Childminder in North Northamptonshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/05/2013 10/09/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Children benefit from the provision of a range of activities and resources. The childminder offers challenging experiences across all seven areas of learning.  Children show high levels of independence and self-esteem. They have formed strong bonds and attachments with the childminder and her assistant.  The childminder supports children's speaking and listening skills effectively as they play.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder needs to extend her safeguarding policy so that it is clear how it will be applied in all situations.  The childminder is not fully successful in engaging all parents to support children's ongoing learning in the setting and at home.  Self-evaluation does not routinely take into account the views of all parents, staff and children. Therefore, the views of all users are not effectively used to support ongoing improvements to the provision.

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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 the childminder and assistant interacting with children throughout the inspection within various rooms of the childminder's home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the resources and equipment provided and how effectively they are organised to support children's play and learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a selection of information and documentation relating to the children's safeguarding, welfare and developmental progress.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to and interacted with the childminder, assistant and the children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged seven and four years in a house in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a pet dog. The childminder visits the 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

There are currently 14 children on roll, who are in the early years age group, who attends for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She works with an assistant and is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 improve the regular two-way flow of information with parents. Support parents to extend children's learning at home and obtain information about their learning at home to support their ongoing progress.

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

 develop further the process of self-evaluation to include the views of all users and use these to support improvements to the provision for children

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

 develop existing knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures further to keep children safe and well.

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who attend

The childminder's quality of teaching is generally sound and most children are generally working comfortably well within the typical range of development expected for their age. The childminder's recording of children's assessments show that they are making steady progress over the time they have been in the setting. The childminder provides reasonable resources and activities to promote children's personal, social and emotional development. For example, a felt face board with different expressions and a beach ball with assorted emotions are effectively used to enable children to express themselves and how they are feeling. These resources and activities enable children to express a wide range of feelings and talk about their own experiences. Children are supported in acquiring appropriate language and communication skills through regular use of stories, conversations and simple directions. Older children are

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who attend

encouraged to develop their mark-making skills. For example, children, who are reluctant to draw on paper are invited to try drawing with their fingers in sand or in foam. Children participate in regular physical activities. They use wheeled toys in the garden, play soft ball games in the playroom and have regular visits to parks and play areas. These appropriately support children's physical skills, body control and balance.

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who attend

The childminder can demonstrate that all children are making satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals based on their staring points. Children participate in activities and they display the characteristics of effective learning. For example, an activity involving sorting coloured pasta into the matching coloured bowl promotes children's mathematical skills of sorting and matching and grouping. Children are further challenged as they are required to use plastic sticks in a pincer movement to pick up and move the pasta to the bowl. Once the children have sorted the pasta, they thread large needles with wool and make pasta necklaces and bracelets.

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who attend

The childminder engages well with some parents to support children's learning at home and in the setting. However, she does not look for ways to engage more reluctant parents in their child's learning. Therefore, she does not have a full picture of some children's learning at home. She, also, does not support these parents to extend their child's learning at home to maximise their progress. Children generally are making sound progress in the prime areas of learning. This ensures that most children have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning and be ready for school.

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

Children display good levels of confidence and self-esteem. This is because the childminder and her assistant are skilled in forming firm and appropriate bonds and attachments with the children. Children show that they feel safe and secure in the setting. They confidently move from room to room, accessing toys and equipment of their choice. Children's behaviour shows that they feel safe in the childminder's home. The childminder effectively supports children's competencies in managing their own needs. This results in children displaying high levels of independence, especially in personal care tasks, such as toileting and dressing. The childminder supports this by only intervening if asked. This gives the children the time to try for themselves, promoting their self-esteem and independence. This demonstrates that the impact of the childminder teaching children to learn to be independent enables them to be competent at managing their personal needs

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

Children are gaining an understanding of risk through activities, which encourage them to explore the environment. For example, they learn to use tools, such as scissors safely as they cut the wool for their necklaces. They use large equipment in the local parks and learn how to climb, slide, run and jump safely. When on outings, children learn about road safety and the childminder gives clear messages to them to ensure that they understand why safety is important.

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

Children regularly participate in physical exercise indoors and outside. Children use beach balls to throw and catch in the playroom. They regularly use balls and wheeled toys in the garden. The provision of a broad selection of tools and equipment are developmentally appropriate for the children, enabling them to develop their physical skills and abilities

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

Care practices are good and support children's emotional well-being and welfare. The childminder provides a selection of good activities, which support children's understanding of eating healthily. For example, she provides a selection of fruit for snack and suitable finger foods for younger children. Children participate in activities, such as growing fruit or vegetables, further encouraging them to adopt a healthy attitude towards their diet.

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

Children are well supported in their settling-in to the setting. Parents are encouraged to settle their children in gradually and share information on them with the childminder. This enables her to have some information of children's interests and abilities as soon as they start. However, ongoing exchange of information about children's needs is not consistent with all families. Therefore, some children's continuity of care is not well supported. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning because the childminder provides a setting, which has similarities to a more formal learning environment. For example, she has a separate dining/messy play area where children sit at child-sized tables and chairs. They have a bench and a book rack in the hallway and the children have a selection of toys and resources to choose from in the playroom. This enables children to gradually move from a home setting to a school setting. The childminder

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

provides good support to prepare them for their transitions onto nursery or school. Effective partnerships with the local nurseries and schools support children's smooth transitions to their next stage of learning.

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provision

The childminder displays a suitable awareness of the majority of the learning and development requirements in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides a range of activities and resources that enable children to make satisfactory progress towards the early learning goals. The childminder monitors the activities she provides to ensure that children receive a broad range of experiences, which enable children to make progress towards the early learning goals.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable understanding of most of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. All adults working or living in the home have been checked to ensure that they are suitable to be near children. She completes regular risk assessments of the premises and any outings to ensure that children can play in safety. The childminder and her assistant safeguard children appropriately because they understand the indicators of abuse and would take appropriate action if they were concerned about a child in their care. Through discussion the childminder shows a basic awareness of what to do should an allegation be made against her or her assistant. Additionally, safe use of mobile phones has been considered for the childminder and her assistant, although this has not been extended to cover any visitors they may have. While the childminder is adequately meeting requirements, and there is little impact on the children, her knowledge and

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provision

Partnerships with parents are developing. Some parents' views are sought by way of a questionnaire and the information received compliments the childminder's practice. Her self-evaluation of her practice has scope to improve. Strengths are identified and some areas for improvement are highlighted. However, it lacks rigour as the views of children and parents are not actively sought and actioned to ensure that these are used to inform ongoing improvements to the provision for children.

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provision

The childminder is sufficiently ambitious about improving the setting. For example, she has recently attended further training and gained knowledge and experience. She has also made significant improvements to her practice since the last inspection. This has resulted in the childminder observing and assessing children's progress across all seven areas of learning. She appropriately uses this information to identify and provide for children's next steps in their learning, taking into account their age and stage of development. The childminder gives priority to the prime areas of learning for children under three years old and appropriately tailors activities to meet most of their individual learning 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 EY441757 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 885089 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 10 Number of children on roll 14

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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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