Childminder in South Tyneside

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/12/2013 23/04/2009

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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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 The childminder knows the children and builds on their interests effectively. As a result, Children are motivated to learn because they enjoy a range of stimulating activities.  The childminder provides a home from home environment. This means that children settle very quickly into the setting and are happy in the childminder's care.  Children behave well in the setting because there are clear boundaries in place which children are able to follow.  The childminder has a good relationship with parents. Good ongoing communication means they can work together to meet the needs of the children.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always seize opportunities to fully extend children's learning because she asks too many questions to check understanding and children are not always given the time and space to solve problems for themselves.  Improvements for the setting are not always clearly identified in order to prioritise them and support ongoing development.  Partnerships with other providers are not maximised because they do not have a shared understanding or common approach to fully support children's 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 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.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.  The inspector took into account feedback from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1992. 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 and adult son in the residential area of Hebburn, South Tyneside. The home is close to local amenities, such as shops, primary schools and playgroups, and is easily accessible. The whole of the ground floor and a bathroom and toilet on the first floor 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. The chilldminder holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3. There are currently five children on roll, of whom three are in the early years age group and attend on either a full time or a part-time basis. The childminder is open all year round from 7am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, except for family holidays.

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must:

 improve challenge when supporting and guiding children's learning by using narrative language to comment on an activity or key concepts and giving children the time and space to try things out for themselves in order to find solutions to everyday problems.

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

 improve the process for self-evaluation, so that it effectively identifies priorities for development, enabling challenging targets to be set

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

 strengthen the relationship with local schools so that children benefit from a shared understanding and common approach to support their progress in learning.

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who attend

The childminder has a satisfactory understanding of the learning and development requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children enjoy a range of enjoyable play activities that reflect the seven areas of learning. This means that children are interested in the activities and motivated to learn. She uses information from parents as well as her own observations to determine where children are when they first start. This means that the childminder has a good understanding of where children are and how she can support them further. Ongoing observations carried out by the childminder recognise children's interests and achievements, which she then uses to inform her planning in order to plan activities appropriate to children's needs and interests. Her assessments are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage. This helps her to identify areas where further support is needed. As a result, all children make steady progress. The childminder has established

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who attend

good relationships with parents and ensures that her provision meets the needs of the families. Detailed verbal feedback means that parents know what their children have enjoyed that day and how they can support their children at home. Parents are also encouraged to share information about what children have enjoyed at home, which the childminder then complements and extends.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable understanding of how to support and guide children's play. She plays alongside the children and follows the children's interests. For example, she plays together with children as they play with small world figures and helps children to select pencils and paper as they express an interest in drawing. As a result, children are interested in the activities and motivated to learn. However, the childminder is keen for children to succeed and sometimes points out when stampers need more ink or when pencils do not show up as clearly on the paper. This means that children do not consistently have the space and time to explore things themselves first in order for them to develop the skills necessary to solve everyday problems. There is also an overuse of questions as the childminder asks; 'what colour is it?' or 'what shape is it?' This can interrupt the flow of communication and learning. However, the childminder demonstrates

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who attend

a suitable understanding of how to develop language and talks about the shapes as children get them out of the packet. She also extends children's communication effectively. For example, when a child says 'it's a star' the childminder says, 'it is, it's a tiny little star.' As a result, children make steady progress in communication and language.

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who attend

The childminder helps children to develop early writing skills as she provides a range of interesting resources, such as pencils, rulers, crayons and stickers to develop children's interest further. She praises all their efforts and talk about what they are doing. As a result, children concentrate for extended periods of time and demonstrate good control as they hold the pencil effectively to draw lines and circles. These skills effectively prepare children for the next stage in their learning. The childminder supports children's developing number skills as she counts as children play a posting game with her. She also encourages children to count throughout the session. Young children demonstrate their knowledge of counting as they begin to count with numbers in the correct order. Children take part in a range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. The childminder plans in activities with balls to develop throwing and catching skills and plans in visits to the

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who attend

park. The childminder plans a range of activities to use small tools, such as pencils, glue and scissors. This ensures that children have plenty of activities to support the development of small and large muscle skills. Children express their own thoughts and ideas through creative play. They enjoy using small world figures to develop storylines based on their own experiences. They enjoy using art and craft materials to express their ideas and love joining in with songs and actions, sometimes singing some lines themselves. This means that children make good progress in expressive arts and design.

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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 committed to providing a home from home environment where children feel like part of the family. She has achieved this as children greet her husband and son with great enthusiasm. She is calm and caring and children relate very well to her. Children feel secure in the setting and seek out the childminder for reassurance and love to snuggle up next to her, sometimes falling asleep on her knee. This demonstrates that children are emotionally secure. 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 by attending toddler groups so that the childminder can support less confident children to play alongside others in larger groups. These skills prepare children well 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 promotes children's independence as resources are stored in boxes in a cupboard, which children can access with the support of the childminder. The childminder promotes children's good health and self-care through routines and regular fresh air and exercise. For example, they visit the park and walk to and from school. This helps children to develop an awareness of the importance of fresh air and exercise. Children bring packed lunches from home, however, the childminder supplements this with fresh fruit. She also encourages children to eat their savoury food and fruit before anything else. 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

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

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. They learn how to leave the home safely in the event of a fire and learn how to keep themselves safe as they walk to and from school with the childminder. Young children are encouraged to tidy up and understand the need to put things away before getting other resources out. This means that children can move safely around the setting. 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 they like the family atmosphere she provides. This ensures that she has the early information she needs about children's individual needs and personalities to ease their transition from home to her care.

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provision

The childminder has a reasonable understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The childminder understands her responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and has attended training. She has clear policies in place and she knows who to contact if she has a concern about a child in her care. Children are kept safe inside and outdoors because thorough risk assessments are carried out daily to identify potential hazards. The childminder has a valid first aid certificate and knows how to deal with accidents and injuries.

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provision

The childminder has informal strategies in place for monitoring and evaluation. She recognises the importance of professional development and has achieved her National Vocational Qualification at Level 3. She has also attended recent training to enable her to keep up-to-date. However, her evaluation is not sufficiently rigorous to identify all priorities for improvement and, as a result, some areas for development in the setting are missed. However, she has clear assessments of children's progress, which helps her to target children's identified needs.

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provision

Partnership with parents is good. The childminder encourages a two-way discussion between herself and parents at handover times and finds out about what children have been doing at home. Parents comment that the childminder takes into account their personal wishes in relation to the care of their child. She makes time to talk to parents at the beginning and the end of the day. Consequently, parents are kept informed about their child's day. The childminder has a professional relationship with the local school. She passes on messages between parents and the school and talks to staff about how children have been in order to support children's continuity of care. She also uses her own knowledge to support children's learning. However, there is room to strengthen the relationship with local schools so that she can work together with them to develop a shared understanding of how they can meet the needs of children more effectively.

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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 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 312502 Local authority South Tyneside Inspection number 876903 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 5

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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

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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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