Childminder in South Tyneside

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/01/2014 28/06/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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 provides a warm, welcoming and stimulating environment which enables children to show high levels of curiosity, explore and discover new things.  Children's learning is effectively promoted as the childminder plans activities based on children's interests and individual stages of development.  The childminder promotes children's self-esteem and confidence through her use of praise and encouragement.  The childminder demonstrates a strong drive to improve the service she provides. She has clear plans for the future development of her service that are well targeted to support children's achievements over time.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always able to fully see what is available for them to choose from and make independent choices in the living room area of the home.  Opportunities for children to engage in open-ended activity with natural objects and materials are not always effectively promoted. This is because most toys and equipment are commercially produced and cannot be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways as children progress towards excellence.

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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 viewed all areas of the home used for childminding, including the outdoor environment.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the childminder's suitability and plans for further improvement of her service.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed teaching and learning activities in the living room area of the home and spoke to the childminder and children at appropriate times during the inspection.

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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 adult child aged 18 years in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. The whole of the downstairs of the house is used for childminding. The family has a cat, rabbits, guinea pig, squirrel, fish and a number of reptiles as pets. The childminder holds a foundation degree in Early Years.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local library. She visits the local shops, cafes and parks on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools. There are currently five children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range and they attend for a variety of sessions. The childminding provision operates all year round from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. The childminder supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 develop further opportunities for children to engage in activities that do not require an end result by providing natural and stimulating resources, which are accessible and open-ended so that they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways

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

 increase opportunities for children to make independent choices by improving the organisation of resources in the living room.

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who attend

The childminder has very good knowledge of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and uses this well to support children's learning and development. She holds an appropriate early years degree and makes effective use of information about how young children learn to meet their individual needs. For example, she supports children with identified speech and language delay appropriately by incorporating strategies to support their communication through everyday play-based situations. This ensures they make good progress in this area of learning, based on their individual starting points. The childminder supports children well as they play and engages with them in a playful way. For example, children giggle and laugh when the childminder makes a loud noise when she pretends to drop the ball during a game of throw and catch. She skilfully engages children of different ages and stages of development into the play, supporting them in

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who attend

ways that are right for each child. This helps children to learn, make good progress in their learning and development and become confident learners for the future.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is consistently good. The childminder provides good opportunities for children to develop their communication and language skills. She engages them in regular nursery rhyme and song time, encouraging older children to join in with familiar words and phrases and anticipate key phrases, developing their literacy skills well. Very young children become excited and move their bodies in response to sounds they hear, actively promoting their listening and attention skills. Children are provided with a broad range of experiences to develop their physical skills. Very young children move their bodies in response to action songs and rhymes, pull themselves up on the sofa and crawl around the room, freely exploring their surroundings. Older children practise throwing and catching small balls, manipulate small world figures and enjoy early writing and drawing using a selection of pens, pencils and crayons. Overall, the childminder provides a broad

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who attend

range of stimulating resources. However, children do not always have access to natural materials, especially when playing in the living room area. Most toys and equipment available in this room are commercially produced and cannot always be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways. Therefore, they do not always support children's engagement in open-ended play.

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who attend

The childminder has a clear system to evidence, monitor and track children's learning through effective and accurate observations and assessments. This means she has a thorough understanding of each child's individual strengths and weaknesses and effectively plans activities and experiences based on their age and stage of development. The childminder is currently developing an electronic system to further enhance her knowledge of individual children's strengths and weaknesses. For example, she records daily events and observations on a program on her tablet computer and effectively links them to the areas of learning and development. Parents have regular access to this information and they engage in two-way dialogue with her on a daily basis to keep them fully informed of their child's progress. They are actively encouraged to share their child's learning at home with the childminder. For example, parents complete postcards to share

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who attend

their child's 'news' from home. The childminder effectively threads this through into her planning. This shared knowledge is used to draw up a clear picture of a child's development, effectively meeting their individual needs very well.

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

The childminder provides a warm and welcoming home for children. She ensures there are opportunities for them to play alongside others and play cooperative games with her. For example, she provides one to one time for all children, valuing their comments and recognising their emotions. This enables children to develop confidence and develop good attachments with the childminder and other key members of her family. Consequently, children are supported well emotionally and physically and are happy during the time they spend within her home. The childminder encourages children to develop their independence skills. They have access to a wide range of toys and equipment located in the dining and living room areas of the childminder's home. Resources in the dining room are good. Children can easily see what is available and make independent choices from the wide selection on offer. However, toys and equipment located in the living room are

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

not as well organised as they could be. For example, many resources are located in a large wooden storage unit where boxes are not labelled and children cannot easily see what is on offer to play with. This means that very young and new children to the setting are not able to fully develop their independence skills and make their own choices. The childminder encourages children to drink fresh drinking water and provides clean bottles that are available at all times. This promotes their physical well-being and develops an awareness of good practices that contribute towards good health. This awareness is further developed when children access the garden area and make use of facilities, such as the park, in their local area.

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

Good quality information is gathered from parents when children first start attending the childminder's home. An initial child profile is completed and includes key information, such as, sleep routines, developmental needs, comforters, family set up and specific dietary requirements. This supports children's emotional and physical well-being and ensures continuity in their care. Parents are happy with the service provided and make comments, such as 'I am very happy with the settling-in process, the childminder is family friendly and flexible, who is great at what she does'. Children are equally well supported when the time comes for them to move into nursery and school. The childminder regularly takes children to local schools where they meet their new teachers and enjoy attending a variety of events, such as performances and plays. This helps them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings and supports them emotionally when they make the move.

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

The childminder manages children's behaviour well. She affirms and praises positive behaviour and helps young children to label emotions, such as happiness or sadness, by talking to them about their feelings. As a result, children behave well within the childminder's home and are aware of the boundaries set. The childminder talks gently to young children, gently cuddling them in and reassuring them they are safe. She reinforces messages of safety throughout the day, such as informing children why objects should be removed from the floor to avoid tripping hazards. This helps children to develop an awareness of safety and provides surroundings in which children have freedom to move safely as they want.

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provision

The childminder takes all necessary steps to keep children safe and well. She fully understands her role and responsibility in protecting children and has effective policies and procedures in place. For example, all members of her family, who have contact with childminded children, have had suitability checks carried out. Children are further protected as the childminder has a sound understanding of significant events of which she must inform Ofsted. There are clear procedures in place for the use of cameras and mobile phones. Permission is obtained from parents for the childminder to take photographs of children and effective measures are in place to ensure images are stored confidentially and used only for professional purposes. All safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are understood by the childminder and are fully met. She ensures all areas of the home are

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provision

risk assessed on a daily basis and ensures all potential hazards for outings are identified.

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provision

The childminder maintains a good overview of the educational programmes she provides for children, both indoors and outdoors. She accurately monitors the progress they make over time. This means that accurate information about children's achievements is obtained and clearly shows where intervention is required, supporting their individual needs well. The childminder has a strong drive to improve the service she provides and is committed to furthering her own professional development. For example, she is currently undertaking a training course to enhance partnerships with parents. This aims to improve information sharing in order to enhance children's achievements over time. The childminder has effectively addressed all recommendations and actions raised during previous inspections. This includes a notice to improve issued at a visit by Ofsted. For example, the childminder maintains up-to-date information for all children in her care, including details of their

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provision

current home address. The childminder actively seeks the views of parents and children in identifying areas for improvement and improve her practice and provision. She uses questionnaires and ongoing discussion and acts upon comments made about her provision. For example, she has increased the number of photographs she takes as a result of a comment made by parents.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are well established and make a strong contribution to meeting children's individual needs. The childminder has a selection of written comments from parents which demonstrate how satisfied they are with her service. Parents make comments, such as 'Excellent, a wide range of activities and play equipment is provided, children are always happy and do not want to leave'. The childminder works well with external agencies and services, such as speech and language therapy. She incorporates strategies into her practice to fully support children's individual needs. She knows how to access additional information from health professionals. This ensures interventions are secured, when required, and children receive the support they need. She describes how she regularly meets and works alongside other childminders to enhance her knowledge and skills and further develop her service.

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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 312452 Local authority South Tyneside Inspection number 944225 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

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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