Childminder in Oxfordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/04/2013 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 are well cared for in a stimulating and enabling learning environment.  The childminder provides a secure environment, which enables children to feel safe. As a result, children explore and investigate confidently within the environment.  Children thoroughly enjoy their time with the childminder and make good progress in their learning.  The childminder has positive relationships and good communication with parents, which contributes to children's well-being.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always effectively organise the environment and equipment so that children can rest and sleep according to their needs.  The childminder does not routinely provide opportunities for parents and/or carers to contribute to their children's learning journeys.

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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 activities in the conservatory, dining room and upstairs when a child was taken for a sleep.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector played with the children as they approached her with resources.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled children's developmental records, personal records, a selection of policies and procedures and took account of parental feedback through letters.  The inspector gave feedback to the childminder at the end of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2012. She lives with her partner and young child in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Childminding takes place on the ground floor of the premises where children have access to the lounge, dining area, kitchen and a dedicated play area in the conservatory. Children also have use of the upstairs bathroom and a bedroom for rest time. A fully enclosed garden is available for outside play. There are two local schools, a play park, adventure area and a children's centre are nearby. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She has three children on roll in the early years age range. The childminder holds Early Years Professional Status.

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

 strengthen opportunities for parents to be involved in their children's learning by encouraging them to contribute to their child's development records

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

 consider ways to organise equipment so that children have a comfortable and accessible place to rest and sleep as soon as they want or need to.

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who attend

Children make good progress in their learning and development while in the care of the childminder. They benefit from the childminder's attention to their individual needs and thrive within the warm, loving environment. The childminder creates a welcoming play environment, by setting up resources for the children before they arrive. The childminder plans and uses a good range of toys and learning experiences to support children to learn throughout their play and exploration.

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who attend

The childminder is very good at developing and promoting children's vocabulary and communication skills. She provides a commentary during activities to effectively support children's communication and language development and she values all children's efforts to communicate. For example, she reiterates words used by the older children, pronouncing these correctly to develop the children's accuracy using the spoken word. She responds to 'babbling' from young children to value their early communication skills. Children enjoy looking at books and share these with the childminder as they visit the library. This helps develop children's literacy and understanding of the world as they explore books from around the world. They also develop important concentration and listening skills.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's early mathematical skills through everyday play activities. For example, the children explore patterns as they make marks in the sand and construct for a purpose when building with the wooden blocks. This promotes the children's awareness of numbers and different shapes. Children have many opportunities to count during play and learn quantities and measures during regular cooking activities.

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who attend

Children have a wide range of opportunities to make and be creative. They create pictures on the chalk board, make marks using crayons and paper, and explore messy activities with different textures, such as gluing and sticking. These, along with other good quality activities and experiences, help children prepare for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder has developed a good system of observation and assessment to monitor children's progress. She has good processes in place to find out about children's individual needs to help her plan her provision accordingly. The childminder undertakes regular observations of the children and supports this with photographic evidence to show how they learn. She confidently uses her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to show how and where children are developing within all areas of their development. She then uses this information as a basis to plan activities and identify children's next stage of learning to support their progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

The childminder shares the children's 'learning journeys' with parents and shows how children are achieving across all areas of learning. However, there are fewer opportunities for parents to contribute to their children's learning, for example, by contributing observations of their child's achievements at home to the learning journals. Nevertheless they communicate with the childminder on a daily basis and some parents exchange information within their child's daily record book to maintain continuity of care. The childminder is aware of the requirement to complete the two-year-old progress checks, when appropriate, and to share and reflect on this information with parents to promote continuity in their children's care and education.

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

All children demonstrate a strong emotional attachment to the childminder. They look for reassurance from her and readily invite her in to their play. Older children seek her approval about their completed art activities, which shows they are emotionally secure in her care and enjoy the praise they receive. Younger children touch the childminder's arm, snuggle in to her and enjoy loving cuddles, during warm, interactive playtimes.

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

Children learn how to play safety and are developing a good understanding of how to stay safe. The childminder talks to them consistently about how they can protect themselves and others in their play. For example, the childminder discusses with the children why it is important to not throw sand. Also, older children learn how they must keep smaller art materials out of younger children's reach, to prevent them putting these into their mouths. This effectively helps children to understand the childminder's expectations of their behaviour.

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

The childminder has worked hard to create a stimulating and child-friendly environment. She plans for the children's individual interests to make sure that they have access to a range of toys and resources that interest them in their play. However, this planning does not extend to the organisation and preparation of additional resources, such as travel cots. This leads to a short delay before young children are able to rest and sleep when they want and need to.

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

Children develop a very good understanding of healthy lifestyles and they play in an extremely clean, secure and homely environment. First hand experiences help children understand the importance of good personal hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating and helping with the preparation of snacks. These independent activities effectively aid the children's readiness for pre-school and schools. Children learn the importance of fresh air and exercise as they take part in forest school initiatives to explore and play in the natural outdoor environment. In addition, they enjoy free flow play in the childminder's garden and regularly visit music groups and local parks with the childminder. This effectively develops their confidence in their physical skills and provides fresh air and exercise to promote their healthy lifestyles.

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provision

The childminder maintains a professional and positive approach to her childminding business. She has all required documentation in place to meet the statutory requirements. She obtains a good range of information from parents to enable her to meet their child's individual needs. As a result, this helps her to ensure that the children are happy and settled in her care. The childminder promotes children's learning well. She uses a wide range of toys and resources to create a stimulating environment for the children to enhance their learning and development.

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provision

The childminder has a good awareness of safeguarding and is confident about the processes to follow in the event of a concern, in order to help protect children from harm. Children play in a secure and safe environment, which the childminder suitably assesses to minimise hazards accordingly. All records, policies and procedures are well maintained, easily accessible and work well in practice. The childminder has a valid paediatric first aid certificate and effective documentation in place for recording accidents and medication. This appropriately helps the childminder safeguard the children in her care.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good. The childminder evaluates her provision accurately, identifying her strengths and areas which she wants to develop to further improve the outcomes for children. She demonstrates a secure knowledge of the learning and development requirements and about how to carry out observations and assessment. The childminder has a good understanding of the importance of working in partnership with other providers and professionals. She promotes continuity in care effectively by liaising with the professionals regularly, visiting the setting and sharing information about the children's development. This has a positive impact on the care and learning that the children receive. The childminder is highly dedicated to working in partnerships with parents. She is proactive at engaging with parents and makes sure that the parents receive a detailed overview of their child's day, through verbal discussions and a written

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provision

communication dairy. Parents highly value the service the childminder provides and her commitment to meeting their children's care needs.

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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 EY453055 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 890643 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 5 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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