Swell, Jade Louise

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children enjoy a wide range of learning experiences and make good progress overall.  The childminder is effective in promoting children's communication. She helps young children communicate their needs well and develop friendships through play.  Relationships between the childminder, her assistant and the children are extremely warm, trusting and very secure. This effectively supports their emotional well-being.  The childminder evaluates her practice and accurately identifies her strengths and weaknesses. As a result, she has clear action plans in place for improving her practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On occasions, the childminder misses opportunities during activities to allow children to think or work out the answer for themselves. This does not always fully extend children's own problem solving skills.  The childminder does not fully maximise opportunities to involve parents in their children's learning and development by using experiences and interests from home.

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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 playing and looked at areas of the premises used for childminding purposes.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment folders, the childminder's planning and self-evaluation documentation, safeguarding policies and procedures and sampled a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and her assistant at appropriate times throughout the inspection and spoke to the children present.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account documents provided for parents and written and verbal feedback available from parents.

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Information about the setting

The childminder registered in 2013. She lives in Abingdon, Oxfordshire with her partner and young child. She works with an assistant who has two children, one of which is school age. The whole ground floor is available for childminding. Toilet and sleeping facilities are available on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden available for outdoor play. Access to the home includes a step into the front door. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently four children on roll in the early years range. The childminder also provides care for older children. The childminder offers care on a daily basis, before and after school, and during school holidays. She is available to walk or drive to local schools and other early years facilities to take and collect children. She holds a level 3 early years

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

 extend the opportunities for children to problem solve and build on what they know during activities by allowing them further time to think and reflect

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

 strengthen the communication with parents to encourage them to share observations of children's learning at home to further support planning the next steps in learning together.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good because the childminder and her assistant have secure procedures in place to plan for and support children's interests. This is because they gather good levels of information about children's needs before they start with them, which also involves parents completing an 'All about me' document. This gives them a clear picture of children's individual starting points and what they can do to specifically support children's learning. The childminder and her assistant then assess children's ongoing learning regularly, which results in them having a clear understanding of any ongoing progress that children make. This effectively guides the childminder to plan appropriate activities and helps to extend and challenge children in their learning. Through discussion the childminder and her assistant both demonstrate a good understanding of each child's next steps and what they are currently focusing on with each child. Overall,

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who attend

children's learning and development is in line with the expected developmental ranges for their age. As a result, they are obtaining the skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or the next stage of learning.

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who attend

Children are very settled with the childminder and her assistant. They place high priority on supporting children's communication and language skills and positively build on these by helping children learn the correct way to pronounce words. This is modelled by repeating key words in the day and allowing time for young children to communicate what they want to say. The childminder gives children lots of praise for their efforts, which helps to develop their self-esteem. Children become familiar with rhymes and songs as the childminder regularly sings to them. Children smile and engage well with each other as they listen and sing their favourite songs. Using props, such as story sacks, the childminder enhances children's developing understanding further. This encourages all of the children to become actively involved in the song time and helps them take turns, make choices and talk about their experiences. Seasonal activities provide children with a range

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who attend

of craft actives that help them to develop and share their own ideas, such as wellington boot printing or making art work from recycled materials. The childminder encourages their growing control over small tools, such as glue sticks, glitter spreading and using scissors. As a result, they are developing the skills they will need for early writing. Children's understanding of technology is promoted through the use of programmable toys that help them to learn how sequences of actions achieve intended results. For example, they solve puzzles using interactive toys by pushing buttons and activating lights. They are beginning to develop their critical thinking skills during child-led play, for example, by stacking bricks. However on occasions the childminder or her assistant intervene too soon in some of the chosen play activities. This means that rather than allowing children time to work out why the tower falls over or what they can do to stop this happening, they

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who attend

intervene and resolve this for them. Nevertheless, children's records show they are making strong progress overall in all areas of learning.

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who attend

The childminder fosters good relationships with parents. She effectively involves parents in assessing and planning for children's learning. She meets with them regularly to discuss how children are making progress and together they talk about the next steps in children's development. Learning and development records are shared regularly with them. While this supports good information sharing, the childminder has yet to encourage parents to share experiences and interests from home, so that these can be included in the planning and assessments.

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

Children enjoy warm relationships with the childminder and her assistant. They display a strong sense of belonging in her home, as a result of both adults who care for children, effectively promoting their emotional well-being, personal and social skills. Effective settling-in procedures are in place. This results in a smooth transition for children from their home to the childminder's care and they become familiar with her or her assistant as their key person.

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

The childminder has a very calm and consistent manner when caring for children. Their behaviour is good because she takes a consistent approach with her assistant in managing any disagreements over toys. For example, she talks to young children and uses distraction to divert them to other activities. This means that children learn to share and play cooperatively within a safe environment. Children learn how to keep themselves safe and to recognise danger. For example, the childminder talks to them about why they should not throw toys or why it is important to sit down at the table. As a result, they are developing a clear understanding of the expectations for their behaviour and a thorough understanding of right and wrong.

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

The childminder is supporting children's progress well because she provides a stimulating learning environment to cater for their all-round development and emotional well-being. Resources are set out each day in the playroom and children make their own choices about what they want to play with from baskets, boxes and colourful storage units. This develops their independence and helps them lead their own play according to their current interests.

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

Children enjoy outdoor play and learning in all weathers. They develop physical skills during a variety of activities, such as climbing on large play equipment in the local park and regular walks. The field near to the childminding setting gives them the opportunity to run and play games in a large open space. By doing so, they learn how exercise contributes to keeping them healthy. The childminder promotes healthy eating with the children through cooking activities and everyday discussions. This means children are beginning to understand why a healthy diet is important to their overall well-being. Children develop a good understanding of hygiene routines as the childminder talks to them about the need to wipe their faces and noses. Children are taught to be independent in their self-care and this means they can attend to their own personal care needs when they move on to school.

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

In preparing children for the transition to school the childminder ensures that children are confident in being around large groups of children by attending toddler group sessions. This helps children learn about the local community and promotes good social skills. The childminder establishes links with local nurseries and schools. This benefits children at a time of change, through consistency of care and learning experiences.

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provision

The childminder has a secure knowledge of both the learning and development and the safeguarding and welfare requirements. These are effectively implemented and the childminder is clear about her role in keeping children safe. Both the childminder and her assistant are aware of the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child in their care. They are secure in their understanding of what to do if an allegation is made against an adult in the home because their overall knowledge of safeguarding is secure. The childminder has a good understanding of the requirements regarding the numbers of children that she can care for at any one time with her assistant and maintains accurate records to support this. The home, garden and outings are risk assessed to make sure they are safe and identify and prevent potential hazards. Adults who work with the children are clear on their responsibilities. All of the required documentation and parental

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provision

consents are in place, maintained accurately, and stored appropriately to ensure confidentiality. Written policies and procedures are shared with parents so that they understand the procedures that the childminder follows.

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provision

The childminder has evaluated her practice and set realistic targets for improvement. Parents contribute to this process through discussion and completion of questionnaires. This enables her to address any concerns that they may raise and has resulted in very positive comments from parents. The childminder welcomes the input of the local authority development worker as a source of good practice guidance. She has taken on board this advice and has made a number of changes to her practise, most notably how she records and maintains her attendance registers. This demonstrates her commitment to improving her service and therefore, the care and learning of the children she minds.

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provision

The childminder routinely evaluates children's learning and development and the experiences she provides. The childminder and her assistant work well as a team and the childminder consistently seeks others input to improve her knowledge and skills. She successfully uses information gathered through observations of children and discussions with their parents to inform her assessment of children's progress. She uses her years of experience as a nursery practitioner to guide her practise and is secure in her understanding of children's development needs. This means she can easily identify if there are any delays or gaps in a child's development that she can address.

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provision

The childminder meets children's needs well because she works closely with parents. She is aware of liaising with local agencies and how children benefit from this collaborative working. All children are treated equally and benefit from good levels of care because the childminder ensures they feel safe, achieve well and are fully included in activities. Parents spoken to at the inspection state that they are very happy with the care that their children receive and that they have settled well. This positive experience helps children to move forward in their learning and develop skills for the future.

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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 EY463126 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 926279 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 5 Number of children on roll 5

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Name of provider

Date of previous inspection not applicable

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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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