Childminder in Staffordshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/08/2013 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

 Children are happy, settled and eager to learn. They have positive relationships with the childminder and one another and positive behaviour is promoted.  The childminder has a secure understanding of how children learn. She accurately assesses the next steps in their learning and provides exciting and purposeful learning opportunities. This ensures that children make good progress in all areas of their learning and development.  Children are supported well by the childminder to develop their physical skills, their communication and language and their personal, social and emotional development. This prepares children well for their next stage in learning.  A comprehensive range of policies and procedures have been developed and implemented by the childminder. This effectively promotes the health, safety and well- being of the children in her care.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to improve the very good two-way flow of information about children's learning priorities with other providers when children attend more than one setting, to ensure continuity of children's learning.  The process of self-evaluation is not fully developed in order to capture the ongoing views of parents, to further improve the service to 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 snack time, a range of activities outdoors and lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with the provider and children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's suitability, qualifications and training.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a range of documentation including planning, children's development records and policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the written views of parents and the childminder's plans for improvement.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, who is registered as an assistant, and two children aged six and three years in a house in Burton- upon-Trent, Staffordshire. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has two cats as pets.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and parks on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. The childminder is currently minding five children in the early years age range and all attend on a part-time basis. She also cares for children over five-years-old. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 enhance the existing arrangements for sharing information and partnership working with other providers, such as pre-school teachers, when children attend more than one setting, in order to fully support children's learning and development

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

 consider ways to involve parents in the self-evaluation of the provision through, for example, the use of regular questionnaires and opportunities to contribute comments verbally or in writing.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This enables her to provide a wide range of interesting activities, which support each child to develop their skills and abilities in readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as school. The childminder gains information from parents about their child on entry to the setting and uses this to inform her initial planning and carry out further observations. Children's progress is accurately observed and assessed by the childminder in order to identify their current needs and interests, which enables her to plan for the next steps in their learning. Consequently, children make good progress across all areas of learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children learn and how she can support their learning through play. She plans interesting activities that encourage children's exploration, and challenges their thinking and creativity. For example, she provides large- scale sensory activities outdoors where children combine materials, such as paint and shaving foam. This supports children to develop physical skills through pouring, mixing and exploring the textures they create through the use of brushes or their hands. The childminder encourages the children to predict what will happen when the materials are combined, promoting their thinking skills. This supports children to become active and engaged learners who are willing to 'have a go'.

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who attend

The indoor and outdoor environments are well-resourced and children access resources independently as they initiate their own play. Resources support all areas of learning, are of good quality, and appropriate for the age range of children attending the setting. Children are able to access resources independently, which allows them to initiate their own play and follow their individual interests. For example, a child with a particular interest in vehicles can select and play with small vehicles indoors and larger sit and ride vehicles in the outdoor environment. These different experiences support the physical development of the child through hand-eye coordination and larger muscle skills. The childminder uses these child-initiated activities as an opportunity to teach children the colours of the vehicles and to support counting, through asking how many wheels the vehicles have. Regular outings and walks enable children to experience vehicles in the

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who attend

community which further extends their knowledge and interest.

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who attend

Children's language and communication is supported well because the childminder listens, shows interest and responds to what the children are telling her. She uses every opportunity during children's play to develop their vocabulary and support their language development. Toddlers are encouraged to form sentences and the childminder supports them, giving praise and repeating back what they say. This teaches children the correct pronunciation. Older children are supported in extending their thinking further through open-ended questions. A range of books are available and these are supplemented by regular visits to the local library, where children are able to choose additional books to be used in the setting. The childminder provides resources indoors and outdoors to enable children to draw and support their early attempts at mark-making and writing. This ensures that children are well supported in developing literacy skills.

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who attend

Children develop good physical skills as they engage in activities indoors and outdoors. The childminder ensures that children have daily opportunities to be physically active. Good use is made of the childminder's garden and local parks to encourage children to be active in their play and learning. Toddlers eagerly kick and throw the ball to older children and ride in the wheeled toys, negotiating other children and resources skilfully. They are encouraged to work together and share resources during outdoor creative activities, which support their personal, social and emotional skills.

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who attend

The childminder is very professional and promotes a strong and open relationship with parents and carers. Parents contribute information about their children's skills and interests when they begin with the childminder. This enables the childminder to get to know children's individual needs and personalities, and helps her identify their starting points on which to form the basis of her assessments of their progress. The childminder shares ongoing information with parents about their child verbally and through a daily diary. In addition, she shares a summary of the child's progress and next steps in learning and development with parents monthly. This ensures that parents are kept up-to-date with how they can support their child at home. The childminder assesses each child's overall progress every three months. This ensures that any gaps in learning or development and any concerns about progress can be identified and addressed.

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

The childminder builds strong relationships with the children in her care and gets to know them very well. She gathers good information from parents about their child to ensure their needs are met. This means that they are happy and confident and ready to try out new experiences and develop their abilities. Routines are clearly developed, which ensures that even young children understand about meal times and rest times. This meets their physical requirements and enables them to be ready for active play and learning.

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

Meals and snacks are freshly prepared and include a wide range of fruits and vegetables. This supports children in their understanding of a healthy diet. They use the childminder's garden and local parks daily, and walk to and from the local school to drop off and collect older children. This supports children to develop a positive attitude towards exercise in the fresh air. The indoor environment promotes children's independence well as they freely select resources and are encouraged to feed themselves. Good hygiene routines are promoted as children are reminded to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Systems are in place for parents to share information with the childminder about any health or dietary issues the children may have, and there are thorough records for accidents and any medication administered.

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

Children are beginning to learn about how to keep themselves and others safe. They are reminded of the rules regarding sitting down on chairs at the dining table at snack and meal times. Older children learn the importance of closing safety gates behind them when using the bathroom, to protect younger children. The regular use of local parks provides children with opportunities to experience a wide range of different equipment. This provides younger children with new challenges and enables older children to take safe risks as they negotiate the resources, further challenging their physical skills.

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

The childminder has a positive attitude to behaviour management and consistently addresses any issues which arise. Consequently, children know the simple rules and what the boundaries are. Children learn to play cooperatively from an early age as the childminder encourages them to share and take turns. Children are confident, friendly, well-mannered and motivated. Attendance at local toddler groups provides opportunities for children to meet up with larger groups of children and to develop their social skills. This helps prepare children for the transition to school when the time comes.

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provision

The childminder is highly organised and has ensured that she fully complies with all aspects of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, how children learn, and what she can do to support their learning. She uses her thorough observations of children's progress to plan next steps to extend their learning and development through play based activities, which are both fun and challenging. As a result, children benefit from a broad range of planned experiences, which support them to make progress in all areas of learning. The childminder has effective systems in place to monitor children's progress and plans are in place to carry out the 'progress check at age two', sharing these with parents.

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provision

Children are safeguarded well as the childminder has a sound awareness of the signs that may cause her concern about a child's welfare. She has undertaken child protection training and fully understands the importance of her role in protecting children and seeking help and advice should that become necessary. Parents are fully informed of her duty of care through effective policies and procedures, which are shared with them from the start of any care arrangements. Children are cared for in a safe and secure environment. The childminder undertakes comprehensive risk assessments for her home and all outings, and is fully aware of the supervision requirements of younger children in her home and during visits off site. This helps to ensure that children are protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder has developed good partnerships with parents, engaging with them during initial visits to gain knowledge of their child's development and individual care needs. Parents are provided with daily diaries, verbal feedback and monthly learning and development progress summaries. The childminder receives information about the children in her care from other settings that they attend and has verbally shared information in return. However, there is scope for the childminder to further improve the two-way flow of information with other providers to ensure children's continuity of learning.

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provision

The childminder engages in a thorough evaluation of her practice and is fully aware of her strengths and ideas for improving her provision. She is making ongoing improvements to ensure that children make good progress and enjoy their time in her care. The childminder encourages parents to express their views on their child's care and her provision following an initial settling-in period. However, systems to consistently gain feedback from parents through, for example, questionnaires are not established in order to fully involve them in the self-evaluation of the provision. The childminder is keen to attend further training to enhance her knowledge and skills and has a support network of other childminders who share good practice and ideas with one another.

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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 EY458602 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 905159 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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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

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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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