Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/03/2013 Not Applicable

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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

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This provision is good

 The childminder plans stimulating activities that reflect children's individual needs effectively. She supports children well through high-quality interactions. There is a strong focus on developing children's early mathematical skills and their understanding of the world around them.  Children enjoy their time with the childminder. They develop good relationships with her and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure.  The childminder organises her provision effectively and demonstrates a high regard to promoting children's well-being and safety.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 the childminder does not always promote children's early writing skills, or encourage them to write for a purpose, during everyday activities.

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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 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 children's free play and planned activities.  The inspector observed care routines, including lunchtime.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and took account of the views of parents from parent questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including suitability checks, qualifications and the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2012. She lives in a village near Witney, Oxfordshire, with her husband, mother-in-law and two children. The family has two dogs. The childminder uses the living room, playroom, utility room, cloakroom and kitchen for childminding. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder's mother-in-law is registered as an assistant to provide additional help when needed. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and is caring for three children in the early years age range. She is registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register although she has no older children on roll. The childminder offers care on a daily basis, before and after school and during school holidays. She is available to walk to the local school and other early years facilities to take and collect children. She holds a BTEC Early Years qualification.

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

 improve opportunities for children to develop early writing skills and to write for a purpose by, for example, providing writing materials during role-play and other activities.

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who attend

The childminder knows children well. She prepares them effectively for their next stages in learning and for school. She pays careful attention to observing children's achievements and assessing their progress from their starting points. She accurately identifies aspects of learning where children need more support. She skilfully incorporates these aspects into her planned activities so that children make good progress in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically engage in an activity to plant seeds, planned by the childminder to promote sensory experiences and an understanding of growing. The childminder thoughtfully considers children who do not enjoy getting their hands dirty by providing spoons to scoop the compost. She supports children well through high quality interactions, encouraging them to think about what plants need in order to grow. She helps them to understand that print carries meaning by reading instructions on the seed packet. Children concentrate well as they handle tiny seeds, which promotes their coordination skills effectively. The childminder makes good use of everyday experiences to promote children's early mathematical skills. She encourages children to match and count circles on the tablecloth at lunchtime and introduces simple addition. She helps children to notice the shape of the seed tray compartments and to count them. She promotes children's early literacy skills

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who attend

well overall. For example, she provides a story box with a book and related items so that children can retell the story with confidence. She encourages children to practise early writing skills. However, she does not always provide writing resources during everyday activities to encourage the children's understanding of writing for a purpose.

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who attend

The childminder develops good partnerships with parents. She provides regular and helpful information about children's progress through daily diaries and daily discussions. She invites parents to look at children's development folders at any time; these contain good information to illustrate children's progress. She understands the requirement to provide progress checks for two-year-old children as part of the assessment process. The childminder provides helpful guidance to parents to support children's development at home. For example, she carefully develops consistent strategies with parents to help children understand the importance of road safety.

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

Children enjoy their time with the childminder and parents comment that the children often do not want to leave at the end of the day. Children clearly feel safe and secure in the childminder's company. They show good levels of confidence and self-motivation as they initiate discussions and ask questions. They receive good support from the childminder to take turns and share resources, for example, when caring for baby dolls. They demonstrate friendly behaviour by inviting their friends to join in with their play activities. They learn to respect people who are different from themselves as the childminder gradually introduces resources reflecting different cultural backgrounds.

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

Children develop good skills for independence with the childminder's support. They wash and dry their hands after using the toilet, following gentle reminders. As a result, they are developing good skills for their future lives.

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

The learning environment supports children's all-round development well. There is a good range of easily accessible resources in the playroom. The childminder stores resources in boxes labelled with words and pictures so that children can easily choose what they want to play with. Children play outdoors on a daily basis, either in the garden or on outings. They often visit the local park to develop their physical skills. They enjoy looking for birds on the way to pre-school, which helps them to observe nature and to show concern for living things.

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

During poor weather, children engage in physical activities indoors. They enjoy an egg and spoon race showing determination in developing their coordination and balancing skills. They learn about healthy food as the childminder talks to them about the plants they will grow, such as strawberries, carrots and potatoes. They know where food comes from as the childminder takes them on visits to the local farm to collect eggs from the chickens. Children learn about road safety successfully as the childminder reminds them every day about the rules for walking to pre-school or getting in and out of the car.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She organises her practice effectively to meet the needs of children and their parents. She demonstrates a high regard to promoting children's well-being and safety. She maintains records of suitable background checks for all members of her family. She supervises children well and completes detailed risk assessment records to reduce the risk of accidents. She has a good understanding of safeguarding children procedures, such as symptoms of children at risk and responding to concerns. She monitors children's progress closely and delivers high-quality educational programmes to support children's development effectively.

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provision

The childminder receives positive feedback from parents about her practice. They state that she provides a 'safe learning environment' and that they would 'highly recommend' her to others. She is proactive in developing partnerships with other early years settings that children attend. She shares information from her own observations of children's progress and encourages other professionals to share their knowledge of individual children. This process is successful in promoting continuity in children's care and learning.

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provision

The childminder evaluates her practice well. She carefully considers the effectiveness of planned activities to assess what children learn and to plan their next steps. She has a very flexible approach so that children can follow their own interests as they wish. She is proactive in making improvements to her practice. She routinely attends additional training courses to support her knowledge and understanding. For example, recent training in promoting children's communication and language contributes to her high quality discussions with the children.

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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 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 EY452457 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 884141 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 3

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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