedicated playroom is an exciting and interesting environment, rich in print and numbers, for children to explore and have fun in. The childminder and her assistant move the room around to create new space and light for the children to enjoy.

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

Chinchillas live within the playroom and children help to feed them as the childminder teaches them about the special diets they have and how to care for living things. Children talk freely about these pets, for example, 'My chinchilla died at home, so I really like looking after these'. The childminder has put together a booklet to inform families, which includes the animals' history, care arrangements and the countries they come from. This results in children developing their knowledge and understanding of different creatures.

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

Young children become increasingly competent at managing their self-care routines, because the childminder and her assistant provide consistent care that matches their individual needs. As a result, children take themselves to the toilet when the need arises and know that they have to wash their hands to keep them clean. They recognise when they are feeling tired and hungry and seek comfort and reassurance from the childminder, who responds sensitively towards them. Children are actively encouraged to prepare their own snack and at the same time, learn about safety. For example, children safely cut the cheese and apple up themselves with a knife before eating it. This promotes children's independence skills and they acquire new skills for the future. The childminder promotes healthy eating and lifestyle, by offering children a variety of nutritious food during the day and by encouraging them to drink plenty of fluids. Children benefit from regular physical

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

exercise and fresh air when they go for a walk or play in the park. This promotes children's good health and well-being.

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provision

The childminder fully understands her responsibility to meet the welfare requirements and is committed to the safety of the children. The inspection took place following notification of a breach of requirements. For a short period of time, the childminder's assistant was inadvertently left in sole charge of more children than she should have been. Furthermore, the childminder had not obtained permission from all parents for the assistant to be left in sole care of their children, even for short periods of time. The childminder was made aware of this breach shortly after the event. She immediately reviewed procedures to ensure that this does not happen again. The childminder ensures that she now works to the required ratios and has measures in place in the event of an emergency, to use her assistants or on occasion her husband. These people know the children well and they are fully informed of the childminder's methods of protectingn them and meeting their needs.

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provision

All parents are aware of the assistants and permission is now in place for them to care for the children alone, including for short periods of time. Children are safeguarded as the childminder has a clear understanding of the action to be taken should she be concerned for a child's welfare. She has completed training in this area and has a clear safeguarding policy, which is shared with parents and carers, ensuring they are fully informed of the childminder's responsibility to protect children from harm. Areas that children have access to are monitored appropriately and risk assessed to ensure that, overall, action is taken to minimise any identified hazards. This ensures that children remain safe in her care.

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provision

Effective recruitment and induction systems ensure assistants are suitable and clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. The childminder mentors her permanent assistant well and gives her opportunities to learn new things everyday to develop her practice. She completes supervisions and appraisals for her assistant and plans future training, such as gaining a relevant qualification at level 3. The childminder evaluates her practice and makes future plans, concentrating on improving outcomes for children. For example, she identified a need to have a new kitchen floor and to re-home the Degu animals, so that she can develop the playspace more effectively for children. She has a good awareness of her strengths, such as encouraging children to be independent and developing their knowledge and understanding of the world. The childminder is also developing her self-evaluation systems to include feedback from parents questionnaires

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provision

into this process. She is dedicated to the further improvement of the setting and keen to complete training to update her knowledge and skills.

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provision

The childminder works hard to establish relationships with other settings that children attend, such as pre-school and local schools. For example, the current links with St Peters School are excellent. She understands that this helps to support children's transitions from one setting to another and supports children's continual learning and development. Relationships with parents are strong and the childminder works well in partnership with them. She gathers good information on their care needs and starting points in their learning before they begin in her care. She uses this information to ensure that children are well-cared for and to enable them to make good progress. Parents and carers are encouraged to contribute to children's learning. They are also given time, support and encouragement to understand the individual planning in place for their children and shares information about their achievements and progression regularly.

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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 EY381567 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 906875 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 10 Number of children on roll 17

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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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