Childminder in Cambridgeshire

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/01/2014 20/01/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the childminder's care and have formed very secure attachments. Children are highly valued and their individuality is clearly respected and celebrated.  Children make excellent progress in their learning and development, due to the childminder's extremely secure knowledge of their individual needs and interests. She uses this to provide interesting activities and outings, which enhance and develop children's skills and knowledge to the highest standard.  Excellent relationships with parents and strong links with other settings support a shared approach to children's learning and ensure they receive consistent support that truly enhances their care, learning and development.  The childminder holds an exemplary training record. Each course is thoroughly reviewed and evaluated to ensure any knowledge gained is used in the most effective way that benefits the children in her care.

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This provision is outstanding

 The childminder is highly skilled and effective at constantly monitoring and evaluating all aspects of her provision, to inform continuous improvement. She is totally dedicated to providing the best quality childcare for all children, which results in highly effective practice which is worthy of dissemination to other childminders.

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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 taking place in the lounge and conservatory playroom.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the childminder at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, the childminder's self-evaluation form, the register of attendance and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability for the childminder and other adults living at the premises.

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Information about the setting

The childminder was registered in 1993 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 grandchildren aged 10, seven and two years in a house in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. The whole of the ground floor, the bathroom on the first floor and the rear garden is used for childminding. 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.

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Information about the setting

There are currently five children on roll, one of whom is in the early years age group and attends for a variety of sessions. The childminder receives funding for the provision of free early education for three-year-old children. She operates all year round from 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays and family holidays. She holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and is a member of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.

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

 extend the already excellent activities within the outdoor environment to further promote children's creativity and expressiveness.

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who attend

The childminder highly respects the children in her care as individuals and demonstrates a clear knowledge and understanding of their learning needs. Children flourish and make rapid progress in their learning due to the exciting and highly stimulating environment and excellent support they receive from the childminder. Activities capture children's interest and the childminder makes excellent use of the local community and beyond to enhance children's learning. For example, children who are interested in building and construction are given the opportunity to watch the foundations being laid for their new pre-school building on a local school site. The childminder engages children's learning using a variety of teaching methods. For example, she has made her own story sacks using books, props and games linked to a popular story or themes, such as farms. During the inspection, children were curious about a book on caterpillars. The childminder engages in a

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who attend

discussion and explains through the pictures how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and introduces new words, such as 'pupa' and 'cocoon' into the children's vocabulary. She makes excellent use of spontaneous opportunities to extend learning. For example, children use the internet to research an unusual caterpillar they have found in the garden. Then they draw a picture to cut out and place on their nature watch poster displayed in the house. Finally, they take the caterpillar to a safe place to let it go.

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who attend

High regard is given to promoting children's early communication skills. The childminder has attended specialised speech and language training and ensures she implements appropriate strategies when communicating with children. She has linked 'Every Child a Talker' development milestones into her planning of activities as she fully recognises the importance of promoting this skill. Books are attractively displayed in a bookstand the childminder has made herself and are used very well to link to themes, such as people who help us. Since her last inspection the childminder has developed her outdoor learning environment so that she is able to support a wide variety of play and learning. For example, an 'outdoor classroom' has been implemented, complete with wipe board for children to develop their early 'writing' skills. The childminder is now considering how she can further extend the already fantastic opportunities for children to express themselves

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who attend

outdoors, using a wider range of media and materials. Children celebrate the diverse society in which they live through an interesting range of activities, discussions with the childminder and the variety of resources provided.

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who attend

Children make excellent progress in their development because assessment of children's learning is extremely precise and accurate. Next steps are clearly identified and monitored to ensure learning opportunities are never missed. This ensures children are extremely well prepared for their next stage of learning, such as starting school. Planning truly reflects children's interests both in the setting and at home as parents are given constant opportunities to share what they know about their child. Children's progress is consistently shared so that that parents are aware of their children's stage of development at all times. Alongside the excellent assessment procedures the childminder also provides each child with their 'special book' of photographs and pieces of work. A duplicate copy is given to parents and updated each time the childminder updates the books kept at the setting. This ensures both the parents and children can view and discuss the most recent activities

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who attend

the children have participated in at any time. One parent recently commented that their's was a 'really lovely book with lots of memories'.

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

All the children currently cared for by the childminder have been attending for many years, with some from babies through to the last year of primary school. As a result, extremely loving bonds have developed and the childminder shows true affection for the children in her care. Children have their own blanket and cushion to use at the childminder's home when resting, hand-made with material chosen by themselves from the market. Touches, such as this really give children a true sense of belonging in the family home. Children feel comfortable and at ease with the childminder, engaging in familiar routines which establish expectations and ensure their independence and self-care are promoted very well. For example, children put on their own shoes before outdoor play, self-register on arrival, and help to clean the table before they eat their lunch. Furthermore, a visual time-line is used to demonstrate to younger children the behavioural

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

rules for sharing some resources, such as a tablet computer, with other children that attend. Effective rules and boundaries such as this are in place so that children learn to gain respect for the childminder, her home, the resources and each other.

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

Communication between the childminder and the parents is particularly effective. The childminder is able to plan effectively for each child's individual needs from the beginning based on written information and thorough discussions with parents to find out about their strengths and interests. A daily diary and thorough verbal discussions at collection time ensures children's continuing needs are constantly met to a high standard. A highly successful period of transition is implemented by the childminder when children start at other settings. A transition document, which includes a most recent summary of their development, is shared with other providers so that they are fully aware of children's interests and their current care and learning needs. Thorough records of all discussions with children's key workers or teachers are kept and shared with parents.

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

The childminder gently guides and supports children's understanding of maintaining their own personal care, such as hand washing before eating or after petting an animal. Visual aids to further reinforce this are also displayed around the home. Children use their own individual towels in the bathroom and paper towels when downstairs to minimise the risk of infection spreading to other children. The childminder reviews her health and hygiene procedures every three months to ensure they are still effective and maintained to a high standard. All accidents are thoroughly recorded and the childminder has a current first-aid certificate, which means she is able to deal with minor accidents effectively. A healthy range of meals and snacks are provided by the childminder and children are given choices about the foods they would like to eat. For example, they choose the filling for their sandwich and the piece of fruit they would like. The childminder develops children's

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

independence as she encourages them to peel and cut their banana themselves. Children use the garden every day and spend quality time in the fresh air on plenty of walks and outings. The childminder is very well prepared in the event of any emergency as she has put a 'grab bag' together with essential items. These include water proof ponchos and bottles of water should she and the children need to leave the house quickly. Children are also encouraged to think about their own safety, as they participate in regular emergency drills and learn about road safety on walks.

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provision

Children are extremely well safeguarded in the childminder's care as she demonstrates an excellent understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. She is fully aware of the procedures to follow in the event of a concern and has completed training to an advanced level, which is regularly updated to refresh her knowledge. Suitability checks are carried out on adults within the home, a record of visitors is kept and children are never left alone with people who are not vetted. The childminder is meticulous in her record keeping. She monitors and evaluates what these records tell her on a constant basis to improve her practice wherever she can. For example, any accidents or incidents are thoroughly recorded and risk assessments scrutinised and reviewed to reflect any necessary changes that require implementation. Highly comprehensive risk assessments for both the home and all outings children attend, ensure they play in a safe and secure

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provision

environment which is consistently monitored when in use. The childminder maintains a well-equipped first-aid kit and takes another kit with her on outings so that she can deal promptly with any accidents. She has an excellent awareness and complies with requirements to notify Ofsted of any serious accident or significant event.

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provision

The childminder is extremely passionate about caring for children and has worked very hard during her childminding career to constantly evolve and improve her services. Furthermore, she has embraced the changes very well within the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage to maintain her outstanding judgement awarded at her previous inspection. Consistent ongoing self-reflection of the childminder's practice means that areas for improvement are always identified and addressed quickly to improve outcomes for children. The childminder evaluates and reflects on absolutely everything she does. This includes the extensive list of training courses that have been completed since becoming a childminder over 20 years ago. This ensures that any knowledge gained from attending training is implemented effectively through her practice so that children gain the maximum benefit from what she has learnt. The childminder demonstrates

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provision

through her exemplary practice that she has an excellent understanding of her responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements at all times.

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provision

The childminder has built excellent working and personal relationships with parents and values their active contribution to their children's life whilst at the setting. Detailed and very informative newsletters are shared with parents on a regular basis This ensures they are familiar with any up and coming events, and learning topics, and how these can be supported. For example, during a theme about favourite books, parents provided the childminder with their favourite childhood books to share. A large parents' noticeboard ensures parents are aware of the day-to-day information they need to know and the planning of activities their child is participating in. Parents' thoughts and opinions are highly valued and they comment enthusiastically in regular feedback obtained by the childminder. For example, parents say that the childminder, 'provides excellent care' and that, 'children are fortunate to take part in so many activities'. The childminder has built

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provision

highly effective relationships with staff at a local pre-school children attend. A three-way diary is used between both settings and the parents to ensure that children's needs are consistently being met to a high standard. Overall, children feel extremely safe, secure and happy in the childminder's care, due to her warm and loving nature and the excellent standard of care and education she provides.

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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 222350 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 950924 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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