Childminder in Wirral

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2013 17/12/2008

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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 develops warm, caring relationships with the children, who she knows very well. As a result, children are happy, settled and motivated to learn.  Children are supported in their acquisition of communication and language skills and in their physical, social and emotional development, which ensures they have the key skills needed to make good progress towards the early learning goals.  The childminder establishes positive partnerships with parents so they can work together to support children's individual needs and promote their development.  The childminder has a good understanding of safeguarding and welfare requirements, therefore, children's safety and welfare are assured.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to improve the opportunities for younger children to explore and investigate a wider range of textures and materials to support their learning through using their senses.  Books are not positioned to be easily accessible to all ages of children to help nurture their enjoyment in reading.

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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 in the playroom and viewed the resources and equipment available to the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times during the inspection and while observing children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of documents, including children's records, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of qualifications and suitability of the childminder and household member aged over 16, and her improvement plan.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1999 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband and children aged nine and 12 years in a house in West Kirby, Wirral. The whole of the ground floor and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has two goldfish as pets.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group. She visits the shops and parks on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently two children on roll who are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. She operates all year round from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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

 provide a wider range of sensory play experiences for children to enjoy to enhance their learning through exploring and investigating different textures and materials

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

 extend children's developing literacy skills, for example, position books to allow children to have easy access so they can enjoy them at all times to further promote their pleasure in books from an early age.

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who attend

The childminder has a good understanding of how children develop and is confident in her teaching. The strength of communication between the childminder and parents ensures there is full opportunity for information to be exchanged to support children's progress and ensure that their individual needs are fully met. Parents have regular access to their child's record of learning maintained by the childminder to review their progress. These communication systems provide parents with information to continue learning at home. The childminder uses her regular observations and the information from parents to assess the children's stage of development and plan to support their next steps in learning. She makes effective use of her child development knowledge and childcare publications to accurately assess and plan for each child's stage of development. The childminder provides a wide range of resources and plans suitably challenging experiences to promote

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who attend

children's learning in all seven areas. However, the younger children have fewer experiences to explore different textures to maximise their learning through using their senses. Children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their starting points. The childminder is aware of her responsibility in completing a progress report for children aged between two and three years.

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who attend

From a young age children are active and inquisitive learners who confidently explore and investigate their surroundings. A good variety of toys are accessible to encourage children to make independent choices in their play, to develop their ideas and encourage them to be creative in their thinking. The childminder sits at floor level with the babies as they play to give them guidance to support their learning. For example, she shows them how to operate the interactive toys and gently encourages children to try to complete the task themselves. The babies express their delight by smiling and clapping their hands at their success in pressing controls to make the animals pop up and start the music. Consequently, from a young age children are developing a 'can do' attitude as they show deepening levels of concentration while engaged in play of their choice. As they play the childminder names the animals, makes the different animal sounds and sings a familiar

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who attend

nursery rhyme to encourage children to listen and respond. The childminder places a strong focus on helping children to develop their communication and language skills. She consistently speaks very clearly and responds to their vocalisation in a lively manner. The childminder talks about what she and the children are doing as they play and while completing routine tasks, such as nappy changing and preparing the snack food. The young children demonstrate their emerging interest in role play. They 'babble' into the play phone and the childminder involves herself in the pretend conversation. She asks questions helping children understand the 'turn taking' in conversations of listening and talking. The childminder broadens children's learning as they play, pointing and naming colours of play materials and introducing mathematical concepts, such as counting, shape and size. However, books are not easily accessible to the children to nurture their

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who attend

enjoyment in reading and further enhance their literacy skills.

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who attend

The organisation of the play room provides plenty of clear floor space for children, including babies who are crawling, to move around safely and enjoy their play. The childminder provides push-along toys to support the babies developing physical skills. They also use the sturdy furniture to pull themselves to a standing position. To specifically support the rapidly developing physical skills of the younger children the childminder takes them to soft play activity facilities. Where they gain confidence to stand and walk in a safe environment. A range of trips and outings are an integral part of the everyday activities and ensure children learn to be active and explore the outdoor environment. From an early age children are motivated and confident in their play and are acquiring the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or the next stages in their learning.

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

Children benefit from very secure attachments with the childminder, which provide a strong foundation for their emotional well-being. The caring, supportive and nurturing environment ensures children feel safe and secure. Consequently, children demonstrate a very strong sense of belonging. Before children start to attend, the childminder has discussions with parents regarding children's individual care needs. She records all required information and gathers appropriate written consents from parents. Individual routines and preferences are known and catered for, such as medical or dietary needs. The childminder has a personal knowledge of each child she cares for. This helps children to make a comfortable and smooth transition from home into the childminder's care.

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

The childminder raises children's awareness of the importance of personal safety through daily experiences. For example, as she secures the children in the high chair at mealtime she explains this is to make sure they do not fall out and hurt themselves. All ages of children are involved in practising the emergency evacuation plan and following road safety procedures to develop their understanding of how to look after themselves. The childminder teaches the children about kindness and respect through the positive example she sets. She talks to children in a respectful and gentle manner. Good behaviour is encouraged through praise, and guidance is given about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Age-appropriate play, such as sitting at floor level and rolling the ball to each other helps develop children's understanding of turn taking from an early age. Books, which reflect positive images of diversity, and the outings in the local community, help to

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

nurture children's respect towards people who are different to themselves. The childminder provides opportunities for the children to play with a larger group of children through attending toddler groups. Consequently, children are making relationships and developing their social skills in preparation for later transitions into nursery or school.

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

The childminder helps children to develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle through their daily routines. The food is provided either by the childminder or parents. Meals prepared by the childminder are home cooked and contribute towards children having a balanced diet. Children have access to their drinking beakers and learn to respond to their bodily needs and to drink when thirsty. Mealtimes are a social activity and the childminder encourages and supports children to feed themselves, developing their self-care skills. Routines and planned activities encourage children to enjoy being physically active. They benefit from being taken on regular walks and outings to the local parks where they have the space to pursue energetic play and develop their skills using larger apparatus. The comfortable seating in the play room gives children opportunity to have quiet time from play and to rest their bodies. The childminder has a designated room where children can

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

sleep undisturbed. For children's safety the childminder regularly checks them whilst they are sleeping.

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provision

The childminder has good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage to support children's learning and to implement the welfare requirements. She routinely evaluates the educational programme and monitors children's engagement in the activities provided. This is to ensure the environment and practice supports children's progress. The childminder has a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures and knows what to do and who to contact in the event of a concern. Her home is a safe environment for children and she ensures that they are safe when on outings. Risk assessments are documented to help her monitor potential risks. Records are maintained as legally required for children's well-being.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates a commitment to continually improving her childcare provision. She has met the action and recommendations from the last inspection. To achieve these she has developed effective systems to assess and track children's progress which informs their next steps planning. She has attended training to develop her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of the diversity of society to inform her practice. The childminder reviews and updates her documented policies and procedures to make sure they are accurate to reflect her practice. To meet the action from the previous inspection she has a recording system to log any complaint in the event of such a situation arising. Through self-evaluation she has identified the strengths and weaknesses of her provision and has plans in place to bring about further improvements.

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provision

A strength of the childminder's provision is her effective partnership working with parents. Meaningful information sharing, both verbally and documented, ensures children's needs are very well met and supports progression in their learning and development. Written comments from parents are extremely complimentary about the provision and care of their children. The childminder is aware of the need to work with other childcare providers if children also attend other early years 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 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 306034 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 818760 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 2

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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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