Childminder in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 15/01/2014 07/07/2009

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

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This provision requires improvement

 Children are happy and settled with the childminder and form close bonds with her. This supports their personal, social and emotional development and helps children to feel safe and secure in her care.  The childminder has a sound understanding about what would constitute a safeguarding concern and procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care.  Children are kept safe and their welfare is appropriately promoted through the provision of a safe, clean and friendly environment that helps them to make satisfactory progress.

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It is not yet good because

 Information from observations and assessments is not routinely used to identify starting points or plan activities which consistently meet the individual needs and interests of each child.  The organisation of the playroom and some of the resources does not promote children's independence.  The childminder sometimes does not build on opportunities to introduce new words into children's vocabulary and extend their learning as she provides answers too quickly for them and does not always give them time to think about the question.

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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 had a tour of the premises and observed children playing.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's learning journey records, a selection of policies and children's records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection and involved the childminder in a joint observation of an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the information provided in the childminder's self- evaluation document and through written parental comments provided for the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 2006 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her two children aged 16 and 14 years in a house in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees. The whole of the ground floor, except for the kitchen and the bedroom and the rear garden are used for childminding. The family has a cat and dog 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. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently six children on roll, three of whom are in the early year's age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 6.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays.

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must:

 use the information gained from observations in order to more effectively assess children's starting points and ensure that planning is accurately based on children's next steps in learning in order to fully meet the needs and interests of children

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

 improve children's access to resources and materials so that they can make further independent choices about their play

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

 develop further children's language skills by using more open-ended questions and giving children thinking time to put their thoughts into words without jumping in too quickly with the answers for them.

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who attend

The childminder has a developing understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. She provides children with a suitable range of activities which generally supports them to make steady progress in their learning in preparation for starting school or nursery. The childminder does carry out observations of children's learning and makes a record of what children can do. However, these are very much in their infancy and have not yet been fully embedded. As a result, although some next steps have been identified it is not clear to see how these are used to plan activities which are appropriate to children's stage of development. In addition, although the childminder gathers information from parents at the start about what their children like and can do, she has not used this information effectively to identify children's starting points and create a detailed picture of children's

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who attend

The childminder does, however, know the children well and provides activities which are based on their interests, for example, she sets out jigsaws as she knows the children like them. Children develop their communication skills as the childminder engages with them in a warm and friendly manner and responds to their comments and questions appropriately. She generally supports children's language skills satisfactorily, for example, she asks them, 'can you find the characters face?' and encourages them to name the colours. Children show they are developing an understanding of positional language as they follow simple instructions, such as, 'turn it around' and 'put it on top'. However, sometimes the childminder does not use effective teaching strategies to further extend children's learning. For example, she does not make consistent use of open-ended questions to further support children's learning and sometimes jumps in to quickly and

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who attend

does not give the children sufficient time to consider answers for themselves.

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who attend

Children enjoy imaginative play. They play happily and independently with small world people and explore familiar resources reflecting everyday life. For example, they play with toy toasters and make cups of tea for the childminder and the inspector. Children are able to be creative as they take part in various arts and crafts activities and enjoy sand and water play in the garden. The childminder provides a suitable range of resources and activities to help children to develop their physical skills. For example, inside they develop their hand to eye coordination as they fit jigsaw pieces together and hold crayons and pencils. Outside, they play in the garden and visit parks where they are able to climb, swing and play ball games. The childminder ensures that parents are kept appropriately up-to-date about their child's learning through verbal feedback and daily diaries. Parents also have access to their child's learning journal and receive copies of the progress checks

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who attend

carried out for children aged two years. This helps to identify any gaps in children's learning.

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

The childminder is welcoming and caring and knows the children well. She liaises closely with parents at the start so that she can follow the child's routines. In addition she invites children to come for settling-in sessions to get to know her and her home. This supports a smooth transition from home into the childminder's care and results in children who settle quickly. The close bonds formed between the childminder and the children contribute to children's sense of belonging and security in her home. The childminder takes children to regular groups where they are able to socialise with their peers. The childminder also talks to children as they approach the time to start nursery about what to expect. This helps to prepare children for their move into the next setting. The childminder uses regular praise and encouragement, which promotes children's confidence and supports positive behaviour.

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

The childminder has a dedicated play room which means that children have sufficient space to play indoors. In addition, she has an abundance of toys and activities for inside and outside play. However, the organisation of the resources impacts on the choices the children can make about their play. For example, many resources are stacked in unlabelled coloured boxes. This means that children are not able to see what is inside of them or access those boxes at the bottom of the stack. This does not fully support them developing their independence.

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

Meals are provided by parents; however, the childminder has a sound understanding of the importance of promoting children's good health and provides children with snacks of fresh fruit. She ensures that children have suitable opportunities for fresh air and exercise to further support their good health. Children learn about how to keep safe through planned activities and discussion, for example, they practise regular fire drills and learn about road safety on outings.

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provision

The childminder has a suitable knowledge of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All of the legally required documentation is in place; this includes children's details and a record of attendance. The childminder is aware of the importance of ensuring that all adults within the home have the appropriate checks to ensure their suitability to be around children. The childminder has a suitable understanding of how to identify possible concerns about a child's welfare. She is also aware of procedures to follow should she have a concern about a child in her care. This helps to safeguard children. The childminder carries out daily visual risk assessments of her home. This is combined with the use of appropriate safety equipment and procedures to keep children safe. This includes, keeping external doors locked, using stair gates and supervising children at all times.

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provision

The childminder has developing systems in place to monitor the educational programme and learning and development of each child. However, the use of observations, assessments and effective teaching strategies require improvement so that activities are always precisely matched to children's learning needs and interests, in order that they make best progress. The childminder has recently completed a process of self-evaluation and has a clear understanding of her areas for development. She has made some progress in addressing the recommendations from last time. For example, she provides parents with suitable information about their children's progress. The childminder is also in the process of completing an early years qualification at level 3. This demonstrates a sound attitude towards continuous improvement. Feedback from parents is positive. They comment favourably on the service she provides stating that they are, 'more than happy'. Parents receive copies of relevant polices prior to

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provision

their child starting and important information, such as her certificate of registration and insurance is displayed for them to see. The childminder does not have any children who currently attend other settings; however, she is aware of the importance of sharing information with other providers to support continuity of care and learning.

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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 EY319711 Local authority Stockton on Tees Inspection number 878064 Type of provision Childminder Registration category Childminder Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 6 Number of children on roll 6

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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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