Childminder in West Berkshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 12/08/2013 14/12/2010

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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

 Children are happy and eager to learn because they are well supported. As a result, they develop a good sense of security and well-being.  The childminder has a good understanding of children's individual stages of development and makes effective plans to help them make good progress in their learning. She provides an interesting and well-balanced range of activities to meet the needs of each child, which reflects their interests.  Well-established partnerships between the childminder and parents ensure that information is shared effectively and children gain consistency in their learning and development.  Self-evaluation procedures are good. The childminder has been proactive in attending training and seeking information from local professionals to improve the service she offers.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Partnership working with other settings has not yet been fully extended to include sharing information about children's progress, in order to further support their 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 and kitchen areas, which are the main areas used for play.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked through a range of documentation, including policies, procedures and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the childminder and interacted with the minded children.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2010. She lives with her partner and an adult son in Thatcham, near Newbury in Berkshire. Children use the ground floor of the house for play and rest, and there is an enclosed garden for outside activities. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently cares for four children in the early years age group, who attend on a part-time basis.

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

 build on partnerships with other providers, in order to gather and share information about children's learning.

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who attend

Children are happy, motivated and interested in the wide selection of toys and resources on offer. The childminder provides a varied range of activities to support learning in all areas and her interactions are both positive and effective. The opportunities she provides for children to learn, combined with her positive interactions, support and challenge children in equal measure. The childminder records meaningful, good quality observations to support her assessments of each child. She uses this information effectively to pinpoint children's strengths and stage of development across each area of learning. This then enables her to identify children's next steps, to help plan learning opportunities tailored to children's individual needs. As a result all children are making good progress in their learning and development, and are developing the skills needed to prepare them for school readiness.

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who attend

Children's speech and language are very well promoted through carefully planned activities and thoughtful interactions. The childminder uses repetition to encourage younger children to build on their emerging language and supports older ones by asking open-ended questions and giving them time to think and respond. The childminder extends children's interests in writing and mark making. They enjoy daily opportunities to paint, draw, chalk and use a wide range of tools and implements. As a result, children show good control for their age, with older children becoming competent in recognising and writing their own names on their pictures. This shows that children's writing skills are well prepared for the move to school. The childminder is aware of how children learn and discover though independent play opportunities. She encourages children to speculate on reasons why things happen or how things work and can affect change. For example, children learn first-hand that when

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who attend

planting their sunflower seeds, they need water to grow. Children observe them over time, using tape measures and rulers routinely to compare and calculate the tallest and shortest. Older children are encouraged to develop their counting skills further as they build tall towers and count the numbers of blocks they have used. This helps to further prepare them for starting school.

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who attend

Good partnerships with parents ensure that children quickly settle into the childminder's home. Parents are kept fully informed about their children's daily care, activities and progress. The childminder actively encourages parents to share information about their child's achievements or activities at home, so this can be included in her planning. She has fully implemented the progress check for two-year-olds, which means the childminder and parents can work together to identify or address any concerns. As a result, she is able to provide a range of activities, which builds on what children already know and can do.

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

Children show confidence and are happy in their surroundings because the childminder displays a warm and caring nature. She works closely with parents to ensure a constant exchange of information to meet children's individual needs, which promotes the inclusion of all children and helps children feel safe and settled in her care. Children smile, laugh and enjoy regular cuddles with her. This gives them a strong base for learning and supports good levels of confidence and self-esteem.

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

Children show that they feel secure in the setting. Their awareness of safety issues is continually promoted through the daily routine and the regular activities they take part in. For example, they are supported to put away toys on the floor before getting any more out, to prevent tripping. Children display good behaviour, courtesy and consideration for others and the childminder is a highly effective role model. She skilfully motivates young children through lots of praise and encouragement for their achievements, using distraction well as a tool for managing minor disputes over toys. She also gives children lots of very good, clear explanations as to why it is nice to be kind to each other, and values their early attempts at turn taking and sharing.

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

Children's good health is promoted as they are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices. The childminder promotes healthy eating by providing children with a healthy range of snacks, in line with their dietary requirements. Regular outdoor play and trips to the park encourage children to be active and to develop their physical skills. The childminder manages daily routines effectively to accommodate the individual needs of the children attending, recognising their need for play and rest. Positive health and hygiene routines are reinforced with children, which enables them to develop their own good practices. The childminder follows secure procedures to gain necessary guidance and consents from parents to support children's health and well-being. Children are encouraged, from an early age, to learn self-care and independence skills. For example, they sit on the bottom step of the staircase and put on their own shoes before going

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

outside. This helps children to prepare for the next big step in their life - their move to pre-school or nursery.

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provision

The childminder has developed clear practices and procedures to support the effective delivery of all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She gives priority to safeguarding children and implements daily safety checks so that all play areas are safe and secure. Record keeping is thorough and the childminder shares relevant documents with parents routinely to keep them well informed about her service. The childminder has a secure knowledge of child protection, which further safeguards children from potential harm.

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provision

The childminder ensures that she implements appropriately challenging educational programmes. Good systems are in place to monitor children's learning and development, which fully supports children to make good progress towards the early learning goals. For example, summaries and weekly focus plans clearly show how the childminder uses observations to plan fun and challenging learning experiences for children. She evaluates all activities and listens to children's comments and records how this is meeting their learning needs. This ensures activities and resources continue to challenge children's progress across all areas of learning.

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provision

Self-evaluation procedures are good and the childminder demonstrates a strong commitment to improving her practice. She is committed to providing a quality provision, completing regular training to improve her knowledge and skills. Since her last inspection she has used training and support from the local authority early years team to address issues arising from her last inspection and improve the quality of care she provides. As a result, actions to identify strengths, overcome any weaknesses and address recommendations from the last inspection have been highly effective. This has led to secure improvements in activity planning, children's assessments and how the childminder supports their health needs. This is further enhanced because she includes the views of both parents and children, to ensure they are accessing a provision that continues to meet their needs.

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provision

Partnership working with parents is good. The childminder spends time building up secure relationships with parents to encourage the constant exchange of information. Parents comment that they value the detailed information they receive about their children's day, including food eaten, activities they have participated in and any key learning achievements. The childminder has built up good relationships in the past with providers who share the care of the minded children; however, she has yet to extend partnership working to share information about children's progress and learning, in order to promote consistency in learning between settings.

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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 EY408776 Local authority West Berkshire (Newbury) Inspection number 816320 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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