Childminder in Sheffield

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/10/2012 23/06/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are confident and secure in the homely, welcoming environment, as the childminder takes good care to understand and meet their individual needs. They are very happy and settled.  The childminder plans activities and experiences that take into account children's interests and skills. These are used as an opportunity to further develop and encourage children's learning so they make good progress in their development.  Children enjoy a good range of experiences, activities and outings. These help them learn about the world and develop social skills.  The childminder regularly evaluates her practice, consulting with parents and children. She also identifies areas for improvement, such as future training opportunities.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage where children also attend, have yet to be fully developed to ensure continuity in their learning.

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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

 Discussions took place with the childminder, observations of children at play and their interaction with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of assessment records, planning documentation and other a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the view of a parent spoken to on the day and also written testimonials from other parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder has been registered since 1989. She lives with her partner and adult son in Sheffield, close to local shops, schools and parks. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding with access to the bathroom on the first floor. There is a secure garden to the rear of the house which is suitable for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently six children on roll in the early years age range. She is a member of the National Childminding Association.

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

 build on ways that information is shared with other providers to ensure that there is always consistency for children's learning and welfare.

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who attend

The childminder is an enthusiastic, caring person who nurtures each child, which helps them to thrive in her care. Children enjoy attending the setting and achieve well in a stimulating, inclusive environment. The childminder engages and interacts well with children. She provides a very good balance of adult-led and child-initiated play. Children enthusiastically take part in a range of activities that are tailored to their interests and abilities. The childminder has a clear system for assessing children's development, which includes detailed observations of their play and achievements. She confidently uses the Development Matters guidance materials to plan the next steps in their learning.

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who attend

Children are progressing well in their learning and development as the childminder skilfully supports the different ages of children in her care. She meets their individual needs by patiently encouraging, motivating and providing stimulating activities. Her ability to encourage language and communication is evident as she listens attentively and responds appropriately encouraging further thought and recall from the children. For example, children enjoy a story session about a bear, they turn the pages and feel the different textures and talk about how it feels. This means children are eager to learn and developing increasing levels of concentration.

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who attend

The childminder is very aware of the implementation of the two-year check and has already put this into practice and shared her assessments with parents. All assessment processes are securely in place and observations are linked to the seven areas of learning and development. Robust systems ensure children are making good progress, these clearly track the progress children are making towards the early learning goals. Records show that the childminder plans activities to support learning and development, which link to her observations. For example, a child is encouraged to recognise colours from a selection of cutters during a play dough activity. This means children benefit from targeted support, alongside the childminder's frequent discussions with parents. A range of visits are planned to extend further children's understanding of safety. For example, children visit the fire station and try on uniforms, handle hoses and look at other

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who attend

safety equipment on the fire engine. They have their own photograph albums, which include photos of the visit, which they regularly look at. This means they are able to make meaningful connections with the wider community and their understanding of safety is enhanced.

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

The childminder is a good role model, kind, caring, patient and calm in her manner. This means children begin to understand right from wrong and develop good social skills. The childminder understands the importance of providing an environment where children have fun, learn through play and feel safe and secure. Children are observed to be very happy and settled in the childminder's home. They form strong relationships because she interacts extremely warmly with them at all times. All children show a very strong sense of belonging within the provision.

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

The environment is extremely welcoming with displays of children's art and craft work and photographs of what children have been doing. Play resources are plentiful, age appropriate and of good quality. Children can select what they want to play with as they are stored in clear stacking boxes. These are labelled with pictures and words, this means children begin to understand that print has meaning. Children are cared for in an environment that is rich in print, where children learn about words and numerals. For example, a child correctly recognises a number on a label for the first time and the childminder recorded this as a significant moment in the child's learning.

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

The childminder has a sound understanding of how to promote the health and safety of the children in her care. She has taken positive steps to minimise potential hazards to keep children safe and maintains all of the required policies and procedures. Children's healthy lifestyles are supported well through outdoor play, fresh air and exercise and a good range of physical play experiences. For example, children visit local parks to experience a range of large play equipment and explore and investigate in the natural environment. The childminder supports children's understanding of a healthy diet. All children sit together at the table and older ones help each other to serve themselves nutritious homemade meals. By combining familiar foods and new tastes, such as exotic fruits, children appreciate different textures and healthier choices.

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

Parents are extremely happy with the childminder, saying they recommend her to others and a parent states how her 'children have learnt so much and have blossomed'. Another parent says 'my children are in a loving place and I am so happy to have a childminder like her'.

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provision

The childminder has very good understanding of her responsibility in meeting the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are rigorous systems in place to observe, assess and monitor children's progress. For example, assessment of children's learning and development tracks progress and clearly identifies any areas for development. The childminder is fully aware of the requirements of her registration and meets them diligently. She uses self-evaluation to highlight areas for further development, which enhance her provision. This means well-focussed improvement plans are implemented. The childminder works hard to improve her practice and has attended recent training to enable her to deliver the new areas of learning effectively. She understands about providing activities for the prime areas of learning and uses these as a firm foundation before introducing the specific areas to widen children's

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provision

Children are safeguarded and well-protected in the setting because the childminder knows what to do if she has any concerns about a child. She has undertaken safeguarding training and has a good knowledge of child protection procedures and all the relevant contact numbers. Risk assessments and daily checks ensure the environment is safe when children arrive.

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provision

The childminder has very good partnerships with parents and the information she collects from them ensures children's individual needs are met. The childminder confidently discusses children's routines, demonstrating that she knows them very well. She is extremely conscientious and works very hard to make sure parents' requests and children's needs are met. For example, parent questionnaires seek to discover any particular requests for outings and activities, including things children enjoy doing at home. The childminder keeps parents informed of the children's learning and development and they contribute to their development files. However, children's learning is not fully consolidated because it has not been effectively shared with other settings to provide continuity, by sharing what children already know and can do.

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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 300100 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 818596 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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