Childminder in Gloucestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder's skilful practice enables children to make good progress relative to their starting points.  The childminder works well with her co-worker to create an interesting, varied learning environment to promote children's all-round development and meet their needs well.  Children settle quickly and have good opportunities to make decisions and choices throughout their day.  The childminder strongly meets all requirements for children's safeguarding and welfare so they feel safe and secure.  The childminder fosters good relationships with parents and is committed to further professional development to improve the provision for children and their families.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder encourages parents to engage in daily conversation about children's well-being. However, she does not make the most of parents' knowledge about children's activities and progress at home to foster their learning at the setting.

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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 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as 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 for inspection 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  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 childminder's home and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed aspects of childminding with the childminder as appropriate and as these arose.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation which included the childminder's planning, self-evaluation form, assessment and monitoring records, training certificates and daily records.  The inspector also took account of the views of parents expressed in letters.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2012. She lives with her husband and three children in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The ground floor of the house is used for childminding, with access to the bathroom and a bedroom for sleeping on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. The home is near to town facilities, including shops, library swimming pool, soft play centre and parks. The family has a pet dog and fish kept in a tank. The childminder works with another registered childminder. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She offers care before, during and after school and in school holidays. There are currently five children in the early years age group on roll. The childminder attends a local childminder support group. She has a level 2 certificate and is working towards a level 3 qualification in childcare and education. She is a member of an approved childminding

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

 enable parents to have regular opportunities to contribute to children's learning and development records as part of the ongoing observation and assessment processes.

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who attend

The childminder's enthusiasm has a positive impact on children's learning and development, so that children make good progress. She is well aware of children's starting points and capabilities. She takes good account of the length of time children have been with her and how often they attend. She knows the current children from her work in their previous childcare setting. She gains much information from their parents and notes their responses as they settle and play. The childminder make good use of ongoing, detailed observational assessment while referring to Development Matters. She effectively evaluates children's play to incorporate what they need to learn into her teaching based on their interests and next steps in learning.

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who attend

The educational programmes for all seven areas of learning effectively help children to securely reach expected levels of development. Young children achieve good personal, social and emotional development as they establish secure relationships with the adults and other children. The childminder takes them to a children's group where they have opportunities to further socialise with other children. Children enjoy the challenges to develop physically and receive plenty of stimulation from the attentive childminder to extend their communication and language skills. Young children gain good levels of literacy as they self-register and use pictures as symbols of their chosen activities. They become engrossed in story books read by the childminder. They respond well to suggest answers to questions about the pictures and are challenged by open questions, such as 'What might happen next?' They thoroughly enjoy making marks in different media,

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who attend

including dipping sponges into paint to make prints. They chalk freely on the outside blackboard and learn about the sounds of letters in their names as the childminder writes these. They effectively develop in mathematics, for example, through sorting and lining up toy vehicles and building brick towers. They have ample opportunities to gain good understanding of their environment as they explore the neighbourhood. For example, in a local wood they find flowers and follow a squirrel.

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who attend

Young children receive strong support to develop good attitudes and skills to learn effectively. The childminder offers many comments to help them think. She skilfully gives them space and time to explore what they are interested in so that they concentrate and persevere in their learning. For example, children experiment with a collection of instruments to listen to the different sounds these make. They shake and bang these to song tunes and join in the actions of favourite rhymes. While outdoors, children receive good encouragement to explore their fascination with bug hunting. They find spiders and a snail that are carefully set aside for their protection. The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of encouraging children to become independent. They become well involved in the preparation and clearing away of activities, including finding brushes and paper for painting sessions. She supports children from a young age so that,

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who attend

when they eventually move on to full-time education, they have good social and learning skills.

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

The childminder's good practice ensures that children develop close bonds and good, emotional attachments to her. Young children arrive at the house happy and eager to enjoy their day with her. They demonstrate that they feel secure with the childminder as their key person and go to her for cuddles when they feel tired. They respond well to the good examples set by her and are learning to be polite, kind and helpful. The childminder praises them when they join in activities involving sharing and turn taking, including a ring game with a ball. Children receive good support to learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn to step over toys and around others. They behave responsibly as they tell each other the rules about waiting at the top of the stairs. They take small risks when exploring woodland, climbing on tree trunks and collecting sticks. They hear the childminder's clear explanations about how to safely handle fireworks, such as sparklers. Through her

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

consistent, focused interaction, the childminder strongly fosters children's physical and emotional well-being.

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

Young children benefit from active learning and enjoy the attractive home environment. Children are keen to explore the wide range of natural materials, including bark and water. They also choose from a wealth of good quality resources stored at their level, including drawing materials and dressing up clothes. They help to prepare activities, for example, carrying a box of bricks to the space in the next room. The childminder continuously encourages children to do things for themselves. From a young age, they develop good independence in eating, dressing and personal hygiene. The childminder makes effective use of sticker charts for toilet training that she shares with parents. Young children learn to take off their coats, place their wellingtons in the basket and fetch their slippers.

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

The childminder well supports them to gain a good understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and physical exercise. Children ask why she is cleaning the table and hear about the germs left by the glue. They join in food tasting sessions, planning which fruits to buy, such as strawberries and raspberries. The childminder effectively encourages them to try different tastes, such as pineapple, melon and kiwi fruit. Children eagerly spend long periods in the fresh air exploring the local environment, including parks and a soft play centre. In the garden, for example, they play energetically and enjoy a variety of mark making activities, such as 'painting' the fence.

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provision

There is good emphasis on safety as the childminder understands the safeguarding and welfare requirements well. Her knowledge of child protection procedures is strong as she has repeated training several times in her previous work in childcare. As a result, she is well placed to respond if she has a concern about a child. The childminder robustly contributes to effective, recorded risk assessments so that the premises are safe, secure and suitable for children. She completes detailed risk assessments to keep children safe on outings, including for the weekly swimming trip. She effectively implements written policies and procedures that reflect her daily practice.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. A well understood system to monitor the progress of children is in place so that if any child needs extra support, she could respond well to close any gaps in learning. She and her co-childminder discuss frequently to revise their planning. As a result, this effectively covers all areas of learning and reflects the varying needs, aptitudes and interest of children. The childminder makes good use of her own, written self-evaluation. She uses this well to inform priorities and in setting challenging targets for improvement, including completing her level 3 training. She values the positive comments from the early years advisor and acted immediately on the suggestion to add planning sheets, specifically based on children's interests. Each session, children contribute to a choosing board with symbols which gives a good idea of their preferences for play.

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provision

Partnership working is, overall, good. There are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies. The childminder has a positive attitude to working alongside others as and when the need arises to meet the needs of individual children. For example, she has a book ready to share information if there are any concerns. Parents share information about their children as they hand them over and collect them at the end of the day. The childminder offers each new family a communication dairy and requests that they complete a sheet for details about their children. The childminder holds regular meetings for parents to express their views about the provision and to see their children's learning records. However, they are not well encouraged to add details of children's activities and learning at home, in order to provide an all-round picture of children's progress. Parents are enthusiastic about the childminding

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provision

provision. They say that their children 'come on in leaps and bounds' in the personalised, home environment. They appreciate that their children 'get out and about so much everyday, regardless of the weather'.

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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. 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 EY445386 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 798287 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 3 Number of children on roll 5

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘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. 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 that are usually their 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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