Childminder in Northumberland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/03/2013 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

 Children's needs are met effectively in the setting because the childminder knows them and builds on their interests well.  The childminder is proactive in her work with parents, she has established home learning resources and builds on the children's needs and interests from home effectively.  Children are very happy and settled in the childminder's care because she builds up a warm and loving relationship with them.  Children behave well because the childminder gives them very clear boundaries.  The childminder is very keen to improve her provision. She has clear priorities for improvement and she has identified training and support from the local authority to help her achieve them.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have fewer opportunities to access creative materials freely, which means that opportunities to express their creativity and rich imaginations are only found in planned activities.  There is room to develop the very good organisation of resources, so that they are more easily accessible to children, enabling them to make independent choices.

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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 held discussions with the childminder throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed play and learning activities inside the home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including planning, policies and children's learning journeys.  The inspector carried out joint observations with the childminder.  The childminder took into account views of parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in September 2012. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and one year old child in Hexham, Northumberland. The family has one cat. The whole of the ground floor and the first floor bathroom is used for childminding. There is an enclosed garden to the rear of the property 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.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children on roll, who are in the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder provides care all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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

 enhance the opportunities for children to express their ideas through media and materials by providing more freely accessible collage, art, craft and paint activities, so that children have spontaneous opportunities to be creative

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

 develop further children's independence by ensuring that resources are accessible and clearly labelled, enabling them to make independent choices more easily.

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who attend

Children enjoy interesting, motivating and challenging activities across the seven areas of learning. Good ongoing observations and thoughtful intervention means that the childminder extends children's interests and explorations well. For example, when children enjoy watching bin wagons, the childminder takes them to the library and orders appropriate books. As a result, children are keen to look at the book, they have collected and are motivated to count and talk about colours, objects and events.

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who attend

The childminder knows where children are in their learning because she uses information from parents and her own observations to establish their starting points. She completes clear observations, which are linked to 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' guidance. Her observations show what children have achieved and what they enjoy doing. She plans stimulating activities for the children, which are based on the learning needs identified in her observations. She uses 'Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage' guidance to assess children's progress on a termly basis. This means that the childminder has a clear picture of where children are in their learning and where they need further support. Therefore, all children make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

The childminder develops communication well. She talks to the children constantly, describing what they are doing, extending vocabulary and using careful questions that are appropriate to their level of understanding. For example, the childminder says 'another car' as children get cars out of the box until they say 'another car' themselves. Consequently, children learn new words and phrases throughout the session. Children enjoy books and listening to stories. They talk about the pictures and opportunities to extend vocabulary are optimised. For example, when children say 'bag', the childminder says 'that's right, it's a rubbish bag'. Therefore, children develop a love of books from an early age and are making good progress in communication and language. The childminder uses counting throughout the day. Activities, such as counting cars, scoops in the sand and pictures in the book, means that children hear counting and begin to initiate counting

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who attend

and use some numbers themselves. Consequently, children make good progress in mathematics. Children learn about the world as they play outside and explore the ice in the trays, lifting objects and watching the water move under the surface. They visit the park and enjoy feeding the ducks. This means that children are beginning to learn about the world around them and are given time to explore their own fascinations. Children take part in a range of activities to develop their physical skills. Opportunities, such as, filling buckets with sand outside, playing with balls and visiting the park or soft play setting means that children have plenty of opportunities to develop large and small muscle movements. Children have plenty of opportunities to express their own thoughts and ideas through creative play. They dress-up and use role play to re-enact everyday themes, such as cooking. Children enjoy using art and craft materials to express their ideas in planned

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who attend

activities. However, there is scope to improve this by ensuring that art and craft materials are freely available to children, so that they can express their own varied and imaginative ideas spontaneously.

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who attend

The childminder has established good relationships with parents and ensures that her provision meets the needs of the families. Detailed verbal feedback, emails and daily diaries means that parents know what their children have enjoyed that day. Home learning ideas, such as sending home recipes after baking or leaflets on 'tummy time', means that parents know how they can support their children at home. The development of learning journals has improved the partnerships with parents further. Parents are also encouraged to share information about what children have enjoyed at home, which the childminder then complements and extends. For example, when a child enjoys a particular toy at home, the childminder uses this in the setting to support further learning. As a result, the childminder has a full picture of children's interests, both at home and in the setting and plans effectively using these to support their future learning.

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

The childminder has a good relationship with the children. She is calm and caring and children relate very well to her. Children enjoy cosy times together as they snuggle up on the childminder to read stories. Children's behaviour is good as they are fully engaged in their activities. They learn to play alongside each other and share resources. These skills prepare children well for the next stage in their learning.

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

Children play in a child-friendly, safe environment with clean, age-appropriate and well- maintained toys and equipment that effectively supports their overall well-being and care. The environment, generally, promotes children's independence as resources are stored in boxes, which are accessible to the children. However, the childminder currently rotates resources on a weekly basis. Therefore, there is room to enhance choice further by ensuring that children can build on their very good independence skills and access resources to support their developing interests. The childminder promotes children's good health and self-care through routines and regular fresh air and exercise. For example, they play outside on a daily basis and visit the soft play or the park to feed the ducks. This helps children to develop an awareness of the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Children are encouraged to wash their hands before snack and after playing outside.

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

Consequently, they are beginning to learn how they can keep themselves healthy.

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

Children are kept safe because the childminder reminds them of what is expected of them. They are encouraged to tidy up and understand the need to put things away before getting other resources out. This means that children can move safely around the setting. The childminder helps children to settle in by offering short visits and she uses this time to go over important issues with parents, such as children's normal daily routines and their personal care needs. Extra visits and further discussions are arranged as necessary to ensure that all children settle well. This ensures that she has the early information she needs about children's individual needs and personalities to ease their transition from home to her care.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare and learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a broad programme of activities, which enables the children to make good progress. Clear assessments matched to the Early Years Foundation Stage means that the childminder knows where each child is. As a result, she can highlight any possible gaps in children's learning and plan appropriate interventions to support each child.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good because the childminder has a detailed, focused, improvement plan, which effectively identifies what she does well and what she wants to improve. She uses questionnaires from parents to evaluate and improve her provision. She has identified areas for improvement, such as developing the outdoor provision and enhancing her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Recent improvements, such as adapting the parents information sheet, have had a positive impact because the childminder has a more detailed picture of children when they start. The childminder is dedicated to improving her practice and has spent a lot of time in self-study, developing an awareness of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a good relationship with the local authority and seeks advice and support when necessary to help her develop this further. The childminder attends training and reflects on her practice as a result of this.

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provision

For example, she has attended training on communication and language and is implementing many of the strategies into the setting. This means that the childminder has a good capacity to improve further.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. She has clear policies that have been updated, which she shares with parents. She has recently attended a safeguarding course. She talks confidently about what she would do if she had a concern about a child in her care and has an up-to-date list of people to contact if she needs advice. Her documentation is all very well organised, easily accessible and underpins her practice well. She is aware of her responsibilities when administering medication and treating minor accidents and holds a valid first aid certificate. Children are kept safe inside and outdoors of the setting because detailed risk assessments are carried out daily and all visitors are signed into the premises.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good and they comment positively about how their children are always happy and settled. They feel that their children have made good progress, especially in communication. Verbal feedback, as well as electronic messaging and daily diaries, means that parents know what their children have been doing and how they can support them further. The childminder does not pick up children from school at present but she is currently establishing a working relationship with practitioners from local schools and pre-schools. She talks confidently about how she would share information with schools, including newsletters and planning and would approach the school to find out about current topics. Therefore, the childminder is aware of the need to enable a two- way flow of information and has thought about how she would develop this to support children's transitions.

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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 EY453255 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 885424 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 2

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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

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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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