Graham-Troll, Mathew Darrin

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/04/2013 15/12/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children's learning and development is supported to an exceptional level, with comprehensive observations undertaken of what children can do and careful analysis of their learning and development, ensuring that their individual needs are known and met effectively. As a result, they acquire excellent skills for the future.  Children's feeling of safety and security is clearly evident, and children are relaxed, confident and very happy within the home. They have formed an excellent relationship with the childminder and his co-minder, and actively engage them in their play.  The childminder effectively monitors his own personal development and accesses a wide variety of training courses, which enables him to continually enhance his knowledge and skills in the childcare profession for the benefit of all the children attending.  Exceptional communication with parents ensures the childminder is continually aware of

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This provision is outstanding

individual children's needs and can provide care accordingly. Parents' views and opinions are highly valued and used to continually support children and enhance their learning through interesting, challenging and exciting activities.

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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 spoke to the childminder and the children, observed practice and children involved in various learning activities.  The inspector looked around the premises and discussed aspects of safety.  The inspector looked at documentation, policies and children's learning journals.  The inspector took account of the views of parents provided through questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2011 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. He lives with his wife, who is also a registered childminder, and two children aged seven and 12 years in Brackley, Northamptonshire. The whole ground floor of the house and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a dog, fish and an African land snail. The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. He visits the shops and park on a regular basis. He collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 17 children on roll, seven of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for Bank Holidays and family holidays. He is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 consider using outdoor areas more flexibly, allowing children to move freely between inside and outside areas in all weathers in order to fully enhance their learning.

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who attend

The childminder provides excellent, high quality care and education to children, who flourish and make outstanding progress in their learning and development due to the high importance given to supporting their communication and language. He constantly talks to the children, giving them clear explanations at a level that is appropriate to their understanding, and using this to introduce and reinforce new words and sounds. Resources are plentiful and, therefore, reduce the risk of minor squabbles as there are lots to go around. Storage of toys enables children to make informed choices, and they are all engaged, motivated and enthusiastic to become involved in everything they do.

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who attend

Children have excellent opportunities to continually enhance their physical and social skills as they visit the woods and garden centre and meet with other childminders and children. They climb, balance and move along apparatus, and the childminder has made many different resources to help children make the most of their learning. For example, natural materials, such as logs, have been turned into discs that children balance on, count, stack and use to construct. These encourage lots of language development and discussion as children talk about their ideas and what they are doing, so that all aspects of their learning are supported to an exceptionally high level.

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who attend

Creative activities are extensive and encourage children's imagination as they explore and experiment with a wide range of different textures and materials, such as free painting, gloop play and dough, or gluing and sticking. These are often linked to specific themes or cultural events celebrated throughout the year and are used effectively by the childminder to enhance children's learning across all areas. For example, at Easter children make coloured eggs, then use these to enhance their understanding of simple addition and subtraction as they count, match and sort the different egg colours. Children also collect and count eggs from the childminder's own hens as part of their everyday routine and then use these in their cooking activities. Resources are adapted to reflect people that children know, including those with disabilities. For example, the small world figures and dolls have their own eye patches, which promotes discussion with all of the children about

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who attend

what it would be like to have a sight problem. Children's literacy skills are developing very well as the children access a wealth of books and enjoy listening to stories. They become familiar with known stories and learn that print carries meaning.

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who attend

Children love the outdoors, and extensive skills and knowledge about the living world are gained through the planting and growing of fruit and vegetables. For example, they regularly visit the garden centre, where they are actively involved in making choices about the different plants they wish to grow. They prepare, plant and water the seeds, monitor their growth, then help to harvest them. As a result, children learn how to grow and care for raspberries, strawberries and potatoes, and often visit farms to help pick a variety of different fruits. These are then all used for snacks or during cooking activities, so that children fully understand and benefit from experiencing how food makes the journey from being grown to being served at the table.

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who attend

The childminder is mindful of children's emotional needs and consistently looks for ways to make everyday worries or changes to children's home situations become less difficult. For example, when several children were expecting a new baby in the family, role play equipment, such as dolls, buggies and blankets, was provided so that children could act out and become more comfortable with the forthcoming changes. Children have embraced these experiences and proudly show their 'babies' to the childminder, who asks questions to extend their language and thinking, and stresses the importance of being a 'good big brother or sister'.

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who attend

The childminder places a high emphasis on the importance of planning effectively for the individual needs of the children in his care. He uses the clear, concise information gained through observations of children involved in play to identify their progress and development, and plan for the next steps in their learning. This is displayed prominently for parents to see, and enables them to continue to support children's learning at home. Planning is flexible to meet children's different needs and is adapted to include follow their changing interests and ideas. As a result, children flourish in his care, and their learning needs are met extremely well.

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

The childminder places great importance on ensuring each child has time to become familiar with his home and the routines that are in place. This is done effectively through a gradual settling-in period which is agreed with parents. During this process, parents share in-depth information about their child, enabling the childminder to successfully meet their child's individual needs. The childminder is very calm and caring and spends lots of time talking to and listening to what the children are saying. He is very aware of the different signs, expressions and actions that children use to indicate how they are feeling, such as showing they are over tired, and responds positively to their needs. Transition between his home and other settings is also sensitively supported and precise information is shared with parents and others, so that there is a cohesive approach to meeting each child's needs.

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

Behaviour is excellent and children are reminded to be kind to their friends and to share the resources. This encourages children to consider the feelings of others and to learn from an early age the important social skills of sharing and learning to take turns. The childminder and older children are excellent role models for the younger children and they involve them in tidying up and preparing the room ready for lunch. Praise and encouragement are widely used and continually build children's confidence and self- esteem.

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

The excellent provision of healthy, nutritionally balanced meals and snacks and fresh drinking water promotes children's health and takes full account of their dietary needs and preferences. Menus are provided so parents are fully aware of the variety of foods provided for their children, and their comments and views are sought to ensure meal planning continues to fully meet the nutritional needs and preferences of the children attending. Freshly prepared meals include pasta, fish, roast dinners, bolognaise and curry, and children also play an active role in making their own pizzas and enjoy having these for their tea. Extensive growing and cooking activities further enhance children's understanding about the important part fresh food plays in ensuring they live a healthy lifestyle. They learn about the importance of washing their hands at appropriate times throughout the day, and liquid soap and paper towels are provided to aid children's

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

growing independence in this area. Nappy changing routines and potty training procedures maintain children's comfort, with dignity and sensitivity. Visits to places of interest, the local woods and playing in garden enable children to explore their environment and develop their physical skills through climbing, and moving around on wheeled toys, such as bikes, and on the trampoline.

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

Children enthusiastically access an extensive variety of resources. All are stored at low level in boxes that enable them to see before they choose the items within them. All are excellently maintained, so children gain the most from them. Children benefit from accessing the safe outdoor play environment on a regular basis, learning to explore and keep fit through being active. Labels are used to encourage language development and letter recognition and to relate to topics, for example, new labels reflect the forthcoming planting and growing that the children will engage in. Although the children's access the garden is frequent and inspiring, the childminder is looking at ways of making the garden an extension of the indoor learning environment by introducing a covered area directly outside the conservatory where children will be able to access water, sand and other forms of play each day through a free-flow play system. This will enable the children to

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

continually enhance their learning, both indoors and outdoors.

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provision

Children's safety is always carefully considered and promoted to an extremely high level. The childminder demonstrates an excellent understanding of how to protect children from possible abuse and neglect. He is fully conversant with the signs and symptoms of child protection issues and confident in the procedures to follow to should there be concerns about a child's safety. Comprehensive documentation is in place to support these procedures and all contact details for relevant agencies are easily accessible. All relevant checks have been carried out for the childminder and his co-minder, and a range of detailed policies, procedures and records underpin the extremely positive steps taken to keep children safe and well cared for. For example, records of children's attendance are carefully maintained and highlight the children's different ages, what time they arrive and leave, holiday periods and any unexpected changes to attendance times. These are

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provision

regularly checked and reviewed to make sure that the number of children cared for at any one time remains within legal requirements. High priority is given to maintaining the children's safety at all times and rigorous risk assessments are undertaken to ensure potential hazards are minimised in the home, garden and when on trips. Smoke alarms are maintained and children are actively involved in practising the emergency evacuation procedure. Evaluations of these drills ensure that the procedure remains suitable and, as a result, children remain safe.

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provision

The childminder is dedicated to enhancing the service he provides through monitoring and reflective practice, and is proactive in seeking the views and opinions of parents about the care and service they receive. Once evaluated, their comments are used to effectively enhance practice and develop new ways for supporting children's achievements to the highest level. For example, plans to a make a sensory area have been development following discussions with both parents and children. As a result, highly positive comments are received from parents, including, 'top notch care' and 'communication is great, you couldn't do any more'. A high priority is also given to involving parents in their child's learning through discussions and the sharing of learning journals. Again their views are actively sought and excellent systems for communication ensure all parties are up to date and informed of their child's progress, achievements and future learning needs. Action

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provision

taken in response to any comments are fed back to parents via a 'How's it going' newsletter. This ensures parents are fully aware of the high value placed on their comments and the professionalism of the childminder to ensure they are used to improve and develop the service provided.

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provision

Comprehensive planning, observation and assessment effectively identify the stage of each child's development, progress and future learning needs. All are supported excellently by photographs and artwork, enabling parents to gain an accurate understanding of their child's development and how this can be supported at home. Monthly updates of progress are shared with parents, whose comments and views are actively sought, enabling successful partnership working to be maintained at an optimum level. This has a very positive impact children's overall learning, development and well- being.

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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 EY427398 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 906876 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 8 Number of children on roll 17

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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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