Childminder in Lincolnshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/07/2013 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children build warm relationships with the childminder and engage in conversation to support their language development and increase their confidence.  Children settle well into the childminder's home. She finds out about children's routines and needs by talking to parents in order to provide a smooth transition into her provision.  Children initiate their own play and activities freely. They access the wide range of toys and resources on offer from the low-level storage available to them.  Children are cared for in a safe environment, where risks to them are minimised. This ensures that children are protected in the home and on outings.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder is not consistently making good use of observations to monitor children's progress, or inform her planning, to ensure each child is fully supported in the next steps in their learning, so that they make best progress.  Parents are not sufficiently encouraged to share their views on the progress of their child's learning or their observations from home to ensure children's progress is maximised.  The childminder's use of self-evaluation to identify her strengths and areas for development, to inform future plans, is not yet rigorous enough to ensure children benefit from a continuously improving setting.

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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 conducted observations of children's play and learning alongside the childminder and discussed these with her.  The inspector spoke and interacted with the children to seek their views.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder about all aspects of her provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and related planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked a range of documentation including attendance records and car insurance.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed the childminder's self-evaluation and improvement plan with her.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives in semi-detached house with her husband and two children aged 13 and four years in Grantham, Lincolnshire and uses the whole of the house and the rear garden for childminding. The family has a dog. She regularly attends the children's centre for a variety of activities. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and receives support from the local authority. She visits the local shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is open all year round, except for family holidays, from 7am until 6pm from Monday to Saturday. The childminder currently cares for two children in the early years age group attending on a full time basis. The childminder speaks English, Slovak, Polish and Czech, and supports children with English as an additional language. She also cares for children aged over five years during school holidays.

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must:

 make effective use of observations to fully extend children's individual learning and to provide well-matched challenges through effective teaching so that children make good progress and any areas requiring additional support can be effectively identified

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must:

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents with regards to their involvement in children's learning, for example, by encouraging them to contribute to their children's development records and support and extend children's learning at home, in order to maximise children's progress.

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

 monitor and analyse everyday working practices including the educational programmes and children's learning, through the self-evaluation process taking into account the views of parents, carers and children so that strengths and weaknesses are effectively identified and priorities and action plans for improvement are highlighted.

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who attend

The childminder has, in the main, a suitable understanding of how to support children's learning and development. She provides a relaxed environment with a range of resources to encourage their interest and help their development. She gets to know the children initially through discussions with parents and her own general observations of them at play. Through this, she is able to identify their play preferences and what they can do, and then provides appropriate discussion and resources to extend their learning. For example, children are currently very interested in electronic toys, including piano keyboards, microphones and story books. She uses this to encourage their conversation and sets out toys, such as a selection of child computer pads and mouse controls, to support their understanding of information and communication technology.

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who attend

The childminder is generally aware of how to check that children are making suitable progress and has some appropriate documentation to help her. She routinely records observations of children at play and takes photographs to capture memorable moments. The childminder has sufficient knowledge of individual children to encourage their general development through play. However, she does not effectively use the information from her observations to fully extend their individual learning or provide well-matched challenges through effective teaching. As a result, children make satisfactory, rather than good, progress. Also, opportunities to fully engage parents in children's learning, for example, by sharing observations from home, are not fully developed. This means that opportunities for parents and the childminder to work consistently together to support children's development are not always maximised.

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who attend

Children are confidently able to access a selection of resources to support their individual preferences and initiate their own play. The childminder sets out some for easy access and also has others stored in accessible cupboards and storage boxes, which she rotates according to children's individual developmental needs. The childminder engages with children to encourage and extend their thinking through open-ended questions and by responding to their ideas. They sit together to look at books and engage in songs and nursery rhymes to increase their language skills, and the childminder uses clear speaking so children can copy the correct pronunciation. Young children have regular opportunities to draw and make marks, and engage in a variety of creative activities with paint, crayons and glue. Current favourites include using a range of water pens and stamps to make marks on special mats or using ink stamps to make patterns on paper. The childminder

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who attend

uses these interests to introduce other aspects of learning, such as the names of the animals on the stamps.

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who attend

Children have a range of puzzles and construction games to help them learn about shapes and sizes, and enjoy counting and action songs. The childminder regularly brings numbers and colours into the daily routine. Children are settled and comfortable in the routine and able to make choices in their play. The childminder engages naturally with the children to generally extend their thinking and widen their play experiences. As a result, children are making suitable progress and starting to develop the skills they need to support them in their next stage of learning.

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

The childminder has very warm and caring relationships with the children, helping them feel secure. Each child is valued and their individual needs met, because the childminder works well with parents to continually gather and exchange clear information about their specific care needs and interests. The childminder talks to parents and encourages them to share information about their children's general routines to help children to settle more easily. She offers children encouragement and supports their social skills through daily routines, for example, using good manners or sharing toys with their friends. She listens well to them and engages them in lots of conversation to increase their language skills and give them confidence to voice their wishes. She is very skilled in supporting children with English as an additional language and values their home language. The childminder talks to children in their own language and English supporting young children to feel

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

confident to speak. Children enjoy a wide variety of songs and the childminder enthusiastically joins in with them further supporting their language development.

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

The childminder supports children's self-care routines well, such as using wipes after a messy play activity or after eating. Sleeping children are regularly checked to ensure they are safe. Children are learning to behave appropriately as the childminder has a calm and gentle manner and offers attention and encouragement to children in her care. She uses various ways to help them manage their behaviour, such as explanations to help them understand and distraction with other games and activities. Children move confidently between the rooms and enjoy running in the garden, helping develop their physical skills. They use the garden frequently and understand to be kind to the dog. Children go out regularly into the fresh air for walks or visits to the park and the shops. Children enjoy regular trips into the community and attend other local early years groups. As a result, they develop social skills as they engage with others and enjoy wider play experiences to

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

Children's health is monitored through the meals and snacks provided by parents. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure these are nutritious. Children enjoy sitting together at meal times and begin to learn why they must sit to eat to stay safe, such as while eating an apple. Children have access to drinks at all times to ensure they remain hydrated. They also regularly go out for lunch to the Sure Start centre, which enables them to gain confidence on other social situations, helping prepare them for transitions to pre-school or nursery.

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of how to promote children's welfare and is aware of her role in protecting children from possible harm or neglect and how to pass on concerns appropriately. She has undertaken a training course to ensure her knowledge of safeguarding is current. The childminder provides a healthy and safe home and carries out visual and written checks daily to ensure any hazards are identified. She takes appropriate action as a result of her risk assessment. For example, she has a stairgate across the kitchen to prevent children's unsupervised access. All records to support her childminding business are in place and these are shared appropriately with parents, such as, her car insurance details, safeguarding policy and attendance records. This ensures parents are well informed about how their children are cared for and kept safe.

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provision

The childminder is developing her knowledge of the learning and development requirements and how to monitor that children are making progress. She has identified certain courses to help improve her practices to promote children's welfare, such as food safety, therefore, showing a willingness to improve her practice. The childminder shares and discusses ideas and areas for development with other childminders at the groups she attends. She has recently undertaken a training course to support young children's language development. However, she does not routinely reflect on her practice or seek the views of parents, which means that some areas for improvement are not identified. The childminder's self-evaluation of her provision is at an early stage and not yet effective in ensuring the setting continuously improves to ensure the best outcomes for children.

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provision

The childminder has established warm relationships with parents and she offers a friendly and flexible service. She has a selection of policies for parents to read about her provision and gives them verbal feedback about their children's day. She regularly provides examples of children's creative work to take home. Although at present none of the children attend other settings, the childminder is well known at the local nursery and school, and understands the importance of making links here to help children in their transitions to these settings. She is aware of her role in observing children at play to monitor their development. The childminder recognises the importance of noting any developmental concerns quickly and liaising closely with parents and other professionals to support children's individual development. She provides a very caring and supportive home where children are encouraged and valued.

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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 EY453468 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 902826 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 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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