Childminder in Gateshead

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/10/2013 14/12/2009

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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 communicates with parents effectively in a range of ways throughout the day. This ongoing communication mean the childminder and parents work together effectively to meet the needs of the children.  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.  Children learn how to keep themselves safe when outside of the childminder's home because the childminder has well thought out, clear rules and expectations for walking to and from school  The childminder has very good relationships with the local schools and pre-schools. Ongoing communication with staff mean that children settle into school or nursery quickly and the childminder builds on their learning effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to develop the provision for expressive arts and design to ensure that children can always access the very good range of art and craft resources independently.  There is room to develop the already good organisation of resources, so that they are more easily accessible to children, enabling them to make independent choices to support their very good learning further.

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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.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children and observed play and learning activities inside the home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, including children's learning journals.  The inspector took into account feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1998. She is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband in Low Fell, Gateshead. The home is accessed by several steps and is close to local amenities, such as shops, primary schools and playgroups. The ground floor lounge kitchen and toilet are 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 10 children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group and attend on a part-time basis. The childminder is open all year round from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday except for family holidays. The childminder 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:

 increase the opportunities in expressive arts and design for children to express their own thoughts and ideas by ensuring that there are more frequent opportunities for children to select art and craft materials independently to develop their imaginations

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

 develop further children's already good independence skills by ensuring that resources are easily accessible, enabling them to make independent choices more easily.

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who attend

Children enjoy interesting, motivating and challenging activities across the seven areas of learning. Good ongoing observations and thoughtful intervention means that the childminder extends children's interests and explorations well. For example, when children become interested in bus passes, they make some with the childminder so that they too can use bus passes when they use public transport. As a result, children are motivated to learn. This effectively prepares children for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder knows where children are in their learning because she uses information from parents and her own observations to establish their starting points. She observes children constantly to find out what they have achieved and what they enjoy doing. Her observations and assessments are matched to age related expectations and she highlights where children are in their learning and identifies areas where they need further support. She plans stimulating activities for the children, which are based on the learning needs identified in her observations. For example, when a baby starts to become mobile, she places toys further away to develop this mobility further. Consequently, all children make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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who attend

The childminder develops communication well. She talks to the children constantly, introducing new words and naming what babies pick up or play with. Babies enjoy finger rhymes such as 'round and round the garden' and anticipate with great excitement being tickled. The childminder supports babies awareness of themselves as she plays games such as 'where's your nose', which children enjoy taking part in, clapping when finished. Young children and babies develop a love of books and begin to express choices about their own favourite books. For example, babies select a touch and feel book and turn some pages, feeling the different textures. The childminder plans in a range of activities to help children learn about the world as they hunt for autumn leaves on the way back from nursery and talk about the colours that they find. Babies enjoy finding out how things move and begin to understand that balls are rolled, while cars are pushed. Regular visits

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who attend

to the beach and museums mean that children are beginning to learn about the world around them, they also visit the park and enjoy feeding the ducks.

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who attend

The childminder plans in opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. They enjoy throwing and catching with balls or using hula hoops. Younger children enjoy visits to local soft play centres. The childminder plans a range of activities to use small tools, such as pencils and glue and scissors. She helps them to prepare ingredients for pizzas too. This ensures that children have plenty of activities to support the development of small and large muscle skills. Good support by the childminder ensures children can explore their own fascinations. For example, when babies enjoy banging pots and pans together, she joins in and introduces different things to bang so that they begin to learn that different things make different sounds. Children express their own thoughts and ideas through creative play. They dress up and use role play to re-enact everyday themes, such as cooking. The childminder ensures that the children have opportunities to use art and

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who attend

craft materials when they attend toddler groups and use the facilities in a local hall. However, at present children do not always freely access art and craft activities in the childminder's home. This means opportunities for then to use their imaginations and ideas are not always as well promoted as possible. Children love joining in with songs and actions. They enjoy singing and dancing and babies love exploring the noise of instruments and bounce to the sound the instruments make.

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who attend

The childminder has established good relationships with parents and ensures that her provision meets the needs of the families. Detailed verbal feedback at the end of the session means that parents know what their children have enjoyed that day and how they can support their children at home. The childminder also uses text messaging and electronic messaging to update parents throughout the day. Parents are also encouraged to share information about what children have enjoyed at home, which the childminder then complements and extends. For example, when a child visits a museum about dinosaurs, she plans in activities to develop this further, with small world dinosaurs. As a result, the childminder has a full picture of children's interests, both at home and in the setting and plans effectively using these to support their future learning.

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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 calm and caring and children relate very well to her. Children feel secure in the setting and enjoy exploring the toys and equipment with the childminder. Older children have clearly developed firm friendships as they give each other cuddles and say 'see you on Monday'. Children's behaviour is good as they are fully engaged in their activities, they learn to play alongside each other and share resources. This is developed further as they attend toddler groups and childminder groups so that children learn to play alongside others in larger groups. These skills prepare children effectively 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 supports their overall well-being and care. The environment, generally, supports children to make choices about what they want to play with as they can choose from the resources available in the play room or use a photograph album to make further choices. However, some resources are in large boxes and cannot be reached as easily as others. Therefore, there is room to enhance this further by ensuring that children can build on their very good independence skills and access all resources easily to support their own interests. The childminder promotes children's good health and self-care through routines and regular fresh air and exercise. For example, they play outside regularly, visit the park and walk to and from school. This helps children to develop an awareness of the importance of fresh air and exercise.

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

Children have a range of healthy, nutritional meals, which take into account their individual dietary needs. They choose a healthy snack, such as fruit, and water is freely available throughout the session. This encourages children to make healthy food choices. The childminder consistently reinforces good hygiene procedures, such as hand washing. As a result, children know they need to wash their hands before snack and meals and they are beginning to learn how they can keep themselves healthy.

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

Children begin to develop an awareness of how they can keep themselves safe inside and outside. Young children know that they must hold on to the pushchair and older children know that they always walk inside the childminder so that they are away from the road. Children also learn how to leave the property in case of an emergency.

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

The childminder helps children to settle in by offering short visits, which she gradually extends. She talks to parents about children's normal daily routines, dietary needs and their personal care needs. Parents comment that their children settle in quickly because the childminder is very flexible. She organises extra visits and further discussions as necessary, to ensure that all children settle well. This ensures that she has the early information she needs about children's individual needs and personalities to help them settle in quickly. The childminder also helps children to settle into school and nursery as they talk about moving as they collect other children and go on short visits with the childminder to develop their familiarity. This helps children's transitions into their new setting well.

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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. Assessments take into account the Early Years Foundation Stage and this means that the childminder knows where each child is in their learning. As a result, she can highlight any possible gaps in children's learning and plan appropriate interventions to support each child, if needed.

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provision

Self-evaluation is good. The childminder accurately identifies what she does well and what she wants to improve. She uses feedback from parents and children to evaluate and improve her provision. The childminder recognises the importance of professional development and attends further relevant training wherever possible and uses this to evaluate her provision further. For example, after recent training, the childminder has reviewed her paperwork to meet the needs of the children more effectively. The childminder attends the local childminder network and uses this to develop her provision further. As a result, 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. She has recently attended a safeguarding course. 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. She is aware of her responsibilities when administering medication and treating minor accidents and holds a valid first aid certificate. Children are kept safe inside and outdoors of the setting because visitors are signed in and out and risk assessments are carried out daily and 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. They feel that their children have made good progress and are always very keen to see the childminder. Parents value that the childminder goes 'above and beyond' for their children as she attends class assemblies and ensures they have an item to take for the 'green table' at nursery when this has been left at home. This demonstrates the childminder's commitment to the children and their families. The childminder has a very good relationship with local schools. She finds out about planning from staff and talks to them on a daily basis to ensure she can build on the children's interests effectively. For example, when children make pizzas at nursery she follows this up in the setting, encouraging children to prepare the ingredients. School staff comment that she works with them professionally and effectively to meet the needs of the children.

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provision

Children settle into nursery or school quickly because the childminder organises visits so that children can meet the staff. This means that children settle quickly and their learning and development is extended well between the settings.

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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 311786 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 876889 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 10

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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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