Grundy, Helen

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/10/2013 06/10/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 provides a variety of interesting play activities, which focus children's attention and encourages them to acquire new skills. Consequently, children make good progress.  Children benefit from secure attachments to the childminder. As a result, they are confident, happy and have a strong sense of belonging.  Children's independence skills are developing because the childminder provides opportunities for them to do things for themselves through daily routines.  The childminder has established good partnership working with other early years providers to consistently share information about children's learning to complement and support their future development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for children to investigate a range of media and messy play activities are sometimes less established to build on the development of their very good creativity and investigatory skills.  There is scope to enhance children's rapidly developing exploratory skills by offering a consistently wider range of natural materials.

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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 activities and completed a joint observation.  The inspector viewed the childminder's documentation.  The inspector talked with the childminder throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2006 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her adult child in a house in the Reddish area of Stockport. The whole of the ground floor, bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a cat as a pet.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends toddler groups and activities at the local school. She visits the park and library on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre- schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently four children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. 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:

 enhance the opportunities for children to explore a range of media and messy play activities, such as, paint, dough, jelly and water, in order to promote their very good creativity and investigatory skills

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

 provide a wider range of natural materials and resources, which are available continuously, in order to extend sensory experiences to enable children to investigate a range of textures.

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who attend

The childminder regularly observes children and monitors their development as they work towards the early learning goals. She observes children from when they first start and works closely with parents to ascertain their starting points and areas for further development. The childminder communicates all information to the parents verbally and written observations are available for them to view. Next steps of learning are identified and the childminder organises activities to support this. This supports the children's progression within the seven areas of learning. The childminder understands how children learn and promotes the characteristics of effective learning through the activities. Children have many opportunities to develop their understanding of the world. For example, on a recent trip to the farm, children learnt about where milk comes from as they participated in milking the cows. Children have grown sunflowers to support their

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who attend

understanding of lifecycles. They are developing their early writing skills as they enjoy making marks on the chalk easel and the childminder introduces mathematical concepts as she talks about the colours they are using. Therefore, children are developing the skills required for the next stage in their learning.

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who attend

The childminder promotes the children's communication and language skills well as she talks to them throughout their play and gives them enough time to respond. Children are developing their counting skills as they count the shapes they are going to put into the shape sorter. They gain an awareness of shapes as they name them while placing them into the correct hole. Children choose the activities they wish to engage in from the resources that are freely available, which keeps them interested in their play. However, the natural resources available to children are sometimes less than in other areas, meaning there are fewer opportunities for them to investigate a range of textures.

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who attend

Children enjoy being creative as they make musical shakers from pasta and bottles and explore sounds with the instruments available. They have fun playing making dinner and ironing clothes, which actively promotes their imagination. Children access messy play activities at the local children's centre once a week but not all children are present on that day. Therefore, there are sometimes fewer opportunities to extend the range of messy play activities and media available to all children to develop their imagination and creativity further.

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

Children enjoy warm and close relationships with the childminder. She works with parents to establish routines and become familiar with the children. Settling-in visits are arranged to ensure that families and children feel happy and secure. This promotes children's well- being and ensures they settle into her care. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning because the childminder ensures they are independent and have the skills they need to make a smooth transition. She provides the teachers with information about the children, which allows them to move to a setting and start learning from their current ability level.

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

The childminder frequently praises the children for their achievements and when they carry out tasks independently, such as putting away toys, therefore, boosting children's confidence and self-esteem. Children behave well as the childminder provides them with clear boundaries and explanations. Children are developing a good understanding of safety as the childminder encourages them to be responsible for their own environment. For example, when there are several toys on the floor the childminder and children tidy them up together to create a safe place to play.

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

The childminder gives high priority to promoting the independence of children. For example, young children are encouraged to put on their own coats and shoes and before lunch, they wash their own hands. Children are happy in the childminder's care and enjoy her company. They invite her to play and become involved in their learning. Younger children do this by offering toys to the childminder. For example, children offer her an ironing board, which she stands up for them and they pretend to iron the clothes. The childminder creates a hygienic environment by regularly cleaning the resources and implementing procedures to minimise cross-infection, such as wearing gloves when changing children and cleaning the area afterwards.

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

Children access the outdoor area daily where there is a range of equipment to keep them active, such as slides, ball pools and see-saws. This keeps the children active and promotes their physical skills. The childminder provides the children with healthy snacks, such as fruit, crumpets, toast and breadsticks, all of which contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Parents provide the children with a packed lunch, so the childminder can focus her attention on the children. Children choose a drink of milk or water and the childminder promotes their understanding of being healthy by talking with them about milk, which makes them 'big and strong'.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of how to protect and safeguard children. She has a good understanding of her responsibilities and is clear about what she would do if she had any concerns about a child in her care. She regularly attends safeguarding training to update her knowledge. The childminder adopts a positive approach to maintaining the necessary documents regarding the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure children's care needs are met. There are policies in place to ensure the children's safety, such as a robust safeguarding policy and risk assessments for all aspects of the childminder's home. This means that the children are free to play in a safe environment.

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provision

The childminder monitors the educational programme by observing the children's interests and responding by providing experiences that will support progression in their learning. She has developed a tracking system to monitor children's development, which enables all aspects within the seven areas of learning to be covered within the experiences she offers. The childminder is using the tracking system to identify where children might need extra support, in order to provide targeted activities in the weakest areas.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive approach to self-evaluation and has improved her practice to support children's achievements by addressing the recommendations raised at her last inspection. Consequently, improvements have been made to the observation and assessment process. The childminder asks for parents' viewpoint on the service and actively responds to their suggestions. Therefore, the childminder has a good capacity to improve.

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provision

The sharing of children's learning journals and daily information about their child's care and activities ensures parents are kept well informed of their child's progress. This means that children's needs are well met because the childminder works in close partnership with families, further supporting continuity of learning at home. The childminder has established effective links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage to create a consistent approach for the children in her care.

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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 EY320200 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 916324 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 4

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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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