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Early years · Early years inspection (CIF)

Jones, Karen Elaine

Inspected 20 Jun 2013 · published 13 Jul 2013 · URN EY364374

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Summary

Outstanding

Melissa Cox

What we read, and from where

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  • Inspection datesingle source

    20 Jun 2013

  • Inspectors verified

    Melissa Cox

  • Overall effectiveness verified

    Outstanding

  • URN verified

    EY364374

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of the report

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  • OverallOutstanding

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+84Very positivemore positive than 10% of reports of this type graded Outstanding
OutstandingGoodMetRINot metInadequate

Reads more critically than most reports of this type graded Outstanding.

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Praiseexceptionallyexcellentexceptionalextremelystrongvery welleffectivelyhigh quality
Criticisminadequategapsnot metconcernsrequires improvement

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FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings200w+92
  • What needs to improve1983w+82

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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Anatomy of the report

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Pages
11
Words of findings
2,116
longer than usual (typical 693)
Reading level
Hard
Flesch 39, typical 43
Average sentence
18 words
Next steps
8
typical 1
Hedged sentences
0%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 6%What needs to improve 62%About the inspection 31%

Full report text

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/06/2013 22/11/2010

p.1

early years provision

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

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The childminder recognises the uniqueness of each child and provides an extremely warm welcome to all children and their families. Relationships between children and the childminder are highly secure, trusting and warm.  Children are excited and motivated to learn as the childminder has an excellent knowledge of how young children learn, and provide rich, varied and imaginative educational programmes.  The quality of early language provision is exceptional. The childminder provides activities, opportunities and experiences which significantly enhance children's speech, language and communication.  Children's needs are quickly identified and exceptionally well met through the robust and effective partnerships between parents, other providers and external agencies.  Exceptionally strong team work and professionalism is evident within the co-minding team. The childminder and her co-minding team share a strong commitment to the

p.1

This provision is outstanding

continuous development of their practice in order to further enhance outcomes for all children.

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 majority of inspection time was spent with the childminder and her co-minders observing her practice with the minded children.  The inspector looked at children's information and development records.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector engaged in ongoing discussion with the childminder and samples of policies and other records, were checked.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the process of self-evaluation and how the childminder obtains the views of all the users.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2007. She works with two other registered childminders from her own home, where she lives with her partner and her school age sons and college age daughter. Her partner and daughter are also registered as assistants. Currently they are caring for 14 children between them. All three childminders have equal responsibility for the childminding practice, although the childminder currently takes the lead on child protection, continuous improvement, and overall management of the premises. One assistant is trained in food safety and takes responsibility for food preparation and occasional supervision of the children. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She is a member of an approved childminding network and currently provides funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years.

p.3

Information about the setting

The setting is managed over two floors of the home. Children have access to a playroom, sleep area and toilet facilities on the ground floor, with access to an astro-turf and decked outdoor play area. The utility and small kitchen area is also located on the ground floor. The first floor provides children with an additional play area and is used for sleeping purposes after lunch. A kitchen and toilet is also located on this floor. The childminder has a pet dog and two cats.

p.3

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

 review the accessibility of resources for outdoor play so they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways in the outdoor environment.

p.3

who attend

Children flourish in the friendly and welcoming setting. The childminder has an exceptional understanding and knowledge of how to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure children make outstanding progress in all areas of learning and development. She is a highly skilled and well qualified practitioner who brings years of experience and a deep understanding of how children learn. A key strength is her dedication to delivering an outstanding personalised learning plan for each child to meet their specific needs. The assessment and monitoring of children's development and progression is highly systematic resulting in well targeted and focused planning for all children. Parents make a valuable contribution at every stage and the childminder makes exceptional use of this information to appropriately plan the next steps in children's learning. This ensures that she is able to provide high levels of support to close identified gaps in children's development.

p.3

who attend

Children are enthralled by the excellent range of experiences on offer and are highly motivated to lead their own play. The children's learning outdoors is exceptionally very well-supported. Older children actively explore the interesting range of creative materials in the garden and excitedly make a den for their imaginary play, from a selection of ropes and tarpaulins. The childminder is on hand and makes excellent use of her questioning to help re-shape the tasks although is skilful in her support as she instinctively knows when and when not to intervene in children's play. She engages children with interesting and thought-provoking ideas and they work together by experimenting with different methods to construct and secure their new den. As a result, children learn to communicate their ideas to others and work effectively as a team to problem solve the difficulties they face with their building project.

p.4

who attend

Babies and toddlers benefit from well-planned activities such as crazy foam and a range of sensory toys from the well-stocked nature basket. They giggle with delight as they cover each other and the childminder in foam. They explore the pinecones and seed pods with great interest, noting the pattern that each one makes when pressed into the foam. The childminder's high quality interaction in children's activities and the individual levels of attention that she gives each child in her care ensures they are happy, confident and truly settled. Children's enjoyment and understanding is continually extended by the childminder's purposeful comments and questions which builds on their prior learning. For example, children show a high level of curiosity as they then investigate the outdoors space for mini-beasts. They gather them in a small dish to identify with their magnifying glasses. The childminder challenges children effectively by asking open-ended questions

p.4

who attend

about the beasts they have collected and the processes they have used. This supports children's listening and speaking skills in an interesting and engaging way in order to encourage them to think and respond. They remain focused on this task for an extended period of time. This is because they are highly motivated and engaged by the genuine interest the childminder shows in their investigations. Children, therefore acquire a wide range of skills and a very well developed capacity for future learning in school.

p.4

who attend

Children are supported exceptionally well to use new language and see print in a variety of contexts. The excellent range of visual displays including colourful pictures of objects, animals, numbers and letters, encourage children's language skills. Mark making activities are continuously available, both indoors and out. As a result children are developing their early writing, drawing skills, and confidently beginning to form recognisable letters. Older children write with skill and purpose, carefully forming letters and linking sounds to new words as they write their names on their artwork or make lists in their play. Younger children experiment with mark making on low-level chalkboards that decorate the outdoor fences. All children enjoy books and stories in different environments, which include visits to the library or in a comfortable corner of the playroom or garden area. Children listen attentively to favourite stories and anticipate with excitement what happens next. They

p.4

who attend

have access to an extensive range of puzzles, construction resources and cause and effect toys for problem solving and exploration.

p.4

who attend

Partnership with parents is exceptional. Parents are extremely happy with the setting and comments received are very positive. The childminder shares children's observations and assessments regularly with parents, and parents are encouraged to regularly share information and support learning from home through a wide variety of ways. This enables the childminding team to celebrate children's successes and build on their experiences in the setting to ensure that children's unique needs are extremely well met.

p.4

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

A well-established and highly effective key person system enables children to form strong emotional attachments to the childminder, in this childminding partnership. The childminder knows her children exceptionally well. Her high quality interactions and exemplary organisation of routines help babies and very young children gain an exceptionally strong sense of belonging. They are secure in the knowledge that the childminder is always on hand to join in and to provide comfort and support when required. As a result, they enthusiastically engage in activities and eagerly make choices about what they want to play with.

p.5

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

The childminder provides extremely stimulating and well-resourced learning environments both indoors and outside. This enables children to explore and select resources with significant confidence and curiosity. The dedicated playroom is bright, cheerful and very well equipped with sturdy child-size furniture and an abundance of resources stored in labelled boxes with pictures and words. This helps even the youngest children to make independent choices and decisions about what they want to do and where they want to play. The garden has been skilfully adapted to provide rich learning opportunities. There are cosy spots for children to settle down for a story with the childminder or for older children to construct experiment or climb. Children experience learning outdoors in all types of weather, which is particularly successful in engaging boys in mark making and co- operative play. However, while this area enhances children's learning, maximum use is not

p.5

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

yet made of the garden area to provide opportunities for children to self-initiate activities. This means that on very rare occasions children miss a wider range of opportunities to lead their own play.

p.5

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

The childminder and her co-minders work extremely well together, deploying themselves effectively to meet individual needs and keep children safe. This sense of teamwork is fully embedded in all that the childminders do and provides a secure base for their child- centred practice. Children behave exceptionally well, because they are continuously occupied and the childminder gives them her full attention. Children are extremely responsive to the positive praise and encouraging manner of the adults who cares for them and in turn show this towards each other in their play. Their views are valued, which ensure they are active participants when decisions are made.

p.5

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

Children's health and safety is given a very high priority within the setting. Children learn about their own safety as the childminder models gentle reminders of how to use resources safely as they play. Older children show an excellent awareness of levels of responsibility and safety. They help younger children to sit safely at the table or manage their play, taking into consideration the younger children's safety needs. Their very mature attitude towards promoting safety for babies and toddlers in their group, means that children play harmoniously together in a family group that respects and values differences. Mealtimes for children are sociable occasions as they sit together around the table. The childminder is committed to promoting a healthy diet for all children attending and freshly prepared, home-cooked, nutritious meal options are provided every day. Older children develop their independence by setting up the tables and chairs for the group and helping

p.5

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

younger children to lay the table. Their manners are impeccable and the childminder positively promotes children's correct use of utensils correctly. Children wait patiently until everyone has finished before leaving the table. This helps to prepare them for school readiness and promotes independence.

p.6

provision

Children's care is greatly enriched by the childminder's passion to provide high quality care and education for children and her tremendous commitment to the work she does. Her dynamic leadership skills ensure that the childminding partnership is extremely strong, and they work together very well using their skills and abilities to promote effective outcomes for children.

p.6

provision

Self-evaluation reflects rigorous monitoring and searching analysis of what the setting does well and what it needs to improve. She embraces her role to help others and reflects on her own practise through working extremely well with her co-minders and seeking feedback from the parents of children in her care. The childminder takes the lead for quality and staff development. Appraisals and supervision meetings are used to identify any areas for improvement. Robust monitoring ensures educational programmes have sufficient depth, breadth and challenge, and reflect the needs, aptitudes and interests of children. Exceptional monitoring of children's progress is well embedded within practice. As a result, interventions are sought where needed to ensure that gaps are narrowing for individual children identified as being in need of support.

p.6

provision

Children's welfare is exceptionally well promoted because there is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues among the adults in the setting. Robust policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure all concerns are prioritised and dealt with effectively. In the childminding partnership, the childminder also takes overall responsibility for child protection and regularly updates relevant training courses. This ensures her is practice up-to-date with current safeguarding responsibilities. Therefore, the childminder's knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues is excellent. The childminding team make effective use of ongoing, in-depth risk assessments to ensure that any potential hazards are identified and minimised and children are kept safe. Comprehensive policies and procedures are in place and followed vigilantly by the childminder to ensure children's welfare is effectively safeguarded and promoted. All

p.6

provision

documentation required for the safety and well-being of the children is efficiently organised and kept up to date.

p.6

provision

The childminder has established exceptionally strong links with parents and other carers, when care is shared. This promotes a complementary and consistent approach to children's learning and development. She actively works in partnership with agencies involved with the children, such as speech and language therapists or portage workers to help all children reach their development goals. This ensures that there is seamless continuity in children's learning and prepares them for school readiness by laying firm foundations for the future.

p.6

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 EY364374 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 844251 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 14 Number of children on roll 14

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’.

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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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