Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/07/2013 Not Applicable

p.1

early years provision

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

p.1

This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has extensive experience of delivering educational programmes against the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and provides a stimulating, high quality environment. Children therefore, make rapid progress in their learning and development.  Children's language development is superbly supported as the childminder considers individual learning styles, age and interests to offer activities which will engage and motivate children to speak and listen.  The childminder cherishes children in her care and they develop warm, trusting relationships with her. She fosters an enabling atmosphere, which means children feel secure and develop very high levels of confidence and self-esteem through highly effective learning.  The childminder develops mutually beneficial relationships with children's parents to ensure they are involved and kept comprehensively informed about their child's

p.1

This provision is outstanding

progress. Children, therefore, receive a highly consistent early years experience.  The childminder's vast experience in self-reflective practice has enabled her to make an impressive start to her childminding service. This benefits children as they receive a very high quality care and learning experience as a result.  The childminder has vast experience of working with external agencies and other early years professionals. This enables her to meet individual children's needs superbly and help them achieve smooth transitions.

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 inspector observed activities in the childminder's lounge, dining room, kitchen and garden.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder of a creative play activity and a water play session.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's observation records, a selection of policies and other related documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of written feedback from five parents and information in the childminder's parent survey.

p.2

Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged 14 and six years in a house in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. The whole of the ground floor of the property and one bedroom upstairs is used for childminding. There is an enclosed rear garden available for outdoor play. The family have chickens in a run in the garden.

p.3

Information about the setting

There are activities that run elsewhere via the local children's centre, All for One and Messy Play. She visits the shops and park and library on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

p.3

Information about the setting

There are currently four children on roll who are in the early years age range. Children may attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays. She cares for children who speak English as an additional language. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, receives support from the local authority and has completed the Early Years and Childcare Quality Framework.

p.3

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

 develop further the outdoor educational programme to enhance the already exceptional opportunities offered to children, with regard to risk taking.

p.3

who attend

The childminder has an exceptionally positive impact on children's learning and development, across the prime and specific areas, taking into account their starting points and individual capabilities. Children make impressive progress, particularly given the length of time they have been with the childminder and how often they attend. Assessment of children's skills, knowledge and understanding is carried out on entry, and includes useful contributions about their progress to date from parents. The childminder supplements this information with her assessment as they begin attending to ensure their learning is uninterrupted. Comprehensive, sharply focussed observations and formative assessments support children's continued rapid progress. Planning for children's next steps in their learning is based on the childminder's expert knowledge of the areas, and characteristics of learning. This results in, the provision of dynamic educational

p.3

who attend

programmes for children, with differentiated activities which superbly meet children's individual needs. The childminder is highly experienced in delivering educational programmes under the Early Years Foundation Stage through her prior role as a pre- school manager. She, therefore, has very high expectations of herself and the children in her care. Consequently, children display the characteristics of effective learners, which prepares them exceptionally well for school.

p.4

who attend

Teaching highly motivates children to learn in all areas as the childminder provides them with rich, varied and imaginative experiences. Activities and experiences are tailored to meet their individual needs and interests. For example, a baby who is just beginning to show interest in their environment has their own special 'exploring box', which contains a changing variety of objects. The baby anticipates what the childminder is fetching and kicks their legs excitedly, maintaining interest in this activity for some time. The baby plays with a belt, a bottle that crinkles and crunches, a toothbrush and wooden spoon. They bang the tin it is in and when emptied, they watch fascinated, as they see their reflection in the bottom. They explore the tin, turning it upside down and feeling it with their mouth. The childminder explains that the baby loves to use this tin which they have when other children are asleep or not there. She rotates the content so that it is always a

p.4

who attend

surprise inside. The childminder interacts with the child throughout, asking them what they can see, what it feels like and offering the correct words to describe various items. Such opportunities help children make sense of their immediate environment and mean their learning is relevant and highly enjoyable.

p.4

who attend

Young children respond well to the childminder's clear offer to paint with her and join her on the grass. The explanation she provides ably assists children's learning and they don painting aprons in readiness for the activity. They develop their hand-eye coordination as they use brushes to paint their stones to add to the sand tray. The childminder encourages the children to compare which stones are bigger or smaller and group them. Children learn the names of the paint colours they use and count the number of stones they see. The childminder further extends the activity by explaining that, when the paint is dry, they will decorate them with sequins and varnish them before adding them to the sand tray. In this way, children learn about the properties of different materials and begin to understand the concept of time passing. Children experiment and watch in wonder as they splash their hands in bubble liquid in a tray. They see lots of tiny bubbles form and

p.4

who attend

make intricate patterns. They choose different bubble wands from the tray to try blowing bubbles and concentrate hard until they succeed. The childminder offers them well-timed praise and encouragement, which motivates them to persist. She utilises this opportunity to develop their language and understanding superbly well. Together, they discuss the iridescent colours of the bubbles and children learn words, such as 'floating' and 'pretty'.

p.4

who attend

Children experience a rich, varied and imaginative range of activities in the welcoming and stimulating environment the childminder provides. The extremely well-labelled environment helps children attach meaning to words and they begin to recognise familiar letters, such as those that are in their name. Children have a colour, letter, number and shape of the week and see them represented in the room. The childminder links these to other activities to confirm their understanding. Children who speak English as an additional language are extremely well-catered for. The childminder chooses purple as the colour of the week to help a new child speaking an additional language to settle because this is their favourite colour. Playing cards in their home language help them feel valued and the dictionary of key words collated enables the childminder to communicate with them more easily. Children count in both English and the child's first language, helping all

p.4

who attend

participating to develop an appreciation of a new language. Children enjoy singing each day, which happens both spontaneously and as a part of planned activities. They play with drums and the childminder joins them singing 'The grand old duke of York' and, as they wash their hands, they sing the short hand-washing song they have created. This helps children develop a healthy habit in a fun-based way.

p.5

who attend

Children's physical development is skilfully woven into activities, which engage and motivate them. They walk dolls in pushchairs and prams down to the river and feed the ducks and swans there. A picnic further extends the fun they have and the childminder creates a visual map book for them to refer to later. This shows photographs of various landmarks on the way, which assists children's ability to recall past events. Children take many walks locally to shops and parks and the daily trips to and from school offer varied learning opportunities. The lollipop lady's presence is eagerly anticipated each day and this relationship helps them develop an awareness of road safety. The childminder takes children into town to the library and they visit the crocodile farm where they see different animals, such as bison, ostrich and llamas, as well as crocodiles. Through these stimulating and interesting outings children are active, learn about their immediate

p.5

who attend

environment and develop a sense of their place within their community. Opportunities for risk taking during the excellent range of outdoor play are being further considered so children benefit even more from opportunities to develop confidence. In the childminder's garden children plant, tend and grow their own vegetables. They water them carefully and find their own named pot, which also tells them if they are watering sweet corn, cucumber or peas. When ripe they pick what they have grown and the childminder either prepares them raw as a snack or children cook with them. In this way, they develop an understanding of where their food comes from, explore new tastes and recipes and develop an understanding of healthy eating.

p.5

who attend

The childminder is highly skilled at involving parents in their children's learning and development. Parents are offered a wealth of information about the service she provides when their children begin attending. Each child has a learning journal and parents take this home and contribute comments of their own. In addition, they are invited to add their children's achievements, or exciting news, to the 'Wow' board the childminder has in the hall. The daily diary is used to share care information and helps build a complete picture of how effectively each child is progressing. The childminder issues parent questionnaires three times a year and offers formal and informal parent meetings.

p.5

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

Children quickly form a secure emotional attachment with the childminder as she offers them a warm and reassuring approach, which helps them settle. She brings much prior knowledge and understanding of the sensitive interaction that children need as they make the transition into her setting. Each child is offered an individualised approach, which ensures they feel valued; as a result, children are calm, confident and highly involved in the life of the setting. This provides them with a wonderfully firm foundation from which to explore, investigate and learn. Very good partnerships are in place with parents. Parents feel reassured when their child is new to the setting, or if they are unsettled when they leave them, as the childminder rings or sends a picture text to let them know how they are.

p.5

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

Children's safety and well-being is given the highest consideration at all times. The childminder is vigilant about where children are and a number of safety measures support her to feel reassured that risks are minimised. Safety gates are in place to ensure children's safety on the stairs and the front and back doors are locked, with the keys held on a high hook close by. When on outings, younger children wear full body reins. The childminder is rigorous about children's welfare and has undertaken extensive safeguarding training. Her experience in this area enables her to ensure children are protected, parents are aware of the policies and procedures she needs to follow and visitors sign in and out. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety in age-appropriate ways. For example, a young child is reminded to take care as they come down the stairs with the childminder, after taking another child up for a sleep. On

p.6

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

outings children know they must remain close to the childminder at all times and hold her hand, or the pushchair, as they cross roads.

p.6

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

Children learn how to behave as the childminder approaches this with the benefit of much prior experience and training. She pays much attention to managing each child's behaviour in a way that works for them and employs different strategies accordingly. Very young children learn through simple explanations and diversionary tactics. Good manners and the ability to say sorry are also encouraged. Consequently, children display excellent levels of control for their young ages during activities and use good manners. Their social skills develop swiftly as they take part in activities at local groups and attend the local children's centre. Through mixing with differing groups of children in this way, children learn to develop positive relationships with others and begin to value and accept difference.

p.6

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

Children benefit from a very well-ordered environment where their learning needs are given priority. They choose resources from labelled shelves, many of which are child accessible. Resources on the higher, open fronted shelves can also be requested. Children's good health is promoted extremely well as they enjoy healthy, nutritious and varied snacks. For example, they choose from a variety of fruits and raw vegetables and the childminder talks to them about how good they are for them. She encourages these young children to take a piece of fruit or vegetable themselves, cut their own fruit and peel them with support. They scrape peelings into the waste container in the middle of the table and learn about re-cycling. The childminder encourages children's language as she names carrot, apple, cucumber and banana. Children learn new skills and words as they butter bagels and the childminder tells them they are 'spreading' it. After eating, children

p.6

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

wash their faces with their individual flannels and clean their hands. They help tidy up and take dustpans and brushes off the low hooks to help clear the floor of spilt food. This also enhances their very good awareness of safety. Children very much enjoy this cosy, nurturing and social occasion at the kitchen table and eat well. Following daily routines also helps soothe new children and settle others before a sleep. Other children are reminded to be quiet and the curtains are closed. Soothing music is played and the childminder talks softly and gently to the child before settling them into the cot. She and the other children then tiptoe quietly out of the room. This helps children learn to be considerate of others and they feel relaxed and at home because the childminder offers them sensitive, nurturing care.

p.6

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

The childminder's prior experience means she has already developed firm relationships with other local early years settings and schools. She is familiar with partnership working and is proactive in her approach, ensuring that she considers carefully what children need as they make the move up to pre-school or school. This helps ease transitions for children and they receive excellent consistency in their care and learning.

p.7

provision

The first class approach taken by this inspirational childminder to children's care and learning ensures they receive a particularly high standard of teaching. She is highly motivated to ensure she provides high quality delivery of the educational programmes. She has an astute awareness of how to plan and deliver activities and experiences against individual children's needs. Assessments are carried out regularly to ensure children make the best possible progress from their starting points. The childminder is a highly reflective practitioner, who rigorously monitors her practice and strives to continually succeed. With this in mind, she has undertaken the local authority quality assurance framework. This has challenged her to question and revise her practice to bring about the enhancements to the service she wishes to see.

p.7

provision

The childminder's extensive childcare experience and the Early Years Degree she has completed, offer her an in-depth understanding of her role and all that it involves. She is strongly focussed on the requirements placed upon her to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The suite of policies in place to support her in this role and the plentiful previous training she has undertaken are impressive. She understands how to recognise signs of abuse and who to report concerns to. Her proactive attitude to continuous professional development means she undertakes as much training as possible to improve her already superb professional practice.

p.7

provision

The childminder develops effective and mutually beneficial relationships with parents and works closely with them to ensure their children make excellent progress in their learning and development. She successfully engages parents in their children's learning and liaises with them and any other professionals necessary to help children succeed and do well. For example, she liaises with the early year's advisor and the pre-school staff to enhance her exemplary service. Children are, therefore, extremely well-prepared for the next stage in their learning.

p.7

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.8

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.9

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.9

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.10

Setting details

Unique reference number EY457510 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 902174 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 6

p.10

Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

p.10

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.10

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.10

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.10

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.10

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.11

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.11

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’.

p.12

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.12