Childminder in Stockport

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/06/2013 09/03/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 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

 The childminder understands her responsibility in regard to child protection. Policies and procedures are routinely shared with parents to promote consistency and enhance outcomes for children.  Children learn how to make healthy choices in relation to food and develop their coordination through outdoor play. As a result, their physical development is appropriately promoted.  The childminder establishes caring relationships with the children, which promotes their sense of security and confidence.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always organise the space in her home or remove hazards left by her family before commencing minding children. This compromises the children's play areas.  Children's learning experiences are not routinely matched to their individual needs. This means that children are not consistently challenged to make the best progress in their learning.  Self-evaluation is not yet robust enough to monitor the quality of practice or identify areas for development that will improve learning opportunities for children.  The childminder does not always consult with parents and other settings the children attend about what their children can do in order to maximise on children's learning.

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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 activities in the lounge.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documents including children's records and policies and procedures.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2007 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 10 and 14 years in the Cheadle area of Stockport. The whole of the ground floor, which consists of a conservatory, lounge, diner kitchen and ground floor toilet, is used for childminding. A fully enclosed rear garden is available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools. There are currently five children on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder receives support from the local authority and is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 ensure that the home and garden areas used by children are safe at all times; this particularly relates to the organisation of the toys and some hazardous items within children's reach

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must:

 improve the monitoring of the planning for activities so that it meets children's individual learning needs, for example, by making sure that the next steps in children's learning are consistently planned for.

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

 find further ways of encouraging all parents and other settings the children attend to consistently share information in relation to children's learning to inform planning for their individual needs

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

 extend self-evaluation through careful monitoring of the quality of the care, learning and development on offer, and identify targets for improvement that will raise children's achievements over time.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled in the childminder's care as she spends time getting to know them and their families. Children are building attachments and bonds which promote their well-being and as a result, children are becoming more independent and have an ability to manage their own behaviour. These skills help to support children's readiness for school when the time comes.

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who attend

Children are learning to share, and think that the best thing about being at the childminder's is playing together with their friends. Children's language development is supported appropriately as the childminder engages in lots of conversation during play activities and daily routines. The childminder uses everyday events to encourage children to count up to and beyond five and makes good use of effective questioning during activities. She prompts them to name the colours of their play bricks and to talk about how many fall and how many are left when they build and knock down towers. She also gently suggests to older children to share and be patient with the younger children. This supports children's understanding of mathematical concepts and their social development. Children are achieving at the expected levels in their communication and language development because the childminder encourages the use of language, and sensitively

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who attend

repeats words correctly if children use the wrong one. Children particularly enjoy creative activities and attempt to grow sunflowers and vegetables, which enables them to begin to understand growth and change over time. An abundance of craft and mark-making materials give opportunities for children to use their imagination and practise their early writing skills.

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who attend

The childminder speaks to parents about what their children are interested in before they start and uses this information to provide activities. She has begun to undertake regular observations which she records in individual learning journals. Her assessments are accurate and children are making progress at their expected level. However, information from her observations is not used consistently to plan for the children and further their learning. This impacts on her ability to both identify and plan accurately for the individual learning needs of children in her care, particularly the more able children, to take the next steps in their learning and make the best progress possible.

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

Children develop warm, secure relationships with the childminder. She recognises when they feel shy or are less confident, and offers gentle reassurance helping them to feel secure in her care and ensure that they behave well. They are encouraged to use good manners, with prompts of 'please' and 'thank you' and receive plenty of positive praise when they achieve something. This is a reflection of the high priority given by the childminder to supporting children's personal, social and emotional development to prepare them for their next stage of learning. This also means they are being prepared for their future learning and eventual transition into school. Children have access to a vast amount of resources, however, due to the lack of organisation, these do not always promote their learning through play and exploration. The childminder demonstrates that she promotes children's understanding of difference through a range of posters, books

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

and resources children can choose from which promote positive images of diversity.

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

Any conflict situations which arise are handled sensitively and calmly, enabling children to develop negotiation and cooperation skills, such as taking turns. Timely reminders from the childminder and activities help children to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about fire safety as a result of the fire officer's visit and regular fire drills, they are also beginning to understand where the safe places are to cross the road.

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

The childminder provides children with a variety of fruits and snacks in line with parents' wishes. She prompts the younger children to drink on a regular basis, and this ensures children begin to receive healthy eating messages from the earliest age. Children are taken frequently to groups or parks, where they have room to run around and use large play equipment, which develops their balance and coordination skills.

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

The childminder discusses children's individual daily routines with parents before they start with her, as well as their likes, dislikes and any allergies. This means that their welfare is protected and they settle quickly, ensuring continuity between her care and their home environment.

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provision

The childminder maintains all the records and policies which are required to meet the individual welfare needs of the children in her care. Through regular training, she has a secure understanding of her responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and knows the procedures to follow if she has any safeguarding concerns, including how to liaise with appropriate external agencies. She ensures children are under her direct supervision at all times and important information such as her certificate of registration, her first aid certificate and details about how to make a complaint are clearly displayed for parents to see. However, the childminder is not proactive in ensuring that her home and gardens are organised for the arrival of the children and ensure that children have space to play safely. While most potential hazards have been identified and minimised to ensure the safety of children, on occasions bicycles and some electrical extension sockets are accessible to

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provision

The childminder is establishing her partnerships with parents. In addition to the discussions that the childminder has with parents at the start and end of their day they are provided with monthly newsletters and daily diaries which include a short account of their child's day. Parents, on occasion, have access to children's learning journals, however, the quality and depth of the information available means that it is not always clear how their children's next steps of learning are being planned for, to enable their individual needs to be met. In addition, partnerships with the schools that the children attend, are not robust to ensure that children's learning can be consolidated and extended effectively. Parents, through a recent questionnaire comment positively about the childminder, her approachability and how they feel confident that their children are cared for and developing well.

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provision

The childminder, on occasion, reflects on her practice to see if it can be improved. As a result, she has identified some areas for ongoing improvement. However, she has not fully considered how she will prioritise and achieve these areas for development in order to ensure sustained improvement to further enhance experiences for children. She recognises there are still some areas for improvement, raised at her last inspection, which she has still to work on, most notably in relation to using planning to better support children's learning. She has, on occasion, received individual support from the local authority advisory team and acts on advice to enhance her knowledge.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; this particularly relates to the organisation of the toys and hazardous items within children's reach (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; this particularly relates to the organisation of the toys and hazardous items within children's reach (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY361209 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 900694 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 5

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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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