Childminder in Gloucestershire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/03/2013 05/03/2009

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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 inquisitive, active and motivated learners because the childminder places strong emphasis on inclusion and promoting children's independence by encouraging them to initiate and plan their own play.  Children have fun, feel safe and build close emotional attachments with the childminder and assistants who provide a caring, welcoming and stimulating environment inside and in the garden.  The childminder and assistant promote children's communication and language particularly well, so children rapidly progress in their vocabulary and increase their confidence in communicating.  The childminder makes very clear expectations for children's behaviour, so children know what is expected, use good manners and show care and respect for their friends, and the numerous toys and resources.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 the childminder does not make the most of opportunities to encourage children to make marks, practise their emerging writing skills and write for a purpose, to gain the best early writing skills before they start school.  the information shared with parents about the setting and their children's on-going progress and learning is not rigorous, which lessens opportunities for parents to take a very active part in their children's education.

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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 play and activities in the two main downstairs rooms and the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistant and children at appropriate times throughout the observations and took part in the fire drill.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of parents' views through questionnaire responses and one parent spoken to on the day.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation including a sample of children's learning journals, planning documentation, self-evaluation and a selection of policies.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1998 and lives in the Charlton Kings area of Cheltenham. The property is within walking distance of shops, schools, playgroups and parks. The childminder lives with her husband and their two grown up children. The family has a dog, rabbit, guinea pig, cats and goldfish as pets. The whole of the property is registered and the childminder predominantly uses both downstairs rooms and enclosed rear garden with decking and astro turf surfaces for the childminding. The childminder employs three assistants to work alongside her, with only one present at any one time.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is open Monday to Friday, all year round and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has 15 children on roll. Nine are in the early years age group who attend on a full and part-time basis and six are school age who attend before-and-after school and during school holiday periods. Additional care is provided for six children over eight years. The childminder drops off and collects children from the local primary school and playgroup. She has completed a number of units towards a Level 2 National Vocational Qualification in Childcare and Education and is currently working towards a First Steps to Excellence programme.

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

 extend opportunities for children to practice their mark-making and emerging writing skills, including writing their own names on their pictures and writing during role-play and other activities to give meaning to marks

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

 expand existing information shared with parents about the setting and their children's on-going progress and learning.

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who attend

Children make very good progress in their learning because of the wide range of stimulating and well-planned activities and experiences available. The childminder uses topical themes and particular events, such as the Olympics, to help guide her planning. This cleverly extends children's experiences and promotes their enjoyment. Daily free flowing indoor and outdoor play, all year round, fosters children's decision-making and their love of outdoors very well. This increases their first-hand experiences of different weather and opportunities to explore the natural environment. For example, children have fun in the snow, making footprints, building snowmen and observing changes as it melts. This nurtures children's curiosity and learning as they investigate the different properties of water and why things happen. Children laugh and have fun with the childminder, assistants and their friends because of the calm, welcoming atmosphere and effective

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who attend

support. The enthusiastic childminder uses good teaching techniques to inspire and focus children's learning. Children lead and initiate play themselves, taking a very active part in planning their own learning. As a result, children concentrate and engage purposefully in activities, are motivated and keen to learn. They initiate play with the programmable bumblebee and ladybird, using the remote control to move it around the room. The younger children show great skill and understanding of how to operate it, far exceeding the skills expected for their age.

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who attend

The childminder uses information obtained from each child's all about me form and observations of children during settling-in sessions to gain good awareness about children's individual needs, skills and interests. Well-organised observations and informative assessments track children's progress from their individual starting points and monitor their learning successfully. This helps the childminder to identify further learning priorities and weave these successfully into children's play and planned activities. The childminder plans a particularly strong programme to help children develop their communication and language. The childminder and assistant model new language during play, for example, using words such as 'under', 'over' and 'inside' to describe position when completing the Easter egg hunt in the garden. As a result, they are confident speakers and describe excitedly that the folded tissue paper looks like an aeroplane.

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who attend

Children practise gaining good co-ordination and control in numerous activities. They use glue sticks competently and carefully place the tissue paper on their Easter basket. The younger children practise their early walking skills as they hold onto the assistants hands pull themselves up on equipment in the garden. The childminder and assistant miss chances to encourage more capable children to 'sign' their pictures. Although they model writing children's names, they do not sound out the letters as they do so to further all children's understanding that writing carries meaning. Children access books from the basket independently. They browse through books happily, turning the pages from left to right and replace books carefully. The childminder stimulates younger children's exploratory impulses effectively through an interesting range of objects and materials that encourage them to use their senses. They become absorbed as they shake, rub, listen and

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who attend

investigate what they see in the sensory basket. Children make very good progress in early mathematics. Through wonderful support, children learn to recognise numerals up to 10 quickly and understand the concept of 'what comes next'. Children delight in helping to feed the rabbit and guinea pig learning to care for living things and take an active part in daily routines. Children learn to recognise and respect people's similarities and differences through posters, resources and regular visits from people with a disability. The childminder takes great care to include all children so that all progress, feel valued and a strong sense of belonging.

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

Children are confident, happily make decisions and select toys for themselves because of the secure emotional attachments they establish with the childminder and assistants. Through the key person system, they form particularly close bonds with the children and families they take special responsibility for. Younger children love the regular cuddles and close contact with the assistant who takes time to interact and play with each child, so they feel special and valued. Children respond well to the childminder's calm, soothing manner and clear consistent explanations. This encourages the older children to show increasing composure and tolerance when the younger children show interest in what they do. They understand the concept of sharing, allowing their friends to have parts of the roadway they built, and quickly agree new ways to progress their play. Enthusiastic praise and encouragement recognises children's kindness, values their achievements and inspires

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

them to persevere. As a result, children are active, motivated, confident learners.

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

The childminder nurtures children's emotional wellbeing successfully during transition periods. She works closely with parents to assist them with settling, weaning and toilet training, providing valuable support and a consistent approach to children's care. The childminder and assistants move between the different rooms, working well together to provide much individual attention, thoughtful support and available to join in children's play. The childminder takes children on regular visits to playgroup, well in advance. This introduces children sensitively to the setting and staff, so that they feel safe and very well supported. As a result, children settle very quickly, are confident and eagerly talk about their experiences.

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

The childminder actively encourages children's independence and decision making during play and daily routines. Children make healthy decisions about the food they eat, because the childminder supervises children well. Children's understanding of safety is good because daily routines and close supervision raise their awareness successfully. They describe confidently safe action to take in the event of a fire or emergency and put this into practice during regular practises. Children develop independence in their self-care, learn how to keep themselves safe and comply with expectations. This helps them gain good skills and attitudes that will help support their eventual move to playgroup and school.

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provision

The childminder is passionate and very committed to providing good quality care and learning for children. She works well with her assistants to provide safe play environments and a secure base for children, so that they feel safe. Daily routines are seamless because the childminder and assistants supervise the children and facilitate their learning successfully. Safety and security arrangements are robust and record keeping well organised to promote children's welfare and the safe, efficient management of the setting. Detailed risk assessments and daily safety checks help the childminder to identify hazards promptly and take appropriate steps to minimise risks for children. The childminder has thorough knowledge of child protection issues. She competently identifies child welfare concerns and implements procedures promptly to safeguard children's welfare.

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provision

The childminder establishes and maintains good partnerships with parents. Parents value the daily communication and the wide range of stimulating activities and experiences. Induction meetings and settling-in visits help parents learn useful details about the childminder and the service she provides. Handover meetings between the parent and childminder help parents find out about their child's day, their general care and any key achievements made. The childminder fully understands her responsibility to meet with parents and encourage them to contribute to their child's two-year progress check. Two- way communication with the playgroup is well established. Each term the childminder and playgroup share termly written progress reports detailing children's achievements and learning priorities for the next term. However, the childminder is not currently sharing this information with parents to enable them to take an active part in their children's learning

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provision

The childminder has high expectations for the children. She uses her knowledge and good understanding of the learning and development requirements to provide a well-balanced curriculum. The childminder implements yearly staff appraisals to help mentor, support staff's skills, and monitor their performance. This enables her to identify key training and address any inconsistencies in teaching and the quality of children's care and learning effectively. Regular audits, inclusive self-evaluation, parent questionnaires and a detailed review of previous inspection findings provide an accurate account of quality for children. There have been significant developments made since the last inspection. This has led to improved quality of teaching. Therefore, children make very good progress in their development and often exceed expected levels for their age in most areas of learning.

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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 101315 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 813186 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 15

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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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