Childminder in Buckinghamshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/01/2013 Not Applicable

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

p.1

This provision is good

 The childminder has a strong partnership with his co-childminder and together they provide a warm, welcoming setting to meet the needs of the children.  Parents appreciate the service provided and feel their children are happy and make good progress in the setting.  Children's communication and language skills are developing well. The childminder chats freely, comments about what is going on and asks lots of open-ended questions to help children think and respond.  Children enjoy spending time with the calm, patient childminder who interacts well and offers lots of cuddles to promote their well-being.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder promotes children's safety well overall, although they do not know what to do in the event of having to evacuate the home in an emergency.

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the comments made by parents from written feedback.  The inspector observed children in the main play areas.  The inspector reviewed a range of relevant documentation.  The inspector observed the childminder interacting with the children as they played.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012. He lives with his wife and their teenage child in a detached bungalow in Monks Risborough, near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. Children have use of several rooms within the home and there is an enclosed garden available for outside play. The childminder makes use of local facilities, such as the children's centre, play parks and the library. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder works alongside his wife, who is also a registered childminder and they offer care from 7.30am until 6pm every week day throughout the year. Holidays are planned in consultation with parents. There are currently 17 children on roll, seven of whom are in the early years age range.

p.2

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

 increase children's understanding of how to stay safe and prepare for changes in the routine by talking about and practising how to evacuate the home quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.

p.3

who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development in this stimulating environment. The childminder works closely with his experienced co-childminder. Together they make worthwhile observations, which show that children are reaching the expected levels of development and in some cases exceeding them. He maintains a detailed learning journey folder for each child, which contains lots of photographs and an initial assessment of their abilities. Children enjoy looking at these and recalling past events, such as, a trip to the park. The childminder has completed a written summary of progress for children aged two years as required, which highlights the progress they have made in the prime areas of learning. Parents provide information about children's starting points at the beginning of the placement and continue to share their observations from home through daily chats with the childminder. This helps to successfully promote each child's

p.3

who attend

learning and development. Each child has a daily diary which goes between the setting and home containing all the details of their care and education. This means the childminder keeps parents constantly up to date with their child's progress and development.

p.3

who attend

Children take part in a wide range of planned purposeful play through a mixture of adult- led activities and many activities that they initiate themselves. The childminder extends children's learning away from the home through interesting visits that help them gain new skills and understand the world around them. For example, they visit a garden centre where they explore plants and flowers and attend a weekly music group at the church where they express themselves through song and action rhymes. Children enjoy playing outdoors and have many opportunities to do so in the setting. They have use of the large garden which has a range of equipment, such as, balls and a swing and use the large apparatus at the local park to develop their physical skills through climbing, running and balancing.

p.3

who attend

The childminder promotes children's communication and language skills effectively. He does this by chatting freely and introducing new vocabulary, such as, the names of dinosaurs. He asks effective open-ended questions, such as, 'what else can you see?' as children watch squirrels in the garden. The childminder gives children opportunities to develop their listening skills and notice the natural sounds in the environment. For example, they go for a walk to see the horses in a nearby field but stop to watch and listen to the wind blowing in the tall trees. This further promotes their understanding of the world. Children eagerly anticipate having their favourite stories read to them by the childminder from the vast selection available. This provides further opportunities for children to listen, increase their vocabulary and understanding as well as develop their early reading skills.

p.4

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

The childminder has a warm, patient manner which the children respond very well to. They enjoy lots of positive interaction and loving cuddles which makes them feel safe and secure. Children of different ages play co-operatively together and are encouraged to learn how to share, take turns and behave appropriately; following the house rules in place. As a result the atmosphere is calm and relaxed. The spacious home has been fully risk assessed to identify potential hazards that may harm children and the childminder supervises them at all times. Safety measures include stair gates to prevent access to some rooms. During outings children talk about road safety so they gain an understanding of how to keep themselves safe by the road. They are aware of the daily routine but are unprepared for any changes that may occur, for example, as they have not talked about or practised the evacuation drill. This reduces their awareness of what to do in an

p.4

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

emergency in the childminder's home. The childminder completes hygienic nappy changes in the cloakroom which provides privacy for children. This area also contains a sign reminding children to wash and dry their hands properly so that germs do not spread. Children manage their self-care needs by washing their hands independently and attempting to put on their shoes and coats.

p.4

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

Children enjoy a range of healthy meals and snacks planned and prepared by the co- childminder who takes responsibility for this aspect of the business. The food provided meets children's individual dietary requirements. Children learn new skills and try different flavours and textures as they participate in regular cooking activities. The spacious, welcoming home allows children to play and move freely. There is a very range of high quality toys and resources which the childminder rotates so children have lots of choice. The lounge is set up each day depending on the ages and number of children attending. For example, a tub of baby toys is present along with resources, such as, play figures, books and jigsaw puzzles.

p.4

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

The childminder manages children's transition from home to the setting well. He arranges pre-visits at the weekend so as not to detract from the care provided for existing children during the week. He discusses all aspects of the service provided with parents who have access to the range of well written policies and procedures so they know what to expect. Children can browse the many photograph albums available so they can see the type of activities provided in the childminder's care. This helps to promote children's well-being from the start.

p.4

provision

The childminder benefits from working with his experienced co-childminder who has clearly influenced his practice. Between them they have built a successful business that many families value. The childminder has a secure knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. He has gained this through his initial childminding training and lifelong passion and interest in education culminating in his voluntary work at the local school. He meets all legal requirements and has a clear understanding of his role and responsibilities. The childminder constantly evaluates the service provided with his co- childminder to ensure he makes improvements and standards remain high. Training is important to the childminder and he clearly sees the value of it. Since registering he has attended regular advice, information and business network meetings hosted by the local authority to keep up to date with current practice. He has attended a variety of courses

p.5

provision

relating to the reformed Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and observation, assessment and planning. He monitors the experiences provided for children well and has realistic plans for the future. These include extending the outdoor facilities with a slide and purchasing playsuits so children can play outside whatever the weather. The childminder often refers to a wide selection of factual childcare books and manuals. He uses these to support his practice and increase his knowledge and understanding to promote effective outcomes for children.

p.5

provision

Parents appreciate the very professional flexible service and fair attitude the childminder adopts when operating the business. The childminder offers very good support to parents and often goes above and beyond what they expect, such as, collecting children from home during snowy weather so they can attend. Parents fully appreciate this and say the childminder provides a 'lovely, caring, family environment' where he 'dotes on the children' and 'treats them as his own'. Parents feel the childminder ensures children feel 'safe, valued and happy' and he 'teaches children invaluable life lessons'. Children have consistency in their learning as the childminder has established good links with other local settings including the school and pre-school. They take part in meetings and use email contact to share relevant information about the children and identify their next steps in learning. This promotes good continuity of learning for the children and prepares them

p.5

provision

well for the next stage in their learning.

p.5

provision

The childminder has attended safeguarding training which has increased his understanding of his responsibility to promote children's welfare. His written policy underpins his awareness of the procedure to follow if he has concerns about a child. This helps to further promote children's safety and welfare.

p.5

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

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6

Setting details

Unique reference number EY449756 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 809887 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 17

p.7

Name of provider

Date of previous inspection Not applicable

p.7

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.

p.7

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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. 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

p.7

Type of provision

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, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

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’.

p.9

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9