Childminder in Wiltshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/01/2014 12/08/2009

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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 has positive relationships with parents and children, which helps children to form secure emotional attachments with her.  The childminder uses clear policies to promote children's safety and well-being.  Children enjoy experiences outside the childminder's home that provide some value to their learning.  Children have opportunities to play with others of different ages and develop their social skills as they regularly visit the local toddler group.

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It is not yet good because

 The childminder does not always challenge children and extend their knowledge during play and activities to maximise their learning.  Self-evaluation is not fully effective to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the provision, and include the views of children to target areas for improvement.  The childminder does not make full use of her garden throughout the year to extend and promote learning across all areas of development.  The childminder does not promote all possibilities for shared learning experiences with parents to help children fulfil their learning potential.

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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 childminder's home.  The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including children's records, attendance records, parent information pack and a selection of policies.  The inspector took into account the written views of several parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 1991. She lives with her husband and two adult children, in a house in the centre of Chippenham, within walking distance of local schools, pre-schools and shops. The whole of the ground floor is available for childminding. There is a fully enclosed garden for outside play. The family has two pet rabbits. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She currently cares for four children in the early years age range and one older child. She attends the local toddler group on a regular basis.

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must:

 plan and provide a range of purposeful play opportunities through a mix of adult- led and child-initiated activities in order to effectively challenge and extend children's current learning and development.

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

 develop a thorough self-evaluation process to accurately identify strengths and areas for development

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

 extend learning opportunities in the outdoor environment by, for example, enabling children to access natural resources to support their development across all areas of learning

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

 enhance partnerships with parents, to share more information about ways that parents can extend children's learning at home, to promote further shared learning experiences.

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who attend

The childminder has a suitable understanding of how children learn. She gathers information from parents about children's interests, likes and dislikes before they first start, and during daily discussions so that she can support children's learning. Children's learning journals contain photographs and observations linked to the areas of learning. This helps the childminder to assess what children can do. These assessments, along with written summaries from other carers about children's achievements, enable the childminder to plan their next steps in learning. The childminder does not provide parents with specific ideas and activities so that they can extend their children's learning at home, and promote shared learning experiences for the children.

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who attend

The childminder provides a broad range of activities, outings and experiences so that children have fun. Children develop an understanding of the wider world around them. The childminder teaches them to put litter in the bin during outings, which appropriately supports them to respect the environment. She teaches children to care for other living things as they help to feed and clean out the two pet rabbits, and tend to cress seeds they have sown. Children go on outings to local parks and soft play centres to climb on the play equipment, which supports their physical development. Children have opportunities to explore books when they go to the local library for story times, which suitably supports their literacy development. Children are able to develop their imagination through role- play and small world play opportunities, which helps them to develop their hand to eye coordination skills as they build and construct. The childminder sits on the floor with the

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who attend

children and joins in with their play. She introduces language such as 'bigger than, smaller than, biggest one' to support children's mathematical development well as they talk about the size of the small world toys. The childminder uses suitable open ended questions to support children's thinking skills and language development as they discuss holidays during their role play.

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who attend

Children develop their physical skills as they explore a suitable range of equipment. They use ride on toys and enjoy hopscotch, hoops, golf, skittles and ball games in the garden. They have opportunities to develop their early writing skills, and access a range of glitter glue pens, pencils, pens and play dough. Photographs of children's artwork demonstrate the opportunities they have to express their creativity through a range of media and resources. For example, children enjoy junk modelling and art and craft activities. They have created animal masks, crowns, and Christmas decorations. The childminder does not use her garden or provide children with natural resources throughout the year to promote and extend their curiosity and learning across all areas of development.

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who attend

Children enjoy their time with the childminder and make steady progress in their learning and development. However, the childminder does not always challenge children's learning effectively. For example, when children make a play dough bird, and bed and a blanket to keep them warm, the childminder does not explain and initiate discussions about their natural habitat so that children learn that birds sleep in nests and do not use blankets. She does not take advantage of the children's interest in birds to extend their knowledge. For example, by talking about eggs and life cycles, making links to birds in the garden, or provide natural resources, such as twigs and leaves for the children to make a nest.

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

The childminder has a gentle and calm approach. She builds good relationships with both children and parents. She keeps parents well informed of children's daily care routines through a contact book. Children are happy and form secure attachments with the childminder, which helps to promote their emotional well-being. As a result, they settle well into the welcoming family environment. Children respond positively to the childminder's praise, which promotes their confidence and self-esteem. Children learn to behave well because they are aware of the boundaries and childminder's expectations of them. For example, children learn to be polite as she encourages good manners through effective role modelling during daily activities and routines. The childminder ensures that her home and outings are safe and secure through regular risk assessments. Children learn how to evacuate the home safely in the event of an emergency through regular fire

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

drills with the childminder. As a result, they are developing an awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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

The childminder provides a range of resources indoors and outdoors which are suitable for the different ages and stages of children attending. She rotates toys to take into account children's interests. These resources are stored in low-level containers, so that children can explore and make independent choices. The childminder plans trips within the local environment to provide real life experiences and extend children's knowledge of the wider world. For example, she organises an outing on a bus to support children's fascination with buses.

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

The childminder regularly takes children to local toddler groups, where they interact with different adults and a wider group of children, building friendships and socialising, which supports their personal, social and emotional development. This also helps them gain confidence in new environments and situations. The childminder encourages children to be independent, for example, by finding their own coats, putting on their boots and teaching them how to do up buttons and zips to dress themselves. This helps to develop their self- care skills. These activities suitably prepare children for their next stage of learning, such as going to pre-school and moving onto school.

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

Children are developing a good understanding of the benefits of fresh air and exercise, contributing towards a healthy lifestyle. The childminder teaches them about the importance of a healthy diet, for example, children know that 'water is good for you'; this is always available to help children stay hydrated during their play. The childminder works with parents to provide healthy snacks and meals. She sits with the children to eat, talking to them, which role models family style meals and promotes good social skills.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She has updated her safeguarding training to secure her knowledge of the procedures to follow should she have any child protection concerns. She is aware of child protection issues and knows what to do if she has concerns about a child in her care. The childminder holds a current first aid qualification to help her to provide appropriate care if a child has an accident. She carries out daily visual checks on her home to ensure that it is safe for when the children arrive. She implements a range of written policies and procedures to protect and promote the children's well-being, and all documentation including insurances and permissions for outings are in place. This helps to ensure that children remain safe while in her care.

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provision

The childminder demonstrates an appropriate commitment to continued improvement to improve her practice. Since her last inspection, she has increased her knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage areas of learning, and developed her observations of children linking them to all areas of learning. These observations together with her assessments on learning help her to plan the next steps in children's development. However, she does not thoroughly evaluate all aspects of her provision to target key areas for improvement effectively, and there is no clear action plan in place to help her prioritise and address key weaknesses in her practice. In addition, she does not include the views of children in the self-evaluation process to help support changes. The childminder welcomes support from the local authority to help her improve her provision.

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provision

The childminder establishes positive relationships with parents. All policies and procedures are available to parents in an information pack. This informs parents about the care their children receive. Some children also attend other early years settings. The childminder has established some links to exchange information regarding children's well-being and development to further promote their learning in all areas. This includes a written summary of children's progress and next steps each term. Children's learning journals are available to parents to view and can be discussed at any time. Parents' written feedback includes positive comments about the childminder. They report that their children are happy and developing well with the childminder, especially with speech and language. They state that she is 'friendly and reliable', 'honest and caring' and 'goes the extra mile'.

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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 161863 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 843252 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 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

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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