Childminder in Sunderland

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/09/2013 03/02/2009

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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

 The childminder knows the children extremely well and builds on their interests effectively. As a result, children are motivated to learn because they enjoy a range of stimulating activities, matched to their individual interests.  The childminder has a good relationship with parents. She communicates effectively with them and this means that the ongoing needs of the children are well met.  The childminder has a good overview of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She monitors her provision well and this means she can highlight gaps in children's learning.  Children settle very quickly into the setting and are happy in the childminder's care because she has well thought out settling in procedures, which enable her to form caring relationships.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder does not always seize opportunities to fully extend children's very good learning because she is keen to assess their understanding through the use of questions and does not always use narrative language during activities.  Children sometimes have less opportunity to solve everyday problems for themselves because they do not have time to think or try out solutions.

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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 held discussions with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including children's learning journals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed play and learning activities inside the home.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.  The inspector took into account feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2005. She is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her partner and four adult children in the residential area of Biddick Woods in Shiney Row. The home is close to local amenities, such as shops, primary schools and playgroups and is easily accessible. The whole of the ground floor, except for the utility room, is used for childminding purposes and there is an enclosed garden to the rear available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder visits the local shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently 13 children on roll, of whom three are in the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder is open all year round from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday except for family holidays. The childminder cares for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 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:

 use narrative language during activities, for example, commenting on an activity or key concepts, in order to further promote children's learning and language development

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

 develop further children's ability to persevere when they encounter problems in their learning by ensuring they are given the time and space to try things out for themselves in order to find solutions to everyday problems.

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who attend

Children enjoy interesting, motivating and challenging activities across the seven areas of learning. The childminder has a good knowledge of how children learn. As a result, children are highly engaged in the activities and motivated to learn. The childminder knows where children are in their learning because she observes children constantly to find out what they have achieved and what they enjoy doing. Her observations and assessments are matched to the Early Years Foundation Stage. She shares all her observations with parents and encourages parental comments. For example, they share comments about children's fascinations when painting and write down observations as children begin to develop a preference for holding a pencil in their right hand. This means that there is a continuous dialogue between the parents and childminder about what children are doing. The childminder uses all of this information to highlight where children

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who attend

are in their learning in relation to their developmental ages and identifies areas where they need further support. A range of stimulating activities, which are based on the learning needs identified in her observations, are planned to meet the needs of all children. She sets clear targets for children's development in the 'progress check at age two' and this forms part of an ongoing dialogue with parents when she feeds back about their achievements and interests at the end of the day. As a result, the learning needs of all children are successfully met and all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

The childminder, generally, develops and extends communication well. She values the attempts that babies make to communicate. She talks to the children constantly and extends their vocabulary by introducing new words throughout the session. For example, as children explore a treasure basket of natural materials, she introduces words, such as 'bumpy, fluffy, soft and smooth'. As a result of this, later in the session, children pick up a stone and say; 'it's smooth'. She plans in singing and uses nursery rhymes to extend language too. She is committed to developing language at every opportunity but on occasions there is an over use of questions, which can interrupt the flow of communication and learning. The childminder recognises the importance of books and uses these as a stimulus for further activities. For example, after reading books about growing, the childminder helps all children to plant peas and carrots. Children develop a love of books.

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who attend

The childminder selects books to engage young children and they listen carefully as she reads stories and learn how to handle books correctly. These skills effectively prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder supports children's developing number skills. She encourages them to count as they go outside for walks and she links mathematics into everyday activities. Children initiate counting themselves as they count the bees on a puzzle and they talk about the size of things as they build towers with blocks. This demonstrates that children use numbers and mathematical language confidently in their play. Babies can explore their fascinations as they post objects and explore a range of wooden objects. They begin to demonstrate a preference towards favourite toys as they select those that make a noise or can be banged together. They begin to focus on these interests for short periods. Children demonstrate good concentration as they complete various jigsaws, the childminder shows them how to use the picture on the box to help them to find the pieces. She is very keen for children to succeed in this and she sometimes helps children by telling them where

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who attend

pieces go. This means that children do not always consistently have the space and time to explore things themselves first in order for them to develop the skills necessary to solve everyday problems. The childminder plans visits to the local farms and wetland centres to help develop children's understanding of the world. They play outside and go to the park and play football. Younger children enjoy visits to the soft play centre. She also sets up a range of activities to use small tools, such as building with blocks, jigsaws or drawing. This ensures that children have plenty of activities to support the development of small and large muscle skills. The childminder supports children effectively to express their own thoughts and ideas through creative play. They use available resources to re-enact everyday themes, such as cooking. They enjoy using small play figures to develop storylines in their play and explore a range of art and craft materials. This ensures that

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who attend

children have a range of experiences, which support their development in expressive arts and design.

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

The childminder has a good relationship with the children. She is very cheerful and displays a natural enthusiasm as she talks and plays with them. Children relate to this well and are clearly very happy in the setting. They settle very quickly. This is because the childminder takes time to find out about the child and their parents when settling children into the setting. She alters the length and time of the visits based on the individual child. Parents give the childminder detailed information about children's normal daily routines, dietary needs and their personal care needs. This eases children's transition from home to the childminder's care and children settle well because of this. Transitions to school are also planned and the childminder has good relationships with teachers, which eases this process for children.

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

Children develop friendships with other children in her care and they play alongside each other, beginning to incorporate ideas into their play. They learn to accept the needs of younger children too. For example, children calmly retrieve pieces of their jigsaw when a baby takes them away. The childminder recognises children's achievements with 'wow' cards that are shared with parents. This means children develop confidence in their own ability and are proud of their achievements. Children behave well in the setting. The childminder has clear rules, which the children know and understand. Sensitive reinforcement helps younger children become aware of the boundaries too and babies begin to respond to the word 'no'. Children routinely tidy up before getting other things out. These skills prepare children well for the next stage in their learning.

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

Children play in a child-friendly, safe environment with clean, age-appropriate and well- maintained toys and equipment that support their overall well-being and care. They benefit from a range of natural open ended resources to stimulate their curiosity. Resources are clearly labelled and stored in boxes or on a shelf. This means that children can access many resources themselves and confidently ask for those they cannot reach. As a result, children begin to operate independently in the setting.

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

The childminder promotes children's good health and self-care through routines and regular fresh air and exercise. Children bring a packed lunch but the childminder ensures they choose a healthy snack, such as fruit. Drinks are freely available throughout the session. This encourages children to make healthy food choices. The childminder consistently reinforces good hygiene procedures, such as hand washing. Visits to the soft play centre or the park and playing outside mean children have plenty of fresh air and exercise. They begin to learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies as they talk about how they are thirsty or hot. The childminder makes sure they have appropriate clothing so that they can stay warm and dry as they walk to and from school on a daily basis. Children learn how to keep themselves safe as they are taught to hold hands outside. Older children talk about how they would leave the house quickly if there was a

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the welfare and learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a broad programme of activities, which enables the children to make good progress. The childminder monitors her provision and children's achievement to ensure they are making expected progress. As a result, she can highlight any possible gaps and plan appropriate interventions to meet the needs of the children effectively.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good. An accurate self-evaluation form, which takes into account the views of parents and children, helps the childminder to identify areas for improvement. For example, following feedback from children and a review of her provision, the childminder is planning to purchase a laptop to be used by minded children. The childminder recognises the importance of professional development and keeps up to date with training to ensure all relevant certificates are renewed in a timely manner. She has also recently completed a National Vocational Qualification at level 3, which has enabled her to reflect on her observational assessment within the setting. She acts upon advice from the local authority and attends childminder network meetings. This means that the childminder has a good capacity to improve further.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. She has clear policies, that have been updated, which she shares with parents. The childminder has recently attended a safeguarding course, as well as training on domestic abuse. She talks confidently about what she would do if she had a concern about a child in her care and has an up to date list of people to contact if she needs advice. Her documentation is all very well organised, easily accessible and underpins her practice well. The childminder is aware of her responsibilities when administering medication and treating minor accidents. Children are kept safe inside and outdoors because visitors are signed in and out of the setting and risk assessments are carried out daily with any possible hazards eliminated.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good and they comment positively about how their children are always happy and settled and always look forward to seeing the childminder. Parents enjoy looking at photographs of activities children have been doing and they contribute to observations carried out in the childminder's home. Parents feel that they get detailed verbal feedback which tells them about their child's achievements that day as well as activities they have enjoyed. Written feedback helps parents of younger children know how much milk and food their child has had. This means that parents are kept well informed about their child's time with the childminder. The childminder has a good relationship with the local schools. She shares information about children's development as well as their likes and dislikes with the staff. The staff tell her about topics and other activities they are doing so that she can develop this further. For example, after receiving

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provision

information on the phonics children are doing in school, the childminder plans activities to help develop children's awareness of letter sounds. This demonstrates that the childminder is committed to working together with other early years professionals to meet the care and learning needs of the children.

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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 EY301173 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 877871 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 13

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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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