Childminder in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/12/2012 22/12/2008

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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

 The childminder gives effective support to children so that they settle well, are happy and content and look forward to being with her.  Children regularly attend pre-school groups with the childminder, providing opportunities for them to develop social skills and try out new activities in different surroundings.  Children take part in a satisfactory range of indoor and outdoor activities and experiences that are suitable for their age and stage of development. They make steady progress in their learning overall.

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It is not yet good because

 Observation, assessment and planning for the next steps in children's learning have scope for improvement to ensure children make further progress across the seven areas of learning.  The childminder's self-evaluation has scope for improvement to support the development of the provision. The views of parents and children are yet to be captured as part of the process.

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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 and dining room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of practitioners working in the provision, and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector gave feedback to the childminder about the outcome of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1985. She lives with her child aged 14 years in the Lostock area of Northwich. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, along with the upstairs toilet. There is a secure garden available for outdoor play. Family pets include two cats and a dog. There are currently two children on roll, one of whom is within the early years age group. The childminder is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She holds an appropriate level 2 qualification in early years care and education.

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must:

 assess each child's progress across all seven areas of learning in relation to their age and stage of development and use this information to plan the next steps for each child.

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

 improve self-evaluation by being more reflective about the strengths and weaknesses in the setting, raising clearer targets for ongoing improvement, prioritising how and when these will be achieved and developing a system for ensuring that parents are children are involved in the process.

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who attend

Children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder is developing ways to track and monitor the children's development but the assessment of each child's progress across all seven areas of learning, in relation to their age and stage of development, is not used to best effect to plan appropriate challenges. A learning journey for each child, accompanied by a photographic account of their time at the setting, provides parents with a clear idea of the range of activities that children participate in. However, they do not give the childminder, or any future provider, precise information about what children know and can do in order to plan the next steps in their progress. Consequently, not all activities are supported well enough.

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who attend

Children are self-confident and happily explore their surroundings. They know where the toys and resources are stored and access them independently, developing their decision- making skills and freedom of choice from an early age. Overall, children's learning and development is in line with the expected developmental ranges for their age. As a result, they are obtaining the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or the next stage of learning. Children begin to understand technology in the world by being interested in simple mechanisms and how to operate them. They use a range of toys and practise pushing buttons and pulling switches to make them work. They are inventive and understand that they can change the way they operate things, replacing some objects with others. They move happily and confidently around the setting, expressing themselves through actions and sounds they make. The childminder understands each individual

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who attend

The childminder is attentive to the needs of children. She interacts warmly with them by sitting on the floor so that she is at eye level, participating in some of their chosen activities, praising them and offering encouragement as they try new things. Children enjoy listening to music and begin to express themselves creatively. They have opportunities to use a range of different media and textures to create their own ideas and express themselves, for example, as they make full use of the playhouse to create their own small world. There are opportunities to practise early writing skills because the childminder provides a wide range of writing and drawing implements, and some of the children's work is displayed so they understand that their work is valued.

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

All children are happy and settled in the care of the childminder. She knows the children and their families well, providing a welcoming and caring environment. She gathers and records relevant information from parents about the children's welfare and care routines to ensure she meets their individual needs.

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

The childminder provides a play environment in which the children are willing to learn, try new activities and explore their surroundings with ease. Children know where resources are and they self-select activities and toys from low-level storage units and boxes, for example, picking out a farm and animals. Children form positive relationships with the childminder and their confidence is growing because of the praise and encouragement she gives to them as they achieve in their efforts. Children's personal and social skills are developing successfully because the childminder has a sound understanding of children's development and provides activities, both within the home and outside, to ensure they continue to make progress across the areas of learning. This helps them prepare for their move to school.

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

The childminder introduces the concept of good practice in relation to children's exercise, healthy eating, sleeping and hygiene by supporting their independence and understanding in these areas from an early age. Children enjoy outdoor activities and experiences on a daily basis, which helps them to develop their understanding of the world around them. They use the local parks and enjoy walks as they explore the surrounding community. Children behave well because the childminder implements clear rules and boundaries consistently. As a result, children are learning about right and wrong and understand the childminder's expectations of them during their time with her.

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provision

The childminder has continued to build and extend on her training opportunities in a number of areas and is currently completing a level 3 qualification to enhance her practice. All of the required documentation that is required for the safe and efficient management of the setting is in place. However, the process of self-evaluation is not yet fully embedded to identify strengths and areas for improvement, particularly in relation to the impact of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and the requirement to assess each child's progress across all seven areas of learning. As a result, observation and planning are not consistently carried out to give the childminder enough information about what children know and can do, in order to help her plan next steps for children's progress across the areas of development.

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provision

The childminder has a sound awareness of safeguarding procedures and is confident that she would know what to do if there was a concern about a child in her care. She has completed training to help support her with her knowledge of safeguarding and to help her meet requirements. Children's safety is promoted well and the childminder has developed a range of written policies and procedures that are specific to her setting which give an outline of how her childminding service is organised to meet the needs of children.

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provision

The childminder maintains strong and positive relationships with parents. She liaises with them informally on a daily basis in relation to ensure children's care needs are met and she regularly shares information about children's routines and the activities they complete. She ensures that she knows about other settings where children spend their time through her communications with parents and informal relationships with local groups.

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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 303933 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 818697 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 14 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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