Childcare on Domestic Premises, Full day care in Shropshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/10/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

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

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This provision is outstanding

 Highly comprehensive and effective methods are used for observation, assessment and planning. Consequently, all children benefit from the wonderful and inspiring range of activities which successfully nurtures their enthusiasm for learning.  Children make rapid progress in their learning and development supported by the dynamic, passionate and highly committed staff team that works exceptionally well together. Highly effective communication is maintained with the families to promote the true sense of children's achievement being a partnership with home and the provision.  Children are extremely happy, confident and self-assured, forming highly respectful relations with their key persons who know their intrinsic characters exceptionally well.  Children have exceptional opportunities to develop their imagination and develop their own interests. Staff skilfully observe and encourage children's curiosity, extending and

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This provision is outstanding

challenging children to ensure their early childhood is exciting, adventurous and equips them with skills for future learning.  Partnerships with external agencies and other professionals are very well-established to endure that any need for additional support is sought promptly. This ensures that all children, particularly those with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities receive exceptional support and consistency in their care and learning.

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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 practice between the providers, the assistants and the children indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the adults and children during the course of the inspection.  The inspector carried out a safety check on the premises indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined a range of documentation, including policies and procedures, staff records and suitability checks and children's admission and developmental records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views and comments from parents spoken with during the inspection and from written documentation obtained by the provider.

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Information about the setting

Hilary's Childminders Ltd provides childcare on domestic premises and was re-registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The setting operates near to Church Stretton, in Shropshire. It is privately owned and managed by two registered childminders who work with additional assistants. The provision serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from a number of rooms on the ground floor of the home, with additional use of one bedroom on the first floor for overnight care. There is a large enclosed area available for outdoor play. The family has some dogs.

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Information about the setting

The provision employs four members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6. One of the owners holds a BA Honours degree and is working towards Early Years Professional status. The co-childminder also holds a Forest School Leadership qualification.

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Information about the setting

The provision opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7am until 7pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 40 children attending, of whom 18 are in the early years age group. The provision offers funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The owners are members 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 children's mathematical understanding of time spans further through, for example, the use of resources, such as, clockwork and sand timers.

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who attend

Fun, laughter and excitement abound in this highly stimulating provision. Children are excited and enthusiastic learners from the moment they enter the home, eager to set about their chosen activity. The childminders and their staff are extremely inspired and committed practitioners who have a superb understanding of how children learn most effectively. Consequently, children make excellent progress as the staff know them really well and can clearly identify and support any gaps or need for challenge and extension. The quality of teaching and learning is extremely strong and staff have very high expectations of themselves and the children, working hard to promote all areas of learning to a very high standard. As a result, children are very keen to participate in the inspired experiences and are very well prepared for the next steps in their learning, including moving on to full time school.

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who attend

Children's communication and language skills develop extremely well as staff ensure that they become aware of the rhythm of spoken language and benefit from a language-rich environment. Staff get down to children's levels and ensure eye contact is maintained. They ensure that the human voice is used melodically to engage children's attention and additional use is also made of non-verbal systems to promote communication for all children. They use Makaton and pictorial sequencing to ensure that every child is familiar with the routine and can make their needs known to adults. This is used universally within the setting and means that all children, including those with English as an additional language, gain valuable skills for the future. Highly successful partnerships have developed over time to ensure swift and focused assistance, guidance and training is sought where any child is identified as requiring additional support to reach their full

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who attend

potential. Parents speak very highly of the way in which the childminders have supported the whole family, particularly in times of difficulty, such as accessing additional funding to meet their child's needs.

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who attend

Skilful observation and assessment means that staff can offer extension and challenge to individual children. Parents are fully involved in their children's progress, reviewing their developmental records and contributing with some of their achievements from home. Staff meet regularly with them to discuss development and set next steps together; promoting the clear partnership that benefits all children and their families in their early learning experiences. Some children show great progress in mathematics and staff skilfully weave problems and mathematical concepts into discussion and play. For example, children measure themselves and record this on the height chart, comparing who has grown the most in a given period of time. Staff challenge the children to compare the differences in the numbers of legs on the spiders and insects and work out if they have enough cups to be able to pass three cups to the other children. There is scope to extend this even more,

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who attend

with regard to promoting children's sense of time in a practical way, such as, using clockwork timers or sand timers.

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who attend

The garden offers children exceptional scope to develop their imagination without limit. Toddlers use long laces to indicate a road that 'needs mending', stretching the laces out along the stone steps. Small world characters and vehicles are sought to begin the repair work and staff skilfully guide vocabulary, encouraging children to work as a team to find and operate the mini vehicles. Excellent use is made of found resources such as, logs, crates and tyres. A wonderful activity evolves over some time, at first one child, then another, plans a trip to Africa on their train, made from the milk crates. The group includes children of all ages, including the two-year-old driver, who starts off the 'chuffing' and rotates hands to simulate the wheels turning. Adults extend this activity with discussions about the different sights to be seen, the various animals and considering how long the journey might take. Consternation is shared by some older children who wish to

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who attend

be back in time for lunch. Babies explore their environment inside and outdoors, seated on matting, as they benefit from individual attention and support. They are encouraged to develop upper body control and strength as they reach for the thoughtfully placed resources. They giggle with surprise, discovering cause and effect as they push, pull, press and lift parts of the toys.

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

Children develop very strong emotional attachments with the staff who support their welfare and well-being. Babies and younger toddlers look to the familiar staff for reassurance when visitors are present and relish the warm cuddles and individual attention at special times, such as, bottle feeds and settling for sleep. Settling in routines are tailor made for each child and their family, as children cope with separating from their parents and begin to forge relationships and friendships with other children and adults. Staff are extremely knowledgeable about how important such stages are in children's lives, particularly as they get older and cope with the next big steps in their lives. Staff build strong relationships with the children and their families, promoting effective communication and consistency in their routines and care.

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

The home is very well-prepared for children and offers an environment where they are very safe while still having some opportunities to take assessed risks for themselves. This fosters a strong sense of achievement and develops confidence as children learn to identify and manage some ever-present hazards. For example, given the rural setting, children have to learn about walking in the woodlands and on surrounding roads, particularly where pavements are intermittent. Children wear high visibility jackets when out and about and know the road safety rules in order to keep safe. They clamber up the steps in various parts of the setting indoors and outdoors with ever-increasing confidence and care. The raised tree house platform offers children challenge as they climb up and view their world from a different perspective. They help each other in tasks and are careful when playing with items, such as the lotto counters, recalling how they must pick

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

them up in case babies are crawling round. Excellent storage of resources promotes children's independence and play. Toys and equipment are labelled and highly visible so that every child can make choices and plan their own activity.

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

Children use bikes and scooters to develop their muscles and learn that exercise is good for promoting their health and well-being. They pick some of the fresh fruit from the trees in the garden, eagerly running in to the childminder to pass on their harvest for use at snack time. Children enjoy home-cooked meals that are balanced and nutritious. They also have opportunities to participate in preparing and cooking some foods for themselves. A recent walk was used to locate blackberries and on return, children made a fruit crumble and take great delight in showing photographs of the activity to visitors. Children's dietary needs and preferences are discussed with parents, and the children, to ensure that their health is promoted. Children wash their hands at appropriate times, often without any need for adult prompts. They follow stringent routines when engaged in woodland activities to minimise the risk of the spread of infection. All of the staff hold current first-

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

aid certificates and any accidents and minor injuries are managed very efficiently, with parents kept fully informed of such incidents.

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provision

The providers who make up this childminding team are extremely experienced practitioners. They are inspired childminders who use their knowledge and skills to offer a highly effective service for children and their families, promoting children's welfare, learning and development. Children's success and the preparation for their next steps in their education are at the heart of everything that happens in this setting. They benefit from the best of both aspects of early years provision; an inspiring and stimulating learning environment combined with the unpretentious and very caring atmosphere of a family home.

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provision

The providers work closely with the staff to monitor the programme of activities and experiences offered for the children. Staff supervision sessions provide opportunities for all to discuss children's progress and reflect upon their practice to ensure that children continue to make outstanding strides. This is particularly successful where children are identified as benefiting from additional intervention and support. Adaptations are made to staffing ratios, routines and accessibility to resources to promote an extremely tailored environment where all children can succeed. Professional development is fostered and the annual appraisals contribute to staff identifying training needs and being very sensitively supported in their own achievement where necessary.

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provision

Safeguarding arrangements are extremely effective in protecting children and promoting their welfare. Policies and procedures are well-documented and are understood by staff and parents who are aware of the provision's duty of care to act in a child's best interests at all times. Staff recruitment procedures are robust with effective induction procedures in place and all the adults involved are suitably vetted to reassure parents of their suitability to be with the children. The environment, and the many activities, are checked daily with robust risk assessments carried out to ensure children's safety.

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provision

The partnership with parents is extremely effective. Parents speak with deep satisfaction and appreciation for the way in which they feel that the whole family is supported, not just their children. The providers seek out parents' views and opinions through regular questionnaires and analyse the findings very carefully. For example, a recent question asked if parents would like a more formal 'parents evening' style arrangement for discussing children's progress. This was dismissed by the majority of parents as 'unnecessary' as they were extremely happy with the current processes. Children are also invited to comment about the provision, particularly the older children who attend before, after and during school holidays. They draw pictures of their favourite activities, are involved in planning and often take the lead in some projects, such as the visit from the animal man. Following discussions with parents, the provision is seeking to secure

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provision

appropriate services for children to learn Spanish and plans are in place for taking younger children to a nearby 'yoga for tots' session. This is an extremely inspiring and stimulating provision where children's success in whatever they do is at the heart of the service. The inspired leadership comes from having vision for the future and a mantra for the provision that seeks to improve because; as the providers believe 'there is always room for improvement'.

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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 EY461776 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 913631 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childcare - Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 40

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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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