Childminder in North Northamptonshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/05/2013 26/04/2011

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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 arranges a good settling-in procedure with parents, in order to ensure each child's emotional security. This includes visits for the parent and child together and then initial short stays for the child alone.  The partnership with parents and other early years providers is positive. Verbal and written communication ensures continuity of care and learning for children.  Children's mathematical development is promoted well by the childminder. Children gain an awareness of numbers, shape and measuring because the childminder challenges them effectively as she supports their play.

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It is not yet good because

 Assessment of children's learning and development is not used with full effect by the childminder to plan for next steps in learning and ensure that all children make as much progress as they can.  The childminder does not promote children's language development with full effect. When talking with children, her questions are not always open-ended and children are not always given time to consider their responses.  Children are not consistently given opportunities to explore and experiment with different media, such as, paint, glue and dough.

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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 as children played in ground floor play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector gathered information on children's assessment and planning and looked at policies and procedures and other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1996. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The childminder lives with her husband and their 10-year-old child in Rothwell, near Kettering in Northamptonshire. The whole of the ground floor of the childminder's house is used for childminding. An enclosed garden is used for outdoor play. The family has two pet cats, a dog, a rabbit, seven chickens, a tortoise and a hamster.

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Information about the setting

The childminder cares for children at her own home with another registered childminder. There are currently seven children on roll and of these, four are in the early years age groups and two are aged over eight years. All children attend on a part-time basis. Children are cared for all year round, all day, Monday to Friday.

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Information about the setting

The childminder transports and walks children to and from local schools and pre-schools. She attends toddler groups with pre-school children. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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must:

 make sure that assessment of what children know and can do is used consistently and effectively to plan for the next steps in their learning, so that children are helped to make best progress.

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

 extend practice for promoting children's language development by asking children open-ended questions and by giving them thinking time and time to put their thoughts into words

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

 increase opportunities to children to explore and use different media and materials, to enhance their sensory development and creativity.

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who attend

Children are making satisfactory progress. The childminder has a sound awareness of the learning and development requirements and children are appropriately challenged. However, her assessment of children's abilities is not used with full effect to plan next steps in their learning across all areas of learning. Consequently, this impacts upon the progress that children are able to make. The childminder works well with parents to ensure that children's care and learning needs are appropriately met. Parents initially provide information on what their child already knows and can do and information on learning is shared by the childminder regularly, both verbally and in development folders. The childminder works well with other early years providers, in order to ensure continuity of care and learning. Achievements while in the childminder's care are shared with nursery staff and the childminder is provided with information by them. She has permission from

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who attend

parents to look at development records kept by the nursery staff. The childminder supports children sufficiently, so that they develop skills in readiness for nursery class and school. She is aware of the requirement to provide parents with a progress check at age two and completes these where necessary.

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who attend

Children are settled and secure in the childminder's care. Their independence is promoted generally well because they can choose and select from a good variety of toys. However, opportunities for them to explore different media are not maximised. Resources, such as, paint, dough and glue are not stored where children can see or access them and the childminder selects resources of this kind two or three times each week for children to play with. Therefore, the childminder does not enable children to make their own decisions about when to use these resources to support their creative ideas and sensory development through child-led activities.

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who attend

Children's manipulative skills develop well as they practise with a range of safe small toys. They build with small bricks and the childminder promotes mathematical development effectively as she encourages children to count the bricks with one-to-one correspondence, sort into groups by colour and compare quantities. When play dough is available to children, they squeeze and mould it with their fingers and make marks in it with different tools. Pencil control is practised and children say that they have made a circle as they draw in a circular motion.

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who attend

Children's speaking skills are developing satisfactorily. They talk with the childminder as she supports their play and express themselves using simple sentences. However, the childminder does not promote their learning with full effect. This is because in conversation with children, she sometimes asks closed questions and answers her own questions before children have chance to do so. Consequently, opportunities for children to think and extend their vocabulary are not maximised. Children express themselves through music and dancing. They pretend to be giants and big elephants when listening to loud music and when they hear high pitched sounds, they pretend to be fairies. Children enjoy role play and resources include ones that reflect diversity in a positive way. They gain an awareness of different traditions and beliefs, for example, as they sample different foods and learn about traditional clothing.

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

Children's emotional security is initially addressed well because a settling-in period is agreed with parents. Children are happy and confident as they develop a secure attachment with the childminder. The childminder ensures that children are well prepared for their transition into other early years settings and reception class in school. For example, children socialise when she takes them to toddler groups where they get to know other adults and play with other children. Children gain an awareness of behaviour boundaries. Strategies for managing young children's behaviour include explanation and consistency and the childminder uses positive reinforcement, in order to address their confidence and self-esteem. Children's independence is promoted appropriately. For example, they choose and easily select resources for themselves from toy boxes in the playroom. Resources are safe and meet children's learning and development needs

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

The childminder creates a welcoming environment for children and their parents. Admission information obtained from parents enables her to address children's individual care needs effectively. Information on the childminder's practice with regard to safety, illness and accidents is shared with parents. The childminder has several pets and appropriate procedures are followed to ensure children's health and safety. Children's good health is protected sufficiently because the childminder encourages them to be physically active. They gain confidence and physical skills with use of equipment at the childminder's home and at the park. They eat suitably healthy food and they are developing an ability to attend to their self-care needs. Children's welfare is addressed satisfactorily because the childminder ensures that the environment is safe and secure. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they practise the fire drill, learn

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

about potential dangers in the park and learn how to cross the road safely.

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provision

The childminder makes sure that her home is safe and secure. She is aware of her responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children and necessary checks for her family have been completed. The childminder ensures that children are never left unsupervised with a person, who has not been vetted. She is aware of the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Parents are made aware of her clear safeguarding policy.

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provision

The childminder generally monitors the educational programmes sufficiently to ensure that children make progress in their learning. At the time of the last inspection, a recommendation was raised with regard to developing the information obtained from parents about their child's development, in order to effectively inform children's starting points in their learning. This has been addressed sufficiently by the childminder, although, planning for next steps in learning is not yet fully embedded in her practice. In order to review and improve her practice, she welcomes advice offered by local authority development workers. Her current priority for improvement is to attend Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development training organised by her local authority. Resources are well maintained and meet children's needs sufficiently. Required documentation is kept up to date. An effective partnership with parents promotes children's care and learning needs

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provision

appropriately. The childminder is aware of the importance of obtaining as much information as possible about each child's individual needs from parents and agreeing with them how they can work together to meet these needs. A range of written policies are provided for parents and these appropriately reflect the childminder's practice. She is aware of the importance of establishing links with other early years providers to ensure continuity of care and learning.

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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 220674 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 893111 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 7

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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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