Childminder in Wigan

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/04/2013 Not Applicable

p.1

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

p.1

This provision is good

 Children thrive due to the warm, friendly relationships developed with the childminder. They are happy, feel safe and have fun. Consequently, they are motivated to explore and learn in the stimulating, imaginative and, mostly, very well-resourced environment.  Children become active learners and independent thinkers because they freely access a good range of continuously available toys and equipment, both inside and outside, which supports their learning and development.  The childminder works effectively with parents. She uses information provided by them, in addition to her own observations and detailed assessments, to plan to meet the unique needs of every child. This ensures all children make good progress in their learning and development from their starting points.  The childminder is keen to further develop her service. She acts on advice, links with other childminders and attends training to enhance her knowledge. Her plans for

p.1

This provision is good

improvement are well targeted to strengthen her already well-informed practice.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always make the best possible use of the garden to provide challenge for the further development of children's highly accomplished physical skills.  Children are provided with fewer opportunities to develop skills in mathematics, particularly shape, space and measure in their free play and investigations, than other very good aspects of the areas of learning.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed play in the lounge and kitchen/diner and viewed the resources and equipment available to the children.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documents, including: policies; records of attendance; feedback from parents; qualifications and training; activity planning and children's records.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children aged 11 months and four years in a house in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding, which includes a lounge and an open plan kitchen/diner. Access is also provided to the first floor bathroom and bedrooms for sleeping purposes. There is a fully enclosed rear garden for outdoor play. The family has a pet dog. The childminder attends toddler groups and activities at the local children's centre. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

p.3

Information about the setting

There is currently one child on roll who is in the early years age group and who attends on a part-time basis. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She holds an early years qualification at level 3 and she is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

p.3

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

 extend children's understanding of mathematics by, for example: providing rich and varied opportunities for comparing length, weight and capacity; including counting and sorting money and change in role play, and by providing a range of natural materials for children to arrange, compare and order

p.3

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

 review and further develop opportunities to challenge children's physical skills outdoors by, for example: planning activities where children can balance and practise moving in different ways and at different speeds, and by providing large portable equipment that children can move about safely and cooperatively to create their own structures, such as milk crates, tyres or large cardboard tubes.

p.3

who attend

The childminder provides a broad range of activities and experiences, which promote children's development well. She observes what children can do and assesses their progress in detail. This includes using information from parents regarding children's abilities at home, both at the start of the placement and ongoing, using a comprehensive two-way daily diary. She uses this information carefully to plan particular activities and strategies to promote specific aspects of children's development on a regular basis. She also uses information regarding children's interests to plan activities which motivate their learning. For example, when a child brings a new book from home and parents comment that she has been learning the names of baby animals, the childminder follows this up with activities involving the small world toy animals. She encourages children to make marks and patterns in shaving foam by providing polar bears and snow animals within it.

p.3

who attend

In addition, she promotes children's physical skills and some mathematical concepts when she provides pots of different sizes in a large bowl of rice, with small animals to hide by burying in each pot. As a result, children are highly motivated in the setting and they enjoy learning through their play. Detailed tracking of children's progress, including summative progress reports, show that they are achieving comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age and are progressing well. Parents also receive the summative progress reports. This ensures they are suitably informed to continue their children's learning at home.

p.4

who attend

The childminder has a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children. As a result, children display many of the characteristics of effective learning. At an early stage they can think and follow through their own ideas because they help themselves to a broad range of toys and equipment which are continuously available in the lounge, kitchen/diner and in the garden. They come in and out freely to access items which extend their play. For example, they take their dolls and prams outside to pretend to take their babies for a walk. They also take their dolls to play on the slide with them. When they are thirsty they return inside and independently access cups and a jug with some water, and they pour their own drink. The childminder purposefully extends their learning in play. While she plays alongside children in the sand, she effectively promotes their physical and their personal, social and

p.4

who attend

emotional development. For example, to encourage positive relationships, including sharing and turn taking, she models how to play hide and seek with small toys by burying them in the sand, using small tools and equipment. Children have fun playing this with the childminder, and, subsequently, take on the role of 'hider' and 'finder' by themselves. She effectively promotes their communication and language by asking questions to extend their thinking, introducing new words and by using story times as a key feature in daily routines. As a result, children are confident speakers and listeners. Their good progress in these three areas ensures that they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, such as when they start nursery or school.

p.4

who attend

The learning environment is, mostly, very well planned and provides a highly stimulating space in which children play. It is enhanced with attractive and relevant resources to support the current theme of activities for learning. For example, a window displays children's artwork and key words related to the theme of 'spring'. Low-level storage units allow children to freely access utensils to support their imaginative play with the toy kitchen. They also freely access pencils, crayons and paper to draw with at the low-level table, road mats with cars and small imaginative play items, building bricks and an extensive range of books. Children see numbers displayed on the wall and they count in song. However, there are fewer opportunities in continuous play provision to promote their understanding of some aspects of mathematics than the other very well-resourced areas of learning. As a result, children do not routinely sort or problem solve in their play.

p.4

who attend

Children thrive as they explore the exciting outdoor area, enjoying many activities, such as digging in sand, role play, music and movement, ball play and using wheeled toys and a small slide. However, some of the equipment in the garden does not always challenge older children's physical skills as much as possible. This means they do not practise a range of balance and speeds or create using resources, such as milk crates, tyres or large cardboard tubes.

p.4

who attend

The childminder takes children for walks into the community each day and they receive some opportunities for physical challenge using local play parks. Children gain awareness of their local area and attend activity groups. She provides a wide range of art and craft activities, some of which raise children's awareness of cultural events, as well as other themes of learning. For example, children made red lanterns for Chinese New Year, green shamrocks for St Patrick's Day and coloured yellow daffodils for Easter.

p.5

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

The childminder establishes strong relationships with the children, who demonstrate a secure attachment to her. She finds out as much as she can from parents about children's likes, dislikes and routines, using an 'all about me' questionnaire right at the start, and she takes care to use the information provided. This ensures that children's personal and emotional needs are known and planned for and routines are familiar. This enables children to feel very secure and, as a result, they settle very well and they operate confidently in her home from an early stage. Her responsive nature means she is quick to react and meet their individual needs. The warm and friendly relationships mean that children enjoy the childminder's attention and involvement in their play. This shared interest extends the possibilities for further learning. Additionally, children develop close relationships with the childminder's own children. They laugh and have great fun

p.5

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

collaborating to push each other around the garden on wheeled toys.

p.5

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

Children's individual health, physical and dietary needs are met to a high standard. Children eat healthy cereals for breakfast and are provided with some nutritious home cooked meals, such as pasta dishes, vegetable soups or picnic type lunches. They enjoy eating these outside using their table and chairs on the patio. The childminder encourages children to be independent and to hygienically manage their own personal needs. Children help themselves to drinks when they are thirsty, tissues to blow their noses and individual towels to dry their hands after washing them. They skilfully rub sanitising gel onto their hands, taking care to rub between their fingers, prior to lunch. They are developing good self-help skills as they feed themselves confidently using cutlery. These aspects of self- care are important for securing their early understanding of healthy lifestyles.

p.5

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

The childminder effectively promotes children's well-being and independence. She allows children time to investigate on their own but knows when to intervene and to offer help. She conducts clear risk assessments of her home. As a result, children move freely and safely between indoors and outdoors and the areas in which they play. They gain a secure understanding of risk as they explore their environment and know the areas that they must not access because the childminder discusses risks with them. For example, children independently comment that access to the raised decking area in the garden is 'not allowed' because it is not finished yet. They regularly practise the emergency evacuation plan, which raises their awareness of what to do in an emergency.

p.5

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

Children behave well because the childminder sensitively delivers clear messages about what is expected of them. She positively promotes children's self-esteem and effectively reinforces wanted behaviours through praise and reward. Children are so confident with these systems that they know when they have done well and immediately look for their sticker chart after being allowed to select their own sticker image to put on it. Regular outings to toddler groups are purposefully planned to help develop confidence and independence as children become aware of the needs of others. These opportunities prepare them well for their future transitions to nursery or school.

p.6

provision

The childminder fully understands her responsibilities in meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Her provision is very well organised. She keeps all the required records and a wealth of others which help to keep children safe, protected and supported. The childminder regularly reviews her written risk assessment and follows a useful checklist to help her to visually check that the home is suitable and safe for children. Keeping clear records she effectively demonstrates how she continually makes changes and responds to potential hazards, thus, keeping children safe. The childminder is fully aware of her responsibility to protect children and of potential indicators of abuse or neglect. She has attended safeguarding training and is clear about the local reporting procedures.

p.6

provision

The childminder has a secure understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses it effectively to help children learn through play. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Her welcoming, stimulating play environment, along with detailed and responsive processes for observation, assessment and planning, support this. She is clearly aware of the benefits of working with others to support children's continuity of care and learning. She obtains regular information from parents about children's progress. These active partnerships result in good exchanges of information, which enables her to identify where children may need additional support. Parents are provided with good quality information about the way that the childminder works. She provides informative policies and they sign to say they have read them. They receive plenty of information about their children's care

p.6

provision

and daily activities, both verbally and written in a daily diary. The childminder has yet to implement the progress check at age two. However, she is fully aware of the requirements and by using her planning and monitoring documents she can already clearly identify what the children in her care are achieving. This is in relation to the prime areas of learning and development.

p.6

provision

The views of parents are gathered using questionnaires and these demonstrate their high levels of satisfaction with the service, they, and their children receive. They comment specifically that the provision is 'homely, fun and everything needed for my child to thrive', in addition to commenting on specific aspects of development that the childminder has successfully promoted. These responses support the effectiveness of the provision for children's learning and their welfare, as well as the strong partnerships with parents.

p.6

provision

The childminder is keen to use her qualifications and experience in early years practice to its best effect. She attends other childcare groups with children and has already developed links with other local childminders, which supports further development of her practice. Since registration she has also received support from the local authority development team to help her monitor and evaluate her provision and she has used the advice she has been given. For example, she has incorporated parents' observations into her assessment process. Additionally, in the short time since registration she has completely reorganised her furniture in her kitchen/diner to provide more clear play space and to accommodate an increased range of continuous play provision. She has attended further training sessions and has reviewed and amended some of her recording procedures as a result. Through self-evaluation, and because she knows what good practice looks like, she can

p.7

provision

identify relevant areas for development and has plans for how she wants to further develop her practice. For example, she has already identified a need to provide more challenge when children play in the garden and specific equipment to promote this. This demonstrates the childminder's strong capacity to continually monitor, reflect and improve her provision as a result.

p.7

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

p.7

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

Setting details

Unique reference number EY453875 Local authority Wigan Inspection number 887854 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 1

p.9

Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.11

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11