Platt Gillian

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/07/2013 17/03/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has an exceptionally warm relationship with the children in her care. She knows them all very well and provides fun activities that take full account of their individual interests so that they make exceptional progress in their learning.  All children attending show that they are very happy and confident in the childminder's home. They make independent choices about their play and activities and they thoroughly enjoy the childminder's highly positive interaction with them.  Children are building very good friendships while in the childminder's care. She ably supports them to work well together and they recognise the benefits of working well together during their play.  Children benefit from the childminder's very strong partnership working with their parents. The highly effective communication between the childminder and children's parents contributes to the children's feelings of well-being and belonging.

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder has a very organised approach to her work, she continues to strive to maintain a high quality experience for the children in her care and has significantly added to her provision since the last inspection.

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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 playroom, the kitchen and in the childminder's garden.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed how the childminder plans activities and assesses the progress that each child is making.  The inspector took account of the childminder's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and children from information in the childminder's questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1988. She is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, two adult children and one aged 15 years in a house in Wootton, Northamptonshire. The whole of the ground floor, two bedrooms on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The childminder attends a toddler group and music groups. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis and collects children from the local school.

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Information about the setting

There are currently ten children on roll, five 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 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. The childminder supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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

 extend the opportunities for children to consider and discuss the risk assessment of their own play particularly in relation to the games that involve characters with special powers or weapons; in order to further enhance all aspects of their learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a strong and secure knowledge of how to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage for each of the children in her care. She is skilled in making sure that the activities she offers cover all the areas of learning and take account of each child's different ways of learning. The childminder carefully watches them while they play freely and uses the information she gathers from these observations alongside information from their parents about their interests at home to plan for each child's unique learning and interests. Children aged two years have a summative assessment recorded under each of the areas of learning and this is informed by the childminder's observations. Entirely appropriate next steps are identified for each child and the childminder ensures that her planning of activities ensures that all the children present each day can take part. For example, the children enjoy sitting together taking part in an activity where they use pens

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who attend

filled with water on a special mat to draw. The older children draw shapes and make 'splat' shapes on the mat while the younger children make a variety of patterns with their pens. The children work extremely well together, sharing the mat and pointing out to their friends the pictures they are making. The childminder comments about what they are doing and gives them very positive praise and encouragement to continue in their activities.

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who attend

The childminder has an exceptional garden space that she uses to the best effect for the children. They are free to choose from a wide range of fixed equipment, activities and games. The children choose to use the large climbing frame and swings. The childminder has organised this piece of equipment so that all the children present can use it together. There is an enclosed swing set for the toddlers, a swing set that hugs the children so they feel secure and a swing boat. The children become excited to use these and they laugh happily as the childminder gives them a push. The childminder encourages the children to be confident through explaining to them about holding on tight. The happy atmosphere continues and the children squeal with laughter when she tickles them while on the swing. Children's physical skills and balance are gainfully supported because the childminder has invested in 'balance bikes'. These are bikes with no pedals that the children scoot along

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who attend

with their feet and gradually gain their balance before progressing on to a bike with pedals without the need for stabilisers. The children proudly show how skilled they are in using these bikes, smiling as they ride around on the lawn. This happy and relaxed environment that the childminder creates for the children contributes significantly to them feeling a strong sense of well-being and belonging in her home.

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who attend

Parents are fully involved in their child's learning. The childminder is committed to working very closely with them and regularly shares their child's file of observations with them. She asks them to provide their own comments about the progress their children are making and uses this information to inform her future planning. The childminder provides detailed feedback each day for parents about what their children have enjoyed doing. She does this through discussion when they collect their children and she sends messages, photographs and short video clips to them via email. This exceptional partnership working and valuing of parents contributions to their child's learning is significant in ensuring that all children receive a consistent approach which benefits their confidence and self-esteem. Each child is treated as a unique individual and the childminder actively supports children who speak English as an additional language. Their parents chose this childminding

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who attend

provision because the childminder is committed to supporting the children's developing English while valuing their home language. She talks to the children during their play about what they are doing and reads lots of books with them, which helps children with their English.

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who attend

The childminder works very hard to support children to make rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development. She enables them to work together and actively helps them to learn to share and to think of others. They learn about manners and are very enthusiastic when tidying up when they have finished playing. Children are very keen to try out all the experiences the childminder offers to them. Older children are very independent. They know where to find the toys and books and they enjoy listening to stories with the childminder. Children's awareness of numbers and counting is developing rapidly because the childminder uses every opportunity to include numbers in the daily routine. For example, during walks and outings the children are interested in the numbers they see in the environment. The childminder encourages them to count on from the number they see, which supports children to think about the order of the numbers rather

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who attend

than saying them by rote. This support and encouragement helps the children to be ready for the move on to school when the time comes.

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

Children clearly demonstrate how settled and relaxed they are in the childminder's home. She ensures they feel safe and confident to choose their own activities because she speaks to them gently and clearly so they can understand the boundaries and expectations that are in place. The children show a very strong bond with the childminder. They approach her for comfort and reassurance, climbing onto her lap for cuddles and younger children readily settle to sleep. Children are confident to initiate conversations and to ask for items they want. The children behave extremely well because they know the expectations for behaviour. They respond positively to the childminder when she gives them gentle but consistent reminders to think about others and to be careful. She takes time to explain to the children about why certain behaviour is not acceptable and she always offers an alternative activity or an adaptation so the children can play safely.

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

Children are able to settle in to the childminder's home because she works closely with their parents before they start. They come for visits and the childminder seeks detailed information about their routines and any specific requirements to make sure they can be met. The very effective partnership working with their parents and ongoing communication means that any changes required to the children's care are worked on and decided together. Some children are keen to play games involving fantasy and superheroes. The childminder ably helps children to play safely and to respect the other children who are not involved in the game. She is aware that there is scope to involve children further in the risk assessment process around these games in order to extend their thinking about safe risk-taking in their play.

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

Children are provided with a good range of healthy meals and snacks that are freshly prepared by the childminder. Mealtimes are social occasions where the children indulge in lively chat about a variety of subjects. The childminder ensures that their individual dietary requirements are met because she has discussions with their parents about any allergies or preferences. The children have daily opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. They are kept safe in hot weather because the childminder uses sun cream and always ensures they have their drinks accessible. The children thoroughly enjoy being in the childminder's garden. They have areas of shade and the play materials and equipment actively promotes their developing physical development. Older children are confident to use the bathroom independently and the childminder follows effective procedures to minimise the risk of cross-infection, for example, during nappy changes she wears gloves, cleans the

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

mat and disposes of the nappies promptly. The childminder has a long established partnership with the local school, which ensures that the children have an extremely successful move on to school and that any relevant information is shared when they have started school.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a very secure understanding of how to keep children safe. She is fully aware of the importance of safeguarding and understands the requirement to record and report any child protection concerns that may arise in accordance with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines. The childminder has completed training in safeguarding and the policies and procedures relating to safeguarding underpin her excellent practice. The risk assessments are updated as necessary and cover all aspects of her home, garden and outings the children are involved in. The childminder is fully aware of the importance of maintaining suitable ratios of adults to children and this organisation of her care arrangements enables her to keep the children safe and well-supervised.

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provision

The childminder is very experienced and she demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the learning and development requirements and how to implement this in the best way possible for each of the children in her care. The activities she offers are creative and well planned, following the children's interests and suggestions. The childminder monitors the educational programmes through the observations she makes of the children's progress. She fully values the involvement of the children's parents and ensures that each area of learning is covered. The childminder has an exceptionally good understanding of the benefits to children of working in partnership with any other agencies that are involved with them. She knows the importance of effective communication with the other agencies and the child's parents to provide a consistent approach to any specific needs.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates an excellent capacity for continuous improvement. She consistently reflects on her daily activity with the children and makes any changes necessary to ensure that all their needs continue to be met to her very high standards. The childminder continues to identify well-targeted plans for the future development of her service. She has taken very positive action on the recommendation made at the last inspection through significantly adding to her already vibrant and rich outdoor play opportunities for all of the children attending including a large fixed climbing frame with swings and a living willow den. The childminder is highly motivated to providing children with a safe environment where they are treated as unique individuals who are warmly and gently encouraged to try a wide range of different experiences that promotes their learning and development.

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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 221126 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 924484 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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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