Childminder in Shropshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 02/12/2013 07/12/2010

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early years provision

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are kept safe and are satisfactorily protected from harm as the childminder has a clear understanding of safeguarding issues.  A sound knowledge and understanding of partnerships with parents exists. As a result, information is shared on a daily basis, which means parents feel reassured and are kept informed of their children's learning.

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It is not yet good because

 Teaching requires improvement because the childminder does not consistently use her knowledge of the children to plan for their next steps. For example, planning activities to continually challenge and extend them.  The childminder does not record the children's hours of attendance accurately to fully protect children' safety.  Recording of accidents are not kept confidential. This has an impact on ensuring that individual needs are met.

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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 children's activities in the playroom, lounge and kitchen.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of documentation and a selection of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and the children at regular intervals throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1996 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband; mother-in-law and one child aged four years in a house in Bomere Heath. The whole of the ground floor and the garden is used for childminding. The family has two guinea pigs as pets.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre. She visits the shops and park on a regular basis and collects children from the local schools and pre-schools.

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Information about the setting

There are currently eight children on roll, of these; three are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7am to 6pm, 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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must:

 improve the monitoring of the educational programme particularly the assessment of children's learning and development to ensure activities are adapted so they are challenging and extend older and more able children's skills

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must:

 provide appropriate documentation by maintaining accurate records of children's hours of attendance.

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

 improve the recording of accidents to ensure that records remain confidential.

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who attend

Children enjoy themselves at the childminder's as they show confidence in the presence of visitors. As a result, they chat openly about what they are doing and why, as they explain about kneading the dough for their pizza. The childminder understands the children's interests and stages of development. This is taken into account when planning for most activities. For example, gluing and sticking activities allow children to express their ideas as they create their own individual cards. Children's learning and development is discussed with parents initially to ensure that the childminder is clear about their starting points. Parents are regularly provided with details of their child's development and progress, which helps them to support their child's learning at home. However, teaching requires improvement, as children's progress is not consistently assessed in order to plan for the next steps in their learning. For example, activities are not adapted to meet the needs of

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who attend

Children are suitably prepared for the next steps in their learning, such as starting school as the childminder sits with the children to ensure they get plenty of support and encouragement with their play. To promote their communication, she engages the children in conversation about what they are doing. Children state that they are making a card for mummy, 'it is a Christmas card' they said. The childminder asks if it is snowing like on the card, 'no it snows at Christmas time' stated the child. She gives clear explanations on what to do as the children excitedly prepare the pizza dough for their lunch. They use the back of the spoon to spread the tomato sauce and talk about the 'squelchy' noise. Children decide which ingredients they want on their pizza and understand that the pizza needs to go into the oven to cook before they can eat it. This helps increase children's use and understanding of new words as they take part in

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who attend

The childminder provides a suitable variety of activities and experiences for children in and outdoors, to support all areas of learning. For example, they enjoy the outdoor play, using the natural resources in the mud kitchen as they make up potions. This helps to fully support children's inquisitiveness and motivation to explore and experiment as they extend their physical skills. Younger children's imagination is captured as they independently use the connecting blocks to play characters from a film. 'I am the boss of the universe' said one, 'you will have to do as I say'.

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

Children have a strong bond and close relationships with the childminder, as most of them have been with her for a long time. They are extremely settled and happy in the setting. The childminder has flexible settling-in procedures, which are thoroughly discussed with parents at initial visits. Children's needs are fully discussed and parents are invited to stay with their child for as long as they wish during their settling-in period. This helps children to form secure bonds and attachments with the childminder and ensures a smooth transition from home into their care. Strong relationships continue to develop with parents and they see the childminder as an integral part of their children's emotional well-being.

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

The childminder supports children in learning about healthy lifestyles as they discuss healthy choices while making and preparing their pizza for lunch. Children are beginning to understand about why hand washing is important as they take appropriate measures to minimise the spread of infection during the day. Healthy snacks and regular drinks maintain children's well-being. Children are provided with appropriate opportunities to experience fresh air and exercise on a daily basis, when they walk to and from school to take and collect other children. The childminder takes children to a local park and on nature walks and there is regular access to the garden. The range of equipment available and local amenities used enables children to develop their physical skills well.

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

The childminder conducts risk assessments on and off the premises. The home is safe from hazards and care is taken to secure the main doors and check the identification of any unknown callers. Children begin to learn about their own safety as they listen to safety reminders from the childminder. For example, they are aware of tidying toys and resources away to ensure that areas are clear and free from obstruction before they start another activity. They climb onto the chair carefully for activities at the table and sit very well at snack and lunch times. Children make independent choices about their play as they sort through the various toy boxes and cupboards in the play room. The childminder knows the children's favourites and building blocks and playdough are regularly out. This awareness helps to support children as they prepare for the next steps in their lives as they develop independence. Children's behaviour is managed appropriately as the

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

childminder offers support in developing children's understanding of taking turns and sharing equipment and resources. The childminder remains calm and consistent in her approach to ensure that children know and understand the boundaries. Children are praised by the childminder when they display good manners, such as 'please' and 'thank you' to promote their self-esteem.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable awareness of safeguarding procedures and a written policy, which reflects the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. She knows and understands her responsibility of reporting any concerns and is aware of the need to maintain confidentiality. This helps to ensure children are protected from harm. The childminder visually risk assesses all areas within the home on a daily basis to ensure it is safe and secure. Safety locks on kitchen cupboards ensure that children are safe from hazardous substances and children are prevented to gain access to certain rooms in the house and the upstairs. The childminder is aware of the legal requirements for documentation and the sample of records viewed at inspection, indicates that most are effectively maintained to promote the welfare of children. She maintains a record of accidents, which parents are asked to sign; however, the book has multiple entries on

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provision

each page, which does not ensure confidentiality of individual details. Although the childminder has agreed the contractual hours with parents, she does not keep a record of all children's hours of attendance to ensure their safety and welfare is protected. This means that a requirement is not met on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a positive attitude towards improving her knowledge in relation to meeting the learning and development requirements. Since the last inspection she has improved her risk assessment and has attended training in forest school to promote children's physical development through different experiences. A sound knowledge and understanding of partnership with parents exists and they are regularly informed about their child's achievements and the learning that takes place. Daily discussion informs them of the activities their child is involved in and the progress they are making. Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection value the flexibility of the childminder and the warm and caring environment. They stated that it was like 'dropping your child off with a family member'. The childminder understands the importance of working cooperatively with other settings that children attend. As a result, this helps to

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provision

ensure children's learning and development is continually supported.

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provision

The childminder is building her knowledge and understanding of the learning and development requirements. She is aware of observing and monitoring her education programme and assessment arrangements and understands that current practice needs to be embedded into ensuring activities are adapted for individual children's needs. The childminder demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement through updating her skills with regular training courses to enhance her practice.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 keep a daily record of children's hours of attendance (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  keep a daily record of children's hours of attendance (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 506558 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 819385 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 3

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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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