Childminder in Birmingham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/11/2012 08/09/2011

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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 settled and content as they make warm relationships with the childminder and her husband.  Partnership with parents is open and friendly and they are kept informed about their children's progress through regular discussion and sharing the daily diary.  Children are engaged in talk throughout the day and receive praise and encouragement as they practise their early language skills.  Children are given confidence and encouragement to explore the play environment inside and out and are supported to engage and develop through the childminder's attention and enthusiasm.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder is not fully secure in her knowledge, of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and of the seven areas of learning.  The childminder has not maintained her first aid qualification.  Links with providers when children attend other settings are not fully developed.  Some documentation, with particular regard to the safeguarding and welfare requirements and parental consents, do not cover all the necessary elements.

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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 play activities in the lounge and in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder looked at children's records and daily dairies, observation and planning documentation and a selection of policies and daily records.

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Inspection activities

 The childminder spoke with the childminder and her husband at appropriate times throughout the visit.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector was not able to speak with parents on the day but took into account one parental view expressed in writing.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1994. She lives with her husband in the Weoley Castle area of Birmingham. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom and first floor bathroom are used for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has a pet dog. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently five children on roll of whom four are in the early years age range. Older children are also cared for before and after school and in the holidays. The childminder is also registered to provide overnight care. She makes use of local facilities, such as parks, and also attends a toddler group on a regular basis. The childminder holds an appropriate early years qualification.

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must:

 ensure that at least one person who has a current first aid certificate is on the premises at all times when children are present, and accompanies children on outings  improve knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements in order to effectively plan and assess children's progress across all the areas of learning.

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

 develop systems for self-evaluation to inform the setting's priorities and to set challenging targets for improvement

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

 develop further links with other early years providers where children also attend so that their transition and ongoing development is fully supported

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

 review and update the required documentation in relation to the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the information taken from parents in relation to their consents.

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who attend

The childminder provides a welcoming and relaxed environment where children settle well and move comfortably around. She has a range of resources to engage their interest and promote their learning and always tries to make learning fun. Although she is not fully clear about the areas of learning within the revised Early Years Foundation Stage, she is aware of the importance of helping children make progress through positive relationships, offering different play experiences and providing a variety of social and play opportunities. Play is generally child-led with the childminder spontaneously engaging through suggestions, asking questions and using the daily routine to extend learning. For example, children are spoken to throughout the day and the childminder uses songs, nursery rhymes and stories to encourage their developing language. She picks up and repeats key words and phrases remembered by the child, such as 'oh no' every time the tower of

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who attend

bricks falls down or 'bye-bye' when the child waves his hand. She identifies particular play items that children like, such as a feely book, where they explore different textures and also try to make the little puzzle as part of the story. Routine tasks like tiding away toys are accompanied by little jingles, which make it fun but also capture children's interest in songs and words.

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who attend

The childminder has a selection of resources set out to interest the individual child and gets down on their level to engage them further. Children are beginning to balance and stack the bricks into towers or help assemble the train track and, although their attention span is short and most enjoyment comes from knocking the towers down, the childminder also naturally introduces colours and numbers into the activity. Routines like coming down the stairs not only teach children about safety but also provide opportunities for counting. Children use their imagination as they play with the dolls and the small world figures or explore and create with a variety of materials, such as paint, glue, felts and crayons.

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who attend

The childminder generally understands how to help children develop and make progress and enjoys celebrating their achievements. She talks to parents at the start about their children's individual needs and observes them as they play and settle using documents, such as Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to check on their progress and identify their next steps. She is aware of the importance of assessing their progress so that she can offer support appropriately and has started to do an initial review of each child after they have settled in. She records their daily routine and activities in their diaries and has started to create a development folder to show their progress using her observations and photos.

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

Children move confidently around the home and have made warm relationships with the childminder and her husband, which means they feel confident to engage and explore. The childminder supports them with praise and encouragement and is concentrating on developing their social skills and independence. Children know the routine well and are learning to help with simple tasks, such as dressing themselves or collecting the childminder's shoes for a visit to the garden. Lots of praise, smiles and laughter create an environment where children feel secure and then begin to investigate and initiate their own play. The childminder encourages young children to share and take turns as they play. She understands that when two young children are playing together little episodes may happen as they need to learn to share her attention and the toys. She explains to older children why certain behaviour is not acceptable and gives them time to consider

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

their actions and the effect on the feelings of others.

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

Children are learning to play safely as they are gently reminded to take care on equipment or when they come downstairs. They learn to walk responsibly near roads and wear their high visibility jackets and wrist bands. Younger ones are developing confidence in their walking and coordination skills as they move around the house or manoeuvre the sit and ride toys. They hold on to the childminder's hand as they climb in and out of the play boat or try out the see-saw, and show hand and finger control as they push buttons on the musical toys or small play hoover. Children's health is well supported through nutritious home-cooked meals and healthy snacks and the childminder engages with parents in discussion about the importance of healthy diet and exercise. The childminder knows the value of outdoor play and exercise, so children enjoy daily walks to the park or the duck pond. They also regularly go out in the garden, where they play with balls and hoops and,

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

in the summer, enjoy the delights of a bouncy castle and water slide.

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provision

The childminder is not fully secure in her knowledge and understanding of the revisions to the Early Years Foundation Stage, although, she has downloaded all the relevant documentation to support her practice. Children are making suitable progress as she has a secure knowledge of how to support and engage children and provide different opportunities for them. She has attended a wide range of training since the last inspection, including completing her Level 3 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). However, self-evaluation is not yet fully developed to include monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the educational programme or to clearly highlight all weaknesses in practice. As a result, the childminder has not maintained her first aid certificate. This is a legal requirement of both the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register and has an impact on children's welfare, particularly if they are taken ill or have an accident. However,

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provision

this is a recent oversight and she has taken steps to address this. Although the childminder informally reflects on her practice and has some letters of recommendation from parents, she does not use any clear methods of monitoring, reviewing and constructively questioning her practice which means not all areas for improvement are identified. Children are safeguarded as the childminder has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities in protecting them and knows how to pass on any significant concerns. She has procedures in place to further promote their welfare, such as the safe collection of children, but some of these are not fully up-to-date and her documentation does not include all appropriate parental consents to fully support children's welfare.

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provision

The childminder provides a welcoming environment where children move freely around and have regular access to the outdoor play area. She has a basic routine which she follows and provides resources and activities which she identifies that children like and are generally suitable for their needs. She ensures that health and safety standards are maintained in the house and outside, and carries out regular risk assessment checks which she records and updates, for example, identifying areas of the house that are not currently in use due to being used for storage.

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provision

Partnership with parents is working well and the childminder engages with them to ensure most necessary information about the child is shared. She is aware of the importance of keeping parents involved in their children's day and does this through regular chats and texts. Children take their art work home and the childminder sometimes gives them a favourite book to read together at home. She keeps an informative daily diary to share with parents and they and other carers are encouraged to add their comments on the child at home and the activities they have shared, such as baking. The childminder takes and collects children from the local school and often passes messages between teachers and parents. However, the links to keep information about children's learning and development flowing are not effectively in place, which means opportunities to maximise their learning may be missed.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that an appropriate first aid qualification is in place (Welfare of the children being cared for) (applies to both parts of the Childcare Register)  take action as specified above (Welfare of the children being cared for)(voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 504673 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 819362 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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: 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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