Childminder in Oldham

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/05/2013 22/02/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Caring relationships are fostered well, with secure attachments promoting children's confidence and sense of belonging. The childminder works closely with parents to ensure consistency of care and meet children's individual needs.  Children are happy, settled and enjoy their time with the childminder. She makes learning fun by planning activities that are purposeful and developmentally appropriate across all areas of learning.  The childminder builds on the children's interests and uses local community facilities to further extend and enhance children's learning. Children's individual next steps in learning are planned and their development is assessed and tracked well. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.  The childminder has a good understanding of how to promote children's safety and well-being. She ensures her home is safe and secure by minimising risks effectively, which means children are able to move about freely and safely.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Creative opportunities to stimulate babies' sensory development through media and materials have not yet been fully explored to extend their investigative instincts.

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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 compulsory part 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 children's activities in the lounge.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection regarding her practice, the children's learning and self-evaluation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including observations, assessments, children's records and a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents from written statements.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and two children aged one and six years in Royton, Oldham. The family has a pet dog and a turtle. The lounge, kitchen and the upstairs bathroom are used for childminding purposes. There is a rear yard available for outdoor play. The childminder visits local toddler groups, shops and parks on a regular basis. There are currently three children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 8am until 5pm Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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

 provide further opportunities for babies to enhance their sensory development through the use of a wider range of resources, such as dough and wet play.

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who attend

The childminder is caring and enthusiastic and uses her secure knowledge of the seven areas of learning to plan a wide range of purposeful, fun activities. She motivates and engages children during activities through her skilful intervention. For example, she sits close by and supports children's language and critical thinking skills well. The childminder asks appropriate open-ended questions, such as 'how does it work?' and 'what sound does it make?'. She demonstrates sensitively how to use equipment when children are keen to use it but a little nervous to try for themselves, such as blowing into the small toy saxophone. The childminder listens well to the children and responds to their wishes. For example, they ask repeatedly for it to happen 'again' and 'again' and then laugh together at the noise made by the saxophone.

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who attend

The childminder knows the children well and takes account of their individual interests. She plans appropriate next steps for their learning and provides activities children enjoy. The environment is welcoming and well organised. A wealth of stimulating resources are stored at low level, which enables children to make choices about their learning and explore their own interests. For example, a child independently chooses a treasure basket filled with a variety of household objects of various textures, and concentrates as she investigates the contents. Children have further opportunity to enhance their sensory development with messy play activities. However, activities to stimulate babies' sensory development tend to be with 'dry' materials. Opportunities for babies to explore more messy play materials, to enable them to feel a wider variety of textures and wet play materials have not been fully explored. The childminder responds to babies' gestures and

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who attend

smiles with affection and warmth. Consequently, they smile and gurgle happily as the childminder responds to their emergent vocal sounds to promote their understanding of the conventions of conversation. She talks to them gently, repeating sounds and actions. For example, she slowly wiggles her fingers to encourage their physical development as they reach out and grasp them.

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who attend

Effective settling-in procedures ensure that parents are kept well informed of their child's progress through gradual admission. The childminder obtains information from parents about their children's starting points on entry and shares information about children's progress in a number of ways. Two-way daily diaries tend to document children's care routines with both the childminder and parents contributing in order to aid continuity and build on children's needs. Discussions about the activities children have taken part in are supported by individual learning files that document observations and assessments of children's learning. Parents are able to access their children's records at any time and are encouraged to share their children's home experiences to help support learning opportunities.

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who attend

Since the last inspection, the childminder has implemented opportunities for children to use tools effectively. For example, trowels are used for planting in the outdoor environment. The childminder builds on activities that children have enjoyed in their home environment. For instance, she encourages children to plant pea seeds, to complement a gardening activity they have enjoyed at home and to support their knowledge of the natural world. Teaching is effective and the childminder observes the children well. She uses this information to plan effective next steps in learning that sufficiently challenge children's development. The childminder uses effective assessments to monitor children's progress, as they work towards the early learning goals and develop the necessary skills to support their future learning.

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who attend

The childminder supports all areas of children's development through a broad range of activities and experiences, within the home and the local community. Children's physical development is fostered well through daily outdoor play in the back yard and by trips to the local park, where they climb on larger play equipment. Children take part in music sessions at a local playgroup, which enhances their listening skills and creative development.

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

Settling-in visits and detailed discussions with parents enable the childminder to gather comprehensive information about each child's background and individual needs. The childminder and parents work well together to establish consistency of care. For example, parents provide food from home to support continuity for children, which is complemented by fresh fruit and healthy drinks of milk and water provided by the childminder. As a result, children are very settled, secure and happy. Children enjoy a close relationship with the childminder and consequently they are confident to try new experiences. Children make independent choices about their play, accessing stimulating resources and demonstrating that they are confident in their surroundings. They have good self-help skills that are developmentally appropriate, such as helping to tidy the toys away and feeding themselves. Young children are confident to express their feelings and desires, for

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

example, telling the childminder 'I want to lie down'. The childminder listens and responds sensitively to what children say, affirming their language by repeating words and modelling new words to clarify their meaning. For example, she replies 'you want to lie down, are you tired, do you want to go to sleep?'. This demonstrates she responds to children's individual care needs well, ensuring they feel safe and comfortable. Good hygiene practices are promoted to ensure children's safety. For instance, clean sheets are used when children go to sleep in the pram in order to limit risks of cross-infection.

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

The childminder is positive and uses praise effectively which enables children to feel valued and appreciated. She is consistent and offers good levels of appropriate explanation. Consequently, children respond well to the boundaries set to help keep them safe. This means that they learn to respect resources and each other. They explore their surroundings secure in the knowledge that the childminder will support them, which gives them confidence to be independent learners. The childminder visits local toddler groups to help the children learn to take turns and share, as they begin to understand the needs and feelings of others in the local community. They are taught from a very young age how to behave safely when walking in the local community, and regular fire drills help develop their awareness of keeping safe.

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

Children have opportunities to be outdoors in the fresh air on a daily basis. They take part in a range of physical activities through outings into the local community or playing in the back yard. For example, they walk to a local park area as they learn about the local environment. They watch horses in the fields and feed ducks as they develop an understanding of the natural world. Children grow vegetables in the back yard and begin to gain an understanding of where food comes from. The childminder encourages children to eat fruit at snack times, to help support their understanding of making healthy food choices.

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

Currently, children do not attend any other early years settings. However, the childminder understands the need to work closely with other providers when needed to aid continuity for children. The childminder takes children to a variety of children's groups within the local community, which helps them to develop their confidence with other adults and their peers. This helps prepare children with skills for future transitions into nursery and school.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Regular observations of children's play are assessed, which enables learning to be tracked to monitor whether it is developmentally appropriate. Strong relationships with parents enable an effective sharing of information regarding their child's interests and individual needs. The childminder uses this knowledge well to build on what children already know and can do. Consequently, children make good progress towards the early learning goals. Parents' comments show they value the service the childminder provides.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the children's safety is well promoted. Policies and procedures are implemented through effective practice. The childminder does not currently take photographs of children in her care. This is reflected in her safeguarding policy, regarding the use of cameras and mobile phones. The childminder uses risk assessments and safety equipment to ensure the environment is safe for the children to investigate in their play. For example, stair gates and cupboard locks minimize hazards and the childminder supervises the children well to give them confidence to explore their surroundings. The childminder demonstrates a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and is clear about the procedures to follow in the event of a concern.

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provision

Parents contribute to their children's two year assessment check, as they review with the childminder their children's learning. This supports parents in gaining an understanding of the learning and development of their child. Parents comment that they 'are pleased with the progress their child has made'.

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provision

There are currently no children on roll attending other settings or receiving support from outside agencies. However, the childminder is aware of the benefits of working in partnership with other agencies to secure appropriate interventions to ensure all children receive the support they need. Similarly, she understands the importance of partnership working with other providers to ensure consistency of care and learning when children begin to attend other settings.

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provision

The childminder monitors and evaluates her practice using a range of procedures. She talks to other childminders, reflects on her own practice and attends training sessions. The childminder maintains a knowledge and skills audit which demonstrates her commitment to improving her skills to improve outcomes for children. She has a good understanding of her strengths and areas of her provision she would like to develop in the future. For example, introducing a digital camera to enable children to enhance their use of technology by recording images of their play. This demonstrates the childminder has a positive attitude towards continuously improving the service she provides.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY406338 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 893112 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 3 Number of children on roll 3

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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

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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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