Childminder in Leeds

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/06/2014 13/10/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has very high expectations of what children can accomplish, activities offer challenge and ignite children's imagination and motivation to learn and achieve. As a result, children make exceptional progress.  Children are extremely happy and secure in their environment. They confidently move around and freely access an exciting range of high quality resources. The varied range of resources and superbly presented environment enables children to initiate their own learning, make decisions and become active learners.  There are outstanding partnerships with parents and other settings. Detailed information is shared between them that helps all adults to contribute to providing highly effective support for children. As a result, children's individual needs, interests and stages of development are quickly identified and exceptionally well met.  The childminder is proactive and committed to providing high quality care. She has

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This provision is outstanding

completed a detailed and clear self-evaluation, showing input from parents and children. Strengths and weaknesses are effectively identified to ensure improvements from all aspects are put into place.  The childminder demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of her responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and child protection. There are effective policies and procedures in place to help manage any issues as they arise.

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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 had a tour of the childminder's home, including the kitchen, garden and play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder about her practice at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector observed the childminder caring for and playing with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's progress records, planning, tracking and assessment documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also reviewed the childminder's self-evaluation systems and a range of other supporting documentation, including parent comments and questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked the childminder's suitability, qualifications and her policies and procedures, including safeguarding, accident and medication records.

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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 three children aged 14, 11 and three years, in a house in Yeadon. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a cat and a hamster as pets. 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 and pre-schools. There are currently seven children on roll, five of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She 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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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance the existing very good systems for monitoring and tracking children's assessments to ensure that they are precise and sharply focused in order to help all children reach and sustain the highest levels of achievement.

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who attend

Children make exceptional progress in their learning because the childminder has excellent understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn. The childminder has very high expectations of what children can accomplish. She offers activities that challenge and ignite children's imagination and motivation to learn and achieve. Activities are based on observations of what individual children can do and their stage of development. Planning embraces the needs of all children and is individual, flexible and identified from meaningful observations. Precise information enables the childminder to plan highly imaginative and stimulating experiences for the children. As a result, educational programmes have depth and breath across the seven areas of learning. Children's learning profiles contain a vast range of information, including observations, assessments and relevant examples of artwork and

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who attend

photographs of children engaged in activities. Detailed information is shared between parents and the local school which effectively helps all adults to contribute to providing quality support for children. As a result, children's individual needs, interests and stages of development are quickly identified and exceptionally well met. As a result, children are exceptionally well-prepared for their next steps in learning, such as nursery or school.

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who attend

Children confidently move around and freely access an exciting range of high quality resources. The varied range of resources and superbly presented environment enables children to initiate their own learning, make decisions and become active learners. The childminder engages children in a very natural way and understands how they learn enabling her to ignite their curiosity so that they are constantly learning new things. Children thoroughly enjoy hunting for mini-beasts with large magnifiers in the garden. The childminder encourages them to discuss the insects' names and describe what each insect might like to eat and where they might live. She supports this further with child-friendly information sheets, including words and pictures and children show pride in matching insects and discussing the letters in their names. This promotes children's communication skills and early literacy development incredibly well, as they eagerly take turns to join in

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who attend

the discussion. The childminder skilfully introduces mathematical concepts to the children, by talking to the children about size, colour and shape recognition. For example, they count the numbers of legs each insect has and discuss the shapes of their bodies. There is an extremely high level of willingness from children to take control and participate because they feel very much part of the decision making process. Children have access to chalks and crayons to make marks and independently draw spiders, resulting in early writing skills being developed well and extends children's previous learning. Children have access to a large selection of books and children choose their favourite storybook and talk about the non-fiction books that promote diversity. The childminder promotes diversity further through sensitive discussions about festivals and celebrations from around the world and uses resources that depict positive images of society. Children take part in circle

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who attend

and singing time where the childminder actively sings the children's names, as well as the songs, the childminder uses props from a song bag. Children shake musical instruments and dance as the childminder sings. Children excitedly ask her to change the words to familiar songs and she asks children to think about the actions and demonstrate them. For example, 'Sleeping bunnies' becomes 'Sleeping spiders' and the children wriggle about like spiders. This highly positive interaction encourages children to participate and thoroughly enjoy the session and the children receive lots of praise. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning is excellent.

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who attend

The childminder plans a wealth of activities to support children's learning in the outdoor environment. Children go outside freely into a fully enclosed garden area. The childminder enhances all aspects of children's experiences outside by providing them with a wide variety of resources and equipment, such as, slides, dens, tunnels, ball games, mark making, water and sand. Children use pots and pans to explore and experiment with and the childminder extends their learning with the concepts of 'full' and 'empty'. Children engage in a game of skittles, cooperatively sharing and taking turns. The childminder supports the children to count and begins to introduce addition and subtraction into their play, as the children discuss the number of skittles knocked down and how many are left. The excellent teaching techniques are reflected outdoors and the chidminder continues to encourage children to think and ask appropriate questions during their play. Their physical

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who attend

development is supported thoroughly as they make frequent trips to the local park where they can run, jump, swing and climb as they gain an appropriate understanding of risk taking. The childminder takes children to several community groups and trips to the park with other childminders. As well as complementing the activities provided in her home, this gives children the opportunity of being in larger groups in preparation for when they start school.

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

Children are extremely happy and secure because the childminder supports children's emotional well-being and displays a consistently detailed knowledge of children, their routines and preferences. During the settling-in period the childminder collects information about children's specific dietary needs, allergies, medical needs and routines to ensure that these are accurately met and that care is consistent. Daily discussions and verbal exchanges of information ensure that children and parents form firm attachments with the childminder. These outstanding partnerships with parents are developed further to include other settings that the children attend. Detailed information is shared with children's school teachers, which creates a truly shared approach to providing highly effective support for children. As a result, children's individual needs, interests and stages of development are quickly identified and exceptionally well met. Therefore, children are

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

emotionally supported with the moves between settings.

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

The childminder uses very effective strategies to help children develop their independence and learn new skills. For example, children are provided with the space and time to master the skill of using a knife and fork at mealtimes. This helps to develop their hand-eye coordination, preparing them extremely well for their next stage of development. Children confidently move around and freely access an exciting range of high quality resources. Children show a very good level of self-care and can manage aspects of personal hygiene in relation to their age and stage of development. For example, the childminder discusses with children the importance of washing their hands thoroughly before mealtimes and after using the toilet and children confidently talk about killing germs. As a result, children have opportunities to learn effective hygiene procedures. All areas of the childminder's home are very clean and well maintained to help prevent the spread of germs.

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

Children behave extremely well. They are very thoughtful and caring to each other as they share and take turns with the toys. The childminder is consistent in her approach to managing behaviour and children receive excellent praise and encouragement as they play. This promotes children's self-esteem extremely well. Children are learning how to keep themselves and each other safe as they play. For example, they are sensitively reminded to not to run inside and children offer appropriate reasons to the request, such as, not tripping, falling and hurting themselves. Children are reminded about road safety as they go out and about on walks to and from groups.

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provision

Children's welfare is expertly understood by the childminder and she has a comprehensive knowledge of her safeguarding policy and procedures. Completion of training with regard to child protection ensures that she is fully up-to-date with current practices. She is skilled in effectively recognising any child who may be at risk of harm and knows the appropriate action to take. All documentation is reviewed and kept up-to-date, stored and organised securely, to maintain confidentiality. Robust risk assessments for all areas of the home and outings are in place, completion of regular fire drills and paediatric first-aid training, means children's well-being is never compromised. Visitor's identification is checked, ensuring no unauthorised person enters the home. Children's hours of attendance are recorded. All adults living in the childminder's home have been suitably checked through Disclosure and Barring Service checks. These measures enable children to have fun in a

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provision

calm and tranquil environment and parents can relax in the knowledge that their children are extremely well cared for.

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provision

The childminder uses her excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage well, to plan activities that provide children with challenge across the seven areas of learning. Excellent methods for the observation and assessment of children support the childminder's practice and ensure children make the best possible progress to achieve this. Alongside a 'tracker' sheet, this enables the childminder to effectively monitor the development of each child and ensure there are no gaps in children's learning. The childminder has recently introduced a new system to track and monitor children, which will enhance her already very good systems and improve her own knowledge. This means children are supported well in reaching their full potential. Self-evaluation is established and used very effectively to target areas for improvement, showing evidence of parents and children's views. As a result, the childminder has a clear overview of all opinions and

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provision

is proactive in providing high quality teaching and care. The childminder completes training run by the local authority and regularly discusses good practice with other childminders.

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provision

The childminder is confident and can discuss when to contact outside agencies to support children's development. She understands she can contact relevant agencies when she feels children need additional support or gaps in development have been identified. The childminder forges superb links with the local school and has developed excellent relationships with the teachers. The childminder visits the school and teachers are invited into the childminder's home to meet children before they move to school. As a result children are extremely well prepared for the eventual move to school. Parents are complimentary about the childminder and the service that she provides. They comment about how 'caring' 'welcoming' and 'flexible' she is and 'how their children never want to leave'. Older children show their appreciation by making cards and writing short messages to the childminder, who displays these on her noticeboard.

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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 EY370272 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 857991 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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