Childminder in Suffolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/10/2012 10/03/2009

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

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are provided with an interesting range of toys and play materials, which helps them to explore. They have some opportunities to make free choices over their play.  Children form good relationships with the childminder and with other children. They are settled and comfortable in her care and enjoy the quality interaction they receive from her.  Children's well-being is appropriately promoted, for example, the childminder ensures that they experience fresh air and exercise on a regular basis and talks to them about keeping safe and healthy.

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It is not yet good because

 Opportunities for children to develop a knowledge of the world are limited. The activities available to them do not fully enable them to gain an understanding about similarities between themselves and others and among families, communities and traditions; in addition they have limited opportunities to explore technology.  The childminder's systems to review and evaluate her provision for children are not robust. Self-evaluation does not effectively identify areas for improvement.  Partnership working is not fully embedded to enable the childminder to work effectively with other providers when children attend more than one early years provision.  Risk assessments are not fully secure and do not identify and address all areas of risk within the home.

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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 lounge.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed all areas of the childminder's home used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, photographs to support the childminder's observations, certificates to evidence training courses which the childminder has attended, risk assessments, written policies and a range of other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents obtained through the completion of questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with one adult child in a house in Ipswich, Suffolk and uses the whole of the ground floor, the bathroom and toilet on the first floor and the rear garden for childminding.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has completed basic training including first aid and child protection and updates her knowledge through specific courses such as food hygiene. She attends a childminder group and the local children's centre. She visits the local shops and parks on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently five children on roll; three are in the early years age group. These three children attend for a variety of sessions, whilst two of them attend full-time school. A further two children are school-age children who attend before and after school. The childminder provides care and education all-year-round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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must:

 develop the educational programme for understanding the world by: planning activities which enable children to celebrate and value culture, religious and community events; encouraging children to explore a range of technological resources  ensure risk assessments are robust and identify and address any potential hazards within the home.

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

 improve systems for reviewing and evaluating the provision for children; ensuring that a successful development plan, which drives improvement and identifies the setting's strengths and weaknesses, is put in place

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

 develop partnerships with parents, external agencies and other providers to further enhance the meeting of children's needs; with particular emphasis on establishing systems to enable greater partnership working when a child attends more than one early years setting.

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who attend

The childminder's understanding of the three prime and four specific areas of learning is satisfactory. She provides children with interesting toys and play resources, which enable them to explore learning across all seven areas. She provides some opportunities for older children to make choices over their play and learning by accessing play materials from the storage cupboard within her main play area. When younger children are being cared for, the childminder presents age-appropriate play equipment based on their capabilities, interests and needs. She develops a secure knowledge of their likes and presents resources, which build on their initiated play. For example, she knows that young children in her care are beginning to explore texture and touch. She tapes a piece of bubble wrap onto the floor to provide them with something new and exciting to feel. She understands that younger children need to secure skills in the three prime areas in order to progress

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who attend

onto the specific areas. For example, she spends time extending younger children's language skills by responding to their babbles and sounds and naming objects and pictures in books. She provides toys, such as walkers and pushchairs to help younger children to take their first steps with support.

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who attend

Children enjoy participating in activities, which enable them to develop their social skills, such as a local childminder drop-in group. They express themselves creatively through some planned and some freely chosen activities and experiences. The childminder helps them to develop their understanding of people who help us, by providing a range of dressing-up clothes and role play materials, such as police, nurse and fire fighter uniforms. The range of resources and play materials available encourage children to explore numbers, shapes and colours. They use sand and water in a range of ways, including mark-making, when they use paint brushes and water to paint letters and trays of sand to trace letters and numbers. Children are provided with some opportunities to develop their knowledge of the world, through resources and books. Some festivals and special occasions celebrated with other childminders and their minded children, help children to

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who attend

learn about other people's customs. However, there are limited opportunities for them to fully explore people's differing needs, cultures and religious beliefs. They have access to some technological resources, such as simple programmable toys for younger children. However, older children have no access to a computer or technological equipment, such as keyboards and old mobile phones.

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who attend

The childminder observes children's play and records a picture of their progress in their individual learning journeys. She is beginning to use the document, Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to plot their progress and to identify their next steps in learning. Parents are provided with some opportunities to play an active role in their children's learning, usually through verbal discussions at the end of each day. An informal system for planning appropriate activities is used to provide children with a range of adult- led and child-initiated play experiences.

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

Children are settled and comfortable in the childminder's care, as she has clear settling-in procedures in place. She encourages parents to share clear information about their children's interests, capabilities and home background with her before she commences caring for them. Children form close and caring relationships with the childminder and learn to play and cooperate with other children. The childminder enhances their self- esteem and self-confidence through praise and encouragement, for example, by clapping and gently cheering when children place rings in the correct order on the plastic base. Through the childminder's clear role modelling and consistent routines, children learn about appropriate behaviour and being kind towards each other.

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

The childminder's clear systems promote children's health and well-being. She encourages them to learn about keeping healthy through topics, books and discussions. They understand which foods are good for them as the childminder talks to them about eating healthily. They experience fresh air and exercise on a daily basis, when they take and collect children from school, visit local parks and activity centres and play in the childminder's garden. Consistent routines, such as hand washing, encourage children to develop their self-care skills. Younger children become involved in their care routines, as the childminder talks to them about what is going to happen next, for example, she tells them that she is going to get their milk and that they need a nap. Children develop some knowledge about keeping safe, as the childminder provides opportunities for them to crawl, reach for toys and roll around the lounge floor. They are supported when using the

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

bathroom on the first floor and older children are encouraged to play a part in risk- assessing their play.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates an appropriate knowledge and understanding about how to safeguard and protect the children in her care. She has attended training in the past and feels confident about referring any concerns to the appropriate authority. All adults living on the premises are vetted and proof of their clearance is held on file. Children play in a generally safe environment, however, risk assessments are not robust as some risks, such as hazardous cleaning materials which are stored within children's reach and the banisters at the top of the stairs which are of a ranch style, have been overlooked.

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provision

The childminder has limited systems to effectively use self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement and further training needs. She is beginning to review her documentation and working practices and has put together a file of information to inform parents about her policies and procedures. There have been some improvements made to the childminder's setting since the last inspection, which include the implementation of observation and assessment of children's learning, clearer documentation and the addition of more resources.

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provision

The childminder is committed to working in partnership with parents and with other agencies involved in their lives. She has some effective systems in place to enable her to do this, however, has yet to fully implement procedures to enhance her partnerships with other early years settings which children attend. She shares information with parents on a daily basis and encourages them to view their children's learning journeys, as often as they choose.

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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 251152 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 818391 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 3

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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.

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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 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

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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