Childminder in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/09/2013 15/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children make exceptional progress in all areas of their learning and development. This is because the childminder has an excellent understanding of their individual interests and next steps in learning, using these to plan a rich variety of activities and outings that continually interest and challenge them.  The childminder has created a highly innovative and inspiring outdoor learning environment which truly promotes children's curiosity and exploration. This has been shared with others as a particular area of outstanding practice.  Children have strong attachments to the childminder and are extremely confident, sociable and self-assured. This is because the childminder provides a safe, secure and homely environment where the children's happiness is of utmost priority.  The childminder supports children's communication and language development with full effect. Her continual engagement in conversation with the children promotes their

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This provision is outstanding

thinking and vocabulary, because when questions are asked, they are open-ended and children are given plenty of time to respond.  Partnerships with parents, other agencies and professionals are exemplary. This results in children's care and learning needs and their transitions to other providers, such as school, being met exceedingly well.  The childminder is highly motivated and dedicated. Her commitment to providing outstanding quality for the children in her care, is reflected in her continual professional development and rigorous self-evaluation of her provision.

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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 a range of activities in the lounge and garden.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation, and reviewed a sample of other records and policies, including child protection, behaviour management and health and safety.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at and discussed the childminder's self-evaluation and discussed her plans for improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the headteacher of the local nursery school regarding the childminder's partnership working.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents from questionnaires and letters of support they had written.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1993 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The whole ground floor of the house is used for childminding, and access is via one step into the home. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The family has three cats and two dogs.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends local groups and activities, and she visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She is able to take and collect children from local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children in the early years age group on roll, both of whom attend on a part-time basis. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, except for family holidays. She supports children who speak English as an additional language. The childminder is a member of the local childminding network and has achieved a quality assurance award with 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:

 consider how the views of the children can be captured and utilised within self- evaluation, to further enhance the existing outstanding provision.

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who attend

The childminder plans and provides an exceptionally varied range of activities and experiences for the children, indoors, outdoors and through outings. She is fully aware of the initial need to support children in the prime areas of learning of personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development. This provides them with the foundations from which they can be challenged further, to develop skills in literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design. She uses her excellent understanding of their individual interests and next steps in learning to plan her provision so that it continually interests and challenges them. As a result, children make exceptional progress in all areas of their learning and development, and are extremely well prepared with the knowledge and skills they need in readiness for school.

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who attend

Comprehensive observation and assessment of children leads to planning for learning that is tailored to individual needs and interests. She offers an outstanding mix of continuous, child-led provision and adult-initiated activities so that children can develop their own ideas and be fully supported in developing their skills and understanding. The childminder creates an exceptionally stimulating learning environment where children make independent choices from the accessible range of high quality resources, and children show great confidence and curiosity as they take part in their chosen activities. Information provided by parents enables the childminder to clearly identify starting points for learning, and parents' views are highly valued. She engages parents, carers and others in children's learning and development, providing regular opportunities to discuss children's needs and progress, planning together for their learning. She is fully aware of

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who attend

the requirement to provide parents with a progress check when their child is aged two years, and completes these thoroughly where necessary. These positive partnerships and relationships ensure that there is effective information sharing and consistency for the child, and that those in need of additional support will receive this to ensure that their needs are fully met.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's communication and language development with full effect. Her continual engagement in conversation with the children promotes their thinking and vocabulary, because when questions are asked, they are open ended and children are given plenty of time to respond. The childminder actively listens and joins in with their activities in order to further extend their learning opportunities, ensuring that her support is skilfully matched to their individual needs. For example, children are interested in a numbered and different coloured set of toy puppies. She uses this opportunity fully in order to develop a younger child's knowledge and understanding of colours, and encourage an older child to arrange them in number order, according to the number on their collar. This means that children are constantly challenged and motivated in their learning, reflecting the childminder's first-class teaching and her ability to meet the

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who attend

individualised needs of children within a wide age range. The childminder encourages children to draw and write, both inside and out in the garden, where both areas are rich in print. This supports children's developing literacy skills in readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as school. The childminder has excellent knowledge and understanding of how to support children who speak English as an additional language, and has experience of this through children she has minded. She has a wide selection of dual-language books which she adds to each time she visits another country on holiday. Many labels are dual language in order to support the use of children's home languages when applicable.

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who attend

The childminder's outdoor environment is truly inspirational and highly innovative, and children's curiosity and exploration are promoted exceedingly well. Children of all ages experience a multi-sensory environment which includes a forest, jungle, fairy garden, seaside and farm. The childminder is highly imaginative and fully involves the children in her inspirational ideas. For example, she constructs a tepee with the children from canes and fabric. This evolves into a structure with leaves and branches, which is then developed into a forest area, complete with woodland animals and a scarecrow built by the children. This is an excellent place to include the bug hotel built by the children. These wonderful opportunities are highly motivational for the children, who are actively involved and learn to develop and use high-level thinking skills. Large outdoor equipment is used to challenge the children's developing physical abilities, supporting them to climb, balance,

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who attend

and control their bodies. In the 'electric workshop', children can tinker with old electrical equipment, developing their curiosity in finding out how things fit together and using a wide range of tools and equipment safely. Children explore the natural environment through fresh herbs that the childminder adds to water play, and planting and tending vegetables and plants. In the 'bug hut' they learn about life cycles through experiences, such as developing caterpillars into butterflies, which they release into the environment. Children test out their observation skills through searching for insects, examining these through magnifiers. Through her extraordinarily innovative provision, children's learning and development in all areas is significantly enhanced; in particular their understanding of the world.

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

Children have strong attachments to the childminder and are extremely confident, sociable and self-assured. This is because the childminder provides a safe, secure and homely environment where the children's happiness is of utmost priority. Children quickly and happily settle into the setting, reflecting the excellent relationships which are developed between the childminder, children and parents. Parents comment on the excellent relationships they have with the childminder, which reassures them that their child's needs are met remarkably well, enhancing their sense of trust and security in the quality of their child's care. As a result, children have strong and secure emotional attachments with the childminder. This enables them to enjoy their time and make excellent progress in all areas of their development and learning in a safe environment.

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

The childminder is an exceptional role model, promoting kindness and consideration to one another and creating a calm and supportive atmosphere. Positive behaviour is highly evident and children happily play together. This is because the childminder understands the importance of ensuring that children are actively engaged in play, providing a highly stimulating and challenging environment to prevent them from becoming bored. Children quickly develop their independence through self-selection of resources and carrying out self-help skills, such as putting on shoes and coats and hand washing. They develop an excellent understanding of how to behave in other settings as they attend local groups and take part in activities in the local nursery school with the childminder. Therefore, children's progress towards their next stage of their learning is skilfully supported.

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

Children enjoy fresh air and exercise, and develop physical skills and confidence as they play on large equipment in the childminder's garden and the park. The childminder supports children to understand how to keep themselves safe through involving them in risk assessing new resources, and teaching them about road safely during outings. She actively engages them in exploring their local community, showing the children old black and white photographs of local buildings 100 years ago. This prompts an outing to look at what the buildings are like now, and the children enthusiastically photograph these, comparing then and now. This enables the children to appreciate their local community and the changes that have taken place in their environment. The childminder also encourages the children to be aware of the importance of recycling materials. With this in mind, she has set up an outdoor recycling centre in her garden and children identify from

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

the clearly labelled containers where the recyclable waste should be placed. The childminder has achieved a healthy eating award and supports children extremely well in understanding the importance of a healthy diet. She actively promotes this through the provision of healthy meals and snacks and playing games to promote this in a fun and interesting way. This supports children in making healthy choices.

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

The childminder fully promotes children's understanding of their differences and their similarities. For example, she provides books and resources that reflect positive images, and children learn about different traditions, customs and beliefs. A wide range of music is played, such as African drum music, enabling the children to use the African drums to play along to the beat. This ensures that the childminder provides a fully inclusive environment which truly reflects the cultures of the children attending. Children's well-being is addressed extremely well, and parents are provided with clear details on the childminder's practices and policies on safety, illness and accidents. Children take books and activities home to share learning with their families. This helps parents to support their child's learning through play at home. The excellent partnerships between parents and the childminder ensure that parents are fully involved in their children's care, learning and

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

play. This also means that the continuity of care between them all fully enhances children's well-being.

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provision

The childminder is highly motivated and dedicated, which is reflected in her truly inspirational practice and provision. Her continual drive for excellence is motivated by her commitment to ensuring that children are happy, safe and achieve the best possible outcomes from their time in her care. The childminder's excellent quality of teaching and robust assessments of children's learning ensure that children are making exceptional progress in their learning and development. This prepares them exceedingly well for the next stage of learning, such as school.

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provision

The childminder is highly committed to her continual professional development through attending training, and researching current practices to further enhance her provision. Her comprehensive self-evaluation systems demonstrate her continuous drive for excellence, and she ensures that parents are fully involved in sharing their views. She is very open to any suggestions about how her practice could be developed further and is realistic about her strengths and areas to improve. Children are consulted regularly by the childminder regarding their opinions on activities, outings and resources provided. The childminder listens to their views, using these to inform future planning and resources. However, she does not currently capture these within her self-evaluation to demonstrate how she has used these to further enhance her outstanding provision.

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provision

Policies and procedures fully support the safe and efficient management of the provision, and parents are aware of them. Everything is in place to ensure that children are safeguarded and protected from harm, and all documentation is regularly reviewed and exceptionally well maintained. The information obtained from parents on their child's individual care and learning is outstanding, and communication between the childminder and parents is excellent. Parents highly value the positive relationships they have with the childminder, and this ensures that they work exceptionally well together to meet the children's needs. Parents are extremely happy with the 'home-from-home' environment, which the childminder provides for their children and her warmth, affection and dedication to their needs.

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provision

Partnerships with other agencies and professionals are also exemplary. This results in children's care, learning needs and transitions to other providers, such as school, being met exceedingly well. The childminder's outdoor learning environment has been identified by professionals as a particular area of outstanding practice, worthy of dissemination to other providers. This is a worthy testimonial to the childminder's highly innovative and inspirational provision, which she has worked diligently to achieve.

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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 224480 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 871342 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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