Childminder in Milton Keynes

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/10/2013 08/02/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 The childminder demonstrates an appropriate level of understanding with regard to planning activities to support children's development. Overall, she monitors their development well, helping to ensure they meet targets.  Children appear happy because they form secure and trusting relationships with the childminder. They have opportunities to gain further skills in making friendships within the provision and through visits to toddler groups.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder has not maintained the correct ratios in relation to the numbers of children in the early years age range she may care for.  Starting points for children are too vague and does not focus sufficiently on what parents know about their children.

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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 conducted an unannounced inspection.  The inspector observed the childminder's teaching and children's learning.  The inspector discussed practice with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documents, including daily attendance records, risk assessments and safeguarding procedures.  The inspector spoke to one parent.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2008 on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and their two children in Old Wolverton, Milton Keynes. The childminder lives close to local shops, pre- schools and schools. The childminder uses the ground floor of the house for childminding and there is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family keeps small dogs, chickens and a hamster as pets. There are currently seven children on roll, who attend for different periods of time. There are three children in the early years age group and four older children who attend after school and occasionally in school holidays. One of these children is over the age of eight years. The childminder has an appropriate qualification at level 3.

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must:

 meet the ratio requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage in relation to the numbers of children in the early years age range childminders are allowed to care for at any one time.

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

 develop further initial relationships with parents by encouraging them to talk about their children's development and showing them their contributions towards assessments are valued.

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who attend

Children busily enjoy the exciting range of play resources on offer. They move comfortably between both the inside and outside spaces in their quest to explore and investigate the environment. They are active and enthusiastic in their play. There are lots of happy play noises and communication and language are encouraged. The childminder sits with children and supports their games. She listens and responds to their comments. Teaching includes open, descriptive and mathematical language helping children to build vocabulary around counting, shape, size and colour. Children are chatty and engage in conversation; they have learned to listen and then respond. Their views are valued and encouraged. Children particularly enjoyed building a robot together out of construction equipment. There are many examples of children enjoying mark-making and craft activities with different materials. Visits to the park and toddlers groups form part of their weekly

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who attend

routines. More exciting visits to the farm and other places of interest help children build a broader understanding of the wider world.

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who attend

The childminder plans activities based on what she knows about children, their interests and what they can do. She challenges and encourages them to try again and have a go at problems that are more complex. Children lead most activities, with the childminder close- at-hand to support and encourage play. Children do not give up because she helps them to complete tasks through simple instructions and then allows them to carry these through. The childminder has a good understanding of the curriculum and delivers this effectively. Although starting points take account of children's likes and dislikes, these are vague and do not focus enough on what parents say children can do. The childminder shares information with parents about development through her assessments. She has further developed this by sharing ideas for learning at home and good practice welfare issues. Overall, children make good progress while at this setting. This is because they

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who attend

engage in activities which interest them and are encouraged to extend their learning.

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

Overall, the childminder takes time to help children settle into her provision. She invites parents and children to come for play visits. She chats to parents and encourages them to share information about children's routines and needs. These early interactions help children to manage change and feel secure. The childminders' home is generally busy with children as she looks after a range of age groups. This enables children to gain skills in understanding the needs and wants of others. Generally, children are kind towards each other. The childminder has clear boundaries in place. She encourages children's cooperation. When children become frustrated, she talks to them calmly about the problem and encourages them to make amends. There is some sharing and turn taking as children learn to tolerate and get along with each other. They have opportunities to extend friendships outside of the childminders' home through outings to toddler groups.

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

These are valuable learning experiences where children develop an awareness of the wider community. They also give children social experiences of being part of a bigger group and joining in with activities that involve other people.

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

As children make progress in their development, they also learn to act independently. Some children rely on the childminder to meet their personal and intimate care needs. Others are making progress in managing these tasks for themselves. These skills are encouraged through colour-coded towels and other items, which help children have a sense of ownership. They learn about personal hygiene through regular routines and the childminders' reminders. Children have lots of space to move around in. They have access to an outdoor space, where there is a range of resources which encourage physical activity. For example, children have access to a trampoline, a slide and scooters, which all encourage coordination and balance. Children receive healthy choices in their meals helping them develop good eating habits. Overall, children are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles. While at this setting, the childminder helps children to learn the skills and tools to support

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

them as they go on to attend other provisions, such as nursery or school.

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provision

The inspection was brought forward following concerns raised about issues relating to safeguarding, ratios and the supervision of children. Evidence gathered at the inspection finds that the childminder is in breach of the requirement to meet ratios, as stated in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is because she is caring for more children in the early years age range than she is permitted. Records of attendance viewed at inspection and observations demonstrate four children in the early years age range attend at the same time on occasions. The childminder had a previous agreement with Ofsted for a variation in the number of children she may care for in the early years age range. This arrangement was for one additional child, but this came to an end when that child went into full time school. Since that time, the childminder has taken on another early years age child, which means she is now caring for more children than

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provision

she is allowed. The impact of this breach on children was not possible to measure during inspection, as two of the children were asleep. However, it does not mean that this will always be the case. There are no exceptional circumstances for operating above the legal requirement for childminder ratios. The childminder is therefore required to take further action to demonstrate to Ofsted that she is able to work within the legal framework in relation to ratios. Nevertheless, the inspection found other safeguarding issues have been managed appropriately and there are no concerns regarding the majority of issues relating to safeguarding children. Therefore, children's safety is maintained overall.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates she has a good understanding of her role in helping children make progress towards the early learning goals. Overall, her observations and assessments are detailed providing parents with good quality information. This helps them engage children in their learning at home. The childminder has not yet completed progress checks for two-year-old children. However, she is aware of her responsibility to do so, understands what these need to contain and plans to complete these shortly.

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provision

The childminder reflects on the positive aspects of her service. She finds it more difficult to identify what needs to be done to improve. She has addressed issues raised through recommendations at her last inspection. As a result, children benefit from a visually calm and orderly environment. They are also establishing more independence in meeting their own personal care needs. The childminder accesses training to maintain her knowledge and skills and uses the knowledge she acquires to develop her service further.

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provision

The childminder does not have the opportunity of working with other settings other then schools for her older children. However, she is aware that partnership working has positive benefits to children's attainment.

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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 EY371557 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 937962 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 6

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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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