Childminder, Out-of school day care in Essex

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/10/2013 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

 All children make very good progress in their learning and development because the childminder provides a broad and balanced range of activities and outings to stimulate and interest them.  Children visit various activity groups where they gain a wide range of experiences and social skills as they mix with other children.  Children form strong emotional attachments. They are very happy and settle quickly as the childminder helps them feel secure by getting to know them as individuals.  The childminder is ambitious. She has a professional approach and is very well organised, enabling her to provide a high standard of care to a range of children while having firm plans for future development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The childminder is still developing the range of resources on offer. There is scope to extend the range of reading materials available and to add to the variety of natural and household items for children to explore and investigate.

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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 interacted with children in the playroom.  The inspector held discussions with the provider and carried out a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including evidence of suitability checks and qualifications, policies and children's development profiles.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents and children gathered in advance of the inspection.

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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 and two children aged four and seven years in a house in a Loughton, Essex. The whole of the ground floor, one bedroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding.

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Information about the setting

There are currently five children on roll, three of whom are in the early years age group. The childminder visits local toddler groups and the library. She visits local shops and the park on a regular basis. The childminder collects children from local schools and pre- schools. The childminder provides care all year round from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, except for agreed family holidays.

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

 introduce more recycled, household and natural materials for young children to explore and investigate the world around them and provide a wide range of sensory stimulation

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

 provide a range of texts, such as leaflets, catalogues and non-fiction books, to extend the reading materials offered to children, to develop literacy and help children learn about the different uses of print.

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who attend

Children make very good progress in the prime and specific areas of learning because the childminder provides a wide range of well-thought-out activities and outings to stimulate and interest them. Consequently, they are acquiring the skills necessary to be well prepared for the next stage in their learning and school.

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who attend

Babies and toddlers can select and enjoy a multitude of interesting toys and resources to inspire their curiosity and intrigue them. They become engrossed in a box of musical instruments and learn how to use them to make different sounds as the childminder helpfully demonstrates for them. They enjoy tapping, shaking and blowing and show their evident delight when a new sound is heard. A child repeatedly runs a car along a low surface and watches as it falls of the end. The child is learning about cause and effect and can continue uninterrupted to develop their understanding.

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who attend

Children's language development and communication is very well promoted. The childminder speaks constantly to children, narrating actions and telling them what will be happening next. She praises children for attempting new words and uses some key vocabulary for a child, who has a dual language home, helping them feel secure and confident to speak. When reading to children, she intuitively uses intonation and varying pitch to bring the story to life. Without losing pace, she skilfully explains elements of the story and pictures to the listening children, enabling them to gain from the experience. These early positive experiences are valuable and aid children's development, increasing their understanding and vocabulary. Currently, the book corner contains many well-chosen stories and picture books, which children can see and access easily. There is scope to extend the variety of texts offered to include, for example, catalogues, menus and other

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who attend

literature to give children a wide understanding of how print carries meaning.

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who attend

Children attend community groups and mix with other children as they enjoy music and singing and messy craft activities. Outings and walks let children see the environment around them and the changing seasons. The childminder continues these activities at home, for example, making some 'leaves' from scrap cardboard after children noticed autumnal leaf fall and enjoyed scrunching the fallen leaves.

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who attend

Sensory activities for young children include sand and water play in the garden, as well as digging and planting in the mud. They paint and use play dough to explore different textures and materials. To date, the childminder has provided fewer natural and household items to develop children's experiences.

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who attend

Older children like dressing-up and role play with the excellent domestic-style props and kitchen equipment. They use their imagination and create play scenarios, which help them understand the world around them. Wall charts and posters reinforce learning about numbers and shapes, colours and nursery rhymes. The rich, child-centred environment is welcoming, colourful and stimulating. Floor play with vehicles and animals engage young children and easily managed containers encourage them to start to tidy away toys when asked to do so.

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who attend

The childminder observes and notes children's development and achievements and compiles a scrapbook with photographs along with her tracking system, which shows what stage each child is at. Realistic and appropriate next steps are suggested, so parents can continue the learning at home. For children aged two years, the childminder is aware that she needs to complete a progress check and share the results with parents. This will enable any intervention needed to be put into place early for children, who are below expected levels of development at this point.

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who attend

The childminder talks to children about the next stages of their learning, such as school or pre-school. This helps prepare them for the changes ahead and allay any anxieties they may have.

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

Children settle quickly and become confident in the care of the childminder. They form strong, close emotional attachments and very young children are able to communicate to have their needs met with a combination of language, facial expression and gesture. By finding out about care and health needs in advance of them attending, the calm and confident childminder is able to tailor care and manage the welfare of each individual child. For example, she knows which children like to eat most things and who are more fussy eaters. She offers a range of healthy, colourful foods and encourages children to try a balanced range of nutritious items, but allows them to make choices, for example, about how much they want.

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

An effective partnership with parents is established as daily routines, including food and drink, sleep patterns and nappy changes are carefully recorded in a daily diary. In this way, parents are very well informed about their child's care and can add comments and share information.

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

Children enjoy fresh air and exercise as they play in the garden and on daily walks to and from school. Indoors, they have plenty of opportunities for free movement as the care space is large and safe for them to negotiate freely. Children sleep or nap as wished, either in a cot, on the sofa or in a buggy. They learn to face challenge and manage risk in a safe and controlled way while using the garden equipment or at the park. The childminder is encouraging while having regard to safety at all times. Risk assessments are effective in creating a safe and secure environment and consideration is given to safe travel whether in a car or on foot.

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

Children are emotionally prepared for transitions and changes. They become used to sharing the attention of the childminder with other children and develop resilience and an understanding of acceptable behaviour as they understand the simple and consistently applied 'house rules'. Competence in self-care develops as children gain independence in feeding themselves and using the bathroom, sensitively supported by the childminder.

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

As yet, the childminder has not experienced any partnership working with outside agencies, but she is aware of how she can seek support and work with parents and other professionals to help all children, who need additional support to make progress.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, which enable her to care for children safely. She has completed training in child protection to enable her to respond appropriately to any concerns about children's welfare. Her policy explains her responsibilities in detail, so parents can be reassured that their children are well cared for. Children's safety and welfare have a high priority and the childminder strives at all times to put children's needs first.

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provision

Although, she is relatively new to childminding, the childminder has already started to reflect on her practice and consider her future development. All mandatory training and qualifications, including first aid, are up to date. However, she is keen to extend her qualification levels and reads widely, as well as attending courses whenever possible to build up her knowledge base. By seeking and analysing the views of parents and the older children, who attend, she is able to make improvements, such as providing further resources to enhance the play and learning.

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provision

The childminder's success is due to her excellent organisational skills and professional approach to managing a busy week. She organises the day's events well, incorporating active and quiet times, outings and routine events with apparent ease. However, children's needs always come first and routines are flexible to allow for spontaneous play and fun learning opportunities, such as a splash about in puddles or a walk through the autumn leaves.

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provision

Parents report their complete satisfaction and confidence in the childminding arrangements. They are confident that their children are in safe hands and are developing well and report that children are eager to attend everyday. Good communication ensures a two-way flow of information and ensures that children's needs are managed well.

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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 EY455325 Local authority Essex Inspection number 912618 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 4 Number of children on roll 5

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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

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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