Childminder in Durham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/02/2013 30/03/2009

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are happy, motivated and eager to join in with activities. They benefit from a wide range of fun activities and experiences, which provide them with opportunities to make good progress across all areas of learning.  The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of her responsibilities with regard to the welfare and safeguarding requirements. Consequently, children are cared for in a warm, welcoming and friendly environment that promotes their safety and well-being.  The childminder has developed very good relationships with parents, which are based on mutual respect and understanding. Feedback from parents is very positive about the high level of care and education the childminder provides.  The childminder's training and experience has a positive effect on the quality of the environment and activities provided for children. She works very closely with her assistants and has a strong commitment to ongoing development to further improve

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Resources are not labelled to further support children in making independent choices and to further enhance their recognition and awareness of the written word.  There is scope to further improve children's awareness of the wider world through a wider range of resources, for example, using maps to introduce topics.

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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 had a tour of the premises and observed children playing with the childminder and her assistants.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journeys, a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through written comments that they left for the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and three children in St Helens Auckland, near Bishop Auckland. The childminder has two assistants, who work alongside her. The whole of the childminder's home is used for childminding. There is a garden available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a childminder group and the local children's centre. She visits the local shops and park on a regular basis. The childminder collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 16 children on roll, 10 are in the early years age group, who attend for a variety of sessions and five are school-aged children, who attend before and after school. The childminder provides care all year round from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays and training days.

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

 extend children's understanding of written words by creating an environment, which is rich in print, such as using labels for resources

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

 enhance children's understanding of the world around them by using resources, such as maps of the world.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development because they are offered a stimulating and varied range of activities. The childminder gathers information about children's starting points through gathering information from parents using 'All about me' forms and initial observations. This helps her to have a good understanding of children's individual needs. Ongoing observations of children's learning, along with photographs and examples of their work are matched to the areas of learning and recorded in colourful learning journals. The childminder and her assistants use this information to assess children's progress towards the early learning goals and plan activities based on their interests and next steps in learning. She shares the learning journals with parents and has recently introduced weekend slips. These provide good opportunities for parents to be further involved in their child's ongoing learning. The childminder supports children's

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who attend

progression well because she provides a stimulating learning environment. Resources are rotated regularly and are stored around the home, where children can access them independently. However, resources are not labelled to further support children in making independent choices and aid them in recognising the written word. Children are active learners and are involved in and concentrate on their chosen activity for increasing periods of time, such as making salt dough and playing with trains. The childminder supports their learning well, for example, she encourages them to count how many cups of flour they need and introduces language, such as 'more, less and half' into the activity. This supports children's mathematical skills along with promoting their language development. Children's physical skills are supported well throughout the activity, as they are encouraged to spoon, pour and mix. They have further good

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who attend

opportunities to be physical as they play in the garden. For example, they play with footballs, bounce on the trampoline and enjoy splashing in the rain with their umbrellas.

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who attend

Children's communication skills are developing well. They talk confidently to the childminder, her assistants and each other, talking about what they are doing or coming to them for help. Circle time further supports their language skills as they choose favourite nursery rhymes to sing and join in confidently with the actions. For example, holding hands with their friends as the pretend to 'row the boat'. Children show an interest in books. For example, older children select them to look at independently, while younger children sit quietly with the childminder or her assistants as they read stories to them. Children have opportunities to learn about the world around them through planned activities. For example, they are encouraged by the childminder to switch on the computer to search out information about the Chinese New Year. However, there is scope to improve this by using resources to introduce the topic, such as maps of the world.

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who attend

Nevertheless, the children do enjoy the activity. Older children are excited by the prospect of writing their names in Chinese while younger children confidently point out the different animals and the noises they make. This ensures that all children are included in the activity at their own level.

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

Children are happy, settled and confident in the childminder's care. This is due to well organised settling-in procedures. Children and their parents come for visits to the childminder's home, so that the childminder and her assistants can get to know them and they can become familiar with the environment. This results in a smooth transition from the child's home to the childminder's care. Children attend a range of playgroups where they have regular opportunities to socialise with their peers. This is combined with planned daily routines, such as circle time and walking to the nursery to collect older children. This helps to familiarise children with nursery and their routines, in order to prepare them for the transition when appropriate.

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

Children benefit from ample space to play indoors and outside and are well supervised by the childminder and her assistants. They have developed close and caring relationships with the childminder and her assistants. For example, they approach them confidently for support, cuddles and reassurance. Children learn about positive behaviour as the childminder encourages them to share and take turns with toys. They are encouraged to help with everyday tasks, such as tidying away the toys or helping to get the table ready for snack.

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

The childminder promotes children's health well. She provides a healthy and well-balanced diet, which takes into account any dietary requirements. Children gain an understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles as they are encouraged to select healthy toppings for their home-made pizza. They talk about how exercise is good for them as they take part in weekly fun exercise sessions. Children are kept safe in the setting as the childminder implements effective procedures to minimise risks. For example, daily checks are done prior to children arriving and appropriate safety equipment is used. She helps children to learn about how to keep themselves safe through discussion and planned activities. For example, in the home, they are reminded sit on chairs properly and they practise regular fire drills.

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provision

The childminder organises her setting well. She has a good understanding of her responsibilities for meeting the safeguarding, welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Written policies and procedures are in place and followed by the childminder and her assistants to ensure that all children's welfare is effectively safeguarded and promoted. The childminder and her assistants have completed child protection training. This means that they are confident regarding the signs and symptoms and procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child. The childminder ensures that all people, who have regular contact with the children, including her assistants, have had the necessary checks to ensure their suitability. This is combined with a daily register and a record of all visitors to the setting. Written risk assessments ensure that any hazards are identified and minimised. As a result, children

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provision

are cared for and play in a safe environment.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of working in partnerships with parents and other providers involved in children's care and learning. She regularly shares information about children's progress with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This ensures that continuity of learning and care for children, who attend more than one setting. Partnerships with parents are very good and they speak very highly of the care and learning she provides, stating that she is 'fantastic' and they 'cannot speak highly enough of her'. The childminder ensures that parents are well informed about the service she provides. For example, parents sign to say they have read all of her policies and procedures and a wealth of information, including training, public liability insurance, planning and the menus are clearly displayed for parents to see.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a genuine commitment to improving her knowledge and understanding of good quality childcare. She works very closely with her assistants, arranging weekly team meetings where they reflect on their practice, plan and discuss children's progress. This ensures that all areas of learning are covered well and any gaps in children's progress are identified. The childminder monitors and evaluates her practice through the effective use of self-evaluation, which takes into account the views of her assistants and parents, through the use of questionnaires. This helps to identify areas for development. She also works closely with her local early years advisor to help her to identify future areas for development. For example, she has identified that she would like to improve her understanding of the progress checks at age two years. The childminder works closely with her assistants, completing appraisals and identifying areas for

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provision

professional development, to enhance children's development. All actions and recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been fully addressed, for example, the childminder now has an up-to-date record of children's attendance. This helps to safeguard children and demonstrates a positive attitude towards continuous improvement.

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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 EY271889 Local authority Durham Inspection number 819888 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 16

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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. 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

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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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