Childminder in Manchester

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/07/2013 23/02/2012

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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

 Teaching is rooted in a secure knowledge and understanding of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder has a good awareness of how young children learn and makes the most of every opportunity to promote children's learning through play and challenging activities. As a result, children make good progress in their learning.  Children feel safe and secure and develop strong, emotional attachments with the childminder who provides a caring and loving environment which effectively promotes their all-round well-being.  The arrangements for safeguarding children are well established and there are detailed policies and procedures followed to ensure their safety.  Partnerships with parents are effective and make a good contribution to meeting all children's needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Information gained from parents with regard to children's starting points does not always provide the childminder with the extremely detailed information she requires to help her to enrich the planning for children's future learning needs.  Partnership working is not yet fully embedded with the local school where some children attend. This does not help to assure continuity for these children.

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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 children's activities in the playroom and outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents including a sample of policies and procedures, planning, observation and assessment systems and children's individual learning records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at the childminder's self-evaluation form and discussed the systems in place for reflective practice.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2009. She lives with one child aged 10 years in a house in the Newton Heath area of Manchester. The whole of the ground floor and the upstairs bathroom are used for childminding purposes. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The childminder walks to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. The family have a pet bearded dragon.

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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. There are currently five children on roll, three of whom are within the early years age range and two are school age children who attend before and after school and during school holidays.

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Information about the setting

The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. She visits various playgroups and a childminding group and has links with the local Sure Start children's centre.

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

 enhance the depth of information gathered from parents about children's learning and development on their entry to the provision in order to further enrich the planning process

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

 extend further the existing two-way partnerships with the feeder school to enhance and complement individual children's learning experiences.

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who attend

Children's enthusiasm for learning, and levels in which they succeed, is enhanced by the childminder who has a very good understanding of how to capture children's interests and recognises fully that children learn through play. Teaching techniques are strong and in some instances outstanding. As a result, children's individual needs are well met and they make consistently good progress in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

The playroom and outdoor environment are well organised, stimulating, exciting and well- equipped with a wide range of interesting and good quality resources to promote children's natural curiosity and develop their exploratory skills. For example, children have a wonderful time outdoors and squeal with enjoyment and delight as they try to catch bubbles and run up and down as they try to avoid them. They investigate assorted shaped bricks when they build towers with cubes, cylinders and triangles which effectively helps them develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. Children learn through trial and error as they discover that the cylinders roll off the tower unless they are placed vertically on the top.

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who attend

The childminder places high priority on helping children to acquire communication and language skills, and supporting their physical, personal, social and emotional development. As a result, children gain the skills, abilities and attitudes that prepare them well for the next stage in their learning and school. For example, the childminder teaches children to adopt a 'can do' attitude and through positive praise, encourages them to persevere with tasks they find difficult. For example, children say 'I'll do it' and spend ages trying to retrieve a bubble wand out of a bottle. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence as they freely move around the environment and make independent choices about what they want to do. The childminder provides sensitive support to help children to achieve and is skilful at knowing when to intervene in their play and when to stand back and observe. This means that children have opportunities to find out things for themselves and also

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who attend

learn new skills from the childminder. Children particularly enjoy using their imagination as they play with small world toys and engage in role play. For example, children pretend to go shopping, they put a rucksack on their back, ask the childminder what she would like and when they bring the 'shopping' back, ask her for pennies.

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who attend

Children develop their language and communication skills as they listen to the childminder talking during play and care routines. They develop good listening and attention skills because the childminder encourages them to look at her and focus on her face when she is speaking. The childminder knows the children in her care very well and intuitively 'tunes in' to the individual words they use to communicate their needs. For example, children say 'din, din' to let the childminder know that they are hungry. The childminder introduces new words, such as 'ladybird', 'zebra' and 'strawberry' to extend children's vocabulary and provides a running commentary to describe what they are doing. She provides children with a print rich environment to help children to understand that print carries meaning. The childminder provides many opportunities for children to develop their large muscle control and coordination as they ride wheeled toys, run and jump in the outdoor

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who attend

environment and use large climbing equipment on visits to the local park. Children develop their finer hand movements as they thread beads, push buttons on interactive toys and build with a variety of construction materials that fit together in different ways.

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who attend

The accurate and precise observations and assessments of children ensure that their needs are clearly identified and this information is used to inform future planning. The childminder obtains information on entry about children's favourite activities and their individual interests, and this information along with subsequent observations are used to plan for children's future learning. However, there is scope to gather additional information from parents about children's learning and development in order to further enhance the childminder's knowledge of children's starting points and enrich the planning process. Children's progress is effectively tracked through a continuous assessment of their achievements. This helps the childminder to support them to make good progress in their learning and development, as their unique needs are recognised and planned for. For example, the childminder plans for children to develop their understanding of the

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who attend

sequence of numbers, through singing number rhymes. Children's learning journey records are maintained to a high standard and contain a wide range of information including photographs, detailed observations and examples of their work. Parents are fully involved in their children's learning which makes a good contribution to meeting their individual needs. The childminder shares two-way information with parents about their children's learning in the provision and at home through daily conversations and regular access to children's individual profiles. This ensures that parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress; the childminder is able to build on children's learning at home and in addition help parents to support their children's development.

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

The childminder is skilled and sensitive and supports children to form strong, secure emotional attachments, which provide a strong foundation to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. The sensitive, caring interaction between the childminder and children ensures that all children form positive and trusting relationships. The childminder provides opportunities for children to make choices in their activities but also, very importantly provides a familiar routine which promotes their emotional security. The childminder uses positive praise and clear guidance and boundaries to manage children's behaviour which are appropriate to children's levels of understanding. She uses distraction techniques, talks calmly to children and offers alternative resources and activities to effectively manage any minor behavioural issues. As a result, their behaviour is consistently good.

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

Children demonstrate high levels of independence and competently manage their own care needs, for example they wash and dry their hands, feed themselves and independently access drinks. Children are sociable as they sit and chat with the childminder at snack time and are encouraged to interact with other children. Regular visits to toddler groups, the library and local places of interest help children to learn to socialise with children and adults away from the childminder's home. The childminder role models good hygiene practices and ensures that surfaces, floors and resources are maintained and cleaned to a high standard. Children learn about the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet to remove germs and use paper hand towels to reduce the risk of cross contamination. They have daily access to outdoor play to access regular fresh air and exercise and visits to the local park gives them the freedom and large

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

spaces to be physically active. Opportunities for children to engage in quiet activities, such as story times and completing jigsaws enables children to snuggle up on the childminder's knee and rest and relax. As a result, children's health and hygiene is successfully promoted, which in turn has a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being. Children settle quickly into the provision because the childminder works very closely in partnership with parents from the point of entry to gather information about children's likes, dislikes, routines and favourite activities. This means that children are effectively supported in the transition from home to the provision. Children display high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they play, they talk about what they would like to do and confidently express their needs. They are eager to share their experiences with the childminder and talk freely about their home and family during

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

their play. Consequently, children develop a strong sense of self-confidence and self- awareness. Children benefit from the opportunities to mix with children of different ages within the childminder's home. This enables older children to develop a caring attitude towards younger children, who in turn learn from the positive role modelling of the older children.

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

The childminder teaches children about keeping themselves safe, both within the home and when on outings. For example, she teaches children to use scissors safely and they demonstrate their awareness of safety as they walk carefully down the stairs holding the childminder's hand. In addition, the childminder teaches children to 'Stop, look and listen' when they are out walking to develop their awareness of the importance of road safety.

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

The arrangements for supporting children as they move from home to the provision are carefully planned with parents, to meet each child's individual needs. Through close links with parents, changes are discussed and plans updated to reflect the alterations in the child's overall development, especially across the prime areas of learning. As a result, children very quickly adapt to the environment and daily routines and confidently form new friendships. Children engage in challenging and motivating tasks and develop a good level of emotional security. This means they can make the best of all activities in preparation for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard all children and has undertaken safeguarding training to update her knowledge and skills. She is fully aware of what to do and who to contact if there are any child protection concerns. Parents receive a copy of organisational policies and are informed of the procedure to follow should they have any concerns about the childminder or her associates. The childminder's behaviour and conduct is highly professional and children's safety and well-being is at the heart of her good practice. The childminder has a comprehensive set of detailed policies and procedures which are followed meticulously. Children's safety is further enhanced through the implementation of rigorous risk assessments and daily checks of the indoor and outdoor environment. Furthermore, the vigilance of the childminder, consistent supervision of children and security systems such

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provision

as locks on doors and gates, ensure that children are kept safe at all times.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of the educational programmes and consistent monitoring ensures that children experience a broad and balanced range of experiences that help them progress successfully towards the early learning goals. She demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of her responsibilities to meet the requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Observations and assessments are accurate and precise and effectively demonstrate children's current learning and development and clearly identify targets for children's next steps in learning. The childminder consistently monitors her routines and planning in order to meet children's learning needs through a broad and balanced range of experiences and activities that cover all seven areas of learning. She has yet to complete the progress check at age two but has the necessary documentation available for when this needs to be completed.

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provision

The childminder oversees the educational programme and ensures it is effective so that children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that covers all seven areas of learning. She monitors observations and assessments and reviews children's learning records to ensure they accurately reflect children's learning and progress. She is passionate and committed to her work with children and this is reflected in her enthusiasm and the enjoyment she demonstrates when interacting and playing with the children. The childminder accurately identifies the strengths and areas for development of the provision and her practice through the effective self-evaluation process. All actions and recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. This is particularly evident in the adaptations made to the observation, planning and assessment process, resulting in a significant improvement on children's learning and development. The

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provision

childminder is proactive at seeking support and advice to help her to improve the service she provides and learning outcomes for children. For example, she attends the local childminding group where gathers ideas and suggestions from more experienced, network childminders. She also regularly attends the local authority Quality Assurance Framework meetings to learn about new initiatives and training and continue to strengthen her knowledge and skills.

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provision

The childminder has only recently had reason to work in partnership with other providers and has begun to effectively make close links to share information about children's needs and development. This has a positive impact on their transition to the next stage in their learning. However, there is scope to further enhance partnership working with the local school which some children also attend in order to provide children with continuity and complement their learning. Partnerships with parents are strong and make a good contribution to meeting children's needs. The childminder has not yet had reason to establish links with outside professional and external agencies. However, she is fully aware of the importance of close partnerships working, to ensure all children receive appropriate support and intervention to meet their individual 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 EY395730 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 921920 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 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

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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