Battershell, Claire Elizabeth

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/03/2013 27/05/2009

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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

 The childminder provides a welcoming, child-friendly environment where children are comfortable, and, enjoy their play and learning.  The play room is very well equipped with a good selection of play materials and reflects the children's presence through an attractive display of photographs, so they feel part of an extended family and emotionally secure.  The childminder engages positively with children and helps them make good progress in their learning  The childminder supports and encourages young children's developing communication and spoken language skills effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 arrangements for sharing information with parents and other early years settings are not fully developed.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 compulsory part 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, care routines and the childminder's interaction with children inside the home.  The inspector had discussions with the childminder about her practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journals and sampled documentation relating to childminding activities.  The inspector took account of the views expressed by parents in written feedback.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2008. She lives with her three children, all of whom are of school age, in a quiet residential area close to Woking, Old Woking and Westfield in Surrey. Childminding takes place on the ground floor of the home and there are sleep and bathroom facilities provided in this area. Additional sleep facilities are provided upstairs as necessary. There is an enclosed garden for outside play. There is parking available at the front of the house. The family has a dog.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for three children in the early years age group and five older children. Days and times of children's attendance vary. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. Children regularly attend local community groups , visit parks and other places of interest.

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

 strengthen existing links with parents and other early years settings children attend, to promote greater coherence between them and the childminder, for example, by sharing with them the different methods used to assess children's learning and development and promote learning at home effectively.

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who attend

Children are interested, active learners who are gaining important skills that will help them when they move on to the next stage of their education. They remain engrossed and display good levels of concentration, both when exploring the interesting range of play materials on offer and when taking part in activities planned by the childminder. Children enjoy playing with the train track and doing puzzles. This encourages them to problem solve and think critically as they investigate how to complete it.

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who attend

The childminder supports and encourages young children's developing spoken language skills effectively. She consistently but gently reinforces awareness of the correct vocabulary for different objects through play and conversation. Children and childminder play simple games together by guessing and discussing the different noises animals make. Children enjoy doing 'special colouring' where they use a water filled pen to reveal hidden pictures. The childminder talks about the pictures and provides support to help children hold the pen correctly and comfortably.

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who attend

Children enjoy making salt dough. They are encouraged to play a fully active role as the childminder gets them to help her measure the ingredients and fetch the water. Children explore texture and observe change as the childminder invites them to feel the mixture and consider whether it is 'soft, dry or dusty' and to note what happens when they add water. Children practise their manipulative skills as they use the rolling pin to flatten the dough and use cutters to create shapes. The childminder introduces relevant descriptive language such as 'roll, roll, push, push' and names the different shaped cutters they select, extending children's vocabularies well. Children are supported in becoming more independent and to do things for themselves. They are encouraged to drink from an open cup, take their shoes off when they arrive learn that they leave these by the front door. They have opportunities to mix with other children and develop their social skills by

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who attend

attending toddler groups or going for 'play dates' locally.

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who attend

The childminder's uses observational assessment to help her identify children's achievements and plan for the next steps in their learning well. She keeps parents informed about their children's learning through a regular exchange of information, although she has not shared all evidence of her assessments with them, so they can be as fully informed as possible and understand these, in order to support learning at home. The childminder understands the importance of completing the two-year progress check. She has discussed this with parents to agree at what point this will be done so it can be tied in with the health visitor check and provide up to date information.

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

Children are cared for in a welcoming, child-friendly environment. The play room, in particular, is very inviting and is well equipped with a broad range of good quality play materials. These are suitable for children of different ages and are arranged for easy selection. The childminder uses labelling with both words and pictures to help children see what the different toy boxes contain. These measures actively encourage all children to make their own decisions about what they do. There are posters and other displays reflecting different aspects of diversity and children see photographs of themselves and their families. These promote children's awareness of similarity and difference and add to their strong sense of belonging. Children display confidence in their surroundings as they rush off to the bathroom to wash their hands before snack time and make their way to the bedroom when the childminder says it is time for a sleep. Children and childminder enjoy

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

a good relationship which means children feel safe and secure. The childminder understands the important role she plays in helping children understand acceptable ways to behave. She promotes children's self-esteem through lots of praise and encouragement.

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

The childminder promotes children's physical well-being well. Every child has their own towel and even young children go to wash their hands after they have had their nappy changed. This reinforces expectations of good personal hygiene practices from an early age. The childminder is a cordon bleu trained cook with a catering background. She prides herself on providing children with healthy and varied home-cooked meals. She recognises the importance of good nutrition and makes considered decisions as to the type of food products she buys. Children benefit from fresh air and exercise. They play in the garden where they have a good range of outdoor play equipment to explore and visit parks.

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

The childminder uses play situations to reinforce young children's understanding of real life safety issues. For instance, suggesting that they wear oven gloves when they play with the toy cooker. Children later display associated knowledge as they announce that the cake is 'hot.' The childminder chooses to walk to and from school each day. Younger children travel in the pushchair whilst older children walk in front of her so they remain within sight and under supervision. Children participate in practice fire drills each month which helps them understand what they should do if it is necessary to evacuate the premises in an emergency.

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provision

The childminder meets the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for learning, development, safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. She maintains required records. She ensures that all adults who come into contact with children of early years age are suitably checked or do not have unsupervised access to them. The childminder has a secure awareness of the responsibility placed upon her to safeguard young children and the action she must take if she has any concerns. She is knowledgeable about the different agencies that she can approach and the procedure she should follow depending on the nature of concern. The childminder fully understands she is responsible for the work done by her assistants and she makes sure they are aware of their role and what they can and cannot do. The childminder's home is safe and secure and she regularly carries out risk assessments to identify and minimise any potential hazards.

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provision

The childminder plans the childminding day so that children receive a variety of experiences that support their learning and development, and meet their individual needs well. For instance, she appreciates that on days when she only has one child present that it is important to make sure they have opportunities to mix with other children and develop their social skills.

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provision

The childminder reflects informally on the service she provides and, as part of this process, regularly issues questionnaires to parents to gather their views. She respects their wishes and welcomes any suggestions they make, such as the issue of a weekly menu. The childminder has a good understanding of her strengths and has identified areas for improvement. She is keen to attend additional training and is researching the possibility of distance learning. She keeps up to date with current childcare practices by reviewing online information published by the local authority and liaising with other childminders. The childminder maintains all required documentation and other records relating to her childminding activities well.

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provision

Parents are very positive in their praise of the childminder, the support she provides and the care their children receive. They feel well informed, commenting that 'the varied activities cover all of their child's needs'. Another parent notes that their child 'is always happy to stay and sad to leave.' The childminder understands the importance of partnership working with other early years settings children attend so they can share their knowledge and work together to support children's learning and any identified needs. She has been proactive in making contact with nursery staff and school teachers. This has led to her receiving newsletters and topic sheets from school and updates about children's progress from nursery. However, the childminder has not thought about sharing her assessment methods to strengthen these links still further and promote a more consistent approach.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 action. 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 EY387018 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 906047 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 8

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Telephone number

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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