Childminder in Southend on Sea

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/09/2013 11/10/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Children's communication and language skills are suitably enhanced as the childminder talks to them as they play. Consequently, their vocabulary is increasing as new words are being introduced.  Children's individual routines are respected, helping them feel secure. They enjoy an interesting range of play activities to support their learning and development.  The childminder understands how to promote children's health. She provides them with regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise and supports them in learning how to care for themselves independently and safely.  The childminder acts as a positive role model and praises children often. This boosts their self-esteem and helps them feel valued.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not give parents enough information about how they can support their children's learning at home, in order to promote continuity in their experiences.  Observations and assessments of individual children lack some of the necessary detail to enable the childminder to have a precise understanding of what they can do and identify the next steps in their learning.  There are no clear procedures regarding the use of mobile phones or cameras to ensure children are safeguarded.

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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 children playing in the downstairs area and garden.

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Inspection activities

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

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at planning documentation and a selection of policies, children's records, self-evaluation.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1994 and is on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and two children aged eight and 16 years in a residential area of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. All areas of the house are used for childminding, except for the attic bedroom and the first floor office. Access is via a low step into the house. Bathroom facilities are upstairs. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outside play. The family has a cat, rabbit, guinea pig, tropical fish and African land snails.

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Information about the setting

The childminder walks or drives to take and collect children from local schools and pre- schools. The childminder attends local toddler and childminder groups and takes children to the local library and parks.

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Information about the setting

The childminder currently has two children in the early years age group on roll. The childminder operates all year round from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except for bank holidays and family holidays agreed in advance. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and receives support from the local authority.

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must:

 improve the exchange of information with parents to involve them more in children's ongoing assessments of their learning and development, in order to provide continuity in their experiences and support children's learning at home

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must:

 update the safeguarding policy to include the use of mobile phones and cameras to ensure children's safety.

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

 use observations of children's learning more effectively to clearly identify how to support their next steps in order to maximise their development across all areas of learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable understanding of how to support children's learning and development. She provides a relaxed environment with a range of resources to encourage their interest and help their development. She gets to know the children initially through discussions with parents and her own general observations of them at play. The childminder is generally aware of how to check that children are making suitable progress and has some appropriate documentation to help her. She routinely records observations of children at play and takes some photographs to capture memorable moments. The childminder has sufficient knowledge of individual children to encourage their general development through play. However, she does not effectively use the information from her observations to fully extend their individual learning or provide well-matched challenges through effective teaching. As a result, children make satisfactory, rather than

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who attend

good, progress. Also, opportunities to fully engage parents in children's learning, for example, by sharing observations from home, are not fully developed. This means that opportunities for parents and the childminder to work consistently together to support children's development are not always maximised.

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who attend

Children are confidently able to access a selection of resources to support their individual preferences and initiate their own play. The childminder sets out some toys for easy access and also has others stored in accessible cupboards and storage boxes. The childminder engages with children to encourage and extend their thinking through open- ended questions and by responding to their ideas. They sit together to play with small world animals and enjoy operating the electronic till as they take out and count the pirate money. The children benefit from opportunities to have fresh air and exercise as they access the childminder's garden on a daily basis. This enables them to play physical games, ride-on scooters and use the climbing frame and slide to develop their balancing skills. Young children have regular opportunities to draw and make marks, and engage in a variety of creative activities with paint, crayons and glue. Children have a range of

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who attend

puzzles and construction games to help them learn about shapes and sizes, and enjoy counting and action songs. The childminder regularly brings numbers and colours into the daily routine. Children are settled and comfortable in the routine and able to make choices in their play. The childminder engages naturally with the children to generally extend their thinking and widen their play experiences. As a result, children are making suitable progress and starting to develop the skills they need to support them in their next stage of learning. The childminder helps children learn about living things as she encourages the children to help care for her pets, this helps foster their understanding of the world around them. Children's understanding of similarities and differences is fostered because the childminder provides resources, such as, small world figures, role-play equipment and visual images, to increase their awareness of different cultures, or people with disabilities.

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

Children are happy and settled. Parents supply useful information about children's individual needs when they first start and the childminder uses this to help the children form secure relationships with her. This helps to ease children's transition from home to the childminder's setting. The childminder's home is well equipped with a suitable range of toys and resources that are stored in low-level storage boxes, this enables children to make informed decisions and choices about what they want to play with. The childminder attends to younger children's personal needs by following their home routines. Toddlers are encouraged to become independent when using the toilet, with appropriate support from the childminder. Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks, such as fresh fruit and raw vegetables, at snack time, some of which the children help to grow in the childminder's garden. She prepares well-balanced meals and encourages children to taste

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

new foods. The childminder keeps a clear log of all accidents, which happen to children in her care and any medication administered.

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

Children are learning to live healthy lifestyles. They benefit from fresh air as they go on daily walks to and from school. They visit local parks, toddler groups, soft play areas and play in the childminder's garden. These activities help to develop the children's physical skills, as well as an understanding of the local area. Children are safe within the home. For example, they are involved in regular fire evacuation drills to develop their awareness of fire safety and know what to do in the event of an emergency. The childminder teaches them the importance of road safety when out and about walking around the community. The childminder is a suitable role model and she uses consistent strategies and age- appropriate explanations to provide children with a clear understanding of acceptable behaviour. She encourages good manners and helps children to take care of their environment and resources by tidying up together when they have finished playing.

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

Children are welcomed into a warm and caring environment, where they are all valued and included. The childminder is committed to providing an inclusive childminding provision for all children. Praise and celebrating children's achievements have a positive impact on children's self-esteem.

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provision

The childminder has a sound understanding of safeguarding procedures relating to child protection, which helps her keep children safe from the risk of child abuse. She has up-to- date information about the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance and keeps contact details of relevant agencies easily accessible. She ensures her home is clean and safe through effective daily risk assessments and is conscientious about supervising children as they play. As a result, children play in a safe and secure environment. The childminder is currently developing her knowledge of the learning and development requirements and how to monitor that children are making progress. A system of self-evaluation has been established to promote effective monitoring and identification for future priorities. This is because the childminder is beginning to monitor and evaluate her practice in order to recognise strengths and weaknesses to prioritise areas for future development to promote

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provision

continuous improvements. The childminder has established, in general, effective partnerships with parents and this ensures that she is well informed about each child's individual requirements. The childminder provides some information for parents in writing, such as some key policies and procedures that support her childminding practice. However, this does not include the procedures for using mobile phones or cameras, and therefore, they are not fully aware about how she will safeguard children. She collects information about their routines and preferences when children first start with her to help them settle quickly and feel comfortable in her home. Daily discussions with parents ensure they receive useful information about their child's day and individual care routines. However, the childminder has not yet established a system of sharing children's learning and development with the parents so that they know how their children are progressing and can support their child's

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provision

learning at home. Comments from parents on the day of the inspection were positive. Parents comment positively on the suitable resources and experiences their children receive. While the childminder is not currently caring for children who attend other early years settings, she is aware of the importance of establishing positive links with other practitioners who deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage, for consistency in children's care and to prepare children for their transitions.

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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 199331 Local authority Southend on Sea Inspection number 891462 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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