Childminder in North Yorkshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/01/2014 17/11/2009

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder provides children with a well-organised and welcoming environment. This means they can explore freely and decide what they want to play with. Consequently, children feel comfortable and at home in their surroundings.  Children have regular opportunities to play outside and take part in physical exercise. This means they stay fit and healthy and develop good control and coordination of their bodies.  Children develop confidence in communicating because the childminder engages them in conversation at every opportunity. As a result, children develop their listening skills and continually increase their vocabulary.

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It is not yet good because

 The progress check at age two is not implemented to provide parents and carers with short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas.  Children do not have consistently rich opportunities to use materials to make marks in the outdoor area.  The childminder does not rigorously self-evaluate her own practice to ensure her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage is kept up to date.

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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 children playing in the downstairs rooms of the house and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of children's records, planning documents and policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector made observations of and discussed the outcome of a planned activity that involved children learning about Chinese New Year with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from written comments they had made.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2009 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged five and two years in the village of Barlby on the outskirts of Selby in North Yorkshire. The whole ground floor of the home, the bathroom and a bedroom on the first floor, and the garden are used for childminding purposes.

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Information about the setting

The childminder regularly attends activities at the local toddler group and visits the park on a regular basis. She takes children to and collects them from the local school and pre- school. There are currently nine children on roll, two of whom are in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates Monday to Friday all year round from 7.30am to 6.30pm, except for Bank Holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 implement the progress check for all children at age two and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child's development in the prime areas, to identify strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected.

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

 enhance the resources and opportunities for children to make marks in the outdoor area, to further support their early writing skills

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

 strengthen the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating practice and professional development, to fully ensure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage is kept up to date and the outcomes for children's learning and development are enhanced.

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who attend

The childminder has a sound knowledge of how children learn and develop. She makes some observations of children's learning and is starting to use these to track the progress they are making. She talks to parents about children's development and asks them to tell her about activities they have been involved in at home. This means the childminder is aware of children's current interests. However, the childminder has not implemented the required progress check at age two, to provide parents with a written summary of their child's progress in the prime areas. This is a breach of the welfare requirements. As a result, parents are not fully informed of their child's progress. It also means that the opportunity to identify children's strengths and areas where progress may be less than expected has been missed at this crucial time. The childminder has, however, devised a system to use in the future.

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who attend

The childminder provides a welcoming environment with a varied range of toys and resources. These are easily accessible to children, arouse their interest and allow them to independently direct their own learning. For example, one child crawls inside a play castle and pretends to go to sleep, after which he 'wakes' up and pretends to eat his breakfast. This shows the child is making connections in his learning and developing his creativity in his own way as he acts out a real-life situation. The childminder constantly engages children in conversation to support their communication and language skills. As a result, they are able to ask questions and express their ideas and needs. For instance, one child asks why the paper he is using is white. The childminder explains how it is easier to see the marks and colours when using crayons. The child listens and is satisfied with the answer, which means the childminder has satisfied his curiosity and helped the child

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who attend

develop his understanding. This helps children to become ready for school.

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who attend

The childminder uses labelling, both inside and outside, to show children words have meaning, and she encourages children to recognise and begin to write their name. For instance, she provides wipeable cards that children can use to trace over their name. These include 'ladybirds' to show children where to start their tracing, so they learn how to form letters correctly. However, children do not have consistently rich opportunities to make marks in the outdoor area, to further support their early writing skills. This means that this area of children's learning is not supported as well as it could be. The childminder broadens children's learning by teaching them about seasonal events, such as Chinese New Year. For example, she explains that every new year the days start all over again and that some countries start their new year at different times. She explains that in China each year is named after an animal and how this year it is the turn of the horse. She reinforces

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who attend

this by teaching children how to make a horse mask from a paper plate. This supports their understanding of the wider world and their creativity as they mix paints to paint their plate and colour in items, such as ears, to add to this.

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

Children settle well in the childminder's care because their transitions into her setting are managed sensitively. For instance, settling-in visits enable them to gradually become familiar with their new environment. Children develop close bonds with the childminder, are confident in her care and feel part of the family. For instance, they interact well with the childminder's own children because she treats them all fairly and with respect. The childminder provides children with valuable opportunities to take part in activities outside her setting. This means they develop their social skills as they interact with other adults and children, which further prepares them for school. For instance, they regularly attend activities at a local playgroup and visit the library.

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

The childminder gives good attention to promoting children's health. For example, she encourages them to have a positive attitude towards mealtimes by explaining how eating up their lunch will give them the energy they need to run around and play outside. She teaches them about food sourcing by enabling them to grow vegetables, such as potatoes, in the garden. The childminder ensures all children have opportunities to play outdoors each day and use a variety of equipment, either in the garden or at the local park. This enables children to benefit fully from fresh air and to develop their physical skills. For instance, as they play in the garden they confidently climb the steps to a slide, bounce on a trampoline and use spades competently as they dig in compost and fill buckets. Their curiosity is aroused as they try and make castles with this and they discover that it does not work as well as when they use sand. This shows children are learning about the

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

properties of different materials in their own way. The childminder also takes the children swimming on a regular basis, which further supports them to develop coordination in their movements.

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

Children learn to behave well because the childminder provides consistent routines and boundaries. For example, she uses board games to encourage children to share and take turns. Children know to sit at the table to eat, which effectively encourages them to develop good manners. The childminder uses praise effectively to raise children's self- esteem and confidence in their abilities. She makes sure children learn about keeping themselves safe. For instance, she regularly practises the evacuation procedures for the home with them, so they know what to do in the event of a fire or emergency. She explains why only one child can bounce on the trampoline at once, and that this is to prevent bumps. This is reinforced by signs that are displayed to remind children of this.

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provision

The childminder ensures her home is a welcoming, safe and secure environment for children to play and learn. She completes detailed risk assessments for her home and any outings and takes effective action to minimise any hazards. Clear policies are in place to show how the service operates. The childminder has attended training in child protection and is able to discuss the possible signs of abuse or neglect. Information is available regarding the procedure to follow for reporting any concerns about a child's welfare. Consequently, children are protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder has addressed the actions and recommendation for improvement raised at her last inspection and has recently completed an evaluation of her service. She has identified some areas for development. This shows she has some commitment to continuous improvement. However, the childminder does not rigorously assess her professional knowledge and personal development, to ensure her practice is kept up to date. For example, she was not aware of the need to carry out a progress check for children at age two until recently. Consequently, this has not been carried out for some children, which means the monitoring of children's developmental progress is not as rigorous as it should be.

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provision

The childminder has a friendly relationship with all parents and provides a flexible approach to meeting their needs. She provides them with copies of all her policies and procedures for their reference, and seeks their opinions of her service through questionnaires. Contracts are in place regarding the business arrangements, and information is displayed to raise parents' awareness of the areas of learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder makes time to chat to parents about their child's day on collection. Parents provide positive feedback on their satisfaction of the service. For example, they state that their children do not always want to leave the childminder and that they feel this is a good indication that they enjoy their time in the setting. They also say the childminder provides a warm, family environment. The childminder has effective links with providers of other early years settings children also attend, such as a local

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provision

playgroup, to support their transitions between the settings.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY392776 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 870878 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 9

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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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