Childminder in Warrington

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/02/2013 07/11/2008

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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

 Children have warm and friendly relationships with each other and the childminder. This helps them to feel secure.  Children can choose from a wide range of resources and enjoy making up their own games, which generally supports their imaginative play.  Children are helped to make the transition to school and other settings because the childminder takes them to local toddler groups. This helps them to get used to a busier environment and to develop necessary social skills.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder allows constant access to the television, which distracts children's deeper thinking during play.  The monitoring of children's progress is not rigorous enough yet to effectively identify areas where they may need support.  The childminder's evaluation of her practice lacks rigour and does not take account of parents' views, and so they are not able to contribute ideas to help her improve.  Children are not always given enough time to think about how to respond to questions the childminder asks, which does not fully support their communication and language development.

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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 the childminder interacting with children.  The inspector inspected areas of the premises used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a range of documentation, including certificates, risk assessments, medicine records and children's learning files.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with children and had discussions as appropriate, with the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register in 1993. She lives with her husband and two adult children. The family has a dog. They live in a house in Thelwall, Warrington close to shops, parks, schools and pre-schools. The ground floor is used for childminding. This includes a conservatory, dining area, kitchen and extension. Children use the bathroom on the first floor. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. There are currently five children on roll in the early years age range and three school-aged children. All children attend on a part-time basis. The childminder attends toddler groups on a regular basis.

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must:

 develop an understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, in particular, how to promote children's critical thinking. Consider the effect of prolonged access to television on children's deeper levels of concentration and engagement  analyse the information gained through observation and ongoing assessment to identify children's stages of development across all seven areas of learning and plan challenging activities to help them to make good progress.

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

 develop children's communication skills further by asking more open-ended questions and giving them time to respond

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

 build on self-evaluation by including the views of parents to assist in identifying areas for further development.

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who attend

The childminder completes an initial developmental assessment for each child when they have been with her for four weeks. She shares this with parents and they are encouraged to add their own comments. This serves as a baseline from which the childminder continues to observe children regularly. She considers possible lines of development but has only very recently begun to track and monitor children's progress across all seven areas of learning. As a result, she does not yet have an in-depth knowledge of every child's developmental stage and so is not always effective in supporting the next steps in their learning. As a result, they make satisfactory rather than good progress.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's communication skills by reading stories. She uses the intonation in her voice to convey the scary giant in 'Jack and the beanstalk' and children giggle when she says 'Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!' in a giants voice. She uses basic baby signing to support young children to develop communication. However, sometimes the childminder asks children several questions without enough of a pause to allow them to think of a response. This does not help them to clarify their thinking.

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who attend

Often the childminder takes children to see a local animal attraction where there are ponies, pigs and alpacas. Children comment on how big the piglets have grown. This helps children to develop an understanding of the wider world. Children compare size and shape as they fit jigsaw pieces together and build with blocks. They also concentrate on lining small figures up in a circle. Consequently, they are beginning to grasp mathematical concepts. Activities and skills, such as these, help children to be satisfactorily ready for school when the time comes.

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who attend

Daily diaries are completed, so that parents are informed about what their children have been doing, as well as routine care information, such as what they have eaten. Parents are encouraged to write about their family life in the diaries. This helps the childminder share with children, their experiences at home. The childminder uses more in-depth observations in the prime areas of learning for two-year-old children, which parents also comment on. As a result, the childminder is working steadily towards the effective implementation of the required progress check at age two years.

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

Children have good relationships with the childminder. They enjoy spending time with her and sometimes climb onto her knee for a cuddle. Children feel secure because the childminder knows them well. She gets to know their family background and collects information from parents about what they like and dislike. This supports a smooth transition for children when they come from their home into her care. Younger children enjoy the company of older children and confidently talk about why, for example, younger children like having their nails painted by older children. These warm, cooperative relationships help children to feel that they are part of an extended family. Children are encouraged to respect others and the environment because the childminder asks them to help to tidy away toys and has 'house rules' in place that are easy to understand. Cultural festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Halloween are celebrated with art and craft

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

activities and traditional food. These activities help children to develop an awareness of the diverse society in which they live and support their understanding of people's similarities and differences.

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

Children eat healthy meals and snacks. They are encouraged to try fruit before having a biscuit as a treat and drinks are frequently offered. Children play out in the garden on a range of equipment, for example, bikes, cars and a trampoline. They can also make marks on the chalk board and enjoy planting vegetables in season. The childminder takes children to a nearby play area that has equipment for climbing and sliding. As a result, children refine their physical skills and because they enjoy spending time outdoors, they are beginning to develop a healthy lifestyle.

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

The childminder provides a wide range of toys and resources that children can access independently. Imaginative play is particularly well resourced. For example, children have lots of different small-world toys to choose from, such as dinosaurs, cars, action figures, dolls and role play items. Children enjoy dressing-up as their favourite characters. The childminder has colourful posters displayed and children's artwork on the walls. This welcoming, homely environment encourages children to explore and develop their imagination. However, children's television is on throughout the morning and this sometimes distracts them from deeper engagement in their imaginary games and affects their concentration.

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

The childminder regularly attends local toddler groups, which enables younger children to begin to feel secure in a busier environment. She also takes children to and picks them up from a local pre-school setting. As a result, younger children are helped to make the transition to other settings as they become familiar with different surroundings.

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provision

The childminder has addressed the actions and recommendations from her last inspection. She has accessed a range of training offered by the local authority and has implemented some new initiatives to help her better meet the needs of children. For example, she has begun to implement tracking of children's progress, so that she is swiftly able to identify gaps in their learning. She benefits from the support of local authority advisors and a small network of local childminders and this has helped her to reflect on her practice. The childminder asks older children to fill in their own profile, which has details about what they like and dislike and asks how they feel about being in her care. However, she does not ask parents for their views on her service and has not considered her own strengths or areas for development in supporting children's learning. As a result, her evaluation lacks the necessary rigour, in order to focus the future development of her provision on

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provision

The environment is safe because the childminder completes risk assessments for a range of activities and also has a daily safety checklist. She has an up-to-date first aid certificate and has accessed safeguarding training. This ensures that she has suitable knowledge, in order to keep children safe.

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provision

Children enjoy going with the childminder to local toddler groups. This gives them the opportunity to mix with a wider range of children. It also helps the childminder to build relationships with other professionals. As the childminder shares the care of some children with other local settings, she has developed appropriate partnerships with them. They share, with the permission of parents, information about children's development and ideas about how to help them progress. Parents are comfortable with the childminder and some stop for a discussion at the end of the day. Others are content with the detailed information in their children's diaries. If the childminder has any minor concerns, she prefers to telephone parents rather than discuss concerns in front of older children. This shows that she is sensitive to the feelings of the children in her care.

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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 315022 Local authority Warrington Inspection number 819002 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 8

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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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