Parkin, Donna Marie

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/04/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 There is a good understanding of safeguarding and welfare issues. The childminder provides a safe environment in which children can play and learn.  The childminder provides a welcoming environment in which children form strong relationships and feel secure. They are well-behaved and develop independence as they follow daily routines.  Children make good progress in their communication and language skills. The childminder values and listens to them, asks useful questions and encourages conversation as children play.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not fully use self-evaluation to identify all areas for development, which reduces opportunities for her to fully improve the provision she offers.  Although systems for notifying Ofsted of significant matters have improved, the childminder failed to meet requirements prior to this inspection, which had an impact on children's welfare.

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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 looked a selection of policies and children's documents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the childminder home and spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 Parents were not interviewed as part of the inspection, but the inspector read letters written by parents.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the childminder's understanding of her roles and responsibilities and looked at documentation to support this.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2006. She lives with her adult son in Thatcham in Berkshire. The ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding and there is an enclosed garden for outside play. The childminder is able to take and collect children from the local school.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is currently caring for two children in the early years age range. The childminder also cares for older children. The childminding provision is open all year round.

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

 develop further the use of self-evaluation to drive forward improvements to all aspects of the service.

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who attend

The childminder offers learning opportunities that help children make good progress in all areas of learning and development. Children are eager to play with the resources available, choosing what they want and how they wish to play. For example, they use their imaginations to develop their creative skills as they pretend an empty storage box is a car. A balance of child-led and planned activities based on children's interests help them to extend what they know and can do across other areas of learning. Children are confident and self-assured, showing good signs of independence and actively seeking learning opportunities for themselves. They begin to communicate their thoughts and feelings encouraged by the childminder's use of good questioning techniques and repeated phrases and words. For children who may be reluctant to speak or whose first language is not English the childminder devises activities that are fun. These include using

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who attend

gestures, different tones of voice and asking questions, which encourage children's understanding and responses.

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who attend

Children move around the environment confidently and handle objects and tools safely and with increasing skill. They find out about numbers and solve problems as they enjoy puzzles, look at the numbers and successfully fit them into the correct place. Books are varied and appropriate for the ages of children who attend. Children get pleasure from books and older children enjoy making up and writing their own stories, which helps to develop their early reading skills in preparation for school. The childminder uses the outdoor environment as an opportunity to promote children's learning. For example, regular outings to community groups encourage children's social skills, provide them with opportunities to experience a wider range of arts and crafts activities and help to prepare them for the next stage in their learning, such as moving on to school. Children benefit from regular opportunities to explore the locality. This helps them begin to learn to respect

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who attend

different cultures and understand similarities and differences of people. They enjoy regular walks, feed the ducks and enjoy visits to the pet shop in the local garden centre where they find out about a variety of insects and animals.

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who attend

The childminder successfully engages parents in conversations about children's progress. These cover both self-care skills, and learning and development issues. She shares information with parents on what she has observed children are able to do on a regular basis. She uses appropriate guidance to help assess children's progress and plan meaningful activities based on their interests. She often sees children in their own homes and this helps to combine learning experiences between their home and their time with her. Consequently, children gain a consistent learning experience and make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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

Children have a good relationship with the childminder. She has an affectionate and caring attitude towards children and offers parents support. The childminder gives children individual time and attention. As a result, children feel valued and gain a strong sense of identity. This attention helps to promote their self-esteem well. Photographs show children of different ages playing happily together. These portray the positive relationships that children form as they enjoy each other's company. Children have a good understanding of how to behave and this knowledge helps them treat themselves, others and the environment with respect. For example, young children enjoy helping to tidy away the toys and smile happily at the praise they receive for a job well done. Consistent boundaries help them to understand how to keep safe, such as staying close to the childminder and following road safety procedures as they walk to school. However,

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

weaknesses in leadership regarding the suitability of adults, mean that children's welfare has not always been promoted well.

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

The childminder promotes a healthy lifestyle as she walks with children whenever possible. This attitude helps them begin to understand that not every journey needs to be in a car. The childminder encourages children to adopt good self-care skills, so children are increasingly able to complete simple tasks, such as toileting and hygiene routines. They manage their clothing and fastenings too. Children enjoy a range of activities designed to encourage their physical development. For example, they regularly take a 'Sports day' set to the local park that contains equipment with which they can have sack races, egg and spoon races, and play with balls. This exercise helps them to be more aware of how their bodies work. Children recognise when they are hungry or tired and are confident to express their needs, for example, requesting drinks when they are thirsty. Parents provide children's meals and snacks and the childminder ensures these are stored appropriately so

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

food remains fresh for children to enjoy safely.

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provision

The childminder knows the children extremely well. She assesses children's progress and is aware of her responsibilities in meeting children's individual needs. She has a clear understanding of how children learn, is flexible in her planning, takes note of children's interests and uses them to help assess future activities. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.

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provision

The childminder promotes children's safety well as she organises the childminding day to keep children safe at home and on outings. She understands her responsibility to safeguard children at all times. She completes visual risk assessments and has safeguarding procedures in place, should she have any concerns about children in her care.

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provision

Previous concerns regarding the suitability of adults living on the premises have resulted in Ofsted taking action prior to this inspection. The childminder has improved her knowledge since then and now understands her responsibility to inform Ofsted of significant matters. These include any changes to adults who live on the premises or those who visit on a regular basis and changes to suitability of all adults on the premises. Taken overall, she promotes children's welfare soundly. She has completed a recent safeguarding children course to update her knowledge. The childminder shares all policies and procedures with parents to ensure they have clear information about her practices. Children's records, parental consents and all documentation is accurately maintained and stored confidentiality.

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provision

The childminder evaluates the quality of children's learning experiences well. She is aware of her strengths in creating a welcoming, effective learning environment where children are happy and settled. However, she does not consistently assess some other aspects of her practice to identify or promote areas for further development. This reduces her ability to fully improve her service. Nevertheless, the childminder has addressed recommendations raised in the past. She has links with the local authority early years advisers and has completed training courses with them since her last inspection, evidencing her desire to drive improvement. She is currently exploring different training options to deepen her knowledge, for example, through completing courses via the internet. This means she demonstrates a good overall capacity to improve outcomes for children.

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provision

The childminder builds secure partnerships with other early years settings that children attend. This means she is able to share information with them for the children's benefit. Verbal discussions provide parents with a clear picture of children's overall development. Through parents' feedback, it is evident that they have high levels of appreciation and respect for the childminder. They praise the childminder for creating a welcoming environment. They state their children have lots of fun, come home with various 'creations' and plenty of stories to share about the enjoyable time they have had.

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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 EY345222 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 910202 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 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

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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