Childminder in Norfolk

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/07/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2

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This provision is good

 The childminder creates a positive, friendly and stimulating environment. She provides very good support, so children behave well and develop positive social skills.  Children enjoy a broad range of interesting activities and outings that help them to learn about the natural world and the wider community.  The childminder promotes children's language particularly well, helping them to develop their vocabulary and gain the confidence to express themselves.  Children benefit from the encouragement they receive to eat healthily and are learning good personal care routines

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder uses story and music tapes but does not turn these off when children are no longer listening to them. This creates a distracting background noise, which does not help children's concentration.  Parents do not receive encouragement to contribute their views and ideas to help to shape childminding practices.

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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 viewed all areas used for childminding.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and interacted with the children during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a selection of documentation including children's progress records.  The inspector observed a range of activities.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives with partner and four children, in Chatham, Kent. The childminder's daughter sometimes works with her as an assistant. Childminding generally takes place on the ground floor although the toilet facilities are upstairs. There is a rear garden for outside play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently has five children under eight years on roll, four of whom are in the early years age group.

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Information about the setting

The childminder walks or drives to schools to take and collect children. She takes children to a variety of local amenities including local parks and toddler groups. The family has two cats.

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

 improve the childminding environment by keeping background noise to a minimum, for example by using music and story tapes for particular purposes

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

 offer greater encouragement for parents to become involved in the self-evaluation process to include their views when planning improvements.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and supports their development well. She undertakes observation of children as they play and very effectively plans experiences, which offer them an appropriate level of challenge. The childminder produces regular reports for parents, which summarise the progress their child is making in each area of learning. She also clearly sets out the next steps planned for each child along with ideas of activities that will help to achieve these. Parents therefore receive good information to help them take an active role in their child's learning. The childminder has appropriate arrangements in place to complete the required progress checks for children aged two years.

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who attend

Children take part in a broad and interesting range of activities which promote their all round development. Children make good progress in all areas, due to the childminder's skilful support. The childminder promotes children's communication and language well. She engages in lively discussions with older children, asking questions and listening well to the things they say. The childminder maintains eye contact, uses naming words and a lot of repetition to encourage babies' communication and language skills.

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who attend

Children enjoy the freedom they receive to explore the childminder's playroom and choose the resources they want to use. This helps them to develop independence in their learning, which prepares them well for their move to school. They build towers, draw pictures, look at books and engage in role-play with dolls. The childminder supports children's play extremely well. For example, as children look at books and comment on trees, the childminder encourages them to guess what season it must be. She supports children to use their existing knowledge of what happens to trees during spring, autumn and winter to work out that the story takes place in the summer. These positive experiences help children to develop knowledge for their future learning.

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who attend

The childminder recognises the benefits of broadening children's horizons by taking them to interesting places. For example, children go to the park every day to feed the ducks. This helps them to learn about lifecycles and to observe the seasonal changes in the park. In addition, the childminder currently takes them to a local castle each week so that they can regularly revisit the maze with the hope of finally conquering it. Children also enjoy regular visits to the seaside. During these outings children engage in a lot of physical exercise, often using fixed play equipment. Children who are not yet walking have space to crawl and use the sturdy furniture to pull themselves up.

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

Children respond very well to the childminder's very good humoured manner. They show a strong sense of security, which gives them the confidence to express their views, ask questions and make suggestions. The childminder very competently supports children to manage their behaviour by reinforcing the importance of good manners. Children shows their understanding by explaining that they know it is nice to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They are friendly and becoming very considerate of others. The childminder places good emphasis on promoting children's emotional wellbeing. She offers them a lot of praise and encouragement and gives them a comforting cuddle when they become tired. The childminder understands that children who are approaching school age may have some anxieties about their future moves. Therefore, she speaks very positively to them about school as they accompany her when she drops off and collect older children.

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

The childminder provides a good range of toys and resources. She arranges them attractively at a low level so that children can reach them easily. The children's playroom is inviting and stimulating. The childminder plays music into the room and uses story tapes. These are appropriate for the ages of the children and they enjoy them during certain periods. However, the recordings continue to play as a background noise while the children take part in other activities. This becomes distracting, especially when the childminder is reading a different story to the children. Therefore, the childminder does not consistently support children to maintain their concentration.

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

The childminder supports children to gain skills to help them keep themselves and others safe. For example, she teaches them how to cross roads and talks to them about the need to be cautious around unfamiliar adults. Children receive good encouragement and support to develop healthy lifestyles. They enjoy the nutritious snack and meals the childminder provides. They also regularly take part in cooking activities and learn which foods are healthy and how some food should only be eaten as occasional treats. The childminder follows good hygiene routines in her home and encourages children to wash their hands before they sit down to eat. Therefore, children develop their own understanding of healthy living.

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provision

The childminder has a good awareness of her responsibility to promote children's learning and does this well. She tracks their progress and aims to use this information to help her to build a picture of the success of her educational programmes. The childminder sometimes works with her daughter who acts as her assistant. The childminder takes the lead in planning all activities and her daughter supports her by helping to supervise children.

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provision

The childminder identifies her strengths and effectively prioritises areas for improvement, through effective self-evaluation. For example, since registration she has reorganised her playroom to effectively reflect the needs of the children. The childminder gathers a lot of information from parents about their children but does not encourage them to comment on her broader service. Therefore, parent's views do not generally contribute to shaping the childminder's practices. Good arrangements are in place to work in partnership with other professionals. For example, the childminder speaks regularly with staff at a local nursery to provide consistent and coordinated care for a child attending both settings.

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provision

The childminder has good systems to promote children's safety. She completes risk assessments of her home and all outings. She has a range of safety precautions in place including gates to restrict children's access to the stairs. The childminder understands the process to follow should she have concerns about the welfare of any of the children. She maintains all required records for the safe and efficient running of her service.

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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 EY453374 Local authority Medway Towns Inspection number 901150 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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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