Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/01/2013 25/07/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Children make good progress in their speaking skills. The childminder values and listens to them giving them many reasons to talk, for example commentating on things they are doing.  Children's safety is prioritised through the robust risk assessments the childminder makes and her vigilance around safety, both in the home and when on outings.  Children benefit from strong continuity of care between the childminder, parents and some other settings that children attend. She uses information that she gathers to plan more effectively for all children's needs.  The childminder completes accurate self-evaluations on the service she provides and clearly identifies her strengths and weaknesses. She is committed to updating her professional knowledge and making improvements to her service.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Partnership with most other providers is open and friendly, with good levels of information shared to promote continuity of care and progress. However, there is scope to extend these partnerships

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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 majority of inspection time was spent with the childminder observing her practice and that of her assistant, with the minded children. This took place in the childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's information and development records. These were discussed with the childminder to assess her understanding of the child's developmental milestones and how she plans for children's next steps.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in ongoing discussion with the childminder to assess her understanding of the welfare requirements and samples of policies and other records, were checked.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the process of self-evaluation and how the childminder obtains the views of all the users to ensure her setting meets their needs and aspects for future improvement.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1999. She lives with her two adult children in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder currently cares for five children and of these, four are in the early years age group. All attend on a part-time basis.

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

 Share more detailed information on children's next steps with other providers in order to use this shared knowledge to plan together a cohesive approach to moving children forward in their learning.

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who attend

Children make good progress in all areas and in some areas exceed the expected goals. This is because the childminder has a very secure understanding of how young children learn and develop. Accurate observations of things children can and cannot do, identify specific areas for development and planned activities close gaps in learning. Children achieve well because planning is very much child-led and organised according to their interests and individual learning needs. They benefit from a good range of play based experiences that challenge them to engage and find things out for themselves. The childminder encourages children to choose what to play with and they select favourite activities from the wide selection on offer, leading their play according to their interests. Children persevere at self-chosen activities for long periods of time and are well supported by the childminder who follows their lead in their play. It is evident though discussions

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who attend

with the childminder that she knows the children well and uses her knowledge effectively to further support them in their development. Children's communication skills are encouraged and the childminder speaks to children constantly about what they are doing. She repeats back to younger children what they have said or gently corrects their pronunciation by modelling words or phrases to help them build their confidence. Children's vocabulary is very good with records and discussion showing that considerable progress has been made from their starting points. Early literacy skills are developing as children share songs and stories with the childminder, which they enjoy immensely and further encourages their language development and literacy. Children build on their numeracy skills as they enjoy challenging games that help them to look at colours and numbers. They develop a good understanding of technology.

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who attend

They press buttons on interactive toys to make sounds and use a variety of programmable toys to build their understanding of how things work. Children have good opportunities to be creative and enjoy a wide range of self-chosen craft activities such as drawing and sticking. Young children spend time drawing self-portraits and accurately identifying areas of their body as they add them to the picture with help from the childminder.

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who attend

Children enjoy many activities within the local community which help them learn about the world around them. They enjoy trips to the toddler groups where they experience new activities and play alongside other children, preparing them well for starting nursery and school. The childminder actively promotes equality and diversity and demonstrates a good understanding of how to give support to children who have additional needs.

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who attend

Positive partnerships are in place with parents and a good level of information is shared on a very regular basis, in a variety of appropriate and effective ways. The childminder verbally discuss children's ongoing progress on a daily basis and provides parents and carers with a half-termly report which gives them a clear idea how they child is progressing. The childminder prepares children well for school through her professional and knowledgeable planning to meet their individual needs.

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

The childminder builds warm and affectionate relationships with the children in her care, and they are clearly very secure and settled as a result. Plenty of cuddles and affection are shared, enabling all children to feel well cared for and valued. Children benefit from having the childminder alongside them at all times, bringing extra interest to their play and being a strong role model. They have developed strong and positive relationships with the childminder who promotes a strong sense of security and emotional well-being for the children in her care. Children's behaviour is good and they receive lots of praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. Children learn about looking after things and being tidy as the childminder actively encourages them to help her tidy away toys and equipment after use. Younger children develop respectful relationships as they play alongside each other under the gentle supervision of the very calm and supportive

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

childminder. She assists them to play board games together, promoting turn taking and an understanding of rules. Self-initiated play opportunities and the freedom to develop their own play means that children are given a beneficial balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning. Children use a good range of quality toys and resources, which are well organised and easily accessible for them to make choices in the purpose built playroom. The learning spaces are very well organised and resources are thoughtfully deployed to allow maximum choice and independence for children in accessing them. The diversity of individuals is highly valued and respected and the childminder actively promotes equal opportunities, ensuring that all children and families feel fully included. Children's physical development is progressing well. They have access to various activities requiring the use of tools such as, dough cutters, painting brushes and writing implements. Children access a range of

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

large equipment such as tricycles, balls and bats which develops their physical skills further and enjoy opportunities to balance and climb at local parks and play centres.

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

Children's dietary needs and parental requests are considered. The childminder provides them with a selection of healthy balanced foods for snacks and meals such as fresh fruit or vegetables. Children sit at the table to eat and this routine supports the development of their social skills. Children make sensible choices at snack time and self-select a healthy option from the fruit bowl. They spend time peeling the skin from an orange, demonstrating a desire to 'give it a go themselves' before asking for help, and throw away the skin in the bin, which allows them to develop their independence skills, effectively preparing them for their transition to school. Children learn about good hygiene routines as they are encouraged to wash their hands before eating. Children remain healthy because effective hygiene routines are followed, including a suitable sickness policy. Children rest and sleep according to their individual needs.

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

Children are encouraged to learn how to keep themselves safe. The childminder provides good support and has suitable expectations for the children to help them understand about risks around them. They learn why there are house rules, such as not standing on the settee and are reminded about road safety as they go out and about. This helps them to develop a sense of responsibility for their own well-being as well as helping them to understand about the wider world.

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provision

Safeguarding procedures are robust. All policies and procedures to promote children's health, safety and welfare are fully in place. The childminder completes a risk assessment of the premises, toys and equipment, in order to provide a safe, secure, child-centred and enabling environment. Children are developing a good ability to identify and manage risk for themselves through their daily routine activities, discussion and practise of safety drills. The childminder has completed safeguarding training and is confident in her ability to identify any concerns. She has a good understanding of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and has a secure system in place to monitor and refer any concerns she may have.

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provision

The childminder fully understand her responsibilities to support children's learning and development. She manages the educational programmes effectively so that all children develop the skills they need to take part and explore, becoming active learners. She has a good knowledge of the ways in which children learn and her interactions are always purposeful and positive. Observations of children's play, along with information from their parents are used to build a full picture of their individual levels of ability in each area of learning.

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provision

The childminder has strong relationships with parents, carers and others involved in the care of the children. A variety of communication techniques to establish good day-to-day working relationships with parents and carers such as texting and verbal discussions, ensures that changing children's needs are always accommodated. Children are well- prepared for transitions between providers. Regular meetings and exchanges of information between other childminders and local pre-schools who share the care of the children, enables the childminder to monitor children's progress and development. However while the childminder meets regularly with these providers and discusses what children have been doing in her setting, regular exchanges of information to plan for children's next steps are not always shared. This means that other settings are not always able to become more cohesively involved in working towards a similar progress target in

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provision

order to promote children's learning further.

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provision

Good systems are in place to evaluate the provision. The childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the service she provides. She attends regular training events to update her knowledge and skills and she maintains good professional networks in her local community. She seeks appropriate advice, support and guidance if she is unsure of any aspects of her practice, welcoming this as part of her continuous professional development plan.

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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 134657 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 846425 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 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:

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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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