Childminder in Wolverhampton

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/02/2014 15/01/2009

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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 good range of stimulating activities and resources within the home and experiences outside the setting. This supports children to become motivated learners, and as a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development.  Children are very happy and settled in this homely and welcoming setting. They have good attachments to the childminder, who is very caring and attentive to their needs. This enables the children to explore the environment with confidence as their emotional well-being is very well supported.  The childminder provides a safe environment as she takes effective action to ensure the safety of the premises, indoors and outside, and has a good understanding of safeguarding procedures.  The childminder ensures that effective information sharing takes place with parents from the beginning of the placement to ensure that she can meet the changing needs

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to strengthen the communication links with parents in order to further support children's learning and development at home.  Opportunities to further promote children's independence at mealtimes are not fully in place.

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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 checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the childminder and discussed the self-evaluation and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the childminder engage in a range of indoor learning activities, play and daily care routines with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, including planning information and children's development folders.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the childminder.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed areas used for childminding and had discussions with the childminder and children throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1991 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. She lives with her husband, two adult children and one child aged 12 years in Wolverhampton. The dining room, front lounge and toliet facilities on the ground floor of the house are used for childminding. There is an enclosed rear garden for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The childminder attends a toddler group and activities at the local children's centre, and visits the shops and park on a regular basis. She collects children from the local schools and pre-schools. There are currently five children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group and attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder operates all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays and family holidays. She holds a level 3 qualification and receives support from the local authority. She is a member of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 strengthen further the communication links with parents, for example, by encouraging and enabling them to support continuity of children's learning

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

 enhance opportunities to encourage children's independence further by involving them in the preparation of the snacks and lunchtime sandwiches.

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who attend

The childminder demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, and uses this knowledge to observe and effectively plan for children's learning needs. She has discussions with parents prior to children joining her to find out about each individual child's interests, what they know, like and can do. The childminder actively encourages parents to be involved in their child's learning at home and shares daily information about their achievements through the use of a daily diary. However, there is scope to strengthen the communication links with parents to enable them to further support their children's learning at home.

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who attend

The childminder regularly assesses children's progress to help her to identify any gaps in their learning. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development. The environment enables children to initiate their own play as they select their own resources from a variety of easily accessible toys, arts and crafts. The childminder joins children in their play and fosters their language development through many conversations. She observes the children, takes photographs and makes interesting and informative notes which she includes in children's learning journals. Children's confidence and communication skills are promoted as they take an active part reading one of their favourite books to the childminder. They are delighted with the praise they receive as they recognise the 's' for snake. They also enjoy listening to stories and are eager to turn pages and repeat words, helping to extend their vocabulary. Children are encouraged to smell,

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who attend

taste and feel the textures during a cooking activity. They describe the mixture as 'like a mango smell' and say it is 'sticky' and 'tasty'. They are introduced to new words, such as 'cinnamon'. One child says it is like 'the pancakes that I make, but different'. The childminder uses this opportunity to extend the activity. The childminder tells the children 'When I was a little girl I used to love vanilla', skilfully encouraging the children to recall past events. Children are encouraged to learn about numbers as the childminder asks them to count and group objects. During a cooking activity they work out how many of each item they need and weigh the ingredients. The childminder has high expectations of the children, for example, they are given eggs to crack into small bowls and to remove any shell. The children are eager to use the electric mixer, pushing buttons and 'steering' the paddles skilfully as they take turns to mix the ingredients. This supports children to

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who attend

become motivated learners, and as a result, they are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development.

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who attend

The children are encouraged to learn to share toys, take turns and play together, and the childminder uses unique strategies to achieve this. For example, two children want to be the first one to mix the cake. The childminder plays the 'decider game'. The children pick the hand which they think has an item in it and the child who picks the correct hand is the winner. The children accept this straight away and the activity continues without further issue. This promotes their social skills in preparation for later transition to nursery and school. As a result, children make good progress in their personal and social development skills. Children have good opportunities to promote their physical skills. For example, outdoors they ride bicycles and other pedalled toys, and they regularly visit the local park where all children have opportunities to play on larger equipment, learn to take risks and keep themselves safe.

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

Settling-in sessions, individual to the needs of each child, help to make the transition from home to the childminder's care easier. The childminder obtains useful information about the children. For example, initial details about care routines and likes and dislikes are shared through completion of enrolment documents. This means children's needs are well met from the outset. This helps children to settle quickly and happily into the childminder's home and results in them developing a strong bond with her. Because of this, they are confident to explore her home and seek emotional support from her when they need this. The childminder has a calm, kind and patient manner and she gives children her individual attention which helps to ensure that each child feels valued. Children move freely around the childminder's home and enjoy playing with the resources available, which promotes their confidence and independence. The childminder is a good role model, treating

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

children with kindness, politeness and respect. They enjoy each other's company, seeking out friendships and forming relationships. As children arrive at the setting they are warmly greeted by the childminder and the other children. The childminder provides opportunities for the children to meet up with larger groups of children to further develop their social skills. She ensures that the children are aware of her expectations regarding their behaviour in her home. For example, she has basic house rules, such as being kind to each other and sharing, and helping to look after and tidy away the toys. This supports children to respect one another and understand appropriate boundaries. Consequently, children are well behaved and develop good social skills. This along with the childminder helping to develop their literacy and numeracy skills helps prepare them for transition to school when the time comes.

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

Healthy lifestyles are promoted as the childminder encourages children to eat a healthy diet and try different foods. Snacks and sandwiches for lunch are freshly prepared and include a variety of fruits and vegetables. Children are developing their independence skills, for example, they are encouraged to put on their own coats, shoes and slippers. However, there is scope to enhance opportunities to encourage children's independence further by involving them in the preparation of the snacks and lunchtime sandwiches. Children develop a good range of physical skills as they enjoy regular opportunities for fresh air and exercise. They are supported well to develop an awareness of their own toileting needs, instinctively wash their hands at appropriate times during the day and are fully aware that they do this 'to keep their hands clean and to kill any germs'.

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

The childminder is vigilant about children's safety and she supervises them well at all times. Children gain a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, for example, when she explains why they need to take care with the electric mixer and why the electric plug sockets have covers. She enables them to take safe risks under her close supervision, such as when using larger equipment at the local park and when learning how to cross the road during walks to the park and shops. Systems are in place for parents to share information with the childminder about any health or dietary issues the children may have, and there are thorough records for accidents and any medication administered.

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provision

The childminder has a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This results in children being safeguarded very well as the childminder ensures that her home and garden are safe and secure to protect them from harm. The childminder has a sound awareness of the signs that may cause her concern about a child's welfare. She has undertaken child protection training and fully understands the importance of her role in protecting children and seeking help and advice if the need arises. Parents are fully informed of her duty of care through effective policies and procedures, which are shared with them from the start of any care arrangements. A written safeguarding policy, which is shared with parents, includes the action to be taken and telephone numbers of who to contact to seek advice and support. The childminder has carefully considered the use of mobile telephones and

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provision

cameras, and this is included in her policy. The childminder undertakes risk assessments for her home and all outings, and reviews these regularly to ensure that that they meet the current needs of the children attending. This helps to ensure that children are well protected from harm.

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provision

The childminder uses her thorough knowledge of the learning and development requirements, and observations of children's learning, to assess their abilities and monitor their progress. This information, alongside their current interests, is used to plan for each individual child's needs, which means that all children are making good progress towards their next stage of learning. Children benefit from a broad range of planned experiences based on their individual needs, which support them to make progress in all areas of their learning. This reflects the childminder's commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for the children. The childminder has a clear commitment to improving the service she provides and has completed a focused improvement plan which clearly identifies areas of improvements made and those requiring further development. She accesses training and support from other agencies to update her knowledge and

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provision

understanding. She encourages parents to express their views on the care of their children and welcomes their feedback to use for her continual development. Comments from parents include 'She really loves coming and never wants to go home', 'She is learning her numbers and letters and writes her own name now' and 'I am really pleased'.

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provision

The childminder is professional and organised. She has identified that she would like to give the children more experiences outside of the setting. As a result, she has reorganised her schedule to support her in developing the children's understanding about the wider community in which they live in. Strong partnerships with parents are established from the onset of placements. However, there is scope to further strengthen communication with parents in order to support children's learning and development at home. Ongoing information sharing ensures that the childminder is well informed to meet the changing needs of the children. She is fully aware of the importance of developing partnerships with other provision which children may move on to, such as school, and the importance of preparing children appropriately when moving on from her care.

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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 251894 Local authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 871474 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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